Mine made me ripe to follow in my father’s footsteps. Hers made her excellent at more…questionable activities.
I typed back my response and sent it.Something came up, and I took advantage of the opportunity to move to a more secure location.
The jangling of my phone a second later jolted me, but I hurried to answer it so no one else overheard the ringing.
“I’m doing the best I can here,” I whispered as I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door. Somehow, it felt safer in here, though I wondered what was on the other side of the walls surrounding me. Could anyone overhear my conversation?
“Where are you?” My sister’s voice came through crystal-clear and firm.
“I’m safe.”
“Where, Natashka?”
I let out a sigh, a streak of stubbornness stopping me from answering right away. “I don’t have to answer to you, Nadia.”
“Does this have to do with Dr. Kyle Carter?”
“Maybe,” I answered.
I didn’t miss the audible sigh on the other end of the line. “I haven’t finished vetting him, Natashka. Please do not tell me you did something foolish like…go somewhere with him.”
I huffed out a breath. “I may or may not be residing with Alex Stone at the moment.”
“What?!” I pictured her slapping a palm against her forehead, the leather of her favorite jacket creaking as she did so. She muttered a curse in our native Belvarian under her breath. “I need to see you.”
“I can’t,” I answered, shifting my weight from foot to foot.
“Why not? What aren’t you saying?”
“Look, I didn’t exactly tell Kyle who I was. He thinks I’m a damsel in distress, a woman who was abused. I can’t go running into the night to meet you.”
“Kyle, is it? My, aren’t we collegial. Look, Natasha, I am not asking. Meet me at your old room.”
The line clicked, and I pressed my lips into thin line as I stared at my phone. It wasn’t anything different than what I was used to. Nadia had ordered me around since we’d been children. Despite being the younger sister, she was the stronger personality.
And I dared not defy her before she showed up on Alex’s doorstep with her posse and caused even more drama than I needed.
I tossed the phone onto the thick duvet–much closer to the level of comfort I was used to–and crossed to the bathroom to change my shirt.
With my clothes restored, I sent Nadia a text telling her that I needed to wait until the household was quiet before I snuck from my room.
I collapsed onto the edge of the bed, puffing my cheeks out. My mind returned to the kisses I’d shared with Kyle. How I wished more could come of it, but judging my Nadia’s tone, hewouldn’t even be a viable option for us to work with in a more business-like setting let alone a romance.
With a sigh, I fell back into the soft pillows. At least the bed here would be far more comfortable than the one at the horrid motel.
I drummed my fingers against my thigh as I waited until I heard the soft thud of a door a hallway away. My eyes shifted to my own door before I leapt from the bed and crossed to the sliding glass door leading to the balcony.
After a cursory exam, I didn’t spot any alarm triggers, so I slid it open and stepped into the cool sea breeze.
My fingers tightened around the metal railing as I peered over the edge. A shrub below my balcony could break my fall. I swung my leg over the rail, straddling it for a moment before I climbed to the other side.
With all the tight spots I’d been in before, this would be a walk in the park. I lowered down and hung from the edge of the balcony before I dropped into the bush.
A few scrapes marred my hands, but otherwise, I made it intact. I stared up at the elevated patio. Climbing back up with would another thing, but maybe I could bring one of Nadia’s cohorts to boost me up.
I hurried around the side of the house and through the front yard, taking the fastest route to the BeachRider.
As I approached the rundown building, two men flanked me. From their tattoos, I could easily recognize them as friends not foes. They led me back into my old room.
