Page 1 of Prince Charming

ONE

“A fish out of Russian water.” – Marianna Yahnotov

It felt good to sweat.

Even better when Marianna Yahnotov knew it was because she had exerted herself in the kickboxing class. She ached in muscles she didn’t know she had as she swiped wetness out of her eyes and reached down to grab the sports bag.

Though she waved to a few of the girls in her class, that was as social as she got.

She glanced at them in an animated huddle and felt a ping of envy.

She once had girlfriends to hang out with, do silly things with like coffee dates, but not anymore.

How crazy she’d forgotten how to make friends.

With her shoulder length black hair knotted in a messy bun, she pushed her arms into a white, faux fur hooded coat, leaving thewomen onlyclass as unnoticeable as she arrived.

The chilly air of the early November day hit her full in the face.

In Russia, where temperatures regularly plummeted to below 20 degrees, the cooler Colorado days were virtually summer on her face.

It snowed on and off in September. Now it was bitterly cold, and Marianna smiled as she crossed the street to the diner.

Each store front along Main Street was recognizable, now she’d been in Armado Springs as a free woman almost a year.

Free, yet not free because she had no actual legal papers.

And no solution in sight.

Marianna lived under the radar, fearful of everyone’s motives.

It was a town like thousands of others. She could have gone anywhere, but she felt safe here. And that was why she stayed.

Not theonly reason.

After picking up a small bag of homemade cheese crackers from the diner, and a flat white coffee, she turned right on the corner, heading for her apartment. A police cruiser car parked outside of the hardware store had her feet stopping quick.

Marianna felt nausea going through her body. The police officer behind the wheel wasn’t even looking at her, he was reading a newspaper and drinking from a to-go cup, and yet she felt the flee instinct take hold.

Turning around, she took the long walk around the block instead.

Only when she was out of sight of the police car did her heart return to a normal pattern.

Marianna didn’t cause waves.

She didn’t get into needless arguments with people in the grocery store over the last pumpkin spice cronut. Nor did she jaywalk or do any other number of infractions that may attract attention. She flew under the radar and was not risking her identity and lack of legal papers to trip her up now.

Sending a wave to the sweet old lady inside the flower shop, before she took the stairs at the side of the building to her apartment. The scent of fresh lemon greeted her as she snicked the three locks behind her and slid the security chain into place.

The four rooms were not all that big, but she loved this apartment, it came fully furnished, which had helped her penniless state at the time. It boasted high ceilings with white panel walls, hardwood floors and offered Marianna security enough that she felt safe each night when she went to bed.

It was thanks to her boss she had both a job and a roof over her head, not questioning why at the time when he offered his help. A despairing woman will take the hand of anyone when she’s drowning.

Marianna waited ever since for him to call in his favor all these months later.

Men expected a woman to pay for their generosity.

That’s how it’s always been in her life.

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