For a moment, I think she’s going to agree. That she’s going to tell me everything will be okay.
Then she snaps her fingers. Two of the armed men appear in the doorway.
“Take her to the cattle shed,” Natalia snarls.
“What?” I step back. “No. Wait?—”
The men grab my arms. I struggle but they’re too strong.
“Natalia, please!”
She doesn’t look at me. Just turns back to the window. “I’m sorry, Olivia. But I can’t let you warn him.”
“You lied to me!”
“No. I told you exactly what I was going to do. You just didn’t want to hear it.”
The men drag me toward the door. I dig my heels in, but it doesn’t matter. They’re too strong.
“You’re just like him!” I scream. “You’re both monsters!”
Natalia doesn’t respond. She just stands there, silhouetted against the dying light.
The men haul me outside. The cattle shed is fifty yards from the house. It’s old and dilapidated, with rusted hinges and gaps in the walls. They throw me inside. I hit the ground hard, my hands scraping against dirt and straw.
The door slams shut behind me. I hear the lock thud into place.
I scramble to my feet and pound on the door. “Let me out! Natalia! Please!”
No answer.
I sink to the ground, my back against the wall. Tears stream down my face. I was such a fool. I trusted her. I believed her lies.
And now, Stefan is going to die because of me.
I pull out my phone with shaking hands. It’s still off. I turn it on and wait for it to boot up.
Please work. Please, please work.
The screen lights up. No signal. Of course. We’re in the middle of freaking nowhere.
I try anyway. I dial Stefan’s number and hold the phone to my ear. Nothing. Not even a ring. I try Taras. Camille. Even my mother. Nothing works.
I’m trapped. And Stefan has no idea what’s coming for him.
I wrap my arms around my knees and rock back and forth. My daughter kicks inside me. A tiny, helpless twinge that breaks my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
I don’t know if I’m talking to her or to Stefan.
Maybe both.
54
STEFAN
The key turns in the lock. The door swings open.
