My right eye slowly opens, but the left eye is still shut. How did I end up on the floor? The room is dark. My head is banging and there’s something metallic-tasting in my mouth. I spit. It’s blood. Less than five feet away is Ashley. She’s not moving. I try to reach for her, but my arms are bound behind me. What the hell is going on?
“I see someone is awake. How’s that broken jaw working out for you?”
Chills dance on my spine as I crawl across the floor. I manage to sit upright against the sofa. Turning my head towards the window, I see Yelena.
“How…how did you get in here?” I ask, moaning in pain.
Yelena squats down next to me. There’s less than 5 inches between our faces. If only my hands were free.
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll start from the beginning. I walked into the lobby and told the very helpful concierge that I was surprising the two of you. He not only escorted me up, but he was kind enough to let me in. You had your back turned to me, which made the surprise even better. You never saw it coming,” she explains as she relentlessly pokes my severely swollen jaw.
A piece of my jawbone is pressing against my cheek.
“I fucking hate you,” I mutter.
“The feeling is mutual,” she responds, standing up.
I feel a series of flutters in my stomach. The baby is moving.
“Suuuusaaannn!”
I turn my head towards the door. Ashley is slowly crawly towards me. I scoot to meet her halfway, but after about five scoots, Yelena pushes her brass-knuckled fist into my jaw. I can feel a tooth bouncing around in my mouth as I scream in pain. Yelena laughs.
“I bet you regret sound proofing this condo. Nobody can hear you two.”
Yelena walks over to Ashley, grabs her arms and drags her across the room. She props her up against the sofa . I grab her hand and squeeze it.
“I can’t feel my legs,” she whispers.
