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I run down the stairs and as I pass the first floor I see that he has closed his door Suddenly tears start pouring downdown the stairs He knows I ao

On the last flight I can see that there is no one at the landing All I have to do is open the door and run out into the night There are always taxis around and I can just hail one and go back to Stella, but in my mad dash I miss a step and turab the banister, andI land sprawled and in pain on the floor

Inoise of h the house, but Zane doesn’t come out of his room to see if I am OK

Fresh tears of pain and hurt run down my face

‘Son of a bitch,’ I swear, and get up onto my hands and knees I’ from the kitchen

Twenty-three

Dahlia Fury

I look up and Olga is standing there She walks up to me and helps me up to my feet

‘Are you all right?’ she asks

For a et to be hurt and wounded and furious ‘You don’t speak English’ I say stupidly

‘Of course, I do,’ she says briskly

‘What? Then why?’

‘Oh, child Every ti They fall in love with hiot sick of it, and unless it was a Russian girl, I just pretended I could speak nothing but Russian’

This house is full of liars ‘I don’t believe this,’ I say shaking my head

‘Well,’ she says dryly ‘Try listening to the saain’

‘I’,’ I tell her

She glances at the bag that is lying on the first step of the stairs ‘No, you’re not’

I sniff pitifully ‘Yes, I am’

‘Well, come and have a cup of coffee first’

‘No, I don’t want to stay under his roof for another minute’

She points to a little red light blinking in a corner of the hallway that I have not noticed before ‘See that’

‘Yeah’

‘That’s a caht now from that small room there The moment you try to open the door he will come out and quickly escort you back to your rooets in or out without Aleksandr’s say-so’