“I can’t believe you just did that,” I say, trying not to raise my voice. I don’t want to make a scene.
“Nobody messes with my little sister. I already told you,” he says.
“You can’t just threaten people in America. It’s not legal.”
“And when have I ever cared about following the law?” he asks.
I can’t talk to him right now.
He’s impossible.
And impulsive.
And… my big brother.
“I still love you, Alik,” I say. “Just next time, think before acting. Or consult me. I’ll be your conscience.”
“Well that’s not fun,” he says. “Come on, Kat. You have to start living in the moment.”
Maybe we do have a little more in common that I thought. I sort of did act without thinking the day I kissed Tristan in the hallway. Of course, if I would’ve been thinking, I never would’ve done it. But then I wouldn’t know how much Tristan likes me.
But I also wouldn’t have hurt Damon.
I hate that I hurt him.
“Nobody is staring now,” Alik says to me.
I look around and see that he’s right. Everybody has finally stopped staring at me. Maybe it’s because they realized that Alik’s threat wasn’t just an idle threat. I have no doubt that my brother would defend my honor if he needed to. I love him for it, but I also wish he would chill.
As I am looking around, I don’t notice that anybody has walked up to me. I jump when I see one of Damon’s bodyguards standing in front of me. I think bodyguard’s name is Coleman. At least, that’s what Tristan and Damon call him.
“Damon wishes to speak with you,” Coleman says.
We’re back to this again?
“Tell Damon if he wants to speak with me to get over here and talk to me,” I say.
Damon steps out from behind Coleman. “I think what I like best about you is your sarcasm.”
I hear Alik laughing from behind me.
“I see that it runs in the family,” Damon says, glancing up to Alik behind us.
“Are you going to be hanging out here for a while?” Alik asks Damon.
“Yes,” he answers.
“Good,” Alik says. “I’m going to go introduce myself to some girls.”
I roll my eyes as he walks off.
Some big brother he is, abandoning me with my ex-boyfriend.
“How are you?” Damon asks me, now that we’re alone.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I ask.
“Maybe,” he says. “But I wouldn’t answer. I don’t want my ex-girlfriend to know that I’m seriously heartbroken.”
I frown.
“I’m fine, Katerina,” Damon says. “Your brother’s speech was epic. You have another older brother, right? Is he the same way?”
“Dimitri is more of an act first, ask questions later kind of guy,” I say.
“Well, it’s a good thing Alik is here instead of him,” he says. “I think I understand you better now that Alik is here. You two look nothing alike, but I can’t get over how much you guys act alike.”
“Sarcasm is how we deflect,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.
“What about your other brother? The one who died,” Damon says.
“Eduard. He… umm… he was a lot like Alik and me,” I say. “He was sarcastic. I think that’s a natural in my family. It’s how we survive. He wasn’t impulsive though. He thought everything through. Eduard was my best friend. We did everything together.”
“How did he die?” Damon asks.
My chest hurts just thinking about that night.
“You don’t have to talk about it,” he says, noticing the look on my face. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no,” I say. “It’s just… I’ve never talked to anybody about it before. Not even my family knows the truth about what happened that night. I was there. I watched him die. It’s not something you get over ever. Especially because it was my fault.”
“How was it your fault?” he asks.
“We were in a car accident,” I tell him. “I didn’t have my license yet, but Eduard was letting me drive. He was teaching me. My dad was gone a lot for work and Alik and Eduard were busy with their own lives. Eduard was only a year older than me and didn’t have much experience himself with driving. I pulled out in front of somebody and they hit the side of the car that Eduard was on. But he was fine. We both got out. He was talking, telling me that he would take the blame. Nobody had to know I was driving. And then on the side of the road, he just fell over. There was a bleed on his brain. He literally dropped dead without any warning.”
“Wow,” Damon says. “I’m so sorry, Katerina.”
“I know he wouldn’t blame me. But someday, I will see him again,” I say.
“You really believe in heaven?” Damon asks.
I nod. “I believe in God. God said there is life after death, and I believe it.”
“Does that mean hell exists too?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think my mom is in heaven?” he asks.
“I don’t know. God is the judge of that. All you can do is live your life in hopes that you will see her again,” I say. “That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s why I go to church and pray and read my Bible. Because I want to see Eduard again.”
“I hope I can see my mom again,” Damon says. “I don’t remember her. I was too young when she died.”
“I bet she was awesome,” I say. “She shared genes with you, which means she has to be, right?”
He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Damon, I’m sorry that I hurt you. I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I know you. You’re not a mean person. You didn’t realize that you had feelings for Tristan. But I knew you did. I could tell by the way you looked at him. It shouldn’t have surprised me. I guess I was just hoping I was wrong.”
“My feelings for Tristan are separate than my feelings for you,” I say. “I still have feelings for you.”
“But not enough,” he says. “Don’t worry about me. This is what being a teenager is all about. Falling in love with the wrong person, getting you heart broken. It’s life. I’ll get over you. Eventually.”
“I’m not that great anyway, Damon. Trust me, you’re better off without me.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just turns and walks away from the field. And I am left there—alone for the first time in weeks.
Wait, I’m alone.
Yes!
Freedom!
With Kazimir gone, my life is no longer in danger. I didn’t see the point of having a bodyguard anyway.
Just as I’m about to turn off into the woods, I notice Damon’s new bodyguard standing there. Of course. I should’ve known this was too good to be true.
“Dobryy vecher, Katerina Vasin,” he says in Russia, then switches to English. “They told me you were beautiful. Just like your mother.”
He has a perfect American accent.
“Your father taught me how to fake an American accent,” he says, no longer bothering to use it. He must have read the confused look on my face. “I work with him. Or, I used to. Now I work for somebody else. Somebody a lot more powerful than your father. He’s weak. I told him getting married and having kids was a mistake. Of course, the first three kids didn’t change him. The second you were born though, something in him changed. He tried to hide it, but I could see. He fell in love with his perfect daughter. I can see why, now.”
“Are you going to kill me?” I ask, surprised at how calm I sound. My heart is beating fast and hard.
“Killing you would be a waste,” he says. “If I kill you, how could I use you against your father? No, death would be too easy.”
“Why are you telling me this if you’re not going to kill me?” I ask. “Tristan will destroy you.”
He grins. “You won’t say a word to anybody.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
&nb
sp; “Because, Katerina, I know where your mother is,” he answers. “And if you tell anybody, she will die.”
EIGHT
Weird.
I sit on my bed at five o’clock in the morning, unable to sleep.
Usually I would be getting up for my training, but Tristan is in London. And I don’t know when he’s coming back, but I hope he comes back soon.
I try to clear my head, but nothing is working.
My dad is a terrorist.
Oh, and my brother is also a terrorist now, apparently. Because he works with my dad.
And some crazy guy that used to work for my dad kidnapped my mom.
The same mom that Tristan is looking for right now.
Alik, who is sleeping in Savannah’s bed, snores loudly. At least I still have one brother left. For now.
Savannah’s parents made a surprise visit to New Hope, so they’re staying in a hotel. She is supposed to be back later tonight. I’m happy for her. At least she has a good, normal family.
Alik snores again, so I throw my pillow at him. He jumps up, ready to fight. Then he sees the pillow and gives me a mean look. I smile, knowing that he could probably beat the crap out of me.
I want to tell Alik about last night, but I can’t. He is impulsive and would probably do something that would get us all killed. So I have to wait until Tristan gets back. I’ll tell him. I can trust him to think before acting. I just hope that he comes back soon, because my mom is being held by an evil group of terrorists.
“Let’s go running,” I say.
“It’s five in the morning,” Alik protests. “Can’t you wake me back up in four hours? Then I’ll run with you.”
“No. I want to go now.”
“I forgot how demanding you were,” he says.
I poke out my lower lip, pouting a little.
Alik sighs. “Fine. Give me a couple minutes to get dressed then we can go.”
“Yay,” I say, grabbing clothes and going into the bathroom to get dressed. When I come back into my room, Alik is dressed and ready.
He looks tired. I imagine he’s trying to get used to the time difference. I adjusted pretty fast, so I know he will too.
We go out onto the familiar path through the woods and begin to run. As always, our run turns into a competition. But I haven’t slacked any on my running while I’ve been here. Although it seems Alik definitely hasn’t been running as much as we used to. He stops to get his breath.
“Geez, Kat. You’re fast,” he says between breaths.
“I know,” I say, grinning at his compliment. “You’re out of shape. We only ran three miles.”
“Maybe we can run slower,” he says, breathing better now. “I’ve got to catch back up with you. Can’t have my little sister running and fighting better than me.”
“Tristan is a good trainer,” I say. “When he gets back, I’m sure he’ll let you work with us. Since you’re going to help us and all.”
We start running again, this time at a slower pace.
“I’d like to work with you guys,” Alik says. “As long I don’t have to watch you two make out or anything like that.”
“I doubt that,” I say, even though I wish Tristan and I could date. Even if we were dating, I wouldn’t kiss him in front of my big brother. “Tristan has no plans of dating me right now. Not until all this is over. Probably not until I’m older.”
“He’ll change his mind,” Alik says. “We Vasins are impossible to resist. Trust me.”
I roll my eyes at his comment.
My brothers both have the Vasin charm, but I’m pretty sure it skipped me. Tristan can resist me just fine.
“I’m sixteen. He’s twenty one. And I know that age shouldn’t matter, but it does to him,” I say. “America is different than Russia.”
“He’s barely five years older,” Alik says. “You’ll be seventeen soon. And if age is his excuse, he’s stupid. You’re more mature than most females that are his age. But he sees you, trust me, Kat. He likes you. Just give him time.”
Time is one thing I’m not sure that I have. Not after last night. Damon’s bodyguard pretty much confirmed that.
“Hey, Alik, be careful,” I tell him. “With mom missing, I’m worried.”
“We don’t know that she’s missing,” he says. “Oh, but I think Tristan is coming back later today. He didn’t want to pass any information over the phone, but one of Damon’s bodyguards told me last night.”
“Good,” I say.
Because I need to talk to him.
He will know what to do about all this.
“I’m ready for him to get back,” Alik says. “Babysitting you is hard work.”
“You just want to meet girls,” I say.
“True,” he agrees. “I met a hot senior last night.”
“Ugh,” I say. “I don’t want to hear about your new romance.”
“And you think I want to hear about yours?” he asks. “First Damon and now Tristan. My little sister is a player.”
“I learned from the best,” I say, sarcastically. “You’re the one who had a new girlfriend every other week.”
“Never a girlfriend,” he says. “I suppose I might get a girlfriend someday. If my little sister is already falling in love, maybe it’s time for me to as well.”
“American girls aren’t serious about dating,” I tell him. “They don’t like to get married until after college.”
“Really?” he asks. “That’s so weird.”
“I know,” I say.
We finish up our run and then head back to take a shower.
Now, I just have to wait for Tristan to get back home.
Which part?
Tristan doesn’t get back to campus until about 8 p.m. And he does not look happy when he gets there. I’m sure he’s not happy about telling me that my mum is missing. But what he doesn’t know is that I already know. I have to get him alone so I can talk to him about what happened.
Tristan meets Alik and me in Damon’s dorm room. The bodyguard that approached me last night is there, and he’s watching me closely. I try to pretend like nothing is wrong, but I know Tristan will see right through the act. He knows me well.
“Are you okay?” Tristan asks.
I nod. “Fine. Just worried about my mum.”
“What did you find out?” Alik asks, looking anxious.
“She’s missing,” Tristan says, looking at me. He’s watching for me to react badly, but I’m not. I already know. I have to stay calm.
“How are we going to find her?” I ask.
He looks confused as he watches me. “Well, I’ve got people out right now looking for her. I don’t think she ever left Russia. But I don’t think it was your dad.”
“Neither do I,” I say, then look at the floor. I’m trying hard not to look in the direction of the person who does know. I don’t know what would happened if I outed him right now, but I can’t. He’s the only one who knows where my mum is. I will tell Tristan in private.
“Katerina, are you okay?” Damon asks, stepping closer to me.
I nod. “As well as I can be.” I look at Alik. “How are you handling this?”
“It’s a lot,” he answers. “But we can figure this out. I have to believe that. Mum will be okay.”
“I know she will be,” I say, now looking at Damon’s new bodyguard. He is glaring at me.
Tristan puts a hand on my arm. “I’m going to walk you back to your dorm before curfew is over.”
“Okay,” I say, thankful that we’re going to be alone. I will finally be able to talk with him.
“I’m going to my dorm,” Alik says, obviously glad to not be babysitting me anymore.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Katerina,” Damon says.
“Later,” I say, then Tristan and I walk out of the dorm. When we are a little ways down the hall, I hear the door open again. I figure it’s Damon’s bodyguard coming to spy on me. He probably wants to make sure I’m not telling Tristan.
“What is—,” Tristan begins.
I cut him off. “Thank you for going to London to look for my mum. I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he says, looking curiously at me.
I look behind us, then back forward.
He catches my movement. Tristan never misses anything.
“We need to talk,” he tells me. “Feel like going for a drive?”
I nod.
We definitely need to get out of here before we can talk. There are too many eyes and ears on campus.
I follow Tristan out to his BMW and get in the passenger side. He doesn’t say a word until we are off campus.
“You need to start talking,” he says, as we drive.
I look behind us to see if we’re being followed.
“We’re not being followed,” Tristan says, as if he knows what I’m thinking.
“Damon’s new bodyguard used to work for my dad. He kidnapped my mum. But he said if I tell anybody, he will kill her. I knew that you were the only one that I could trust. If I told Alik, he would’ve acted impulsively,” I tell him. “But you can’t act like you know, Tristan. I can’t let anything happen to my mum.”
“Hold up, how do you know this?” Tristan asks.
“Because he confronted me. He came up to me at a party on the soccer field. Alik wanted to go, so I had to. But then Damon came up to talk to me, so Alik ditched me so he could talk to some girl. Then Damon left, because he was mad at me. And this bodyguard stayed behind to tell me about my mum. Apparently he used to work for my dad, but he doesn’t anymore,” I say. “He said something about my dad going soft. He blamed me for that.”
“This isn’t good,” Tristan says, pulling his car in front of a closed shop in New Hope. “I don’t know what to do, Katerina. I can’t let a terrorist work for Damon, but I can’t let your mom get killed.”
“Find another way to get rid of him,” I suggest.
“Maybe,” he says. “I’ll have to be careful. We really need to find your mom.”
I nod, agreeing with him.
I’d really like to have her safe.
“You need to call your dad in the meantime,” Tristan says. “Do it now and put him on speaker. I want to hear the conversation. Try to keep it in English.”
Fame (New Hope Academy Book 3) Page 6
