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Desi snorted next to me, rolling her eyes. “Right.”
I shot her a dirty look. Desi and I were survivors. We understood the reality of our situation but Katya was different. She was raised in a poor section of Russia and new hardship but not cruelty. Not until she arrived in the U.S. I hated that her experience was tainted by Alexi, Sean, and Solonik.
Katya lowered her head to my shoulder and I heard her sigh. “Tell me about Cinderella.”
She loved fairytales. Her mother used to read the stories to Katya every night when she was a child. That was long before Katya was sent as a teen to her uncle’s estate.
“She was dirty and poor. No one cared that she went hungry or did all the chores of an entire household on her own.”
“Cinderella was strong,” Kat observed.
“She was,” I agreed, “and she never let them break her spirit.”
“That is, what you say, important,” she emphasized.
“It is. She knew that hardship couldn’t last forever.”
“This is stupid,” Desi muttered.
“No one asked you,” I retorted.
Katya ignored our bickering. “Do you think we will find escape?”
“Someday, Kat. I have to believe we will.”
Desi scooted closer, laying her head on my other shoulder. She was hard as steel but there were rare occasions that she allowed a little warmth to sink in. Exactly like this moment when the sun’s rays penetrated the dark interior and Desi lifted her hand, turning it back and forth in the beams of light.
“If Cinderella could do it, we sure the fuck can,” she whispered, careful not to alert the guards or let them overhear.
I was beyond caring. If I was going to be beaten, used, or forced against my will it didn’t matter if I followed all the rules or kept my mouth shut. The same fate always awaited. Why not be bold enough to speak freely?
The van lurched in the road around a pothole and we nearly toppled over but I kept us all upright. Katya groaned and I brushed her long, thick hair back from her face.
“What is it?”
“All this motion. Makes me vomit.”
Poor thing. “Are you sick?”
“No.” Her hand lowered to her stomach and made a rounded motion as she cupped her lower belly.
Aw shit.
Desi’s eyes widened as she bolted upright. “Kat! Tell me that’s not true.”
“Keep your voice down, Desi,” I scolded. “Do you, um, want to keep it, Kat?”
Her voice was so low I almost missed her answer. “Yes.”
“This is huge,” Desi blurted. “If Alexi finds out he’ll make her get an abortion.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I promised, squeezing Kat’s shoulder as I hugged her tight. “We’ll figure this out.”
“Like Cinderella. Find my prince and ride away.”
“That’s right,” I answered, trying not to panic.
Alexi was going to lose his shit and I knew firsthand how bad he could be when he was in a rage. If Sean or Solonik got involved Katya would be taken to another location and I would never see her again.
