"He's doing great. He seems really happy, you know. Everyone deserves to be happy. It's nice that he's doing well for himself. And Simon."
I bite down, clamping my jaw. Why is she so friendly?
Who in their right mind is cheerful during a kidnapping?
"Aren't you scared?" I ask, muttering.
"Pardon? I didn't hear your question." She perks up, smiling at me.
"Nothing," I grumble. She narrows her eyes for a second before her grin gets wider and her blue eyes shine beautifully. Hardly skipping a beat, she carries on chatting about my brother, and I listen with fascination.
It's good to hear how he's doing. I miss my family. Even though they betrayed me, they still mean the world to me.
"I saw Marlen last week, actually. Usually, we all get together at these big family events. Like pool parties and barbecues or pizza night. But last week he just popped in to say hi to my brother. It wasn't a big thing, so everyone else wasn't there. Because usually it's all the Abashins and the Shevchenkos and your other brother, Simon… "
I was happy to hear about Marlen and Simon, but now she's talking about those other assholes that I despise.
Why the fuck did she have to start talking about them?
"Can you shut the hell up for two seconds. I can't even hear myself thinking," I snarl at her.
I let out a loud huff of frustration, waiting for her to either do as I told her to do or pick a fight with me and tell me to go to hell.
But she does neither.
Instead, she pouts her lips and sighs softly. "Yeah, I guess I understand," she says quietly. "I'd be pretty pissed off, too. It must feel like everyone is against you."
I glare at her. "What the hell do you care?" I snap.
She shrugs. "I'm just saying I get it, that's all. I'd feel pretty lonely if I were you. Kind of out of the loop. I'm just saying that I understand why you'd be upset… Especially toward my family. It must feel like they stole your family from you." She speaks with warmth in her heart, and I realize it's the first kindness anyone has shown me in a very long time.
I don't know what to say.
She's fascinating. And confusing. And beautiful.
A low chuckle rumbles through me, and I shake my head. She's actually sympathizing with me. What the hell is going on?
Use it to your advantage, Bardil.
"What?" She grins at me.
"You're just not what I expected," I muse.
"That's hardly a fair comment. How can you expectanythingif you don't even know me?" she challenges me, lighthearted and cheeky.
"Alright, ok. But in a typical situation like this, most people would be freaking out."
She scrunches her nose. "Most people are boring and predictable," she counters.
"Most people are," I agree, nodding as my eyes wander over her. She definitely isn't anything like most people. That's for sure.
"It's rude to put your feet on other people's dashboards," I tell her, unable to hide my smirk. I don't give a shit about the dashboard. I'm about to ditch this car and swap it out in case someone spotted us. But I am fascinated by her audacity.
"Do you know what else is rude?" she scoffs. "Kidnapping people."
This remark entices a loud burst of laughter from me.
"Touché," I nod, accepting that she won that round.
