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She was berating him even though she was the one who hit him with a skillet. I expected a violent response to her blunder, but when she helped him sit up and he shot her a dirty look, she burst into giggles.
“You deserved it. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”
He rolled his eyes. When he dropped his hand, I finally recognized him and I immediately scrambled back. I’d dropped to the ground when he came in, an old habit I never had a chance to break. I shuffled on my behind, trying to put as much space between myself and the man sitting by Gabi’s side. His gaze shifted to me and terror threatened to choke me as he studied me.
“What’s wrong?”
Gabi followed his gaze, glancing over his shoulder at me before giving him a dirty look. “You scared her. You really need to stop busting in like that. Especially around Rosie. She’s been through enough.”
Surprisingly, instead of the fury or menace I’d been waiting for, Yuri looked sheepish, wrinkling his nose. “Sorry. It’s a habit.” He pushed to his feet, striding towards me and offering me a hand with a smile. I still flinched, ducking away from him, and Gabi sighed.
“A little space, Yuri. She doesn’t know you.”
He made a disgruntled noise. “Shit. How does Viktor deal with this?”
Shame and embarrassment flooded me, and I closed my eyes. There was a noise, like Gabi had hit his arm, and when I peeked up at them, Yuri was rubbing at it with a scowl.
“By being patient. And not scaring her half to death every time he comes into the room. What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be training Elizabeth.”
He shrugged. “My brother didn’t want you home alone. Koslov is a snake. He could try to come here and make trouble.”
That made me whimper. This place wasn’t easy to get out of, but I had no idea how easy it was to get in. With only one exit to the apartment, I felt a little like a sitting duck, and I eyed the door again. I needed to leave before they came for me.
Gabi didn’t seem as worried, shaking her head. “I doubt he could get in here. Don’t freak her out any more than she already is.” She walked up to me, helping me to my feet with a gentle grip on my elbows. “Don’t worry, Rosie. This place is really secure. Dmitriy has always been really cautious. You need an ID just to get into the garage.”
She meant her words to be reassuring, but I still sat stiffly on the couch when she urged me to relax. Yuri didn't look like he was leaving any time soon, flopping down on the other side of the couch near Gabi.
“How is my nephew?” he queried, propping his feet on the coffee table.
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know it’s a boy.”
He lifted a shoulder. “My mother only had boys, and so did my aunt. Volkov’s make boys.”
ChapterFifteen
They both seemed so relaxed.It was probably easier for them, since the man in question wasn’t looking for either of them. He was looking for me. Just like my ex was. Meanwhile, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and when I started to sweat and Gabi offered for me to go lay down, I leapt at the opportunity.
“Th-Thank you. I d-didn’t sleep well.”
She nodded. “I understand. You had a rough day yesterday.” She stood, ordering that Yuri stay put since I still couldn’t look him in the eye. She walked me to the little apartment they’d put me in, frowning when I stepped inside.
“Was Viktor being serious about you being a flight risk?”
My stomach clenched, and I quickly shook my head. “N-No, he was teasing. Because of what happened yesterday.”
I felt guilty lying, but I didn't want her to stick around to watch me. I needed her to leave.
She nibbled on her lower lip, a deep frown on her face. “I’m really sorry about that. Yuri wasn’t trying to scare you. He’s a little… obnoxious sometimes, but he means well.”
I didn’t want to talk about that. I didn’t trust men like him. Who said they ‘meant well’ while tormenting me. Some men were so good at that mask of meaning well, they could convince entire groups of people that they were harmless. Meanwhile, at home, their true personality came out. No one would ever believe that they’d hurt a fly, so getting help was impossible. Which was exactly what they wanted.
“I-I’m really tired. Thank you for breakfast.”
The guilt grew when she smiled brightly at me, patting me on the shoulder. “I’ll be just down the hall. I’ll come check on you in a little while. Have a good rest.”
Once she walked away, I closed the door behind me and waited. I needed to wait long enough for her to get back inside her apartment, but I couldn’t wait too long or my window would close. I counted to one hundred in my head before cracking the door open and peeking out. The hallway was empty and when I stepped out of the apartment, I couldn’t hear anything. I tiptoed along the hallway, giving Gabi’s door a wary glance before hurrying over to the exit I’d seen the other night.
The door led to a stairwell. I wanted to hurry, knowing that my time was short, but the fact that I hadn’t taken any medicine this morning was catching up to me. My whole body ached, and each step jostled my injuries and made me want to whimper. I bit my lip to keep silent, taking it one step at a time. I’d only made it one floor down when I heard the murmur of voices coming up the stairs. I froze, listening, but when the voices started coming closer, I knew I had to go back. I spun around, trying to hurry as much as my pain-wracked body would allow.
