Her father had cast her out, as per the rule.She had disrespected him and refused to follow the rules.She only ever saw her father again when he would break those rules to visit the artisan supermarket where she worked, a job she had loved.
She hadn’t been there for six months, and she doubted Dmitriy had called in for her, so that job was long gone.Instead, he kept her alive.
She blew across the mug of coffee and tried not to think about Dmitriy.It wouldn’t do her any good to think of him.He was a killer, and she didn’t know why he had kept her alive.He had no secret desire to want her, or be with her.
He just couldn’t kill her.She had never done anything to hurt anyone.
She ran fingers through her long, blonde hair.She had been meaning to get it cut so many times, but she couldn’t bring herself to keep the appointment.She always cancelled the day before, giving the hair salon time to book someone else in her place.
Why was she thinking about her hair?
Finishing her coffee, she was not in the mood to cook herself breakfast, and instead made her way out into the yard and got to work removing some weeds, covering the plants, checking them for diseases and cleaning off the bugs.They were all gross.Wrinkling her nose, she was consumed with her work on the plants, which was where Dmitriy found her.She hadn’t cooked breakfast.There was no way it was after six in the afternoon as the sun was still up, but it hadn’t heated.She was on her knees, cleaning up a plant bed, ready for spring.
“What are you doing out here?”Dmitriy asked.
“Working.What are you doing home?”
“I need to talk with you,” he said.
This made her frown.Was this when he would finally kill her?
Anastasia didn’t want to die.She certainly didn’t want to have her life ended by a man she was attracted to.That just seemed like a cruel twist of fate, not that she told him that.She got to her feet and made her way inside, removing her gloves, waiting for the panic to set in.But nothing happened.Not a single thing.
She was ...calm.Collected.If she was going to die ...no, hell, no.
“What did I do wrong?”Anastasia asked.“I know I was not the nicest hostage, but you did kill my whole family.Why wait six months?Why give me this chance to live if all you’re going to do is kill me now?Is this some kind of sick and twisted game or plot you have going?Do you have cameras?Is this a game?”
He frowned.“What are you talking about?”
Anastasia frowned herself.“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
“No, what makes you think I am going to kill you?”he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.She had never been so mortified in her life.This was not fun and not fair.This could not be happening.
“Why aren’t you?”
“Because I don’t want to,” he said.
That wasn’t really a good enough answer, but Anastasia was confused.“Why do we need to talk?”
He ran fingers through his hair.
“Gnesin.I need to know everything you know,” Dmitriy said.
She was surprised.“But I don’t know anything.I have not been around that circle in four years.”
“I know your dad visited you.”
“How?”she asked.
“That is irrelevant right now.I need you to tell me if there was anything suspicious about your dad the last time you met him.”
Now she was wishing she had taken the time to eat something.
Anastasia blew out a breath and thought back to the week before Dmitriy took her.It had been an ordinary day.Six months ago placed them toward the middle of spring, maybe even the early part, and it was warm, so she wore a short-sleeved shirt.It had been busy in the supermarket.Her father rarely came when it was busy.
She ran a hand down her face and shrugged.“Dad was always a little ...hesitant.He was breaking the rules when he came to see me.I knew this, but that was no different than any time before.”
