Page 166 of Nine Months to Love

“Mikayla. Or should I call you Mila?”

She shrugs. “Call me whatever you want.”

I close the door behind me and lean against it. “You look well.”

“Do I?”

“Better than I expected. You’re welcome for that, by the way. Three meals a day. Fresh clothes. Books when you ask for them.”

“And a concrete box to live in.” She sweeps a hand at her surroundings. “How generous.”

“You’re lucky to be alive.” I cross my arms. “Most people who betray me don’t get a trial. They don’t get fed. They just disappear.”

“Then why am I still here?”

“Because I want answers.” When her face hardens, I hold up a hand. “I’ll make you a deal. Tell me your story. From the beginning. The truth. And I’ll let you outside for a walk.”

Her eyes narrow. “A walk.”

“Fresh air. Sunlight. Grass under your feet. Remember those things?”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then you stay down here. Alone. Until I decide what to do with you.”

She stares at me for a long moment. Then she stands and walks to the small window near the ceiling. It’s barred, of course. But she can see a sliver of sky through it.

She turns back to me. “Fine. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise you’ll keep your word.”

“I promise.”

“You’ve lied to me before.”

“Not about this.”

She searches my face, looking for the deception. Then she nods and sits back down on the bed. “Where do you want me to start?” she asks.

“What happened the day of the fire?”

Her hands tighten in her lap. “Mikayla wasn’t supposed to work that day. She had the weekend off. But your mother called her in. Said there was some light housekeeping that needed to be done at the cabin before she and Vasily arrived.”

“And Mikayla went.”

“She always went. She couldn’t afford to say no.”

I nod slowly. “Go on.”

“The fire started in the evening. Mikayla called me. She was screaming, saying the cabin was on fire and she couldn’t find a way out.” Her voice threatens to give way, so she pauses, swallowing hard before continuing again. “I told her to break a window,” she whispers. “To get out however she could. But the line went dead. And I never heard from her again.”

“My mother escaped.”

“Yes. Your mother escaped. But Mikayla didn’t.”

“How did you know Natalia made it out?”

“Because she came to see me. This was months later. She showed up at my door and told me what happened. Said she tried to save Mikayla but the fire was too fast, too hot. She barely made it out herself.”

I laugh bitterly. “And you believed her.”