Page 30 of Rebellion

“Stop that,” Sacha told her, laying his hand over hers.

“Sorry,” she whispered. She didn’t really intend to hurt herself. It was just that she’d learned not to show too much emotion, so it had to come out in other ways.

“Just remember, you did what you had to do. He was a fucking monster who deserved what he got.”

She nodded as they reached the estate. And it was an estate, the place where she’d grown up.

It had never been a cozy place. Sofia hadn’t been unhappy, but she hadn’t had a regular childhood either. She’d had tutors rather than going to school. And a nanny because her mom had died when she was young and her father had rarely been around.

Her father had loved her. Adored her. But he hadn’t known what to do with her. Things had gotten better when Sacha came to live with them, but life still hadn’t been warm and fuzzy.

The main house where Sacha lived was vast and majestic. It had a Spanish feel to it with its ivory walls and terracotta roof.

She lived in the two-bedroom guesthouse, accessible down a pathway in the back of the house but behind a large hedge that gave it privacy.

After saying goodnight to Sacha, she headed up to her own room. It hadn’t been changed since she’d moved out for college when she was eighteen. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been five years.

She felt so . . . old.

After she entered her old bedroom, she decided to take a shower. Heading into the attached bathroom, she turned the shower on as hot as she could bear it as she tried to relax. It helped a bit. After her shower, she pulled on a pair of old pajamas and brushed her teeth before climbing into bed.

Her phone lit up with several messages. She gulped, all the tension she’d managed to get rid of returning as she saw that Oleg was texting her.

She started reading through them.

Oleg:I cannot believe you kill Dima, you stupid bitch!

Oleg:You better not have said anything to Anisimov about me knowing him.

Oleg:I will deny it all, you stupid fucking cow.

Oleg:You going to pay for this, Sofia...

Sofia swallowed heavily.

This was the last thing she needed tonight. Why did she open his messages?

“Idiot,” she muttered to herself, putting her phone to one side.

Another message buzzed through, and her fingers itched. She hated leaving messages unread.

She snatched her phone up. Perhaps she should just turn it off.

Unknown number:Are you okay?

What the heck?Who was that? Her hand shook. Her first thought was that Oleg had given her number to one of his friends. But anyone who was friends with Oleg wouldn’t be messaging her to ask if she was all right.

Unknown:Sofia? I need to know you’re okay.

Unknown:If you don’t answer me, I’ll be forced to sneak onto the estate and hunt you down.

Okay.Now, this messenger was starting to scare her. But she was also kind of intrigued. Why did he need to know how she was?

With fingers that trembled, she gathered up the courage to text him back.

Sofia:Who is this?

Unknown:Shit. It’s Colm.

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