Shattered: Running with the Devil Book 7

by Jasmin Quinn

  After lunch, a rap on the door and when she opened it, Eduard was there. “Has Rusya called?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He leaned on the doorframe, his eyes assessing. “I just talked to him. He said he would call. He wants you to come to Victoria, asked that I take you to the Helijet. He’ll meet you on the other side.”

  Esma’s heart leapt up. Rusya wanted her to come. “I’ll pack some things.”

  Eduard shifted upright. “Be quick. The flight leaves in an hour and it’s downtown traffic so it’ll be slow. I’ll go get the car.”

  Esma nodded, another big grin, even if it was Eduard. As he left, she threw some things in a bag. Not much, it was only overnight. But she was happy. Another stupid high. She was too much like a dog who wagged its tail when patted on the head. But she couldn’t help herself. She fucking loved Rusya.

  Downstairs, she handed her bag to Eduard, who took it. Then into his car. The back seat opposite him because that was the door he opened for her. He slid in the driver’s seat, the silence between the two awkward. Through the gates that he opened with a remote. A wave to security and they were off.

  Ten minutes passed before Esma realized they were heading out of the city. Over the bridge, north to Whistler. She stilled, at first thinking that this was a different way, one with less traffic maybe. But after a few more minutes, she knew better. When Eduard braked for a red light, she reached for the door handle and pulled. Nothing. He looked back at her. “Child locks – good invention, hey?”

  “What’s going on?” Esma reached for her purse but Eduard shook his head at her.

  “Hand it to me or I’ll shoot in your belly.”

  Ice bloomed along Esma’s spine, freezing her immobile. The light turned, the car rolled forward, and Eduard drove on. Silence between them, menacing, lingering, Esma trying to sort out what was happening, kicking herself for falling for his lies. Trying not to panic, trying to draw on Drunk Esma, Sober Esma, any Esma but Pregnant Esma or she’d fucking lose her shit.

  “Three seconds, Esma. The purse or the baby’s dead, and you too.”

  She grabbed the purse and threw it into the front, on the passenger’s seat. Eduard glanced at her, a small smirk. “Good girl, momma bear.”

  He fished inside her purse until he found her cell phone, then opened the passenger window and winged it out. Esma watched as it bounced off the pavement and into a ditch. Her stomach was in knots, her heart beating out of her chest. She was alone with this man, no one knew, not even security because she’d been in the back seat, opposite the guardhouse, behind tinted windows. Eduard could kill her, return and play the fool. Might even suggest Esma left of her own volition. But he didn’t know her that well. Didn’t know she could fucking kick his ass. She looked at the basketball that her belly was, ran a hand over the swell. Six months ago, maybe. But not now. Now she had to be a human being, a grown-up. Now she had to find a way out of this mess with her words, not her bravado, not violence. “Eduard,” she kept her voice soft, a little fear, not contrived but still, her fear would appeal to him. “What are you doing?”

  He looked at her through the rear-view mirror, then straight ahead to the road. “Solving a small problem for Rusya. Solving two.” He grinned. This time there was no friendliness. Just satisfaction.

  Her skin pebbled as he said this. “What do you mean, solving a problem for Rusya? We’re not a problem.”

  “He thinks you are. He’s tired of you, knows this is wrong.”

  Esma felt a stab in her heart, physical pain racing up her side. “No.”

  “It’s been planned for a while. It’s why Janice is out. It’s why he’s left town. Didn’t say goodbye, didn’t call.”

  “No,” she said again, but heard the doubt in her voice. The hurt, the fear. “No.” Rusya loved her, she believed him. Then stopped. Why? How did she know?

  Eduard sped up. They were on a highway now, leading north. “Hard to hear it, I guess, since you thought he loved you. But he and Janice...” He let it linger, like he was leading her to something, wanted her to work it out on her own.

  Esma dropped her eyes to the back of the seat in front of her, rubbed her belly. “Rusya and Janice?”

  Eduard nodded. “So close, those two, Esma. You can’t tell me you didn’t know. It hurt her when Rusya got distracted by you. But she’s talked him round.”

  Janice and Rusya. She dropped her forehead against the window so he couldn’t see her face. Let him think she believed. But it was ludicrous. If Eduard had stopped a little before that, he might have been able to play on her insecurities, convince her that Rusya wanted her gone. At least for a while, but then her sanity would have kicked in. That’s not who Rusya was. He loved her, they loved each other. And yes, Rusya loved Janice, but not in the carnal way. Not ever. Rusya wasn’t Janice’s type.

  She wanted to grin, had to suppress a hysterical giggle. Eduard was so obtuse. How could he not know that Janice was gay? But Janice was so guarded all the time. Very few confidences about her life. Eduard was acting alone and for some reason, that chilled her even more. “What are you going to do?”

  He didn’t answer her and she didn’t ask again. Maybe two more hours of travel and then off the highway, down a secondary road, then a dirt road, a log cabin. And the car rolled to a stop. Eduard put it in park and turned to her. She thought about driving her fist into his nose, driving his nose into his brain, but she’d have one chance to get it right. And if she missed, he would be unforgiving.

  Use your words, Esma.

  Tears formed in her eyes as she gazed at him. “Please tell me what you’re going to do. Please.”

  And his lips curled upward. “Not so fucking high and mighty now, are you?”

  She tried to channel McClean. What would a psychologist do in this situation? Explore the reasons. Get to the root of it. Why had he taken her? Because she was a bitch to him. Because he hated her. Because he thought he was doing Rusya a favour? Fuck she wanted to destroy him. “I’m sorry. I know I’m difficult.” She touched her belly. “The baby. Rusya’s baby. He wants it gone too?” She let the tears leak, falling from her eyes. He had to have empathy. A pregnant woman, even if it was her. How could he not be moved?

  He said nothing. Turned from her and left the car. Then he was on her side, opening the door, pulling her from the car. Her knees buckled as she hit the ground, jarring her, more pain and the panic. Not cool or calm. Scared. Scared to death. She heard herself begging, pleading. “Please don’t kill me, Eduard. Please don’t kill the baby.” Crying, sobbing, grabbing at him. At his pant legs, clawing, trying to reach him.

  “Stop it!” He didn’t shout his words, just growled them at her as he hauled her to her feet, banded his hand on the back of her neck and dragged her into the cabin. But she couldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop crying, couldn’t stop pleading, couldn’t stop begging. Grabbing at him with her hands, not hitting out, trying to get him to listen. She had good in her life now. This wasn’t fair.

  Eduard seem unmoved, but there was no snapping of her neck, no execution by gun, no beating her. He pulled her down the hall, to a room, to a hatch in the floor, heaved it open and pushed Esma to it. A ladder down into a dark hole. She couldn’t see what was below and she twisted away from it, into Eduard, into his arms. He caught her then, his eyes black, gazing at her. She thought maybe she got to him, got through to him, but then he said, “Climb down the ladder or I’ll throw you down. Your choice.”

  She wanted to fight him, but she couldn’t fight him. The baby. And no strength to overpower him and she was starting to hyperventilate, her breaths coming in short gasps as he pushed her towards the opening. She clung to him, then stopped. He would throw her down. She pulled back, let go. “Please.”

  He didn’t move, waited and she stepped into the hole, climbed down the ladder, shaking, missed the bottom rung and landed hard, concrete under her feet. Then the hatch slammed shut, a bolt shoved into place and darkness tearing a
t her senses. His footsteps overhead, something over the hatch, blocking out the little light that had been leaking through the lid, then the scrape of something being pulled across the floor. Stopping overhead. Then footsteps receding, a door slamming. The car engine, the distant crunch of tires and then nothing.

  Except Esma, alone.

  She turned and pushed her back against the ladder, stood, her ears straining for Eduard’s return, listening. For minutes, maybe an hour. Then tiring, she slid down, sat in the dark, bringing her knees to her belly, wrapping her arms around them. Still listening for noise, afraid of the dark, afraid of the rustle, the skittering in the gloom. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Couldn’t breathe, couldn’t bring herself to move. Frozen. The first time in her life that she was afraid of the dark. She felt buried alive. And then she started shaking, her panic overwhelming her, but she couldn’t pull it back. No one knew where she was, no one knew. She tried to think, tried to find her logic, but nothing but blackness inside and out, and only one thought kept surfacing.

  No one knew where she was.

  Then a pain banded across her stomach, low in her belly. At first, she didn’t understand it, the pain. It was like a small heated band pressing against her. She thought it would go away, and it did. But then it came back, insistent, constant, still nothing much, then a little more pressure. A little more heat. Until she understood. All of this was too much, and she’d gone into labour. Too early, was her first panicked thought. But then it took back seat to the next one. Alone, in the dark.

  No one knew where she was.

  Chapter 76

  Rusya wrapped up early enough for to catch a flight back to Vancouver that same day. No need to spend a second night and he was glad for it. Except that it was a late afternoon flight and full of business people who wanted to get back to Vancouver too. And while convenient, the Helijet was not built for someone of Anto’s size. Everyone getting on eyed up the gigantic tattooed bearded Russian and did their very best not to sit next to him. Which meant Rusya had no choice. And he was squished in so close to Anto that he felt like the fucker’s Siamese twin. The one who didn’t get enough oxygen or food in the womb because the other one was so fucking big he took it all.

  This was his mindset after they touched down in Vancouver, and he wanted to go home, to Esma, away from Anto. He wanted not to see his 2IC for a week. Togetherness had its definite disadvantages. But Anto seemed to want to tag along to Rusya’s, seemed to think there was more to talk about, more to decide about the Vancouver Island issues. And he wasn’t wrong. They needed solving so they both returned to Rusya’s home.

  Inside, Rusya sent Anto to the office, told him to pour some drinks, then headed upstairs to talk to Esma. But their suite was empty, no Esma and so he went to the nursery. The big blue bear was grinning at him like Pennywise and he shuddered. Poor kid having to wake up to that each day. He walked back downstairs, couldn’t find Janice, talked to Astrid, always with a broad smile on her face, like Esma’s. Astrid, who said Janice was out for the day.

  “With Esma?” he asked.

  Astrid shook her head. “I don’t think so, Mr. Savisin. Janice left early this morning and Esma, Mrs. Savisin, she was still in bed when I brought her morning service.”

  Rusya nodded. “When did she leave?”

  Astrid narrowed her eyes like she was thinking. Pretty little simple girl, he thought. Not too many complicated thoughts going on her head. “I didn’t know she had. She must be around somewhere.”

  “Can you go to our suite, please. See if Esma’s purse is here.”

  “Of course.” Another big flash of smile and then she bustled away.

  Rusya stood for a moment, ruminating. Something bothered him, made him worried. It wasn’t like Esma not to be close by. She was like a cat, always there in the background, her presence so vibrant. The house seemed deserted right now, liked it missed her. He shook himself, shook off the silly notions and walked into his office. Anto sitting in his office chair, the big fucking buffoon. He grinned widely when he saw Rusya and Rusya forgave him again for everything. Including how big he was.

  He sat in the chair opposite Anto, on the other side of his desk and took a drink of the vodka Anto had poured. The first of the day and Rusya thought again that he drank too much. But it didn’t stop him from draining the glass, going to the bar and bringing the bottle to his desk.

  Neither said a word for a few minutes, Rusya not feeling like talking and Anto seeming to understand the need for quiet. Simply the clink of the bottle against the glasses as he poured them each another shot. The quiet sound of them drinking. Then Astrid came in, looking flustered. “Her purse is gone, Mr. Savisin. And a bag. The small one that she uses for overnight trips.”

  Rusya tilted his head to the side. What the fuck? “Get Eduard for me, please Astrid.”

  She nodded and almost ran from the room. His anxiety was infectious, even Anto seemed worried. “Esma?”

  Rusya nodded. “No one seems to know where she’s gone.”

  A minute or two later and Astrid skidded back into the room. “Eduard’s not there.”

  “Ask the guards – ”

  “I did.” And Rusya thought maybe he’d not been giving the maid enough credit. “I called up to them on the security phone. They said he left about 2pm today and hasn’t returned. Mrs. Savisin has not left the premises.”

  Rusya stood, agitation causing his pulse to speed up. “Call Janice. Get her back here. And Eduard.” Astrid nodded, turned to go. He stopped her. “Get the staff. We’ll search the house.”

  Ten minutes later, Janice was on her way back, Eduard was not picking up and Astrid had organized a house search. Rusya went with two of the kitchen staff to the basement, Anto took the main with two more staff and Astrid upstairs with another maid.”

  They reconvened in the office, none reported any success. Astrid stepped up again. “I called down to the guard house to get the men to search the premises and outbuildings. Sometimes she likes to run outside.” She stopped, thought. “Not lately though, of course, but it’s worth checking. Maybe she went for a walk.”

  “With her purse and overnight bag?” Rusya was losing patience, worried, angry, wondering if Esma decided to be spiteful, to leave, to teach him a lesson on what it felt like to be ignored. If that were the case, when he found her, there would certainly be some lessons taught.

  He dismissed all the staff but Astrid. Told her to stay, peppered her with questions about where she thought Esma may have gone. The young woman was clearly loyal to Esma, quick to understand what it looked like in Rusya’s eyes, even quicker to refute his suggestions that she may have gone to a hotel. Then Janice walked in and the room gave her a hug. Calm, a little cranky, but mostly concerned. “Have you found her?”

  “It’s clear she left, Janice.” Rusya was at the bar, another shot of vodka, glasses laid out and he absently handed Astrid one, who accepted it and tossed it back. Janice eyes landed on her, but then back to Rusya.

  “Left where?”

  Astrid, “Her bag and purse are gone, but not through the front gates. Eduard left earlier, signed out after lunch and hasn’t been back since.”

  Janice turned to Rusya. “How could she have gotten past the gates?”

  “It’s Esma we’re talking about. She probably found a ladder in the basement and scaled a wall.”

  Astrid shook her head, missing Rusya’s sarcasm. “No. There was no ladder found. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Anto chuckled from Rusya’s chair. Janice turned to Astrid. “What do you mean Eduard is gone? He wouldn’t leave like that in the middle of the day. Especially with both Rusya and me away.”

  “Just what I said. The guards said he left around 2. They said he was alone.”

  Then Anto, suddenly serious. “How do they know he was alone?”

  Astrid headed for the door. “I’ll ask.”

  Rusya turned to Janice. “She’s pissed at me again. I got side-tracked with this sh
it in Victoria and she didn’t want me to go.”

  “So what? She’s pissed with everyone right now, Rusya. She’s carrying around a baby that weighs almost as much as she does. She’s hormonal, she’s tired, she’s weak and vulnerable. There’s not a thing anyone can say to her that doesn’t piss her off. But that doesn’t mean she’d leave.”

  “They why pack a bag?”

  Astrid stepped back into the room. “He drives an SUV, back windows tinted. They said he appeared to be alone, but they didn’t look closely. Why would they? It’s Eduard.”

  The rage hit him first, square in the chest and he couldn’t breath. “She left with Eduard.”

  Then Janice’s voice from a distant swearing at him. “That’s bullshit. She wouldn’t go anywhere with him. She hates him.”

  Rusya narrowed his eyes at Janice. “What do you mean she hates him?”

  “Fuck Rusya, you’re such a man. He treats her like shit. How do you not notice things like that?”

  “She never said anything.” But he remembered the first time the two had met. Remembered her reference to him. A fucking prick. And her words – he doesn’t like me much but he hasn’t seen my sparkling personality.

  Janice again. “She likes to fight her own battles, Rusya.”

  Anto now. “Eduard doesn’t like her. Marisol said. But it’s Esma.”

  Rusya narrowed his eyes at Anto and he faltered. Stopped. Not the time to be discussing Esma’s abrasiveness. “She’s angry at me. She left.”

  “Bullshit!” Janice was fuming, her face red, but he saw her fear and it made him afraid. “She wouldn’t leave you, Rusya. For some reason, she loves you.”

  And Astrid, a little more timidly than Janice agreed. “She’s been emotional, but she’d never leave you. Mr. Savisin. You’re the centre of her universe. You and the baby.”