by Laura Gibson
He was being mean now and he knew it. Ryan had always been a prick who thought he deserved more than he did but Kelly was purposefully driving him over the boiling point just because he could.
Ryan glared at Kelly, unaware that his facial features were giving him away, “My dad doesn’t think I can do it?”
“I don’t know.” Kelly pushed off the rail and started walking back to his cabin, “Guess you should ask him.”
September 7th, 2007
Charleston, West Virginia
Rhett
Beaty had asked to meet Rhett in this little coffee shop next to the prestigious Phillip’s Academy because she wanted to discuss some things concerning the nature of Rhett and Juliet’s relationship.
Rhett looked across the table at the angry little redhead and almost laughed at the fact that she was glowering. She chose this spot. She wanted this meeting. She didn’t have to look so pissed about it.
“Do you even know what happened to Juliet back home?” Beaty was staring at him, refusing to touch her non-fat, soy latte he ordered her.
‘Back home’ was what Beaty referred to as the place where they had previously lived. Juliet never spoke of it, but Beaty did. Often and fondly.
“I know she wasn’t happy there.” Rhett shrugged and drank his own fully fat and complete dairy latte.
Beaty sighed. “Juliet needs to fix people. She can’t just let them be broken on their own. She needs to help them.”
“Okay.” Rhett saw where this was going and didn’t like it.
“She wants to fix you.” Beaty had never heard of the word tact, or if she had, she had decided to ignore it completely.
“I don’t need fixing.” Rhett leaned back in his chair, frowning. He didn’t need approval from Beaty for his relationship with Juliet. They both liked each other, they should be left alone about it.
Beaty raised an eyebrow, “Really? You’re gonna try that one on me, cowboy?”
Rhett laughed, “Cowboy? Seriously?”
“Listen, she grabs these poor men off the streets and tries to make them better. The only problem is, they don’t get better and she just ends up getting hurt.” Beaty kept going with her point.
“I’m not gonna hurt her.” Rhett said, honest instead of angry.
Beaty’s facial expression softened and she looked at him with pity in her eyes, “You’re not gonna do it on purpose, you mean.”
“No.” Rhett argued, “I’m not gonna do it, period. Juliet is my best friend, I love her.”
“Do you though?” Beaty studied him, “Or do you still love Jane?”
Rhett shook his head, “It’s not like what I have with Jane.”
“What you had with Jane.” Beaty finally took a drink of her latte.
“What I had with Jane.” Rhett looked down at the table and wondered if Beaty was right about something.
“Juliet is my best friend, too.” Beaty looked at him, “I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Rhett was adamant.
“I hope not.” Beaty gave him a sad smile, “But you can’t promise that.”
Rhett swallowed, she was right. Or almost right. They had only been dating for week and already it felt like an eternity. When they were together, it felt like it should stay that way forever.
He met Beaty’s eyes head on and gave her the most sincere voice he had, “Yes, I can.”
Chapter Five
February 4th, 2007
Aboard The Reliant
Kaliningrad, Russia
Ryan
It wasn’t that Ryan cared so much whether or not Kelly got the position, Kelly could go do whatever the hell it was that he wanted with his life. It wasn’t even that Kelly had been chosen over Ryan that really got to the seventeen year old. It was everything about this stupid facade of a trip. The Volkovs sold fucking dead animals for crying out loud.
Ryan felt his eyes narrow into slits as the frown he had been trying to hide grew with increased measure across his brow. The plain and simple truth of it was that Ryan hadn’t even been considered. No one had told him that was an opportunity here. No one had tried to make him aware of the fact that Kelly was gaining ground by just being stupid, sullen Kelly. Kelly, who wasn’t worth the spit you’d use to insult him with. And now those fuckin’ commie bastards wanted a piece of him like he was some hot commodity? What a joke. What a fuckin’ joke.
Ryan knew, deep down that he shouldn’t be offended. They sold dead animals, his more logical half reminded him. But the passionate side won out and Ryan swallowed as he pushed his golden locks out of his eyes.
Ryan cleared his throat and wondered what his father would say if he knew that Kelly Hill, a Hill for crying out loud, was being offered something that was probably more suited for someone who was actually going to graduate high school.
Did they even consider that as they made their selection? Kelly couldn’t even graduate from a school that was handed to him. What made them think he was able to excel at a job that probably required more than a sophomore education? What could possibly be going on in their heads that they even remotely thought that was a good idea? Were they touched? Was that it? Was the whole Volkov line just idiots?
Well, whatever the reason, he knew he had to at least be given a chance. It wasn’t so much that Ryan wanted the job, he just needed to know that he deserved it more than Kelly. Even if it was by birth ranking, he at least merited a closer look than Kelly.
Ryan knew his father was having dinner with the Volkovs in their private dining room away from the rest of the crew and he knew just what he had to say to ensure the fact they would at least consider Ryan as a viable option. Whatever the job was, if Kelly could do it, so could he.
Ryan had always been the tag along for Jefferson Williams and Kelly Hill. He was never the one to know about the plans first hand, but they always ended up including him in one way or another. Sometimes eagerly, sometimes reluctantly, but it never failed, he was always there. Sure it rubbed Ryan the wrong way, why wouldn’t it? But he liked Jefferson and Jefferson liked Kelly, so it was just something Ryan had gotten used to dealing with over the years. Their epic bromance wasn’t as far reaching as Kelly wanted it to be, that was for sure.
When they were on their own, Kelly receded into himself and Ryan was allowed to take point, making the decisions for them. This type of thing with Casimir wasn’t supposed to happen. It must have been a mistake, and if wasn’t a mistake, Ryan was sure going to let Casimir know his displeasure towards the arrangement. He was a Prescott and Kelly was a Hill. At the end of the day that was the only thing that mattered.
Ryan kept telling himself this as he rounded the corner and stepped behind the deep red curtain that separated the dining room from the rest of the ship. It was a circular room with five different tables, all fully set, waiting for passengers to dine, but only one was occupied.
Mikhail was there, looking like the excess alcoholic beverages he had consumed all day were finally beginning to wear off. His clothes were a little helter skelter but no one seemed to be paying him too much attention. Ryan could see it clearly now, he may be the older of the two, but he was the shunned brother. The one that everyone else was afraid to be seen with.
Sitting next to him was the brother Ryan had heard so much about. The upstart younger brother who thought he was smarter than his older sibling. Ryan wanted to puke. Too much disrespect going around lately. He had a thinner face than Mikhail and a harsher demeanor, both things Ryan found off-putting. The idea of Kelly working with this bastard was almost laughable. Almost. If it didn’t turn Ryan’s stomach so much.
Ryan cleared his throat to get their attention.
Bill looked up, expecting his son to say something, and Mikhail looked as well, smiling warmly. They had bonded that morning over the hatred for things such as people not understanding their true place in the world. But Casimir did not look. He continued to sip his soup, complimenting Bill on the choice.
&n
bsp; Ryan cleared his throat again, he had Bill’s and Mikhail’s attention. What wasn’t he good enough for Casimir’s? Casimir, who was willing to settle for a Hill when he could get a Prescott.
Finally, Casimir lifted his eyes, a bored expression playing across his pale face, his blue eyes placid as they slid in Ryan’s direction.
“Do you need something, Ryan?” Bill was nicer this evening than Ryan thought he would be, but then again he had company, they didn’t know the real Bill like he did.
Ryan’s earlier bravado was fleeting as his mouth grew dry and his palms began to sweat. He didn’t know what he had been expecting as he walked in there with his one purpose of telling on Kelly and Casimir, making Bill aware of the jab at his son’s pride. “I uh..” Ryan’s words were failing him as he felt Casimir bore holes into him, studying him, judging him. Ryan shifted on nervous, acutely aware of the fact sweat was accumulating under his brow, trickling out in small, barely there droplets.
Casimir looked at Bill and then went back to eating his soup, making it painfully obvious that Ryan wasn’t worth his time.
Ryan swallowed and tried to start again, “I want it.”
Bill raised an eyebrow and Mikhail chuckled. Casimir put his spoon back down, but did not look.
“What’s that, son?” Bill was frowning and leaned forward.
“The job. The job Kelly turned down, I want it.” Ryan felt his confidence returning as he spoke the treacherous words, knowing his cousin would feel the stab later.
Bill looked at Casimir, “You offered Kelly a job?”
Casimir made a face that Ryan couldn’t interpret, “I have some use for a person of his caliber,” Casimir looked back at Ryan then, “But I wouldn’t say he turned it down.”
“Kelly told me he didn’t want it.” Ryan jutted out his chin, hoping that Kelly hadn’t lied to him about what was happening.
Casimir looked at Bill, “We’re in the negotiation stages.”
Bill nodded, listening more to Casimir Volkov than his own son.
Ryan could feel the anger rising in his gut as he realized they just didn’t want him. Not here, not for the job, they didn’t require his presence. He felt his cheeks flush a shade of crimson almost as dark as the drapery. Embarrassment was one of the worst feelings anyone could subject him to.
Mikhail must have noticed something was amiss with Ryan because he offered a light hearted smile in his direction, “I want to show you something tomorrow, Ryan, before you leave port.”
Ryan wanted to roll his eyes, he didn’t want another day of day drinking and backroom gambling, he wanted what Kelly had. He wanted people to acknowledge the fact he was worth more than Kelly.
“That sounds like a nice idea.” Casimir said out of the side of his mouth, his attention moving further away from Ryan causing Ryan to become even more upset.
Ryan rolled his eyes and turned to leave the dining room but Casimir looked up one last time, “But I do have a job for you, too, Ryan.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes suspiciously and looked back at Casimir, “What is it?”
Casimir looked at Bill but his face was a stone wall of uncaring, “It’s an easier job than the one I want Kelly for, but it will pay well. I was planning on discussing it with you tomorrow morning.”
Ryan cleared his throat, taken aback, trying to save face, “Alright, fine.”
“Meet me tomorrow morning on deck, I’d like to talk to you about it then.” Casimir was dismissing him without really dismissing him.
As Ryan left the dining room he heard the rumblings of his father’s business tone, the one he used when he was upset. Casimir laughed.
Ryan shook his head and went back to his cabin. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but at least he knew that he hadn’t really been overlooked, he just had been too busy to be talked to first.
Charleston, West Virginia
Jane
Jane hadn’t slept well that night. She couldn’t. Something in the way her mind wouldn’t push through the haze made her feel like she was drowning whenever her head hit the pillow. Awake but not awake. That was the only way she could describe it. Broken but not broken.
Rhett left for work that morning thinking she was sleeping. He kissed her forehead and she kept her eyes closed and her breathing steady. She didn’t want to have one more conversation about why she wasn’t happy. She didn’t want to have to explain that one more time. To say the words and cast the spell on the whole house that had left her so inert, so dead inside. She could never do that to Rhett, not ever. She would die before her past hurt him and that was a promise, one she knew she wasn’t afraid to keep.
Slowly, Jane sat up in bed, knowing she was alone for the day. She wanted to paint but she didn’t have the energy or the drive. What did it matter? No one cared for her hobbies as they were, why should she cultivate that useless pastime?
Jane went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, trying to rouse herself from the drudgery of everyday life but it didn’t work. For a moment she looked at the full bottle of Propofol in in her medicine cabinet and considered using it to take a nap. For as long as she could remember, she had had trouble sleeping and had been prescribed increasingly more powerful drugs just to get a little shut eye.
She had never tried Propofol because she had been afraid of the side effects. Her doctor had assured her it was safe to take at its recommended dosage but Jane didn’t trust that. Nothing was safe these days. Nothing made sense.
Swallowing, Jane gingerly held the bottle in her fingertips and looked at the pills kept within the orange container. She could really use some sleep.
Making her way to the kitchen, bottle still in hand, Jane decided it was time to try out the sleeping aid. Maybe it would actually work and she would wake up a different person.
She swallowed two pills with water and went to lie down, but the moment her head hit the pillow, it was buzzing with worry for her brother. She rolled over and tried not to think about him, but she pictured nothing else.
Tired feet drug Jane to the computer in Rhett’s office. Itchy, bloodshot, red eyes stared at the screen as it slowly came to life. Heavy hands typed in her email address and password.
She hadn’t heard from her brother in so long now. So long. She knew something had to be wrong. Something had to have happened to him. It was the only logical conclusion.
Jane swallowed to stop the feeling of really bad cotton mouth but all she could think of was the fact that her tongue was drying out and sticking to the back of her throat.
The email in question wasn’t the one she had been hoping for, nor the one she was looking for, but it caught her eye all the same.
An email address she didn’t recognize, but then again she didn’t have to. She could hear him from miles away, mocking her. Revealing the truth of the matter. Showing her her brother wouldn’t be writing back any time soon, or rather, ever again.
There was no subject, nothing to indicate this was the email she needed to read, but she opened it anyway. Propelled forward by a feeling of dread and desire. The cool fear that had knotted in the pit of her stomach had warmed to her senses and she felt the tinge of bile rising up her throat.
Zoyha,
I’ve received the letters you wrote to Mikhail and your poor attempts at warning him. Did you think it would be so easy to hide this from me? Did you really believe you could have a relationship with one brother and not the other? Does family mean nothing to you, Zoyha?
I am ashamed to call you sister, much as I was ashamed to call Zohanna mother. You have brought this down on your heads. You and Mikhail both. There is no where you can run, Zoyha, that I won’t find you. And anyone who protects you will stand the same fate. Betrayal is not a sin taken lightly.
Mikhail has already paid for his.
Your brother,
Casimir
Jane read the email seven more times before she felt like the words had really sunk in. It all made sense now. Mikhail was dead and Casimir wa
s coming for her next. He was the reason they had had fled Russia. Their father and brother together became the monsters everyone had learned to fear and now that fear stuck to her insides and broke down her resolve.
Maybe she could wake up someone else. Maybe she just had never taken enough before.
Jane felt the hot tears gathering in her tear ducts before spilling out, creating thin lines of moisture on her face. She walked back to the kitchen and poured herself another glass of water. She swallowed two more propofol and sunk to the ground, water in one hand, pill bottle in the other.
Maybe she would wake up someone else finally. Or maybe she just wouldn’t wake up at all.
Jane swallowed. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, licking her lips, her breathing becoming more shallow, her brain growing numb to the maddening senses around her. This was the way it was supposed to be. This was how it was supposed to end.
September 10th, 2007
Charleston, West Virginia
Jefferson
Jefferson sat across the table from Anna, a quiet sigh trapped in his chest, afraid and unafraid all at the same time. Kelly refused to be there for their meeting, but that was to be expected. He was still pissed at the edict passed down by Casimir himself. But what was he trying to prove? That he could pout it out with the best of them? Yeah, like that mattered.
Jefferson licked his lips and gave Anna the phone he had spent all morning programming contact information into. Information he used to find very useful back when he was the one who Casimir thought was worthy to peddle his product.
Jefferson knew the knot in the pit of his stomach should unravel and release him from its guilty grip, but it just seemed to harden and stay there- acting like the judge to his own personal hell.
He knew he didn’t want to be a part of Cas’s business, but his father told him he had to. And when Vincent Williams said jump, you better damn well jump. But the last thing he wanted was to see Anna get mixed up in such dirty business.
