Page 20 of Sheltering Hollis

I nodded, determined to see this through. “I’m with you.”

Dimitri’s gaze lingered on me for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he stepped back. “Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

I nodded and headed to the bedroom, closing the door and locking it behind me. As I changed out of the dress and into something more comfortable, I couldn’t help but reflect on the evening. Listening to men talk about women as nothing more than a commodity had shed light on a dark corner of a world I knew nothing about. I had never honestly considered myself naive until today. I knew that bad things happened and had even thought myself prepared for them. I carried mace in my purse and walked with my keys in my hand. Even after the kidnapping, even after being put on my knees … today was the day I lost my innocence. There were monsters out there.

I climbed into bed, exhaustion finally catching up with me. My thoughts drifted to Olive, and I whispered a silent promise to her. I would do whatever it took to get back to her, to keep her safe. I’d find a way.

THIRTEEN

Hollis

The following day, I woke to a soft knocking on the door. Groggy, I opened it to find Dimitri holding a tray with coffee and breakfast.

“I thought you might need this,” he said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Thank you,” I replied, setting the tray on the small table by the window. “Did you sleep at all?” He didn’t look like he had; his eyes were shadowed with purple circles. It didn’t detract from his good looks; it just made him look more badass, if possible, offsetting his other tattoos.

“No, actually,” he admitted, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Luka tracked Makarovich yesterday to where he’s staying, so I wanted to go and get a good look. Check the place out, see what the busy little beaver has been up to.”

He approached me, holding out the cell phone I used yesterday. “Did you want to call Olive this morning?” he asked. We are two hours ahead of California, so the timing should be right.”

“Thank you for thinking of it, Dimitri,” I said gratefully. “I definitely want to call.”

“Dima, you can call me Dima,” he replied with a cautious smile.

I watched him while I took his phone. He’d dressed down in worn Levi’s that looked so faded they had to be at least ten years old, black boots, and a black t-shirt. The short sleeves allowed me to see the full-sleeve tattoos on his arms for the first time, and it was mouth-watering. I appreciated the suits, but the casual look? That was everything.

Focusing, I dialed quickly. “Momma?” Olive answered immediately.

“Yes, baby. How are you, sweetpea? Did you fix your hair this morning? Brush your teeth?” Tears fell as I scrunched my feet toward my chest. Trying hard not to sniffle loud enough for Olive to hear, I concentrated on her voice.

She babbled on the other end of the line, telling me about her evening with Mrs. Hooper, who would get the ‘Best Neighbor Award’ if such a thing existed. Mrs. Hooper had stayed over and made dinner, and then she helped her this morning with her hair. I could hear her in the background as she fussed over Olive, packing her lunch.

“What about your plant project, Olive? How’s that going?” I asked. I felt like I had missed so much already. I’d never not been home a single night in her life, and now I’d missed a whole week of it.

“They already started to grow momma. I’ll be able to bring one home soon. They’re in our little greenhouse at school right now,” she said knowledgeably. “They sprouted and everything.”

“That’s good, baby. I can’t wait to see. What are you looking forward to learning today?”

“Monday, momma, you know we have History Trivia on Monday,” Olivia teased. You didn’t forget. You never forget.” The issue was that I had forgotten; my days had slid together like penguins on ice.

My eyes were still locked on Dimitri, who was focused on my conversation. I couldn’t believe he’d find it very interesting.

“History Trivia is the best. I wish I had been able to practice with you. Next week for sure,” I promised, raising an eyebrow at Dimitri, but he nodded, and my heartbeat evened out. “I promise Olive.”

“Okay, momma. I love you,” she chirped, in a surprisingly good mood since I was missing. Of course, I thought moodily, that’s what I wanted — for her to be okay.

“I love you more, sweetheart. Have a good day at school.” Hanging up the phone was hard. Swiping the back of my nose with one hand, I pushed the cell back across the bed to Dimitri.

“It’s strange for me,” he started, then stopped, staring at his feet as if considering something. How he’d shorn his hair made it so I could view every nuance of his expressions. It seemed like he was thinking hard about something.

“What’s strange?” I asked.

“To listen to a parent that loves like that.”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I tried hard not to think about what he’d given away. What must his childhood have been like not having a parent who loved him like he should have been loved and talked to him about his day? Been curious about what he was learning?

“From the first time I held Olive, I loved everything about her. She was so tiny, and I had no idea what I was doing.” I laughed, thinking back to how out of my depth I had been. “The nurse at the hospital had to show me how to do her diapers, but when I went home, I had so much trouble doing it myself,” I confessed.

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