Chapter 21

She quietly slipped the key into the lock and gently turned it. Once the door was opened, she slipped out, closing it behind her.

God, it was cold. Very cold. She did not take keeping warm into consideration when planning her escape. Maybe it was warm when they arrived or because the house was always warm.
She tugged on her jacket, blowing into her palms for added warmth.

She would survive- had to. She had petty cash with her, and hopefully, with a few pointers, she would make it to the airport. When she got there, she would tell them that she had been held against her will. If she could not get personal revenge, she would settle for seeing them pay for their misdeeds.

She walked a little faster, her eyes on the gate that she could not see in the fog. When she got to the gate, she would figure out how to get past the guards that they saw when coming in.
Maybe the cold would keep them in, hopefully.


She was walking when she heard a low growl.
*Was that a dog?

She stopped in her tracks and waited. Nothing. Maybe she misheard.
She continued walking but heard the low growl again. She stopped. Nothing.

*If she was hearing sounds that weren’t real, she had to see a therapist once she was back home.

Then she heard it, louder this time: a growl, a bark.

*A dog? She did not take that into account. There were no dogs when they arrived!

The bark went from a single sound to two, three and then she could not identify how many dogs there were. Nor could she see them. She began walking faster, her heart racing. If the dogs caught up with her, she would be eaten in a couple of seconds. There was no saving her- not when the owners were asleep.

She had only gone a few more steps when she saw eyes, then teeth, then fur. The dog stood a few feet in front of her and damn was it huge. It growled and snapped at her.

“Okay,” she put out her hand, “let’s talk this through. You bite bad guys, right? I am not a bad guy. I’m one of the good ones. I’m being held here against my will. You should let me go.”

The dog only barked louder, not leaving its position.

“Shh. Don’t wake them up. You’re going to take away my only chance to be free. I need to leave while I still have time,” she tried reasoning with it.

In response, the dog began to move towards her, teeth bared.
Katya took a step back, two, turned and began to run with the dog at her tail. She was not about to get bitten by a dog- it wasn’t the way she planned her death.



But the dog was faster and it cut her off before she got close to the house.

“Please don’t bite me? We can talk things out,” she pleaded, “I do not taste good.”

“How do you know?” a voice said.

She knew who it was before she even saw him.

“Maya, heel. You know better than to scare our visitor,” he said to the dog. Katya watched in surprise as the scary fur monster she was running from heeled immediately, wagging its tail furiously.

“Maya can be very intimidating at times but she doesn’t bite good people. She just likes to put on a show.”

*A show? Much like his brother?

“Is she your dog?”

“Yeah, she’s mine. Saved her from being beaten to death as a pup and ever since then she’s been my good girl,” Michal said. He walked over and crouched in front of the dog, rubbing her head.

The dog responded by licking his face, paws on his shoulder.


While they were playing man and dog, she could still run away, Katya thought.

“And if you are thinking of running,” Michal said without looking up, “I can tell you that it would be a terrible idea. The men you saw are always at the gate. Plus, the cold would kill you before they do.”

“I’d rather die than remain here one more day.”

“You don’t mean that.”

Katya folded her arms.
“You think I’d rather stay and pretend that everything is okay? Is that what you want me to do? Play house with you? Act like I’m fine when nobody wants to tell me anything?
I’m here against my will, if you haven’t gotten the memo! And I’m here because I was a stupid girl who trusted someone whose job was to keep her safe! How do you expect me to just accept this reality!? Do you even understand?

I doubt it because you weren’t lured here with the hopes of getting answers to questions that have plagued you your whole life. And you tell me I have had it easy. Is this your idea of showing me just how cruel life can be? Because if that is it, then I get it! I get that I was stupid and trusting but I swear that I will never accept this. Ever.”

“Katya-

Tears were falling down her eyes at this point. She was tired- very.
“Just don’t. Please don’t say anything. I’m a hostage here, you made that clear. I don’t think jailers engage in small talk with their hostages.”


She walked faster, not bothering to turn back when he called out her name again. She wanted- needed to be alone. She didn’t want him to see her weak. She was strong, stronger than the world painted her out to be, than her father thought she was, than the naive girl missing her mother.
Just before she entered the house, she turned and saw him standing afar. Her throat clogged up when she was reminded of why she trusted him. She was attracted to him- undeniably. Lust had blinded her.

“Are you okay?” Semion asked her when she entered the house.

Although it was the first time he was talking directly to her since she got the big reveal, she did not stop to respond.
Behind the closed door, with the world on the other side, she finally broke down- sobs racking through her body, regret enveloping her in a cold hug.