by S. C. Daiko
She was already moving on, I realized, my chest squeezing.
“It’s finally hit me that we’re safe,” I said after we’d finished eating. “We’re going home.”
“Yeah,” she dimpled. “Home.”
It was only after she’d left me, called by the nurse for a final check-up, that the full implications hit me.
Aly was heading for a different home than mine. We were about to be separated.
We’d lived in a bubble these past several months.
And the realization killed me.
Fucking killed me.
Everything between us was about to change.
Semion Abramovich came to visit in the early evening. He strode into my room and planted himself at the foot of my bed. “I’m not happy,” he said, folding his arms and coming straight out with it. “In fact, I’m so unhappy I’m going to sue your ass to hell and back for negligence.”
Semion is used to calling the shots.
But I’m not one of his fucking minions.
“The plane was sabotaged. Not my fault,” I countered, twisting my head toward him.
“My precious little girl nearly died and then was forced to live like a savage because I couldn’t find her location. Which should have been easy in this day and age when tracking devices can even be ordered online.” He bit out the words. “I’ll see you in court.”
“Aly is not a little girl,” I informed him matter-of-factly, ignoring his threat. “She’s proved that by her bravery and intelligence. She saved my life when the crazy dude tried to kidnap her. You should be proud of your daughter, Semion.”
“She will always be my little girl. If you were a father, you’d understand.” He raked his cold eyes over me. “I’m taking her back to New York tonight. I trust you behaved like a gentleman. If I find you’ve sullied her purity, I’ll… I’ll…” He didn’t finish the sentence, simply spun on his heel and left me gawping.
Jesus, fuck. Semion talked about modernity and has just behaved like a medieval tyrant. I should never have gone into business with him…
Thinking about business made every bone in my body, even the broken one, itch to return to work and find out how my enterprises had been doing in my absence. My life before the island was beckoning to me, just like Aly’s was beckoning to her.
The surgeon came to see me after Aly went to her room. He gave me details of my procedure, saying he’d inserted a metal rod into the bone cavity which meant I should be back to normal in a few weeks. My calf wasn’t even in plaster. I’d need a crutch initially to help take the weight, but he didn’t think I’d need them long. As soon as the antibiotics had finished flushing the infection from my system, I would be discharged. I’d be back in my office before I knew it.
The door to my room opened again, and I glanced up hoping Aly had returned.
Instead, the nurse entered with two uniformed policemen. They drew up chairs next to my bed and pulled recording devices from their pockets. “We’d like you to talk us through the circumstances of your departure from the island,” the more senior of the men said. “We’ve just been to see Miss Abramovich and she’s given us her version of the events.”
I told them everything I remembered, including how Carl had forced himself on Aly, how I’d struggled with him and how the gun had gone off.
It pained me to do so; my chest literally panged at the memory of her being molested.
The younger policeman showed me a photo on his phone. “Is this the man?”
The image was of a dude taken by CCTV. Unmistakably Carl. “Yes. Why do you have his picture?”
“He was wanted by us for pushing party drugs.” The policeman put his phone back into his jacket pocket. “Your statement has been corroborated by Miss Abramovich. There will be no charges.” He shook my hand. “You are free to leave the country.”
Thank God for that.
I waited for Aly to return. The hospital porter arrived with supper, but my belly was still full, unaccustomed to eating so much meat. I left the plate of chicken and rice untouched.
Where the hell is she?
I felt abandoned; I couldn’t even call my family as I didn’t have a phone. At least Semion hadn’t been a total dickhead and had contacted Dad while I was in surgery.
If I wasn’t attached to a fucking IV drip, I’d go find Aly.
Has she left the hospital without saying goodbye?
The feeling of lonely desperation in my stomach sucked ass.
A smiling nurse came to collect my food tray. “Not hungry, Mr. Collins?”
I shook my head. “Has Miss Abramovich left the hospital?” I ventured to ask.
“A short while ago. With her father.”
No!!! I wanted to bellow like a beast. She wouldn’t do that.
Then I reasoned with myself that, if her father had railroaded her out of the building, there wasn’t much she could have done to stop him. Especially if he’d had his bulls with him…
I wanted to slam my fist into the wall.
Instead, I sank back on the pillows and closed my eyes, mulling over how I would get in touch with her.
The sound of footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts.
Aly?
It was the smiling nurse, holding a folded piece of paper in her hand.
“I found this in Miss Abramovich’s room as I was preparing it for the next patient. Your name is on the front.”
My heart leapt.
I took the note from the nurse and started to read.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Alyona
I was wearing the change of clothes Papa had brought for me, a pair of Gucci jeans and an Armani t-shirt; I swam inside them I’d lost so much weight. We exited the arrivals hall at the private jet airport in New Jersey in the middle of the morning and a surge of reporters crowded Papa, me, and our two bodyguards. Shoving cameras and microphones into my face, they yelled questions about Ben’s and my ordeal.
“Say nothing,” Papa barked, hustling me toward his waiting SUV. “We’ll issue a statement to the press tomorrow.”
I sat slumped next to him in the back seat, dazed; we’d been travelling for nearly a day and a half and my body clock was all screwed-up— also my stomach, unaccustomed to eating meat and dairy after so many weeks.
Staring down at my empty hands, I missed Ben with an ache that invaded my soul; he’d become so much a part of my life it was like a piece of me had gotten lost.
Everything feels wrong without him.
I rubbed at the back of my neck and stared out the window at the familiar landscape, at the view I’d been longing to see again. But where were the palm trees and the turquoise ocean? Somehow, the familiar had turned into the unfamiliar, disorientating me and upsetting my equilibrium. I closed my eyes and resisted Papa’s attempts at conversation; I was still mad at him for the stunt he’d pulled back in the Maldives.
I’d left Ben in his hospital room to rest after we’d eaten that amazing lunch, then the police officers had turned up to interview me. As soon as they’d finished asking their questions, Papa arrived and announced I’d been discharged from the hospital. I went to say goodbye to Ben, but the same police were with him and the nurses told me to come back later. Papa said there wasn’t time for that. So, I wrote Ben a note telling him what had happened, saying I loved him and asking him to contact me as soon as he got home.
Maybe I should have insisted on seeing him, but Papa had been in full boss mode, angry with Ben for what he called his irresponsible behavior. I’d have caused even more fury if I’d stood firm. I knew my father; provoking him would only have done more harm than good.
Doesn’t stop me from being pissed at him, though.
I lifted my chin, irritation fizzing through me. He treated me like a child-woman, just like he treated Mom. It was time I brought him into the 21st century; I’d put up with his overbearing attitude for too long. I would need to tackle him sooner rather than later, I decided, show him I’d grown up.
&nbs
p; Prove to him I’m more than capable of living my life the way that I want.
We pulled into the driveway of the Hamptons house. It was Sunday and my family stood on the front steps.
Shit, Pasha’s here, too. Why?
Everybody surrounded me as I got out of the car. Emma and Valentin each held one of my hands, and Mom couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry, so she did both. “Your hair, Alyona,” she wailed. “I’ll take you to my salon first thing tomorrow.”
I tugged at the ragged ends of my bleached tresses, so dried-out from the harsh sun they were like straw. “Thanks, Mom…”
Pasha came up to me and pulled at my sleeve. “Stoked you’re back, babe. I’ve missed ya.”
I took a deep breath.
Only one person had the right to call me babe.
I was about to brush Pasha off, when Papa clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sure Aly missed you too.” He shot me a penetrating look. “You did, didn’t you?”
“I missed all of you,” I said firmly. “All my family and friends.”
Papa set off to attend to a business matter, and I went inside with everyone else. We sat in the living room, where I answered question after question.
Tears of happiness at being with them again filled my eyes. Reliving the crash pained me, but I emphasized that Ben had saved my life by holding onto me and swimming me to the island. I told them about the bungalow, the lagoon, how we collected rainwater, what we ate and how I made things from coconuts and washed-up plastic bags. I briefly mentioned stepping on the sea urchin, and the terrible storm.
No point in dwelling on the dangers we endured.
“I was so worried about you,” Mom said, locking her teary eyes with mine. “I went to church every day to pray.” She gave me a hug. “You’ve gotten so thin…”
I leaned into her, inhaling the scent of Chanel No. 5. “If Carl hadn’t come along, we’d have left on Ben’s raft. Someone would have found us…” I deliberately kept my tone neutral, although merely saying Carl’s name made me want to puke.
“I still don’t get why Brash’s plane didn’t have a tracking device,” Valentin muttered.
I ignored his observation. Ben had explained to me on the island that seaplanes flew below radar. We’d been separated before we’d had a chance to talk through the rescue properly. I didn’t want to discuss anything until I’d heard what he had to say.
I shrugged and caught Pasha gazing at me with puppy-dog eyes. He’d always looked at me like that, I remembered, but only now was he making me uncomfortable. Pasha and I had dated, sure, but we’d never been romantic with each other. He was Valentin’s best buddy— we’d grown up together; I hoped he hadn’t started getting unrealistic ideas…
My heart belongs to Ben.
Emma was sitting on the other side of me, and I whispered in her ear. “Let’s go to my room. There’s something I need to tell you.”
She beamed a smile, looping her arm through mine as I explained to everyone that I needed some downtime.
Being surrounded by so many people is making me feel nauseated.
“You’ll eat lunch, won’t you?” Mom sighed. “Cook is making beef stroganoff, your favorite dish.”
Not anymore, Mom, I wanted to say, but that would have been crass. Grilled lobster, on the other hand…
I thanked her and lied about how much I was looking forward to the meal.
Emma and I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. The room where I’d spent every weekend and summer vacation since I was six years old. I stared at the calico pink wallpaper and pressed my lips together; this no longer felt like my space.
I sat on my bed and Emma plopped onto the mattress next to me. She tucked an auburn curl behind her ear and asked, “What was it really like on the island?”
“Primitive, the island was primitive, but it was also the most beautiful place I’ve lived in.” I went on to describe the lagoon, the fish, the reef, the stunning sunsets and the amazing tranquility. “Problem was, if either Ben or I had gotten sick, we had no meds, no way of getting to a doctor or to the hospital.” I shook my head. “We survived the crash, but we might not have survived the island.”
She hugged me. “I knew you hadn’t died. Call it a gut feeling. Thank God your dad swore he wouldn’t give up the search until you’d been found.”
I stroked her curly red hair, my chest panging. To her, everything was the same as before. Her bestie was back, and we could pick up where we’d left off. Okay, she was now a married woman, but she’d been living with Valentin for a year before the wedding anyway, so not much had changed as far as she was concerned.
How could I explain what was in my heart? But she preempted me and asked, “What was it like existing side by side with Brash for over two months? I hope he didn’t treat you bad…”
“That’s what I wanted to tell ya, girlfriend.” I blushed, then blurted out, “I fell in love with him.”
“Oh. My. God,” she squealed, grabbing hold of my hands. “Are you sure? I mean, he has a terrible reputation…”
I flashed a smile at her anxious face. “I should have said we fell in love with each other. It happened gradually. I hated him at first, and he didn’t like me much either.”
“Are you sure you aren’t suffering from Stockholm syndrome?” she gasped.
I huffed. “He didn’t kidnap me. We were cast away together. I thought you’d be happy for me that I’ve met the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she said, squeezing my fingers. “You’ve shocked me. He’s, like, even older than my step-mom.” A frown creased her brow. “Did you sleep with him?”
“Only when I was sure that I loved him,” my voice grated.
She pierced me with her sky-blue eyes. “What about birth control?”
I explained we’d used the withdrawal method and she laughed softly. “God, Aly. That’s so naïve. A guy’s precum can make you pregnant, didn’t you know?”
My mouth flew open. “I hadn’t thought of that.” I rubbed my lower belly, calculating how many weeks had passed since my last period.
“You should make an appointment with your OB-GYN,” she said. “Have a check-up and request a prescription for the pill.”
“Yeah,” I breathed, fingering the hem of my t-shirt. Time to change the subject. “How’s married life?”
Her face assumed a dreamy expression while she gushed about how amazing Valentin was, how supportive he was of her career, blah blah blah.
Eventually, a tap sounded at the door. “Lunch is served,” Mom’s maid announced.
I extracted a promise from Emma not to say anything to anyone, including Valentin, about my relationship with Ben, and, with heavy steps, I led her downstairs.
That night, I lay in bed trying to get comfortable— the mattress was too soft. In the end, I gave up and spread my sheet on the floor. I stretched out, hugging the pillow to me, pretending it was Ben.
He’d be on his way back to the US now, I hoped. I so longed to be with him, to share how weird it was being back home. Only he could understand the strangeness of everything; he would feel it too.
Lunch with my family and Pasha had been interminable. Too much food. Too much noise. Too much same old same old. I was a different person— why couldn’t they see that? Problem was, life hadn’t changed for them like it hadn’t changed for Emma. I’d have to be patient and wait it out until they realized I’d moved on.
I’d sat on the deck most of the afternoon, staring at the ocean. Waves crashed on the shore, taking me back to the island, and sudden doubt assailed me. Had Ben and I fallen in love because we were the only people there? Would we fall out of love now we were back in the real world? No, we loved each other because our souls had bonded.
The two of us have become one.
Papa returned for supper, but I excused myself and came up to bed, pleading jetlag. Truth was, I wasn’t in the mood for him to treat me like his little girl. I was grateful to him
for not giving up on searching for me, of course I was, but if I heard him badmouth Ben one more time, I’d probably say something I might later regret.
I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to take me, thinking about the man I loved and hoping with all my heart I would see again soon. I stroked my lower belly, wondering if I could be pregnant. How would Ben react if I was?
I wasn’t sure about my own reaction, let alone his…
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Brash
We’d just taken off from Velana International Airport and were flying over the Indian Ocean, heading toward Dubai for a stopover before setting off for Boulder. It was the day after Aly had left the Maldives. Dad had insisted I return with him to Colorado. “Catrin wants to see you,” he’d said. “You can’t disappoint her.”
Much as I’d wanted to get back to New York, I couldn’t refuse him.
In any case, I wanted to visit my stepmom; I’d missed her. Dad said that Andrei, one of my half-brothers, who worked for me and had been taking care of my businesses, would be there. I’d be killing two birds with one stone by catching up with him at the same time.
“Don’t think I can’t see through you,” Dad had chuckled after I’d agreed. “You’re bloody transparent.”
Still the archetypical Englishman, even down to his cuss words, Dad hadn’t lost his accent although he’d lived in the US for over thirty years. He was in his early sixties now, but you’d never know it.
Not one silver hair on his dark head.
I leaned back in my seat. He’d gone to his state room already; the drone of an airplane’s engines had the same effect on him as a sleeping pill and he’d soon be snoring softly.
Our flight attendant, Helena, sauntered down the cabin. “We’re relieved you’re safe and sound,” she said, pouring me the Vodka Martini I’d asked for as soon I’d unfastened my seatbelt.
I thanked her and watched her walk back up the aisle. She and Todd, my chief pilot, had been married for years. They flew me all over the world, but the thought of carrying on with my lifestyle where I’d left off no longer excited me. Only one thing did that— the thought of carrying on where I’d left off with Aly.
