“It’s fine,” I whispered, giving him a smile that I didn’t feel on the inside. “Let’s just get it over with.”
Gavril’s expression hardened as he tied the bandana behind my neck, pressing his lips to mine quickly before he slid the fabric into my mouth. I felt real panic start to well up as he took the phone from Yuri and took a few pictures quickly before he removed the bonds he had put on me. When he handed me the phone, I typed in Jon’s number, the same one I had known from years past, and uploaded the photos.
“Now we wait,” Gavril replied, turning up the volume on the phone.
“He won’t be able to ignore those,” I added softly as he helped me replace my vest, the weight of the weapons against my body giving me the added layer of protection that I needed.
It didn’t take long for Jon to respond, and the moment that the phone started to ring, we looked at each other. “Here we go,” I murmured.
Gavril nodded and hit the answer button. “Naomi?” Jon’s voice called out.
I drew in a breath, knowing that this had to be the best performance of my life. My future depended on it. “Jon! Oh, thank God! Please, I need help!”
“Where are you?” he asked sharply. “Who has you?”
“I don’t know!” I cried out, feeling real emotion come through in my words. “Please, I need help!”
“I don’t know why you called me,” Jon said after a moment’s hesitation. “You hurt me, Naomi. You ran from me.”
I had expected him to answer this way, though I hadn’t expected him to sound so angry about it. “Please don’t be like this, Jon,” I begged, dropping my voice. “I’m sorry.”
“You are only sorry because you are caught up in this shit again,” he growled. “Call someone else.”
“No!” I cried, breathing heavily. “Please, Jon. Oh my God, he’s coming back! He’s going to hurt me, Jon. Please! Don’t! It hurts!”
For good measure, I shrieked a couple of times to drive the point home and added a couple of sobs as well.
“Hang on, Naomi!” Jon said tightly. “I’m sending help. Just hang on!”
I gave a nod to Gavril, who handed the phone over to Yuri. “Who the fuck did you call?” he started out, his words harsh and a bit scary.
“Listen, you asshole,” Jon growled. “If you hurt her again—”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck I’m going to do,” Yuri cut him off with a snarl. “You want her? Come alone, and quickly, before I start peeling off body parts for you to follow.”
I shivered as Yuri ended the call and gave me a hard smile as he handed the phone back to Gavril.
“Fun.”
“Playtime is over. Go get ready,” Gavril replied as he walked over to a sink and dropped the phone in it, pouring water over the device.
Yuri winked at me before striding out of the room, and Gavril let the water continue to run as he approached me, his eyes full of concern. “Are you all right?”
“That’s a loaded question,” I said shakily, smoothing my hands over his vest. “You will be careful, right?”
His lips lifted in a grin. “Of course. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
I groaned and pressed my forehead to his chest, drawing in a breath. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Gavril’s arms surrounded me, and he brushed his lips over my temple. “I’m going to be fine as long as you stay out of the way. If Hampton does show, he’s going to be gunning for you, Naomi. We can’t let him see you.”
“I got it,” I stated, my heart turning over in my chest. “I will stay away from the fighting as long as you promise to come back to me.”
He let out a breath and pulled away, but not before his lips brushed over mine. “I love you,” he said softly, his lips nibbling mine. “Don’t forget that.”
I let out a small huff. “Like I can. Now that you have said it, I won’t let you forget it.”
He chuckled and his hand smoothed my hair before he walked away, leaving me to stand in the room by myself. The moment the door shut, I drew in a breath and moved over to the chair outside the cell, easing down into it. I didn’t like waiting like this, but it was all that I could do. If they breached the men outside, I would be on my own to save my life and that of our child. I didn’t want to think that way, but it could be a potential scenario, and I had to be ready.
I just hoped that Gavril was going to take care of this and we could move on.