Claiming Nina

by Leslie Johnson

  “You need to tell me everything,” I say simply, as if it’s the only answer. Because it is the only answer. The only way I can help her, is if she’s truly and completely honest with me. She nods, her voice trembling as she begins to speak.

  “Well, you know why I left home in the first place, and you know about Michael….” Her voice cracks, but she takes a breath and pushes on. “There isn’t much more to it, honestly. My father has always been very protective of me. He did everything he could to shelter me from his world, but because of that, things were always difficult with him. I always thought it was because my mom died when I was so young, but…” She looks at me sadly. “Have you ever felt like nothing you ever did was good enough?”

  I laugh. “Constantly.”

  “Well that’s how I’ve always felt with my father. I felt like he blamed me for my mother dying, not that he would ever say that to me. Even though he remarried, I still felt that resentment. Like nothing I ever did felt right or good enough, no matter how hard I tried.” She shakes her head and takes a moment. “Who knows. Maybe I’m the one with the problem. Maybe this is all in my head.”

  “Your father forcing you to marry someone to settle his debt is not your imagination,” I say gruffly. I hate that she still manages to find blame in herself for all of this.

  “I know, but… I wanted to be the daughter my father wanted me to be, but how can I do that at the expense of myself? I couldn’t marry someone I didn’t love, just to appease him. I hate myself for being that selfish.”

  “That is not selfish,” I cut in, angry at her father for making her feel guilty about not wanting to clean up his mess. “You’ve got nothing to feel sorry for, Nina. The only thing you’ve done wrong is not fight your way out of this situation sooner. You’re not a pawn, goddammit. You’re a person, with feelings, and dreams, and goals. Fuck him for making you feel so guilty about wanting a goddamned life.”

  She looks up at me, her eyes glassy with tears.

  “How can you be so understanding? Everything I said to you was a lie, yet you’re still here, wanting to help me.” She lowers her gaze, shame filling her eyes. “You should hate me as much as I hate myself.”

  “I don’t hate you. Far from it.” I sigh, wishing I could get through to her. If she had any idea how strong my feelings were for her, she wouldn’t even think that. “You were trapped. You lied to protect yourself, and I understand that. I know that what you feel for me isn’t a lie, Nina. I love you and I’m going to do everything I can to help.”

  “Help?” She shakes her head, a sad smile spreading across her lips. “That’s the thing, Adam. There is no helping me out of this.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t accept that,” I argue with a frown. If she thinks I’m going to sit back and let it end like this, then she doesn’t know me at all. If there is one thing the past has taught me, it’s that I need to fight for what I believe in. “The only way I see this going is for us to be together. And there is only one way I can see that happening.”

  “Are you threatening to kill my father?” she asks, a slight smile on her lips. I laugh. It’s good to see even just a glimpse of that dry sense of humor that I love so much.

  “No,” I say dryly. “But I do believe there is only one way to stop him from interfering in your life anymore.”

  “And what’s that?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “Because he’s never going to stop. He’s going to wear me down until I give in and do what he wants me to.”

  “Leverage,” I say. “The more dirt we can get on him, the more leverage we have against him to persuade him to leave you alone. Trust me, if you threaten to go to the authorities, he’ll back off. I’ve seen it a thousand times before.”

  “You don’t know my father, Adam.”

  “No, but I’ve dealt with a hundred men just like him.” She looks uncertain, so I push on, determined to help her see that there is a way out of this. “It’s only a matter of time before Michael’s death gets back to him. In fact, I’d be shocked if he didn’t know already. And once he finds that out, how long do you think it’s going to be before he finds you?”

  “Maybe he won’t find me,” she says, almost like she believes it. Too bad I don’t. What kind of life is that, anyway? For her and for us?

  “Is that really how you want to live? Do you really want to be looking over your shoulder every five minutes, wondering if you can trust the person you’re talking to?” I ask her. She presses her lips together and frowns.

  “Fine, then what do you propose we do?” she asks testily.

  I shrug. “What I’m good at. We gather as much information as we can on your father to use against him, and then we go to Chicago.”

  “Go there?” she asks, bewildered. “But isn’t the whole point to not see him?” She hesitates. “And what you’re suggesting…I don’t want to hurt him, Adam. He’s still my father.”

  “You can’t have it both ways, Nina,” I say. She needs to put herself before him. “You either hurt him, or you hurt yourself.”

  She doesn’t answer for a moment, but then her eyes meet mine and she nods. I smile at the determination in her face, something I haven’t seen in a while.

  “Then let’s go. The sooner the better.”

  I nervously tap the wheel as I wait for Mason. It’s later that afternoon, and I’m outside his school, waiting to tell him that I need to leave for a few days. We’ve been getting along so well these past couple of weeks that the last thing I want is to undo any good that I’ve managed to do, so I’ve decided to be completely honest with him. About Nina and everything.

  He comes walking out of the building with a group of his friends. I watch him interact with them in amazement. He’s like a totally new kid.

  “I have to go to Chicago for a few days with Amanda,” I say when he climbs into the car. He looks at me with a frown, his brow furrowed like he’s deep in thought.

  “Why? What’s going on?” he asks.

  “She’s in trouble, and I need to help her.”

  “Help her? How? And why Chicago?” he asks. “I thought the whole idea of coming here was to get away from there, and now you’re going back?” he asks.

  “It will only be for a couple of days,” I assure him. I know he’s worried that I’ll somehow slip back into my old ways, but I’ve come too far to ruin everything I have now.

  “If Amanda is in trouble,” he begins, a tiny smile forming on his lips. “Then you better go and help her. I like her, Dad. Don’t stuff this one up.”

  I chuckle and reach over to ruffle his hair. “I’ll do my best.”

  With Mason sorted, and Sadie okay with staying with her grandfather, I book the next available flight, throw a few things in an overnight bag, and collect Nina on the way to the airport.

  The whole flight over, she runs through all the information she’s managed to collect on her father. I shake my head as I listen to her, shocked at how much we already have on him. I glance around the half empty cabin of the plane, anxious, because you never know who’s listening. When I’m confident nothing seems out of the ordinary, I hand her my iPad, flicking it open to my email.

  “Do me a favor,” I say. “Take photos and email everything you have to Patrick Gainesfield. You’ll find him in my contacts list.” She nods and gets to work taking photos of all the documents, while I email another friend in the attorney’s office.

  “Who is Patrick?” she asks, curious.

  “Someone I used to work with in Chicago,” I explain. “I’m going to have him see if there’s anything else he can dig up on your father. Hopefully, by the time we get there, we’ll have enough to finish this off quickly and quietly.”

  She nods. I reach for her hand. I can see the panic in her eyes. She’s nervous about seeing him.

  “You’ll be fine, Nina. Facing him isn’t going to be as hard as you think.”

  “Facing him?” she squeaks. Her face pales as she realizes what I’m saying. “I can’t see him, Adam.”
<
br />   “He needs to hear this from you,” I say. There is no way he’s going to listen to anything I have to say. How did she think this was going to happen?

  “I don’t think I can do it,” she whispers. “You’ll need to speak to him without me, or we might as well just get back on the next flight home.”

  The tone of her voice tells me not to push her. She’s at her breaking point, which is to be expected. She’s been through enough without me making things harder. If she can’t face him, then I’ll have to try harder to get things done myself. Either way, this doesn’t change my goal.

  “It’s okay, whatever you want, Nina,” I soothe her. “I’ll see him myself and make him see reason.”

  She breathes out and smiles, the color coming back into her cheeks. I’m glad she’s feeling better about it, but in the back of my mind, I know she needs closure. She needs to be able to put everything behind her and move on, and she’s not going to get that without facing him.

  We get off the plane and head straight to Patrick’s office, even though we’re both tired and hungry. I walk through the doors like I own the place, with none of the nerves that I’m feeling on the inside showing through at all. Nina looks around, her eyes wide.

  “This is where you worked?” she mumbles. I smirk, because I know it’s a big leap from my little practice in St. Simons. I spot Patrick, who waves at me and saunters over. He looks the same, only his hair has a little more product in it, and his walk has a little more swagger. When I left, he became the man. Everything I had that I no longer wanted became his. I wonder if he’s worried that this will trigger something in me and make me want to come back. No chance. I’m happy where I am, doing what I do, because it gives me time to spend with the people I love.

  “Adam,” he says, clapping me on the back. “It’s been a while, man. How are you? How’s things going back home? We miss you around here. Any chance of you coming back to play with the big boys?” He’s smiling, but the look in his eyes is anything but joyful.

  “You know big boys aren’t my thing anymore,” I chuckle, putting him at ease. “Besides, St. Simons has a lot more to offer than you might think.” I snake my arm around Nina’s waist and pull her closer. She smiles, her hand finding its way into mine. “Patrick, this is Nina, my, uh, a friend. Nina, this is a good friend of mine, Patrick.”

  “Good friend?” he snorts. “I would’ve thought good friends kept in touch a little bit more than you’ve done with me.”

  I wince, because I know it’s true. I tried as hard as I could to leave everything behind in Chicago, and that included my friendships. I didn’t trust myself not to fall back in my old patterns if I kept those ties alive.

  “I’m just messing with you, man. You did what you had to do in order to get away. Props to you.” He ushers us into his office, closing the door behind us. “So, let’s talk Alexei Vetrov, shall we? You wanted dirt?” He shakes his head and laughs. “Man, I’ve got you enough dirt to fill a crater. This guy is out of control, bat-shit crazy. Seriously, I’ve got so much on him that I don’t know where to start. What did this guy do to you anyway?”

  “He’s Nina’s father,” I’m murmur, shooting her a look.

  Patrick looks surprised and then embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” he begins, running his hand through his thick, dark hair. Nina laughs and shakes her head.

  “Trust me, I know my father is a bad man. Whatever you found I’m sure it will be useful for us.”

  “Everything you need is in here. If that doesn’t get you what you want out of him, then nothing will.” He shoots me a look as he hands me a folder. “I have to run. Partners meeting,” he mumbles. I nod and shake his hand. “But it was great to see you again, Adam. Keep in touch, yeah?”

  “Of course,” I say, even though we both know that I probably won’t.

  We leave the firm and head back to the hotel that I’d booked us into for the night. Nina holds the folder in her lap the whole way there, but she doesn’t open it. I glance at her thoughtfully. Isn’t she curious to see what Patrick came up with? I sure as hell am.

  “Are you okay?” I ask. She nods a little too quickly for me to believe her. I raise an eyebrow and she sighs. “I’m just..” She shakes her head and breathes out sharply. “God, I don’t even know how to say this. It’s like I know what my father is capable of, but at the same time, I don’t want to know. Does that even make sense?” she asks, shaking her head again.

  I smile. “It makes a lot of sense. Reading that will cement what you know he’s capable of.” She nods, her pretty mouth distorted into a frown. “There’s no need for you to know what is in that folder, Nina. I can use what I need to in order to make sure he leaves you alone, and then be done with it. The last thing I want is to make you feel worse.”

  “But it’s not even that,” she cuts in. She’s frustrated that she’s not getting her point across. “You make me sound like some kind of saint, but the truth is, I’m not. I don’t want to know half the things he’s done because I don’t want to feel guilty for loving someone like that.” She shakes her head and stares at me. “I mean, if he’s murdered people, or done whatever to get what he wants, how can I justify being loyal to someone like that?”

  “Because he’s your father,” I say simply. “He’s your family. You were born to be loyal to him. He still loves you. Regardless of whether he’s done right or wrong by you.” I pause and glance at her again. “I’m sure he thought he was doing what was best for you. He loves you, Nina, and that’s why he’ll give you what you want.”

  “Now, go inside,” I say as we pull up outside the hotel. I reach over and touch her thigh, stroking it gently. “I’ll deal with this, okay? Just tell me that this is what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”

  “What I want is to be with you,” she whispers. “I want to be free. I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder every five minutes. I just want my life to be mine,” she whispers. I lean over and kiss her tenderly on the lips.

  “Then I’ll go make that happen.”

  I knock on the front door of Nina’s father’s house and wait. I’m not nervous, because I just spent the last ten minutes reading through the things this man has done and I’m barely even through the second page. I’m not even going to have to use half this shit to get what I want, because he’ll know that I have him by the balls the moment I open my mouth.

  A woman opens the door. She eyes me suspiciously. I’m not sure if it’s Nina’s stepmother or the housekeeper, but I decide on the latter because she looks older than I’d expect Alexei Vetrov’s wife to be.

  “I’m looking for Alexei,” I say. Surprise clouds her eyes, and right away she’s defensive. It’s like I’m the first person to ever turn up looking for him, and I find that very hard to believe.

  “And who are you?” she asks with a frown.

  “I’m here to talk to him about his daughter, Nina,” I say, calmly.

  Her eyes widen. “Nina?” she whispers, almost to herself. “Is she okay? Her father has been worried sick about her.”

  “She’s fine, but if you could get Alexei for me, I’d appreciate it,” I say, knowing she is more likely to cooperate with the less information I give her.

  “Of course. Come in,” she says, ushering me inside.

  She disappears off to find Alexei, while I stand in the foyer of the large, overstated mansion and wait, clutching the folder tightly in my hands. I glance around. Everything is white. White walls, white furniture, white carpet. White everything. I chuckle, thinking about how long it would take Sadie to destroy this place.

  “You have news on my daughter, I understand?”

  I turn around, keeping my expression neutral. Even if I didn’t know it was him, I’d have figured it out the moment I saw him. He looks like the type of man who’d put his own needs ahead of his daughter, the kind of man I dealt with my whole career.

  “She’s safe, if you’re even concerned about that, but she wants your word that you will stop trying to fin
d her,” I say.

  “And what makes you so sure that I have even been looking for her?” he asks. He pours himself a scotch, not bothering to offer me one, and wanders across the room in my direction. Not that I’d have accepted.

  “Because you don’t like to lose,” I say. Anger flashes in his eyes.

  “What the hell is this? You think all I care about is making her do what I want her to do? She’s my daughter. You don’t give up on family.”

  “You also don’t make family do your dirty work for you,” I say coldly. “You think her marrying Viktor was going to fix the damage you caused his family? You shouldn’t even be putting her in that situation in the first place,” I growl.

  “What do you know about my family?” he replies.

  “I know more than you think. I do, I know enough to go to the police and have you locked up for a very, very long time,” I say. “I prepared a dossier on you.” I toss it to him. “I’ve made several copies of this, that are now in safe hands. If you ever attempt to harm or contact Nina or myself, I’ll make sure that this folder finds its way into the hands of the US attorney.” I pause and look him in the eye. He stares back at me with so much hatred inside that I’m shaking. “Do I make myself clear?”

  He sits down and stares at his hands, his expression crestfallen. I stare at him, not expecting this kind of reaction from him. He shakes his head and looks up at me.

  “She’s my daughter. All I wanted was what was best for her.”

  I frown at him. I believe that it began like that, but at some point he lost himself and became all about him.