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The woman smiles. “I’m Milana. Those are beautiful pajamas, June.”
I’m not sure if she’s making fun of me or giving me a genuine compliment. “Oh. Uh, thank you. I overslept this morning and decided to just keep them on.”
“So you spent the night here then?”
If she really is his girlfriend, will she take my presence as a threat? I certainly hope so. This might be my best chance of getting out of here. If she raises a fuss, maybe I can slip out in the chaos.
“I did. In fact, I’ve spent the last few nights here.” I eye her as I’m talking, but I can’t really tell what she’s thinking.Guess they’re a match made in heaven,I think bitterly. “Kolya has been so generous to me. But I’m not sure I can take advantage of his hospitality for much longer. In fact, I was just about to leave.”
“What a coincidence. So was I.”
I feel my heart beat a little faster as I sense an opportunity within reach. “How about we walk down together?”
Milana looks bemused. “In your pajamas?”
I force out a tinkling laugh. “Of course not. I’m going to change first. Will you give me a few minutes?”
“I’ll wait for you by the staircase,” she says, looking down at her phone.
It takes all my willpower not to sprint out of the room. The moment she can’t see me anymore however, I make like the wind. I need to swap out my clothes and meet her by the staircase before She-Thor returns to glower at me some more.
I trade the silk pajamas for a pair of black jeans and a white blouse. Then I walk quickly back to the staircase, where Milana is standing by the banister, waiting for me.
She turns as I approach. Her blonde hair ripples gold, a perfect little Barbie.
“Um, I think Kolya’s busy today,” I say, trying to sound casual and breezy. “I don’t want to disturb him, so why don’t we just slip out?”
She shrugs. “If you prefer.”
I’ve really hit the jackpot here. She’s much more accommodating than her piercing eyes would suggest. Every time I hear a sound though, I jump.
“Everything all right?” Milana asks as we descend the staircase.
“Yeah, yeah, of course. I just don’t want to bother the staff, either.”
Milana doesn’t even crack a frown. She accepts my half-assed explanation with ease. Figures that she’s empty underneath that pretty little head of hers. The realization gives me a surge of cruel, petty satisfaction. I don’t bother trying to decipher why that is.
I’m ten steps shy of the towering set of fashionably corrugated iron double doors that leads to freedom when Milana clears her throat. “I believe Kolya has men repairing the doors right now, actually. We’ll need to leave through the side entrance.”
Fuck.My face burns. “Oh, of course,” I say, swallowing down my nerves. “He did mention that. Well, lead the way then!” I punctuate it with another badly faked laugh. My heart is thumping hard enough against my ribs to crack something.
I fall in line behind her as we wind down a hallway. It’s hard not to be awestruck. Her hair flutters behind her like there’s a film crew lighting her way at all times and she smells like Chanel No. 5 straight out of the bottle.
She leads me to a nondescript door that opens out onto a cobblestone path. The path conveys us through exquisitely manicured gardens. Not a single leaf on a single hedge out of place, and every strand of ivy goes exactly where it’s told to go.
The air smells like flowers, too. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful out here. There’s something else, too, another scent lingering on the edge of the summery breeze. A scent like…
Oh, fuck.
Vanilla.
I grind to a horrified halt. Kolya is leaning against the brick wall that lines the periphery of the garden, observing us casually, his blue eyes already splintered in anticipation. “Going for a little walk, are we?”
“How did you—”
I glance towards Milana, who’s giving me an apologetic smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Just for the record, I didn’t want to do this. But Kolya likes to play games when he’s bored.”
“What makes you think I was bored?” he drawls.
