Stephan

by S F Draven

  I didn’t know if it was my newfound feelings for her or just my blind stupidity, but I took one look at the address on the envelope, feeling it burn a hole in my memory while I got back into my car to start driving to Natalia’s home. It was quite possible that I wouldn’t have any way of getting in without her family’s guards taking me out on the spot, but I had to be smart, and I had to find out if they really had anything to do in what happened back at my house.

  If you are in danger, Annika I promise that I will get you out. I made you a promise a few nights ago that I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you, and I will live up to that.

  The drive felt like forever until I was parked a few blocks down from where Natalia’s family mansion stood. It was just as grand as Annika’s but in a completely different part of town, as though both of their families had decided to reign over separate territories.

  The fact that they even remained friends at all boggled my mind, thinking that with such animosity between their families, there would be no way for them to maintain a friendship together. I could’ve imagined that it caused a lot of trouble for both sides, but now, it was bordering on violence, and I knew that Annika’s family would never stand for something like that, especially because it was their own daughter.

  I was well aware that my family never liked them much either, but what was happening between these two families seemed to be something entirely different. Something about it felt dark like this was in the works for quite some time, and I could only hope I didn’t give Natalia the opening she needed to get Annika alone. I was kicking myself at the possibility, disappointed that I failed to do the very thing I promised her I would do, but I kept trying to convince myself that it wasn’t too late to fix things.

  If I can just get to you in time, Annika, get you out of the trouble you’re in, I can keep you safe, and make sure no one ever hurts you again.

  I had to figure out how I was going to play this, and how I was going to snoop around their house knowing the entire property was crawling with guards. It was quite possible that Natalia had been in there with her family, plotting how to take down the Novikovs for good.

  I’m coming, Annika. I’m coming to get you.

  Chapter Ten: Annika

  I awoke to an excruciating pain on the left side of my head, while I outstretched my arm trying to ease the pulsating headache that was starting to emerge, but I couldn’t. My eyelids fluttered open to see that my hands were bound to a chair along with my feet, while I looked up to see a familiar face staring back at me. She appeared guilty for a moment like she couldn’t believe what she did, but it quickly dissipated once I finally came to.

  I gazed up at the fluorescent lighting above me, trying to figure out what happened, but my memory was hazy. The last thing I remembered was heading into the bathroom to get ready for the day, trying not to wake Natalia especially after the fight we had the night prior, and I knew she’d be leaving that day. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but she was there staring back at me, while I tried to open my lips to ask her why she would do this to me.

  My throat was dry, and it hurt to talk but I was desperate for answers. I couldn’t believe the look on her face, the quick change from a sympathetic friend to a woman that had looked like she just received everything she could’ve ever asked for. It made me absolutely sick, and I began to wonder whether this had been a long time coming.

  “W-what are you doing, Natalia?” I asked, but she didn’t want to answer me, as if explaining herself would be far too difficult for me to understand.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” I asked again, and she inched closer to me, looking down at me while I watched a smile emerge on her beautiful face. I didn’t understand for a moment why she’d be so happy about all of this, but that’s when the memory of that day began to flood back in, realizing that I had glanced up in the mirror over the sink when she came up behind me, slamming my head down into it, then everything faded to black.

  “You really are a gullible woman, you know that Annika? I asked you to come back with me willingly, but you left me no choice other than to take you by force. You see, there is something I need that only you’re going to be able to get me, and I have to make sure I don’t come up empty-handed otherwise my family really are planning on disowning me. I’ve been rather enjoying my introduction into this lifestyle, much like I know you have been as well, but you have no idea what you’re up against now,” she said, and I could feel the pang of betrayal hit my heart, leaving it to sink into my stomach as I realized she had been playing me all along.

  “What the hell could you possibly want from me? You know, my father always warned me about getting too close to you, saying that our friendship was a disaster waiting to happen, but I never believed him. Our families always played it off like they just hated each other, but I never thought that it would come to this. What do you want, Natalia? What do you want so badly that it would make you give up all the years of friendship we’ve built together?”

  “It’s not in your possession, I’m afraid. It’s in your new boyfriend’s. When my father came to me with the proposal of playing with your feelings, of continuing to befriend you even when I shared in the same hatred my family had for such a long time, I thought that it would end badly for me, but now I see that you were probably the easiest target for me to take advantage of. It’s such a shame that you couldn’t have seen it coming, Annika,” she said, and I still had no idea what she was talking about, or how she could’ve pulled this off for so long.

  “I didn’t ever think you’d be the one to betray me, Natalia. We shared so many great memories over the years, and you’re going to tell me that you were able to fake all of those good times for this? What could be so important that you would sacrifice everything to get it?” I asked, refusing to believe that all of our friendship had been a lie.

  “I didn’t start hating you from the very beginning, Annika, but it got to that point the moment I realized that your father was doing everything in his power to take mine down. You think that our families have just been engaging in a few family squabbles over the years, but it is far deeper than that.”

  I knew our families were bitter rivals but I had no idea the hatred ran so deep.

  “There is so much more at stake that you don’t even know about, “ Natalia continued, “But the truth is I don’t really care what happens to you at this point. I’m just counting on the fact that Stephan likes you enough to come looking for you. Everything played out perfectly, and you managed to bag a Volkov. I have to say, even I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do that,”

  I didn’t know what Stephan’s last name or family history had to do with anything. I absolutely hated being kept out of the loop, especially because I wasn’t sure what they were planning on doing with me after they got what they wanted.

  “You’re disgusting, Natalia,” I spat.

  “On the contrary, dear, I’m the only one doing anything to secure a future for myself. All you’re doing is chasing hopeless dreams and running after a man you barely know. You still have no idea what he’s keeping from you, do you?” she asked, and I furrowed my brows at her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s been keeping secrets, Annika but I tried to warn you about that. He has a pretty expensive piece of art in his collection that I’m going to be needing. It’s a lost Malevich painting that is worth much more than you can imagine, and that’s what my father’s men were looking for when they stormed your house the night of the party. It’s a shame Stephan didn’t give it up right then, but I suppose he decided it would be best to drag you both through the mud for the sake of keeping that painting a secret.”

  I couldn’t believe that Stephan would keep something like that from me, and the conversation that he shared with the intruders that broke into my house. Although I was angry at him. I wasn’t angry at him for holding on to a piece of art that was clearly in high demand, and it was everyone’s fair game.
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br />   Natalia and her family just took it upon themselves to use me to play dirty, but we all knew that Stephan would come for me. I just hoped he knew what he was walking into because from the way Natalia spoke, she seemed to have everything in place to steal that precious painting and get rid of us both, but I was too afraid to ask.

  This is what Stephan had been trying to warn me about, the dark side of the crime world that I wasn’t ready to experience for myself, but here I am, and if he doesn’t come for me, I need to find a way out of this mess. If he doesn’t come looking, I know they won’t hesitate to kill me, and I can’t let that happen. I can’t let Natalia and her family win. If there ever was a time to honor my family, it would be right now.

  “It’s only a matter of time, Annika. He’s going to come for you, and once he gives me what I want, I’m going to make sure my family’s men show him no mercy,” she said, with a chuckle that made my stomach turn.

  Stephan, please be careful.

  I felt the room around me begin to spin, my eyes struggling to stay open while I was left alone in silence, with Natalia nowhere to be seen. I felt a slight trickle fall behind my ear, realizing I was still bleeding from my head injury. My stomach began to turn at the thought of what was going to happen to me if Stephan didn’t get to me in time, or what would happen to the both of us if he decided not to hand over the painting.

  No matter how close the two of us had become over the last few days, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to protect his painting over me. We hadn’t had the opportunity to grow together, to spend enough time together, and while we may have had a spark, I wasn’t sure it was enough for him to put everything on the line to save me.

  I glanced around the room, looking for anything that could help me get out of this situation, noticing that Natalia had taken me to another guest room after I passed out. My hands and feet remained tied, though.

  I heard the sound of muffled voices coming from downstairs, and I realized they probably had company. I listened closely, hearing soft laughter and pleasantries being exchanged, and it dawned on me that these people had to be sick to be able to entertain while they had me tucked away, tied up, awaiting my fate. I had no doubt that they were going to kill me the moment they got what they wanted, but it didn’t help soften the blow of acknowledging how long Natalia had been playing me for.

  I couldn’t believe that I didn’t see it coming earlier, and while she and I didn’t always agree on things, I never thought that she would do something like this to me. We always seemed to be quite comfortable around each other, ignoring what both of our parents did for a living, just trying to live seemingly normal lives. I’d begun to see just how much of an effect her family has had on her, dangling the idea of a perfect, luxurious future over her head so she could do what they said.

  I had to have faith in Stephan, because if Natalia went to all this trouble to get this Malevich painting, then she was also betting on the fact that he was going to rescue me, otherwise, she would’ve already thought of a much better plan to get what she wanted. I struggled to keep my eyes open, widening them while I tried to scoot the chair I was in over to the balcony window.

  I thought back to all of the things he taught me, about trying to seize any opportunity to get out of a bad situation, and it made me think of how well he was able to handle himself the night of the break-in. I had a quick flashback to that night, to how well Natalia played her part, acting as scared as ever when her family was the one that called the attack in the first place.

  If it were at any other time in my life, something like this would probably make me want to leave the crime world behind for good, but now, I was only able to acknowledge how well I was able to hang on. I didn’t feel the fear creep back in while I tried my best to nurse my injuries, while I waited for an opportunity to get out of here, because I realized then that they couldn’t kill me until they got what they wanted, so it was time to do a little acting of my own.

  I closed my eyes, removing myself from that room completely until I heard the door eventually swing open. My head had been leaning over to one side, so much that the blood had begun to trickle off of the corner of my head onto the floor. I couldn’t open my eyes, because I had to make them believe that I was slipping away. I had to make them believe that their one ticket to getting the painting back was soon going to be lost to them.

  “Annika, I need you to wake up,” said Natalia, and I could feel her inching closer to me until she was close enough that I felt her breath on my face.

  “Annika!” she screamed at me, and I held it together, feeling her hit me with every ounce of strength she had, hoping I was going to come to, but I didn’t so much as flinch. I didn’t have to look at her to know that she was already worried, scared that she was about to disappoint her family for losing the one asset she had.

  “Fuck. You can’t do this, Annika! Wake the fuck up!” she screamed again, slapping me across the face hoping to get a reaction, but she didn’t. I heard her stagger back, her fingernails clicking away at her cell phone while she dialed a number. I waited patiently, hanging onto every word she said when she spoke to the person on the other end of the line.

  “Hey, I need you to get a doctor down here right away, we have a problem,” I heard her say.

  “No, you can’t tell father about this. If he finds out, he’s just going to get on my case about not being careful with our little hostage. She’s dying on me, and I need someone to make sure she can hold out until her little boyfriend shows up, got it? Good.” She left the room, slamming the door behind her, and I let out a soft smile the minute I realized she was gone.

  It wasn’t long before they were untying me, and Natalia had left the doctor and I alone in the room. I heard the doctor walk away so I opened my eyes a little and I saw that he was in the far corner of the room with his back to me. As he turned I closed my eyes again and waited until I felt his presence at my side, leaning over me.

  I thought of Stephan at that moment, making sure I didn’t give myself the chance to hesitate, as I lunged up at him, throwing him off balance. I grabbed the little incision knife from him, and I jammed it into the side of his throat. He stared back at me in horror, while I smiled, removing it. The doctor collapsed, bleeding out on the floor, while I opened the door into the hallway, peering out to make sure the coast was clear before I started moving through the quiet mansion.

  I stopped in my tracks and hid the moment I heard any one of the mansion staff come down the corridor, making sure that I remained undetected while I kept moving. I couldn’t deny how terrible my head had begun to hurt, pulsating in a way I never thought possible. I held the side of my head, trying to stay focused while I quietly took the back stairs down to the kitchen, so I could take the back door out of their home.

  It was so strange to be sneaking out like this after being captured when this was a place I used to come to when I was younger. It was a place that once felt welcoming, that Natalia and I spent quality time together when I thought we were friends. It was quite possible that we were in the past, but something had to change along the way.

  She outgrew me, and her priorities changed. Now, I’m running from her and the rest of her family, hoping to escape with my life.

  I heard footsteps approaching me so I hid as best as I could, waiting until whoever was walking towards me had the chance to pass before getting up to the back door and grabbing a hold of the doorknob. I felt a sudden wave of relief wash over me while I held it until I heard a soft click behind my head, which caused me to let it go.

  Fuck. You have to be kidding me.

  “Now, where do you think you’re going,” Natalia said, pressing the gun into my skull.

  “Apparently nowhere, Natalia. Apparently nowhere,” I said, giving up because I knew there was absolutely no way I’d be able to make it out with her pointing that handgun at me. I had to accept defeat, and let her tie me up again, otherwise, I knew I was going to have to pay.

  “Let’s go, Annik
a. I suggest you don’t try anything like that again.”

  Chapter Eleven: Stephan

  I made my way around to the back entrance of Natalia’s home the minute the sun finally went down, noticing that there was only one car in the driveway. All of the surrounding guards were on high alert, almost as if they had been expecting me to show up. Everything about this kidnapping seemed off like it was set up perfectly, waiting for me to walk right into a trap. I didn’t care much, because all I could think about was getting Annika safely back in my arms. After all, whatever Natalia’s plans were, Annika shouldn’t have to suffer because of them.

  I wondered for a moment if all of this really did have something to do with me, and that’s when I thought about the painting that was sitting comfortably in the trunk of my car, knowing how many people seemed to be obsessed with it. I thought back to the night of the break-in at the party, remembering the words I exchanged with the men who came in looking for that very painting. In my entire career, I never saw a piece that was in such high demand, but I was willing to give it up if it meant that I could save Annika.

  Something clicked inside of me, making me realize that I shouldn’t be trying to storm this home empty-handed especially because I was probably going to need something to turn over if I was caught before I could get Annika out of there. I ran back to my car, opening up the trunk and carefully slipped the painting out of its cardboard enclosure before returning with just the cardboard in my hand.

  It was only going to buy me a few seconds, but that was all I needed if the time came. I made my way around the back again, managing to subdue two of the guards around the perimeter, so I could slip in through the open back door before any of the others seemed to notice they were missing. It was amazing to see how they all managed to stay at their posts, making it incredibly easy to slip in and out of this place.