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Back in the room, after making sure the door was locked, I paced the floor, suddenly agitated. I needed to get out of here before I allowed the thought of him to consume me.
I went from the closet to the dresser and repeated the movement a couple more times before rummaging through the drawers. I’d kept it hidden somewhere.
After a few more tugs on a few empty drawers, I found what I was looking for: a sleek smartphone. I’d nabbed it from a lady’s purse back in the bathroom at the fundraiser.
Stealing was not anything I’d done before, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
My heart started to race in my chest quicker than time itself as I snuck it out away from the CCTV camera spot and positioned myself in the tight corner to dial the first number I recalled.
It had a low battery and several missed calls, but with the help of some tech skills I’d picked up back at the office, I’d been able to mess with the system to stop them from tracking the device.
The low battery would have to do.
I pressed the phone to my ear, hoping John picked up.
On the third ring, he didn’t disappoint.
“John Candler on the line. How may I help you?”
I exhaled. Never had I been more relieved to hear the smooth sound of his voice.
“John,” I sighed, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve missed you.”
He paused, and there was a brief shuffle in the background before his shock came through in a harsh whisper. “Freya? Good God, is that really you?Fuck. Mila and I…we received your email about wanting to work someplace else, but none of it made any sense, and we got even more worried when our calls weren’t connecting. What is going on?”
On a regular day, I wasn’t a crybaby, but somehow, the emotions racking through me were all too much to bear. Tears worked their way up and filled my eyes. I missed home. I suddenly missed the smell of macchiato in the morning when I walked into the office. Even if I’d always desired a better life, I missed the paperwork, Sergeant Keith… all of it.
“I don’t know what you heard, but Paris…none of that was true. I was kidnapped….”
I began telling him everything that happened, from the beginning—from the first time I’d met Egor Yezhov to the kidnapping and finally to being held against my will in Moscow,Russia.All except the part where I had unbelievable, mind-blowing, consensual sex with my captor.
How disgusting and disappointing would that have been? And if my father saw me now, what would he have said? Surely, he didn’t make so many investments and raise me to be...thistype ofwoman.
I burned with shame and regret, and by the time I was done, John could barely speak.
The phone buzzed in my hand, and I saw the red low battery alert warning on the screen.
“John, the phone is about to go off.”
He started speaking in a rush. “Send me your current location now.”
“On it.” I shared my location and pressed the phone back to my ear.
He was still speaking. “I know someone who can help me connect a few officials in the country to get you out of there.”
“Please, don’t forget my mother, Ruby, and Zeya. They need protection, too. Egor Yezhov is crazy, John. He can hurt them. Please protect them.”
“I will, I promise. Hold on, help’s coming, okay? I’m so glad you called me. That was brave and smart. Everything will be okay. I won’t let him hurt you.”
I was on the verge of tears when the screen flashed, and the phone went off. The battery had died.
Sniffling, I wiped my eyes and smuggled the phone back into the drawer where I’d hidden it. Then, my head started to ache, and a wave of nausea hit me.
I thought it was the burden of being so distressed, but lately, during the past week, my body had been acting strangely, and I realized I’d missed a period. It was unusual because I’dnevermissed a period. Not since I understood the meaning of puberty.
Panic started to set in. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread that built up inside me, and at the same time, a knock came on the door.
I opened it to find Anna standing in the hallway with a curious expression. “I came to ask if you want to eat different lunch today.”
