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As it is, I’ve never felt more alone.
So when Hope walks out of the main house towards the pool house, I jump at the opportunity for a human conversation.
“Hope!” I wave an arm over my head and she pivots towards me instantly.
I haven’t seen her since this morning in the kitchen, but a familiar face is a familiar face. Imprisoned beggars can’t be choosers.
“Is there something I can get you, ma’am?” she asks politely.
I didn’t have a plan when I called out to her, but it comes to me all at once. “Oh, yeah! Yeah, actually, you could. I lost my phone somewhere. I’m not sure where. But I just need to make a quick call. Five minutes tops.”
It shouldn’t take long to tell Kayla that her plan to find me a boyfriend got me kidnapped instead.
Hope hits me with a sympathetic smile that has me sagging in disappointment before she can even say a word.
“I take it that’s against the rules?” I grumble.
“I’ll get fired,” she explains apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
“Sounds like a win-win, if you ask me. You get to help an innocent person escape being abducted and you don’t have to work for a psychopath anymore.”
The corner of her mouth quirks into an unwilling smile. “Mr. Kulikov isn’t a psychopath. He’s actually quite nice.”
I wave her away. If she isn’t going to help me, I don’t want to talk to her. “Yeah, yeah. I heard him ask about how your mom is doing. He had me fooled, too—right up until he barred the doors.”
“He didn’t bar the doors. You’re outside right now.”
I cross my arms and slouch. “Symbolically.”
Hope looks up towards the house. Her eyes scan the windows and the doors. Then she crouches down next to me, her voice low. “If Yakov is keeping you here, it’s for your own good. Trust me.”
“I don’t even know you. I can’t trust anyone.”
“You can trust me.” She smiles. “I’ve been working for the Kulikov family for almost eight years. I worked for Yakov’s dad first. He was nice, too. Then everything happened and Yakov became my boss.”
“‘Everything happened’? What does that mean?”
Hope gives another small shake of her head. “I can’t tell you that, either.”
I groan. “You can’t help me, you can’t tell me anything, and you’ve worked around these people for eight years. I gotta say, you don’t seem very trustworthy, Hope. You’ve probably been brainwashed into thinking this is normal.”
“This isn’t normal,” she agrees. “I know that. But just because it isn’t normal doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do. Mr. Kulikov is a good man. I trust him. If you let him, he’ll take care of you.”
“Why does he even need to take care of me?” I lower my voice. “Maybe if you could tell me who is after me, it would help? I don’t even know what I’m being saved from.”
Hope stands up. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. You’ll need to talk to Mr. Kulikov about that.”
“Spoken like someone who has never actually tried to talk to him,” I mutter. “He makes dodging questions look like an Olympic sport.”
Hope ignores me and pastes on a bright smile. “There are some spare swimsuits in the pool house if you want to go for a dip.”
“I’m not really in the mood,” I lie. I actually wouldn’t mind, but it’s the principle of the matter. I don’t want to look like I’m having a good time in case anyone in this house forgets that I’m here against my will.
She keeps smiling. “It’s your choice. But I say, if you’re going to be here for a while, you might as well make the most of it. There are worse places to be stuck.”
“I’m not stuck,” I hiss. “I’m being held prisoner. You’re an accessory to kidnapping, you know. When I get out of here, I’ll give the police your name, too.”
“Okay,” she says gently. “That’s your choice, too.”
