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“Some things are sacred.” I press a hand to my heart. “Anything said during an Audrey Hepburn marathon, especially where it relates to you and your brothers, will never cross my lips.”
Mariya looks me up and down and snorts. “You’re so corny.”
“But a good listener.”
“Fine,” she groans. “It’s not exactly a secret, anyway. My dad died, which sucked. Then my brothers let my mom ship me halfway around the world, which sucked even more. I couldn’t do shit to bring my dad back, but I didn’t have to lose Yakov and Nik, too. Knowing they were alive and just uninterested in being around me was not fun.”
I reach out and squeeze her hand. “It’s not that they didn’t want to be around you. They were dealing with their own stuff, too.”
“Yeah, well, we could have dealt with it together.”
“You still can. It’s not too late to fix things with them if you want to. You just need to talk to them.”
She goes quiet. We sit there for a few seconds, me holding her hand, Mariya breathing.
Just as I let go and pull back, Mariya turns and slips something hard into my fingers.
“Call your friend and tell her you’re okay,” she says simply.
Her phone. Mariya pushed her phone into my hand.
A million thoughts rush through my mind at once. The main one being that Yakov told me not to talk to Kayla. He doesn’t think it’s safe for there to be a connection between her and me while I’m in his house.
But I miss her. Even more than that, Mariya trusted me with her phone. That’s huge for a teenager. I don’t want to look ungrateful.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I punch in Kayla’s number. Mariya pretends not to pay attention, though I’d bet my last dollar that she’s eavesdropping on every word I’m about to say.
Kay answers immediately. “Luna?”
“How did you know it was me?”
She sighs in obvious relief. “I’m getting used to you calling me from random numbers. Is this another burner phone?”
“No, it’s—it’s a long story. I just wanted to call and tell you that I’m okay.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks. “You disappeared on me again.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I hate this. I hate not being able to talk to you. I’m freaked out for you.”
“I’m good. Really. Everything is fine.”
“Are you sure?” Kayla asks again, placing extra emphasis on every word. “Do you really trust this guy?”
I look up and Mariya is watching me now. She’s smiling softly. I see so much of Yakov in her. They have the same full lower lip. The same nose. The same “no one can tell me what the fuck to do” spirit.
I smile back and squeeze the phone a little tighter. “I do, Kayla. I really do. I trust him with my life.”
44
YAKOV
The decision to break into Mariya’s phone isn’t one I take lightly.
She’ll be a nightmare if she finds out and the last thing I need is for her to start being more unpredictable.
The only person she talks to nowadays is Luna. I’m the one who pushed the two of them together, so I have only myself to blame, but I still think it was a smart move. The problem is that Mariya is confiding in Luna, so she doesn’t have to tell me shit.
