Chapter 53
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Savina
AFTER A QUICK stop at a convenience store for some supplies and a change of clothes in the bathroom, Dimitri returns to the van and gives directions to Andrei on where to go.
“I don’t know if I should be driving. My nose is still bleeding,” Andrei complains.
“You’ll be fine. You’ve had much worse,” Dimitri reminds him.
“That’s true,” Andrei scoffs with an eyeroll as he turns the ignition key. The van’s engine roars to life, and then he puts it in drive and pulls out onto the highway.
Dimitri nestles into the backseat with me, holding me in his arms. On the way to our destination, I notice how he’s constantly touching me, as if he’s reassuring himself that I’m still here, that I’m alive.
And every now and then, he’ll place a soft kiss on the top of my head before sighing into my hair.
All of this seems unreal in this moment, considering I was picturing my demise just hours ago, and a sense of panic washes over me.
What if I’m dreaming and I’m actually still trapped in that awful warehouse?
Suddenly, I turn in Dimitri’s arms and stare into his blue eyes, which are laced with concern.
“What’s wrong, Savina?” he asks.
“Tell me this is real and that I’m not dreaming,” I whisper to him, my voice trembling.
“This is real, Savina.” And then he holds his arm out and says, “Go ahead. Pinch me.”
I pinch him, and then I pinch myself just for good measure. Yep, definitely real. I breathe a sigh of relief before I relax back into his arms.
Dimitri pulls me close. “Try to get some sleep. It’s going to be a long ride,” he tells me.
The adrenaline that was coursing through my veins before is slowly dissipating, and my eyes begin to grow heavy as the soft sway of the van eventually lulls me to sleep.
I wake up some time later in the backseat of the van. I’m alone, Andrei and Dimitri nowhere to be found. Yawning and stretching, I look out the windshield and see that the van is parked somewhere on a dirt road surrounded by tall trees and bushes.
“You’re awake,” Dimitri remarks as he appears in the open side door. “We were just carrying everything into the cabin.”
“The cabin?” I question.
“Yeah, it’s where we’ll be staying for a while.”
“All three of us?” I ask with a wrinkled nose.
Andrei sidles up to Dimitri and puts his arm over his shoulder. “No, Princess. Even though the offer is tempting, I must get going.” And then he adds, “Try not to miss me too much.”
I roll my eyes at him, which earns me a deep chuckle. Dimitri then helps me out of the van, which is a struggle in and of itself. I swear I feel like I’ve aged sixty years over the past week. My limbs are so sore, and my entire body aches with every little movement.
Dimitri closes the door and turns to his friend. “Thank you, Andrei,” he says sincerely.
“You owe me,” Andrei tells him before walking around the van and climbing into the driver’s seat. “Again,” he calls out through the open window before revving the engine and driving down the dirt path.
Once he’s gone, I turn and face the cabin.
It sits tucked between towering pines; its wooden siding weathered and darkened by years of rain and sun.
Dimitri leads the way up onto the porch, and the uneven boards creak beneath our feet as we walk.
The front door sticks, and he has to put some effort into opening it before he ushers me inside.
The cabin is bigger, more spacious than it appears from the outside. A stone fireplace dominates the open space, embers glowing low and filling the air with a soft crackle and the smell of burning wood. In front of it sits a worn leather sofa and a recliner.
“What is this place?” I ask as I glance around, taking in every detail of the sparsely decorated but extremely warm and cozy cabin.
“I bought it years ago. I sometimes come here when I need to think,” he says with a small shrug as he goes off to the kitchen and busies himself with putting away groceries that he purchased earlier.
A single window above the sink lets in pale light filtered through pine tree branches.
It casts a glow around Dimitri as he moves around, and once again, it feels like I’m dreaming.
Shaking off the feeling, my eyes scan the rest of the place. That’s when I notice a big, comfy bed tucked in the corner of the room with some mismatched bookshelves on the wall behind it. The books catch my attention, and I find myself drawn to them.
“Is this where you disappear off to?” I wonder out loud as my fingertip caresses the spines of numerous books lined up on a shelf.
He reads Bronte and Dickens? My brain is on overdrive as I take in every detail, absorbing every miniscule thing I can.
This is Dimitri’s safe space. This is where he can be himself.
This place reflects his very soul. It’s like cracking open an ordinary-looking, gray rock and finding out it’s actually a geode lined with beautiful, sparkling amethyst crystals.
He’s insightful. He’s deep. He’s so much more than I thought he was.
“Who else knows about this place?” I question as he sets out some freshly made sandwiches on the small metal table.
“Pavel.”
“Do you think he’ll…?”
“No,” he says with a shake of his head. But then he adds, “Unless he absolutely has to.”
“How long are we going to stay here?” I ask.
“As long as you need,” he says, his eyes finally meeting mine.
He’s giving me time to recuperate. He’s giving me time to put the wedding off. And he’s giving us time to figure out what exactly we are and what we can do about our feelings towards each other.
I don’t say another word as I sit down at the table and shove the sandwich in my mouth, eating it with voracious gusto. I catch Dimitri watching me, and I ask, “What?” around a bite of food.
He chuckles and reaches over and wipes the corner of my mouth with a napkin. “You had some mayo right there,” he says.
There’s something so gentle about the way that he does it, and the feelings I’ve been pushing deep down inside of me come roaring back. But neither of us say a word. We simply continue eating.
“Did they feed you?” he questions with a frown marring his brow.
“Yeah. It wasn’t much, though. Usually just water and a piece of bread or some crackers.”
“Did they…” He starts but can’t finish. I can see the torturous gleam in his eye, and I can guess his question.
“They didn’t touch me,” I assure him. “Besides hitting my face,” I add quietly.
His jaw ticks, and I can feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. I see his eyes venturing to my cheek, which is probably still sporting some bruises. “You were there too damn long. I wanted to get you out of there sooner.”
I reach across the small table and place my hand over his. “Hey, you found me, and you rescued me. That’s the important thing.”
He gives me a tight nod as he regards me intently. “Eat,” he commands.
And I do. I finish my sandwich; and when he offers me another, I eat it as well. I eat until my belly is full and I can’t eat anymore.
He takes our paper plates to the garbage and comes back with another glass of water and a few pills.
“What are these?” I question.
“Something for the pain and to help you sleep,” he answers.
I hesitate but only for a moment. I trust Dimitri, so I pop them in my mouth without any more fuss and swallow them down with the water.
And then I bring up something that’s been weighing heavily on my mind.
“A man took Darby away a few days ago,” I whisper, my lower lip trembling.
“She was putting up a fight, and one of the men named Cillian said he would take her away from there. I overheard some other things, but I have no idea where he took her.” Swallowing hard, I tell him, “They called him The Carver.” Tears fill my eyes, and I look down when I feel Dimitri’s touch as his hand covers my unsteady one resting on the surface of the table.
“Don’t worry. I’ll put out the word to some friends. We’ll find her, Savina.”
I give him a nod, my eyes growing heavier by the minute. I might just fall asleep sitting upright in this chair if I stay here any longer.
But then I sense Dimitri by my side, and he’s helping me stand up. “Let’s get you to bed,” he offers.
I don’t even have the strength to protest. I’m not sure if it’s the medicine he gave me kicking in or just sheer exhaustion.
Dimitri helps me slip out of my dress and shoes until I’m standing before him in only my bra and panties.
His eyes don’t leave my face as he gently pulls one of his t-shirts over my head.
It’s long and practically swallows my petite form.
It’s perfect, and smells like him, wrapping me in his warm, signature scent, which I’ve missed so much that I could almost cry just from that.
And then, Dimitri pulls back the blankets and coaxes me into the soft, warm bed.
I crawl in, and he covers me up. My eyelids grow heavy with fatigue, but I’m still fighting sleep. I’ve been too afraid to fall asleep the past several days, and now my mind is associating sleep with being vulnerable.
As if reading my mind, Dimitri tells me, “Go to sleep, privighetoarea mea mic?.” And then he promises, “I’ll watch over you, and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
And for the first time in what feels like forever, I’m finally able to fall into a deep sleep.