Once Vlad left the warehouse, Savannah’s anxiety bubbled to the surface. Something was very wrong. Vlad knew Georgia. She didn’t know how, but she knew her sister was in danger. And it was her fault. She had to do something. She pulled her gaze from the door Vlad had gone through and rubbed a hand down one arm. As she did, an idea came to her.
She continued to briskly rub her hands up and down her arms. “I’m fucking freezing,” she said to Sergei. “Can I borrow your coat?”
Sergei flashed her a puzzled look.
“Your coat.” She pointed to his coat and pantomimed draping it around her shoulders. Sergei hesitated, uncertainty flooding his face.
“Please. I’m so cold.”
Finally he nodded. He took off his jacket and passed it to Savannah. She put it on and flashed him a brilliant smile. “Thank you so much.”
She went back to the camp bed. She couldn’t do it right away. She had to wait. She stretched her arms, yawned theatrically, and lay down, curling up on her side. Sergei looked as if he approved. Why not? With her asleep, he could relax his guard. She pretended to be sleepy and closed her eyes, all the while mentally counting seconds. When she got to three hundred, she rolled to the other side, As she did, she furtively slipped a hand into the front pocket of his jacket. Where he kept his cell.
Her fingers brushed something metallic. It was there! She closed her fingers around it, trying hard not to let her triumph show. She counted to three hundred again. Then she slowly got up, swung her legs over the bed, and stood.
“Bathroom,” she said when Sergei also rose from his chair.
He nodded.
She headed to the bathroom. Sergei didn’t go with her, but he followed her with his eyes. She went in and closed the door. Her heart banged in her chest. She fished out the cell, sat down on the toilet, and dialed 4-1-1, timing her pee so that it trickled out at the same time the recorded voice came on the line. When it was time for her to speak, she flushed the toilet and whispered.
“Georgia Davis. Evanston. Wilder Street.”
“One moment.”
Savannah impatiently pressed the phone against her ear. Hurry up. Finally, when the recorded voice told her she could be connected at no additional charge, she pressed the button. She couldn’t believe it. She was actually going to talk to her sister. For a fleeting moment, a burst of pure joy skipped up her spine.
Georgia’s line rang. At the same time, Sergei banged on the door.
“Give back, bitch.”
She kept her mouth shut.
“Hello?” a woman’s voice said on the other end.
“Savannah, now.”
She heard her sister’s voice. “Hello? Is anyone there?” And then, “Sam, is that you?”
“No, I won’t!” Savannah said.
The door to the bathroom swung open, and Sergei stormed in. He bent over her and snatched the phone away.
“No!” she yelled.
Sergei raised the phone to his ear. Savannah could hear her sister.
“Sam, are you there?”
Savannah had no way to reply.
Sergei broke the connection.