My Russian Nightmare by Danielle Sibarium Read Free Book Online Page A

wishing someone, anyone, will burst through that door and save me. Maybe I’m wishing that Dima will have a change of heart and be like the little boy with the dark eyes.
    Whatever happened to him? We never heard from him after he moved. I remember fighting with Sammy when we were kids. He always ordered me around and bullied me to get his way, but I don’t think he’d ever be that mean to lock me in the freezer. Would he? Would the other boy? He did find me, and it’s plausible that it’s because he knew where to look.
    “Kiera.”
    My body stiffens at the sound of Dima’s voice. I don’t move. For a moment I consider pretending to be asleep, but I’m sure he’ll see right through that.
    “I have some clothes for you.” I feel the slight breeze and thump next to me as he drops what he’s holding. “I’ll give you a minute to yourself to get dressed.”
    I hear his retreating footsteps. When I’m certain he’s in the other room and I won’t have to bear the humiliation of looking in his eyes or having him stare at me as I dress, I pick up the clothes next me. My clothes. Clothes I left at home when I went to school.
    This is the moment I start to lose it. My hands tremble as I lift each item to examine it. My bra and underwear. My shirt with the frayed hem. My jeans wearing thin at the knees. I quickly change before he comes back.
    “Are you dressed?” he calls.
    “Yes.”
    “I’m sorry about Masha,” he says when he returns. “She was way out of line.”
    “I’m surprised you’re with her.”
    “With her?”
    “Dating her, sleeping with her,” I look away from him. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea and think I’m jealous. “You seem too nice to be with someone so bitchy.”
    “I’m glad you think I’m nice,” I see a hint of a smile playing on his lips and in his eyes. “But I’m not with her.” He pulls his thumb across my cheek, and there it is again, tingling on my skin where he touches me. “She’s a mistake I wish I could undo.”
    I nod and drop my eyes, wondering why his hand is cupping my cheek and why I like it so much.
    “Kiera.”
    I love the way he says my name, with so much emotion, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. I look up and meet his eyes. They’re sad and warm and make my heart beat faster. There’s something about him, something familiar that I can’t put my finger on. It pulls me in and draws me to him. No matter how bad I want to fight it, my heart tells me not to. That running to him and getting lost in his arms is the way to go, not running away from him.
    I’ve heard about Stockholm syndrome. I wonder if that’s what I’m experiencing. Isn’t it too soon for that? Understanding that the things I’m feeling might not be real, I snap back to the moment.
    “How do you have my clothes?”
    “Sammy gave me a few of your things.”
    I suck in a deep breath and straighten my back to my full height as I push his hand away from me, searching for strength and testing the boundaries of how hard I could push back against him.
    “Liar! My brother wouldn’t give you anything of mine. You stole them. You stole them when you tried to kill him.” My voice cracks and sounds much weaker than I intended it to.
    “No!” He shakes his head. “I didn’t hurt Sammy. He’s my friend.”
    “Bullshit!” I yell at him and take a step away.
    He grabs my arms and pulls me to him. He’s inches away. Heat bounces off him and slams against my trembling body with brute force. He tilts his head down as he speaks to me, and I feel the warmth of his breath against my lips. I know at this moment these are not the things I should be focused on, but I can’t help it. I have no control over the craziness going on in my head.
    “I wasn’t there.”
    I turn my head so I don’t have to look at him, but he’s having none of it. Dima’s hands are on either cheek, and he turns my face gently so that I’m facing him. It’s like he knows eventually I