“I can’t hear. It’s all murmurs.”
I flung my hand in the air with a sigh.
“Maybe they’re going to let us go. Maybe this was all a big mistake,” Ava said.
A sharp laugh escaped me as I failed to believe it would be that easy. Something else was going on here. I didn’t know what, but I didn’t think things were going to be as simple as a big misunderstanding.
“Da,” a female voice said, echoing off the walls. “Spasibo.”
I crinkled my brow, my gaze going to Alex. “Was that Russian?”
“Or a very close dialect,” Alex said, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
We exchanged another glance, both of us looking more worried than we had only moments ago. Were we about to be the Americans made an example of?
I licked my lips, my stomach twisting into a tight knot as heels reverberated on the concrete floor, getting closer to us with every step.
My stomach fluttered, my heart following along with it. Breathing became more difficult as my chest constricted.
I peered toward the exit, waiting to see who would appear. Would they be our savior or our worst nightmare?
A flicker of dark hair was the first thing I spotted before more of the figure emerged from the shadows. Leather-clad, the woman walked with a confident stride.
My breathing hitched as light finally revealed her face. My jaw unhinged. “Nattie?”
The woman strode closer, her eyes shifted to Alex and Ava, a slight furrow to her brow, before she focused on me again.
Her lips curled into a slight smile as though she was amused.
“Not exactly,” she answered, her accent British.
I studied her, those dark eyes cold as they bore into me. My jaw clenched. This was exactly how it had been the night we’d found her at the motel. There was no connection between us whatsoever.
What was this?
The woman reached into her leather jacket and removed her phone.
“Would someone mind telling us what’s going on here?” Alex asked. “And, uh, if it’s not too much trouble, could we get a phone call?”
“Sadly, Mr. Stone, that is too much trouble,” the woman answered as she scrolled on her display.
I narrowed my eyes at her. Was this some other personality of Nattie’s? Was that the danger she was running from?
“Uhh, I mean, we only let you stay at our house, so it sort of feels like you owe us a little,” Ava answered, her features stony.
The woman raised a finger in the air. “Not me, no.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ava demanded, gripping the bars, her eyes wide.
“It means, I did not stay at your house. I am not the woman you are referring to as Nattie.” She fixed her gaze on me. “That woman does not exist.”
My stomach dropped. Nattie was the other personality, the dormant one. This must be her normal personality. Which meant the woman I’d fallen in love with wasn’t real.
Yep, this was going just as well as the rest of my life—I’d fallen for a woman who didn’t exist.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ava demanded, her voice sharp. “Who are you?”
The woman smirked at Ava, seeming to enjoy the challenge. “Nadia.”
