dumb. The second we make a run for it, they’ll be notified. They’ll find us. I’ll be beaten to within an inch of my life, and they’ll drag you back. Only this time, I won’t be there to run any interference for you. You’ll be completely unprotected. And they’ll make sure they hurt you so bad, you’ll never try to escape again.”
I don’t answer, because I know in my heart he’s telling the truth. He closes the distance between us once more, and I swear I feel the pounding of his heart in the air around me.
“Say the word, Kiera,” he whispers, and his voice makes me shiver. “Tell me you can live with the consequences, that you won’t hate yourself or me for the rest of your life, and we’ll leave right now. We’ll risk it all, leave everything behind.”
“I can’t leave Sammy.”
He nods. “I know. He thought if you were mad at him, super mad, you’d be okay leaving him behind.” The beautiful, pained man standing before me runs his hand through his hair, and for a split second, I wish my hands were running through it instead. His eyes pin me in place. I can’t move, even if I wanted to. “I knew it wouldn’t work.”
It takes a long moment for his words to sink in. “Wait. You’re not saying…? He’s not really mad at me? The fight, that was all a ruse?”
He nods. “He wanted to hurt you so bad you wouldn’t come back. He thought if he could keep you away at school, you’d have a chance. He only wanted to protect you.”
Tears streak down my cheeks. My brother to the rescue again, with no regard for himself.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” I say to no one. I just hope in Sammy’s unconscious state, he somehow knows. Warmth spreads through me as Dima smoothes my hair. I feel a smidgeon better with him touching me, and I’m all too aware of the dangers that could lead to. I wipe the wetness from my skin and regroup. I need to figure shit out. I need to figure out why I’m so infatuated with this man that I should hate.
“We can run away and take him with us. There has to be some way.”
“Not now.” He shakes his head and brushes his knuckles down the side of my cheek. The touch is light and gentle and wakes up my senses with its tingling effect. Warmth and comfort spread through me, a complete contradiction to the feelings his touch should cause. “Not until he’s off the ventilator. He’s doing better, getting stronger, but we can’t move him yet. We don’t have the know how or the equipment. Plus it’ll slow us down so much, we won’t have a chance.”
“So what? I stay here and wait for them to sell me to the highest bidder like a mail-order bride?” He doesn’t say anything, but I see a sadness in his eyes and I understand. He’s powerless, just like me. I call him on it, not sure what I expect from him. “You can’t stop it, can you?”
He rubs his hand across his forehead. “I don’t know. But I’m doing all I can.”
“That doesn’t mean you can stop them before they marry me off.”
“Marry you? Kiera, that’s not…” His eyes scrunch up tight. His whole face looks like he’s in pain.
“But you said…” tiny bumps cover my hairless skin, making me shiver. “What do they want me for?”
He looks to the ground and presses his lips into a thin line before speaking. “They want to set you up in their strip club and rent you out.”
There’s no air in my lungs. I want to collapse into a puddle on the floor, but I don’t. I can’t allow myself that privilege. My throat feels strangled. He can’t be saying what I think he’s saying. “Rent me out for what?”
“As a prostitute.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I forget myself for a moment and strike his chest with my fist. He grabs my hand to stop me and holds it tight. My breath is caught in my throat. For a nanosecond, I panic. I’m afraid to look up into his eyes, that they’ll reveal the monster he really is.
I struggle to break free of his hold. He doesn’t let me.
I don’t answer, because I know in my heart he’s telling the truth. He closes the distance between us once more, and I swear I feel the pounding of his heart in the air around me.
“Say the word, Kiera,” he whispers, and his voice makes me shiver. “Tell me you can live with the consequences, that you won’t hate yourself or me for the rest of your life, and we’ll leave right now. We’ll risk it all, leave everything behind.”
“I can’t leave Sammy.”
He nods. “I know. He thought if you were mad at him, super mad, you’d be okay leaving him behind.” The beautiful, pained man standing before me runs his hand through his hair, and for a split second, I wish my hands were running through it instead. His eyes pin me in place. I can’t move, even if I wanted to. “I knew it wouldn’t work.”
It takes a long moment for his words to sink in. “Wait. You’re not saying…? He’s not really mad at me? The fight, that was all a ruse?”
He nods. “He wanted to hurt you so bad you wouldn’t come back. He thought if he could keep you away at school, you’d have a chance. He only wanted to protect you.”
Tears streak down my cheeks. My brother to the rescue again, with no regard for himself.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” I say to no one. I just hope in Sammy’s unconscious state, he somehow knows. Warmth spreads through me as Dima smoothes my hair. I feel a smidgeon better with him touching me, and I’m all too aware of the dangers that could lead to. I wipe the wetness from my skin and regroup. I need to figure shit out. I need to figure out why I’m so infatuated with this man that I should hate.
“We can run away and take him with us. There has to be some way.”
“Not now.” He shakes his head and brushes his knuckles down the side of my cheek. The touch is light and gentle and wakes up my senses with its tingling effect. Warmth and comfort spread through me, a complete contradiction to the feelings his touch should cause. “Not until he’s off the ventilator. He’s doing better, getting stronger, but we can’t move him yet. We don’t have the know how or the equipment. Plus it’ll slow us down so much, we won’t have a chance.”
“So what? I stay here and wait for them to sell me to the highest bidder like a mail-order bride?” He doesn’t say anything, but I see a sadness in his eyes and I understand. He’s powerless, just like me. I call him on it, not sure what I expect from him. “You can’t stop it, can you?”
He rubs his hand across his forehead. “I don’t know. But I’m doing all I can.”
“That doesn’t mean you can stop them before they marry me off.”
“Marry you? Kiera, that’s not…” His eyes scrunch up tight. His whole face looks like he’s in pain.
“But you said…” tiny bumps cover my hairless skin, making me shiver. “What do they want me for?”
He looks to the ground and presses his lips into a thin line before speaking. “They want to set you up in their strip club and rent you out.”
There’s no air in my lungs. I want to collapse into a puddle on the floor, but I don’t. I can’t allow myself that privilege. My throat feels strangled. He can’t be saying what I think he’s saying. “Rent me out for what?”
“As a prostitute.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I forget myself for a moment and strike his chest with my fist. He grabs my hand to stop me and holds it tight. My breath is caught in my throat. For a nanosecond, I panic. I’m afraid to look up into his eyes, that they’ll reveal the monster he really is.
I struggle to break free of his hold. He doesn’t let me.
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