Dancing in Her Webs | Yelena Belova [1]

Chapter 9

Thank y'all so much for the amazing feedback!! I'm happy y'all are enjoying this book and Irina's character as much as I enjoy writing her and this book :)

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Irina inhaled sharply, startled by the sudden pounding on the bathroom door. She snapped her head to the only thing that separated her and Yelena from the outside world. Truth be told, she completely forgot about being in some foreign country.

  Her heart began to race all over again. It couldn't be Nat, could it? No —Irina knew all too well that a closed door would never stop Natasha's determination.

Irina held the front of Yelena's vest tighter. Maybe her worst nightmare's returned from the grave. But that's too childish . . . there's absolutely no way Killian's back from the dead.

Her heart beat faster.

Time seemed to slow until someone's voice muffled on the other side of the door. It was only the gas station employee, speaking in Hungarian, she assumed.

"What's he saying?" Irina whispered, keeping her wide and worried gaze on the door, but more specifically, the knob.

"Ignore him."

Irina snapped her head to Yelena, "But—"

"Do it." Yelena met Irina's confused gaze, "You're not ready." Is all Yelena said before she replied to the man in his native language, that sounded quite harsh and demanding.

The employee never responded, only walked away. Relieved, Irina released the breath of air she held and steadied her pounding heart again, inclining her head to the floor slightly.

Hesitantly, Yelena placed her hand between Irina's shoulder blades, "Does she know?" she asked softly. "About the panic attacks?"

Irina kept her head inclined as she shook her head —Natasha only knew of the nightmares. "No. You can't tell her, Yelena." She met her gaze that never seemed to leave Irina, "Please."

"I won't."

  Relieved, Irina couldn't help the small smile that spread on her lips. Yelena returned the smile, holding Irina's gaze. "Do you think he'll come back?"

  Yelena chuckled lowly, "No. Not after I—"

  "Yelena!" Irina's eyes widened.

  "What? You don't even know what I was going to say," Yelena held her smile.

  Irina gave her a pointed look, brown eyes narrowed, "Did you insult him?" Yelena's mischievous smirk gave her away. "You can't go around insulting people, Lane."

"What could he possibly do to me?" Irina remained silent, not seeing the humour, unlike Yelena. "Exactly. Besides . . ." Yelena removed the hand that's between Irina's shoulder blades, and slung her grey blazer off her shoulder, " . . . it's not like I insulted him enough to come in."

Irina shook her head, her mind completely free of the nightmare and panic attack. All because of Yelena. "And if he did?" She kept her slightly worried gaze on Yelena, while Yelena rounded Irina, now standing behind her.