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Chapter 9
Darya
As strange as it felt to be laying in Yuri’s bed, it was stranger that Ilikedit. His scent wrapped me up and the cool sheets were a nice contrast to the lack of comfort I had in the cell downstairs.
It had been hours since he’d left, the door securely locked behind him, and after dozing off a couple of times, I felt more rested than I had since arriving. I took the opportunity alone to shower and put on some fresh clothes of his because what else did I have to do? Once my hair had dried and I’d just settled back beneath the covers, a soft knock at the door jolted me upright. I sucked in a deep breath, pushed the sheets aside, and slid off the bed.
I tip-toed toward the door, remembering what he had said— not to open the door for anyone. If no one else knew I was in here, I needed to be silent. By the way Yuri had warned me not to come out or answer the door, it seemed like everyone else in the house still thought I was downstairs. And that’s how he wanted it. I froze in place, still hovering on my toes like one slight move would trigger an alarm.
Another soft knock, “Darya? Are you in there?” Lucia’s voice was sweet from behind the door.
My shoulders dropped, the tension releasing as quickly as it had built. I went to the door and pressed my hand to it.
“I was about to make dinner for everyone and thought, maybe you’d want to help me if you were here?”
She lingered, waiting for a response and my heart pounded in my chest. His words were clear– not to open the door. But for some reason, I didn’t want to believe they applied to his sister. Lucia was harmless,right? After all, she was under the impression that I was Yuri’s girlfriend.
“Darya?”
I unlocked the door and peeked through the crack, enjoying the huge smile that crept across Lucia’s face. “You’re here! Wanna help?”
I bit my lip. I was taking a chance— a risky one. But I didn’t want to be cooped up any longer and the growling of my stomach told me that the sandwich hadn’t quite tided me over. I nodded and Lucia jumped in glee. Before the door was even closed behind me, she looped her arm in mine, steering us toward the kitchen. “Yay, girl time! Yuri is going to be pissed.”
“He is?” My heart picked up, thrumming hard in my chest.
“Duh! I plan on divulging all his secrets. I may even pull out the photo albums.”
I giggled at the excitement in her voice and blew out a relieving breath.
My eyes darted toward the door to the guest room as we passed by. I remembered it– the entrance to the dungeon. Did Lucia even know it existed? Did she know what happened down there? Yuri seemed to want to keep the reality of my captivity private from her but I couldn’t imagine not knowing there was a torture chamber beneath my feet.
We pranced through the living room, the grandness of it still a little unsettling to me before we entered the kitchen. The oven beeped and I jumped slightly, shaking it off.
“Grab some ground beef and ground pork from the fridge.” Lucia flicked the faucet and stuck her hands under the trickle of water, lathering with soap. I pulled open the steel door and found the package, sliding it across the island to where she was drying her hands.
“What are we making?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs, mom’s recipe,” she bent forward like what she was about to say was a secret, “It’s Matteo’s favorite.”
I nodded and followed suit, submerging my hands in the warm water and washing up. She gathered more ingredients from the fridge and a variety of spices from a cabinet next to the stove. By the time she was done, the counter was covered, some things stacked on top of each other as she flitted about. Every now and then, I would be spurred into action when she yelled out an instruction. “Bottom drawer, hand towel please,” or “island cabinet, colander thingy.” I fell into the sous chef role, mesmerized by how she found her way around.
“I thought Luka said you couldn’t cook?” I asked, in awe.
She grumbled, rolling her eyes. “He said I wouldn’t, not that I didn’t know how. He’s just jealous that he burns water.”
I laughed out loud again.
“Do you cook?” She asked.
“Poorly,” I admitted and she smirked.
“You and Yuri may starve then.” My cheeks flushed but I turned away before she could notice.
“I saw that.”
Shit.
“Am I that easy to read?” I asked, one eye closed like I was embarrassed to hear her answer. I was embarrassed, but mainly because conversing with her was so damn easy.
