Page 34 of Triplets for the Russian Boss

Bonnie

Ihope this cheap piece of shit works. If not, I just blew my only chance to have a lifeline to Kate, the babysitter. She’ll freak if I don’t call her again soon, and then my plan to keep the kids hidden from Kostin flies right out the window.

I should’ve bought more than one phone; but I wasn’t thinking, with so little time to spare. Now, all I have is a burner from a corner store, and I have to pray that this thing gets me through three months in California.

I curse myself for being so short-sighted, as I rip open the cardboard backing to the phone package. Inside, the cheap throwaway phone sits preloaded, with a sim card that I maxed out for 99 hours of call time.

I dump it into my hand, thinking how easy it would be to crack the damn thing and break it if I pressed the buttons below the screen too hard. It looks like it was designed in the 90s and has been sitting on the shelf since then, until the day I walked in and grabbed it out of desperation.

It’s going to connect me to my triplets, though, so I’m grateful. At a time like this, I just want to hear their sweet voices and tell them that mama’s going to be okay. I wonder if they even realize I’m away. They’re so used to Kate by now that she’s practically their second mother, with how much time I spend out of the house.

I check that my door is locked, even though Kostin made it a point to lock it with both bolts and have it guarded while I slept. It’s for my safety, as he says, but I doubt it. He just doesn’t want me taking it off the hinges like I did to the last one.

The phone turns on immediately when I click the button on the side, but then it blares out a chime that’s so loud I’m certain that every person within a mile of the headquarters can hear it. I jump onto the bed, shoving it under the pillow and gritting my teeth while I smother it.

My heart hammers in my chest long after the sound stops, and I don’t pull it out until I’m sure that nobody is coming to the door. The best way to mask the sound of the call is to make as much noise as possible without sounding like I’m trying to break out.

It’s time for a make-believe shower. I can rinse off for real after the call.

I go into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it before twisting the water knob to the dramatically oversized shower. I don’t bother to check the temperature of the water before I start the call, since I have no plans of getting in until after I check up on Kate and the triplets.

The sound of the keys is deafeningly loud in the large, echoey bathroom, but I manage to turn the sound off after the first few tones. These cheap phones are like alarms every time you press a fucking button.

“It’s been a while,” Kate says, sounding annoyed when she picks up the phone.

“How’d you know it was me?” I ask, confused because I’m using a new number.

“I’ve come to associate random numbers with you, Bonnie. You must be all over the place,” she says.

I sigh. “Don’t be mad. I mean, this is good money for you. I just have a lot of business to take care of.”

“I’m not mad. Just tell me you’re not escorting. That shit is dangerous.”

I laugh. “Jesus, no. I’m actually trying to clean my act up, you know? No more club life for me.”

“Really?” she asks, sounding doubtful.

“Yes, but I don’t want you talking to anyone about it. I’m not really sure how it’s going to go yet.”

There’s a moment of silence before Kate speaks again. “This isn’t anything illegal, is it?”

“No, of course not,” I blurt, but as the words leave my mouth, I know that she isn’t going to believe me. She thinks I’m out selling myself on the streets for three fucking months, but I’d be nuts to do something like that.

Then again, maybe I’m nuts for doing something like this.

“Just take care of yourself, please,” Kate says.

“I will,” I reply, eager to talk about something else. “How are the boys?”

She laughs. “They won’t stop trying to eat each other’s hands. Jaydon is especially determined to chew off his brothers’ digits.”

“I’d expect nothing less from that one,” I say, almost crying from joy at the thought of my boys doing well. I miss them so much already. I’m not used to being away for this long.

“They’re all doing very well, but they miss you. I can tell,” Kate says.

I feel guilty, but I’d be more guilty if I kept doing what I was doing at the club – spinning on the pole and taking my clothes off for cash. This is better, and the money is better as well.

“I’ll be home before they know it. Just keep them busy and don’t let Jax sit in front of the screen all day. I know he will, if you let him,” I caution.

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