Chapter 3
Naomi
“Oh, you poor thing! Are you sure I can’t get you another glass of water? What about some cookies?”
I shook my head, giving the older woman a kind smile. “Just a cell phone will be fine. I promise to be out of your hair shortly.”
She waved a hand at me. “This is the most excitement that me and Clyde have had in quite a while! Clyde? Have you found the phone yet?”
There was no answer and Mary frowned, placing her hands on her portly hips. “Clyde! Did you hear me?”
He still didn’t answer and she stormed out of the living room, yelling his name. I allowed my smile to fade and looked around the clean and slightly outdated space. At least I had chosen my house correctly. I doubted these people even had a social media account, given the fact that Clyde couldn’t find his flip phone to begin with.
When I had knocked on their door, they had been reluctant to let me in, but after I had begged for a cell phone and a glass of water, Mary had ordered her husband to open the door.
She had gone all motherly on me in an instant, and for that I was grateful. I felt wrung out, like life couldn’t get any worse at this point. Jon wasn’t going to give up looking for me, and I had no way to contact my husband to keep him from worrying.
There was only one person I could contact, only because I knew her number like the back of my hand.
I just hoped she would forgive me for not reaching out until now.
Finally, after a few minutes, both Clyde and Mary entered the room, the small cell phone in her hand.
“Here you go,” she stated, handing over the phone. “Though I think we should call the police.”
“There’s no need, really,” I said quickly, taking the phone and pulling it open. “My car just broke down, that’s all.”
Mary eyed me. “You aren’t in one of those sex trades, are you? We were watching the news the other night, and they were speaking on it.”
“Mary, for the love of God,” Clyde muttered, butting into the conversation. “Let her make her call in peace.”
“Oh, all right!” she fussed, grabbing his arm. “We will be in the kitchen then. Holler if you need us.”
I gave her a grateful smile and waited until they were out of the room before dialing Ilsa’s number. As much as I wanted to call Gavril, I didn’t know his number. Ilsa was the only one that could help me right now, and I would figure out a way to have her help me get back home.
Pressing send, I held the phone up, a bit nervous as it started to ring. What if she didn’t pick up? What was I going to do then?
“Hello?”
I nearly cried out when I heard her familiar voice. Ilsa was a bit rough around the edges. She was a police officer, after all, but her marriage to Roman had softened her somewhat. Despite the fact that they shouldn’t have anything to do with each other, they were completely in love. “Ilsa.”
“Naomi?” she asked immediately.
“Yes, it’s me!” I blurted out, attempting to control my emotions. “I need help, and I don’t know who else to call.”
“Tell me what’s going on,” Ilsa interrupted, her voice taking on the tone of a police officer.
I didn’t want to tell her over the phone about the mess I had gotten myself into. “Just, can you come get me? I know it’s a lot to ask and all.” I was rambling, but hearing her voice somehow was making me feel like everything was going to be all right now. “Jon is after me.”
I heard a faint rustling on her end, followed by a muffled curse that sounded a great deal like Roman. “Tell me where you are.”
I gave her the address and she told me to stay put, hanging up a moment later. My heart twisted in my chest as I stared at the phone, wishing there was a way I could find Gavril’s number. By now he should have found Anatoly’s body, and if I had read him right, he would be in a state of sheer shock and grief.
Swallowing hard, I placed the phone on the table beside me and put my head in my hands. I didn’t know how to contact my husband. Jon was out to do God knows what to me, and my future was so uncertain that I didn’t know which way was the right way.
And I thought my life was complicated before I met Gavril.
A hysterical laugh threatened to escape, but I sucked it back in and used the hallway bathroom to clean myself up a bit, staring at the wide-eyed woman looking back at me in the mirror. I had escaped my stalker ex-boyfriend for now, and survived an attack on my life. I really should give myself more credit for what I’d been able to do in a very short amount of time.