cell phone buzzes against my boobs. I turn away from Razor’s prying eyes and fish it out. It’s Colin. Crap! I take a few quick, deep breaths and text him: “At Roy’s down the street. Waiting for Jena to arrive. Love you. Miss you.” It’s true—I am where I said, and Jena’s coming. He doesn’t need to know any more than that. My subconscious frowns at me, hissing that I’m withdrawing all the crucial facts, which makes my text a shitty excuse for the truth. I nonchalantly ignore the bitch. Not now , I tell her.
I feel a hand gripping over my elbow and I jolt. Turning my head to see who’s at my side, I come eye-to-eye with Razor. There is no way I can possibly take a breath, because my air passages decided they are closed for business. My heart acts like the plug in my throat, and black flakes start swirling in my eyes. If that’s how fainting feels like, I’m not subscribing to the damsel-in-distress fun club. Fuck that. I like my organs functioning normally.
Something weird happens. Razor puts his arm around me and says, “Oh… sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you, Natalie. Are you okay?”
I’m falling. I’m freakin’ falling! And there is nothing I can grip for support. But he’s clutching me and pulling me upright. There is something like concern in his eyes. He looks… alarmed?
“Natalie!” He sounds so freaked out that it makes me want to giggle. Holy Mother of Sweet Jesus, I’ve never been scared out of my wits like this. I don’t know what to think anymore. This guy, who terrifies me, is actually supporting me and he seems shocked himself. What the heck?
“Natalie. I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t hurt women or children.” His words come out in a rush.
I see Svetlana and the Russian pushing through the crowd toward us, but I shake my head, and they stop a few feet away, watching us. Razor sits me down in a chair. I feel my cell phone buzzing between my breasts. I bet it’s Colin, but I can’t worry about it now.
“There, there. I will get you some water. Stay here,” he whispers and takes off.
In a split second Svetlana is kneeling next to me. “What’s going on?”
“I’m okay. I almost fainted. He caught me and is bringing some water. You guys wait, okay? Don’t get him just yet. I want to know more. Don’t go far,” I tell her quickly, and she nods, frowning.
“Oleg and I will be here. Vadim is outside, so this asshole is not going anywhere.” Vadim must be the thug outside who’s pretending to be drunk. Oleg is the one who’s standing next to her, acting like her date.
O-kay. This makes me feel better. They step aside, mixing with the crowd, but they keep their eyes on me. I wait. Razor returns a moment later with a huge glass of ice water. For a split moment I wonder if I should drink from it. What if he put some shit in to drug me.
“Did you put anything in it?” I accuse him.
His mouth drops open, and he stares at me. Nah, he didn’t do it.
“Of course not. Why would I?” he says.
“Well, let’s see. Maybe to drug me, and then take me somewhere to sexually abuse me and kill me?” I challenge. Okay, so I like to read thrillers.
He rolls his eyes. He actually rolls his eyes! What kind of a bad guy does that? “Don’t be stupid.”
Huh? Now I’m even more confused than I was before. “Wait. So you wouldn’t hurt me? Promise?” I sound like a moron, I know, but nothing better comes to mind. I just decide to play innocent. Hell, I am innocent. Ah, screw the self-assessment.
“I’m not into hurting women. I told you already.” He sits in a chair next to me.
I drink a few gulps of cold water, watching him, and instantly start feeling better. I take a slow, deep breath and try to discern anything out of the ordinary in his face. Nothing. He looks like a regular guy. Or maybe he’s just that good of an actor, and I am a crappy observer.
“Tell me everything. From the beginning. Why
I feel a hand gripping over my elbow and I jolt. Turning my head to see who’s at my side, I come eye-to-eye with Razor. There is no way I can possibly take a breath, because my air passages decided they are closed for business. My heart acts like the plug in my throat, and black flakes start swirling in my eyes. If that’s how fainting feels like, I’m not subscribing to the damsel-in-distress fun club. Fuck that. I like my organs functioning normally.
Something weird happens. Razor puts his arm around me and says, “Oh… sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you, Natalie. Are you okay?”
I’m falling. I’m freakin’ falling! And there is nothing I can grip for support. But he’s clutching me and pulling me upright. There is something like concern in his eyes. He looks… alarmed?
“Natalie!” He sounds so freaked out that it makes me want to giggle. Holy Mother of Sweet Jesus, I’ve never been scared out of my wits like this. I don’t know what to think anymore. This guy, who terrifies me, is actually supporting me and he seems shocked himself. What the heck?
“Natalie. I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t hurt women or children.” His words come out in a rush.
I see Svetlana and the Russian pushing through the crowd toward us, but I shake my head, and they stop a few feet away, watching us. Razor sits me down in a chair. I feel my cell phone buzzing between my breasts. I bet it’s Colin, but I can’t worry about it now.
“There, there. I will get you some water. Stay here,” he whispers and takes off.
In a split second Svetlana is kneeling next to me. “What’s going on?”
“I’m okay. I almost fainted. He caught me and is bringing some water. You guys wait, okay? Don’t get him just yet. I want to know more. Don’t go far,” I tell her quickly, and she nods, frowning.
“Oleg and I will be here. Vadim is outside, so this asshole is not going anywhere.” Vadim must be the thug outside who’s pretending to be drunk. Oleg is the one who’s standing next to her, acting like her date.
O-kay. This makes me feel better. They step aside, mixing with the crowd, but they keep their eyes on me. I wait. Razor returns a moment later with a huge glass of ice water. For a split moment I wonder if I should drink from it. What if he put some shit in to drug me.
“Did you put anything in it?” I accuse him.
His mouth drops open, and he stares at me. Nah, he didn’t do it.
“Of course not. Why would I?” he says.
“Well, let’s see. Maybe to drug me, and then take me somewhere to sexually abuse me and kill me?” I challenge. Okay, so I like to read thrillers.
He rolls his eyes. He actually rolls his eyes! What kind of a bad guy does that? “Don’t be stupid.”
Huh? Now I’m even more confused than I was before. “Wait. So you wouldn’t hurt me? Promise?” I sound like a moron, I know, but nothing better comes to mind. I just decide to play innocent. Hell, I am innocent. Ah, screw the self-assessment.
“I’m not into hurting women. I told you already.” He sits in a chair next to me.
I drink a few gulps of cold water, watching him, and instantly start feeling better. I take a slow, deep breath and try to discern anything out of the ordinary in his face. Nothing. He looks like a regular guy. Or maybe he’s just that good of an actor, and I am a crappy observer.
“Tell me everything. From the beginning. Why
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