We go down the hallway and through a dining room with a table that can seat twenty people. Until now, I hadn’t truly comprehended how wealthy Alex is. His house in New York is on the upper end of the scale, but it’s a lot humbler than this palace in St. Petersburg. It seems he has a full-time housekeeper in every house he owns, and there are two hundred men on his security payroll. I don’t even want to know how many people his various businesses employ. Not to mention he smuggled me into Russia on his private plane with no passport or visa. Who can do that?
Who is the man I fell for in New York City? He’s so much more powerful than I could’ve imagined, and it frightens me. I’m completely at his mercy. We’re on his home territory, and he has all the control. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for a woman with no resources, no passport, no phone or money, and very limited knowledge of Russian to escape from such a powerful man.
At the top of the first-floor landing, he pauses. “You’re very quiet.”
“It’s a lot to take in.” And I don’t just mean this house or palace or whatever you call it.
His expression softens. “You need a little time to adapt, I understand.”
It’ll take a lot more than time, but I swallow my retort as he opens a carved wooden door and guides me into a spacious bedroom with a big window that overlooks the front garden. A four-poster bed stands in the middle of the floor. The burgundy velvet bed curtains tied back with golden cords look like something from a medieval scene.
His voice drops an octave, the deep timbre sending a shiver down my spine. “This is where we sleep.”
At we, my heart trips over a beat. Does he think our relationship will continue unchanged when he’s made me his prisoner? I don’t even know how I’m going to explain my disappearance to my mom or to my supervisor, June.
Below in the garden, the men in their white camouflage combat gear scout the property. The gigantic iron gates are closed. From this level, I can make out the spikes on top of the wall that make scaling over it impossible. A surveillance camera is fixed every few yards. Like creepy robots, they turn their heads constantly, scanning the surroundings with electronic eyes. There must be a control room somewhere.
It’s like being locked up in a prison. I have no way of communicating with the outside world. Yet if I don’t inform my mom and my employer about my impromptu trip, they’ll be worried sick. They may even report me missing. With how meticulous Alex is in everything he does, he must’ve already thought up a plan to explain my absence, but I don’t want to disappear without giving my mom some kind of explanation.
Whatever I tell her, I can’t admit the truth. I won’t put that burden on her shoulders. Besides, if she learns what Alex has done, she’ll want to leave the clinic where she’s being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. It’s a ridiculously expensive program that Alex is paying for, and she’ll refuse to benefit from the charity of a man who’s kidnapped her daughter. This is her only chance at a better quality of life, and I don’t want to ruin it for her. She’s been in pain for so long, and she deserves this more than anyone I know.
I hate asking Alex for anything, but I don’t have a choice.
Schooling my features, I turn away from the disconcerting sight of the unbreachable fortress wall. “Alex?”
He frowns. “You look tired. Did I wear you out with the tour after our long flight?”
“Where’s my handbag?”
A shutter drops in front of his eyes. “You don’t need it for now.”
Renewed anger heats my blood, indignation burning like a flame in the pit of my stomach. For the sake of my mom, I swallow it down and say evenly, “I need my phone.” The man facing me is dangerous. Ruthless. I remind myself of that fact as I carefully choose my words. “I can’t just vanish without an explanation. I have to call the hospital and my mom. She’ll worry if I disappear. You have to let me speak to them.”
His easy agreement as he says, “Sure,” and takes his phone from his pocket surprises me. Unlocking the screen with his thumb print, he hands me the device. “I was planning on letting you call later.”
I take it gingerly, glancing at him from under my lashes as I type in my mom’s number. Instead of giving me privacy, he eavesdrops unabashedly.
“Put it on speaker,” he instructs, ignoring the cutting look I give him.
Not wanting him to snatch the phone away, I do as he says.
The call connects, and the ringtone sounds.
My mom answers with an uncertain, “Hello?”
“Hi, Mom.” It’s a battle to keep my voice normal. “It’s Kate.”
“Katie!” She sounds upbeat. “This is a surprise. I didn’t recognize this number.”
“I’m calling from Alex’s phone.”
I briefly meet his eyes. His intense gaze is unnerving.
“Aren’t you at work?” Worry filters into her tone. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” I force a smile onto my face, hoping she’ll hear it in my voice. “Don’t worry, nothing is wrong.” Flinching, I brace myself for the lie. “Quite the contrary, in fact. We’ve taken an impromptu vacation.” I’ve never lied to my mom, and I hate both myself and Alex for starting now. “A trip to Russia.”
“Russia?” she exclaims. “Where in Russia?”
“St. Petersburg,” I say brightly, trying to sound like an excited tourist. “Alex has a house here.”
He holds up a finger and shakes his head, indicating I shouldn’t say more.
“What about your job?” Mom asks.
I imagine the confusion on her face. “I really needed this vacation.”
Her voice softens. “Yes, honey. You’re right. You’ve been working too hard.”
“If you need me…” I swallow, biting back an uninvited bout of tears. “I didn’t activate roaming on my phone.” I give Alex an inquiring look.
He nods.
“You can reach me on this number,” I continue.
“All right,” she says slowly. “But why doesn’t Alex activate the roaming for you?”
The lies are piling up, drawing tighter around me in a web. Flustered, I look at Alex, who faces me stoically. My brain shuts down, unable to come up with a plausible explanation.
“You don’t want calls from work,” Alex whispers.
“I-I don’t want the hospital to bother me on our break,” I say.
“Oh.” My mom pauses. “That makes sense, but it doesn’t sound like you, honey. You’re normally so dedicated to your job, you even go in on your off weekends when they ask.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s exactly why I don’t want them to be able to call me. I’m taking a long, much-needed vacation with Alex to recharge, and I don’t want work problems in the back of my mind.”
“That certainly is a wise attitude.” Mom sounds considerably more at ease. “I’m glad Alex has such a positive influence on you. I’ve been nagging you for years to take a proper vacation.”
“Enough about me.” Turning my back on Alex, I face the window. “How are you?”
“Wonderful. I’m already so much better, and with the new diet, I’m losing weight.”