
I lived a shallow and meaningless life; until I met a brutally honest Russian online. She changed everything about the way I saw the world and my place in it. By effecting an elaborate escape to meet me in Kyiv, Elena loosed a bloody vendetta against us. Our only hope was crossing the planet underground, entirely on our own and unsupported. By refusing to put our fate in the hands of others, we managed to survive, stay together, and more than anything else, we learned to love and trust ourselves.
During this unthinkable, year-long run for our lives, I not only rescued the deer-in-the-headlights Russian who crashed into my life, but found and rescued myself.
I watched her wrench and twist her arms free. Then, reaching for all she was worth, inch-by-inch across the table—despite Mama-anaconda squeezing her internals to new highs—she stretched her arm… a little further… and… snatched her handbag by the strap. That’s when she looked up, right into my eyes.