Polar (Book 1): Polar Night Read Free Page B

stared at him, her eyes again widening.
    “But from now on, Maria Triebel no longer exists.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me. You're not Maria Triebel. Your name is Natasha Koslova.”
    “I don't understand.”
    “I think I'm making myself very clear. There's nothing for you to understand, Natasha.”
    Maria shook her head and clenched her fists, trying her best to keep her voice calm. “Listen, I don't know who this Natasha is, but I'm not...”
    “No, buts, Natasha.”
    “Stop calling me Natasha! What the hell is wrong with you?”
    A cloud passed over Aleksei’s face, leaving behind a scowl . “Do I need to remind you about your language?”
    Maria swallowed hard. She could still feel his hands on her neck. “No. Sorry. Why are you calling me Natasha?”
    “Because that's who you are. While you're here with me, anyway. I'll make everything perfect for you.”
    “Perfect? You kidnap me and bring me God knows where, lock me up in this pitch black cellar... That's perfect?”
    “No, not yet. But it will be perfect for Natasha.”
    “So that's the deal? I pretend my name is Natasha and I get out of this…what did you call it?”
    “A root cellar.”
    “What is that? Some kind of basement?”
    “It’s basically just a large hole in the ground.”
    “I'm assuming you have some nicer accommodations since you said this is your home.”
    Aleksei nodded. “Definitely. But they're for Natasha, not for Maria.”
    “I get it.”
    “Good. You understand now?”
    Maria was silent.
    “I bet I can guess what you're thinking,” Aleksei said, a smirk creeping into his voice. “You're thinking, how dumb is this guy?”
    Maria noticed the smirk, and tried to swallow her fear. “What do you mean? I don't think you're dumb.”
    “You're thinking, I'll play along, I'll be Natasha, and I'll make myself comfortable up in his house. Then the first chance I get, I'll run out the front door.”
    “I wasn't thinking that.”
    “Don't lie to me.”
    Maria stiffened her shoulders. “What if I was?”
    Aleksei stared at her without responding.
    “What would stop me from doing exactly what you said?” Maria asked.
    “I would stop you.”
    She glanced down the length of his body looking for weapons, but saw none. “You know I'm not some pushover, right? I'm an athlete. I do cross-country skiing, I run in the summer. I don't know how you knocked me out to get me here, but I can fight you.”
    “No, you can't.”
    “You're so sure of that?”
    “Completely. You may very well be an athlete. But I can assure you I'm a better one.” Aleksei stood up and walked up the steep stairs. “I'll prove it to you.”
    He opened the door and let it hang open. Seeing nothing but snow outside the door, Maria shuddered. She really was in a hole in the ground.
    “What's the trick?” she asked.
    “No trick,” Aleksei said. “I just intend to show you that you're wasting your time if you're plotting to run away from me.”
    He walked across the room, positioning himself so that Maria was between him and the wide open door.
    “Go ahead,” he said. “Give it your best shot.”
    Maria stared at the door, hesitant. She knew there had to be some kind of catch. But what did she have to lose? She knew how fast she could run. She took a deep breath, and sprinted towards the stairs.
    In a whoosh, Aleksei was in front of her, blocking the door and filling it with his tall frame. He grinned. “Want to try again?” he asked.
    “How did you...”
    Maria couldn't finish, as Aleksei once again had his hands around her neck. He pushed her back across the room and shoved her against the wall with a speed that left her disoriented. She clawed at his hands and tried to break his grip, but it was like grasping a brick wall. He lifted her off the floor, and tossed her to the corner of the room, where her head hit the floor with a thud. She tried to lift herself up with her arms, but found Aleksei standing over her. He put his foot on her back and