“I'm not in love with him,” I mumble, Kelly's expression telling me just how much she believes me.
I stare into my mug, watching the tea leaves drift, wishing for answers in their tangled swirls. I want to believe there's a right choice here, a clean way out, but nothing about this is simple. The ache in my chest flares with every possibility—turning on Samson is one thing, but betraying Matvei is entirely another. I lift my eyes to Kelly, searching her face for the certainty I know she can't give me.
Silence stretches between us, heavy as thunderclouds, and I wonder if there's any right way through this storm. My heart stutters with guilt and longing, tangling together until I can't tell one from the other.
“What if I mess everything up?” I whisper. “What if trying to protect him only makes it worse?”
Kelly reaches across the table, her hand warm over mine. “You won't. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out. But you have to decide what you want. Not just for him, but for you, too, and for the twins. You deserve that.Theydeserve that.”
I nod, the corners of my mouth twitching with the beginnings of a smile that never fully forms. The quiet between us is a kind of comfort, wrapping around the sharp edges of my worry. Kelly'swords linger, settling into the space between my fear and my hope. I know she's right—doing nothing is its own kind of choice and I can't hide forever.
Kelly pushes herself up, suddenly, decisively. “Come on. Let's go for a walk.”
“It's literally freezing outside,” I groan, pointing to the cold, gray, threatening weather.
“Oh, come on. Don't be a baby. It'll be fine.” She pulls me out of the chair with an exaggerated gesture. “You're supposed to be getting light exercise, right? Plus, this will give you a chance to think.”
Kelly keeps a running commentary as we crunch through the thickly wooded trail that runs by her house. A few people wind their way on bicycles while others pass by on a walk. A guy with bright orange sneakers runs by, in the zone as he passes us effortlessly. Talking is what she's good at, and she doesn't mind if I'm not exactly answering. It's like a chant that lets me sink into my own thoughts, and she knows it.
Suddenly, I'm startled out of my reverie. I don't know why, but my heart rate picks up and the back of my neck prickles. It's suddenly very quiet—no other walkers, no runners, no bikers. Not even a song from a winter bird.
“Kells?” My voice is hushed, just like the path around us.
My sister doesn't reply immediately, but she has stopped walking.
“What's going on?”
Kelly shakes her head and takes my hand, leading me into the thick of bare, gray trees lining the path. I hunch behind mysister, trusting her instincts. Her eyes sweep the area, her hand instinctively moving toward her hip where her gun would be if she were in uniform.
Now I’m really freaked out. I slip my phone out of my pocket and type a quick text to Evgeny. Even if I haven't seen him since I stormed out of the doctor's office, I know he's been around.
“Come on, Sonya,” Kelly beckons. “Let's go. Quickly.” She pulls me deeper into the trees, wincing as the dead leaves crunch loudly under our feet.
“Did you see someone?” I ask in a hushed voice.
“Not yet,” she replies. “But something is definitely off.”
I reach into my pocket for my phone again, fumbling it as I share my location with Evgeny. I know he probably already has it, but right now, I don't want to leave anything to chance.
Through the trees, I see the man with the bright orange shoes coming back up the path, but he disappears as quickly as he appeared.
“Kelly,” I hiss.
“I saw it,” she whispers. She starts walking faster, and I struggle to keep up.
A moment later, I hear pounding feet over the leaves just before someone grabs me from behind. I scream and start thrashing.
For a moment, everything is chaos. I'm screaming and flailing. Kelly is screaming and punching at the guy, yelling threats and warnings. The guy grunts as my elbow connects with his ribs.
“Fuck!” he yells and releases me.
I turn in time to see Kelly smash her fist into the side of his head. He goes down but quickly rolls and comes back up, launching himself at her in the next breath. Kelly's ready for it. She ducks and uses his momentum to flip him over her back. Then she falls on him, raining angry blows to his face.
But the guy is bigger, stronger, and clearly used to fighting. He moves almost too fast for me to register, scissoring his legs up and catching Kelly on the side of the head.
I scream her name as she goes down and the guy jumps on her. I look around frantically for something to use as a weapon while Kelly grapples with him. He manages to land a few punches and slams the back of her head against the ground. Kelly lies there, dazed and breathing hard, as the guy starts to get up.
I smash him with the big branch I found. I was aiming for his head, but I hit his shoulder instead. He trips forward, cursing in a language I don't understand.
