Annette took a deep breath and picked up the phone and dialed.
“Hello?” Janette answered on the second ring, no doubt guarded from not recognizing the number on her caller ID.
“Hey, it’s me,” Annette said.
“Hey! Are you okay? Did you sneak somewhere to call me?”
“I’m fine. He let me call.”
“Oh. Did you like all your clothes and stuff?”
“What clothes and stuff?” Annette asked.
“After I met with Anton, he dragged me off to a bunch of stores to shop for you. I thought you’d see it all by now.”
Annette remembered Anton mentioning several bags of things for her in the closet.
“Hold on,” she said. Annette put her hand over the phone. “Can I go see the stuff you got with Janette?”
“Finish your call and breakfast first.”
She ate a bite of sausage and eggs and went back to the call. “We’re having breakfast right now. But I’ll look when I’m done.”
“You will love me,” Janette said.
“You know I already do.”
There was silence on the line for a couple of minutes. Anton passed the croissant he’d buttered over to her, and then he took hers off her plate for himself.
Finally, Janette spoke again, her voice going serious. “How are you really? This is so fucked up. I keep thinking about calling the police and just figuring out a way to get you out of there. I know you said yesterday that you thought you could find a way to be happy, but I just can’t believe that’s the case. I had a test this morning in organic chemistry, and I’m sure I flunked it. I can’t concentrate knowing you’re out there. And I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” Annette said. Do not cry. Don’t you dare fucking cry. It was the only thing she could say that would be true. She was afraid to try to convince her sister not to go to the police with Anton sitting nearby. The call was reminding her in very stark terms why she was doing all this.
It wasn’t about whatever weird attraction she’d developed toward the Russian. It wasn’t about if she felt jealous or got her feelings hurt when he touched someone else. It wasn’t about pleasure or pain. It was about keeping Jan safe and making sure she had her future.
With her sister seemingly safe, it had been easy to shift to her own petty concerns. But her sister wasn’t safe. This could blow up in their faces at any moment—something that should have been much more obvious to her after realizing what she was in bed with. Jan would never be safe if there was even a chance she’d go to the police.
If Anton thought her sister was a liability, Annette was sure she’d be in danger.
“Annie? Hello? Did you space out?”
“Hmmm?” Annette said.
“I know he’s probably with you, or maybe he’s listening in on the call. I don’t know how this works, but I can’t just leave you there with him. Just say yes or no, is he listening in?”
“No.”
“Is he there with you?”
“Yes.”
“There has to be a way to get you out of there safely. I mean it wouldn’t be just local police. It would probably be the FBI. Do you think they haven’t done things like this before? This is stupid. I’m getting you out of there. I know it’s a risk, but it’s the smaller risk. I really think it is.”
Annette was sure she couldn’t hide the terror on her face. She didn’t trust that things would go as smoothly as her sister thought they would. And she also wasn’t convinced Anton wouldn’t make good on his threat to kill her. If it was hard for her sister to live with her own freedom at the price of Annette’s enslavement, she couldn’t imagine how Janette would cope with her death. And then there was the chance Anton would get suspicious and he or Brian would kill her sister.
But she couldn’t speak openly with Anton sitting right across from her. And he definitely wouldn’t leave her alone.
“No,” she said firmly as if she were disciplining a small child. She looked up in time to see Anton’s eyes narrow. He knew the direction their conversation had just gone down.
Anton held out his hand for the phone. Reluctantly Annette passed it to him.
“Are you about to be very stupid?” he said into the phone, his voice going to a scary calm place. He didn’t seem agitated at all. That lack of agitation scared Annette more than if he’d started yelling. She tried to focus on finishing her breakfast, but it had lost all taste suddenly.
She took a sip of coffee without adding cream or sugar, and even the bitterness didn’t register.
“Believe me when I tell you, we have the highest tech security system money can buy. We will know in advance if the feds come. And I may go down, but I will personally put the bullet through your sister’s head. Are you willing to risk that? The odds are not in your favor. You and your sister will have comfortable lives. You will talk to each other. You will see each other. IF you play my game by my rules. If you don’t, you will lose everything. I don’t care about your feelings. This is your life now. This is her life now. Accept your fate.”
He handed the phone back to Annette. When she put it to her ear, her sister was crying. “He means it. Please. This is the best outcome we have at this point. You’ll go through school debt free. All your bills are paid.”
“But what about you?” she said.
“I will be fine. I promise.”
“Has he hurt you?”
“No.” It was sort of true. He hadn’t physically hurt her himself. Then she added, “He took me to the ballet.”
This admission startled Janette enough to get her to calm down. “He what?”
“Took me to the ballet. It was very lovely, and then we went to a party. I had a really nice dinner on his jet. So see? I’m living the dream. Prince charming. Gorgeous. Rich. Taking me out to shows and parties.”
“He threatened to kill us! None of the rest matters.”
“Fucking stop it, Jan. For God’s sake. I’m the one in his house. Not you. Go the fuck to school. Live your life. We will talk and see each other. Life doesn’t always turn out how you plan. Stop worrying about what might happen and deal with what is actually happening!” Maybe it was good advice she should be taking herself.
More tears.
“Are you going to tell anyone about this?” Annette asked.
“No. But a few people have asked about you.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I told them you got a modeling job overseas.”
“Did they buy it?”
“I think so.”
“Good.”
Anton motioned for the phone again. When Annette passed it to him he said, “Would you like to see your sister?”
A pause. Then he spoke again. “I will allow you to see her soon if you keep your mouth shut.”
He handed the phone back to Annette. She took a deep breath. She had to nip this in the bud now. She knew how Jan could be. She was like a dog with a bone if she got an idea into her head. Annette had to convince her that hurting Anton would hurt her. And not just in the sense that he might shoot her before the feds could arrive. Jan would always think of some way they could do this to get her out safely. She had to lie to her sister, and she had to make her believe it.