by Rose, Bella
“I’m fine,’ Delia sniffed. She immediately lapsed into silence, and Charley felt like she was pulling teeth to get the woman to talk at all.
“So you go to school here, right?”
Delia nodded.
“What’s your major?”
“Literature,” she whispered.
“Do you have a job?” Charley pressed.
The woman shook her head, and Charley frowned. “I’m sorry. I have to ask how you’re planning on paying rent if you don’t have a job.”
The woman immediately looked frightened. Charley was afraid she’d burst into tears again. “Hey, we can come back to that question. No pressure. Tell me what you like to do for fun?”
But the interview was clearly over. The woman looked like a deer caught in headlights. Finally, Charley told Delia she’d be in touch, and the woman bolted.
Straight into the coffee table, spilling a glass of water. As she burst into tears again, Charley herded the woman out.
“What the hell?” she muttered when she was safely alone.
As she cleaned up the mess, another applicant knocked on the door. Charley opened the door to find a suspiciously beautiful blonde standing on the front porch. “Hi,” she said brightly. “You much be Charley Barns. I’m Kristi Evanovich.”
“You’re Russian,” Charley said stupidly.
“Yes,” the girl said slowly. “This is Russia.”
Damn it, how could she have missed that last name? The woman’s accent was thicker than Veronika’s. Kristi must have sensed her hesitation because she quickly tried to regain control of the situation. “Look, I’m starting my master’s next semester, and I’m trying to find something quiet off campus. I can pay you the full year in advance…”
Alarmed, Charley held up her hand. “A full year in advance? How can you do that?”
“Well my father is a wealthy business owner, and—”
“Hell, no,” Charley said before slamming the door. She immediately locked it and peered out as the girl, dumbfounded, walked away. A beautiful Russian woman with a wealthy business-owning father? Yeah. Charley wasn’t about to tangle with that again.
Feeling dejected, Charley finished cleaning up the mess Delia had made and collapsed on the couch. The provided time period for interviews had long since expired when there was another knock at the door.
Armed with a baseball bat, Charley peered out the window cautiously. A woman her own age stood on the porch with a piece of paper in her hand. Hiding the bat behind her back, Charley cracked the door open. “Can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m Daphne Reynolds. Are you Charlie Barns? I was trying to get here in time to interview for the room in the house, but I got terribly lost. My Russian is still a bit shaky,” the woman said.
Tucking the bat behind the door, Charley swung the door open the rest of the way. “I am Charley. Come on in.”
“Have you already chosen someone? I’m so sorry that I’m late.”
“I found the earlier applicants unsuitable,” Charley said with a small smile. “Have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Oh, no thank you. In fact, I was afraid you’d refuse to see me since I’m so late. I brought you a small bribe.” Daphne reached in to her bag and pulled out a bottle of wine.
Charley’s eyes rounded. “Red Herring Decoy. Oh, that’s my favorite.”
“Really? It’s mine, too. I’m actually not even sure that it’s legal to ship it here, but my sister sends me a couple of bottles every few months.”
Practically drooling, Charley grabbed the bottle of wine. “Forget the list,” she joked as she tossed the clipboard aside. “The room is yours.”
Daphne laughed. “Go ahead and ask your questions. I want to make sure it’s a good fit. I’m looking for more than a roommate. I sort of need a friend. My last roommate didn’t speak much English. It was a lonely semester.”
“What’s your major?”
“Architecture and design.”
“Damn. You must be good if you’re studying here,” Charley muttered. “Job?”
Daphne reached into her bag and pulled out some papers. “Here are my last two paychecks. I work as a waitress at a high-end club. I’ll work more hours this summer to save money, but as you can see, my income during school is still sufficient to cover rent and my portion of the bills. And the last page is a letter of reference from my last roommate. I couldn’t read it very well, but it hopefully says good things about me.”
Charley scanned the letter. The recommendation stated that Daphne was never late with payment, she abided by the rules set aside, and she was clean, quiet, and respectful.
“I think you might be a dream come true. Do you have a boyfriend?”
Daphne looked startled. “Does that matter?”
“My last roommate came with a boyfriend. It was a package deal.”
“I see. I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m not necessarily against one, but I just haven’t had time to date. If I do, I promise that I’ll be respectful,” she said shyly. Charley actually saw embarrassment stain her cheeks.
“Okay. You seem perfect. Here’s a little bit about me. I work hard during the week, but I like to play during the weekend. I’m a stickler for keeping things clean, but I’m not OCD. My bedroom is littered with clothes on the floor. I like things quiet during study time, and I will hog the television. I’m a terrible cook, I sometimes stay up all night, and I sometimes talk to myself. And whether you move in or not, I think I’d like to be friends with you.”
Daphne smiled, and Charley saw the delight in her eyes. “I can pay a deposit right now. When can I move in?”
Chapter Two
His father had been a large and intimidating man, but everyone who knew Max knew that he was gentle-hearted. He abhorred violence. He carried a gun only out of necessity, but it wasn’t enough to save his life.
“You must not be like your father,” Ivan told him. “Your father thought he could live his life through words and logic, but this is not a world of logic. I tried to tell him that it would get him killed. And now I’m telling you that it will get you killed. Harden your heart. Only the cold survive the winters.”
The little boy grew up hearing these words. Ivan chanted them every morning, and every morning, the boy thought less and less of his father. Soon, the man’s face was a blur. A lifeless blur. He carried the idea of his father’s death around, but he soon forgot what kind of man his father was. He forgot the lessons of his father. He began to be the son of Ivan instead.
***
Three weeks in, and Charley was in love. She missed Veronika, but Daphne was the perfect roommate. She cooked for the both of them. She cleaned up for the both of them. And she’d paid her deposit and first month’s rent. Charley was already starting to feel better about the summer.
“I promised myself that I wasn’t going to take any classes, and then Professor Niko offered me an assistantship for the summer, and I just couldn’t turn it down. I thought it would be a dream, but I should have gone with my gut instincts. He’s so cool in the classroom, but he’s a nightmare in his personal life,” Daphne muttered grouchily as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “He actually called me into work last night because he couldn’t find his reading glasses. Are you kidding me?”
“Really? Where were they?”
“On his head. They were on his head. I thought my manager was going to have a stroke, but what could I do? I have him next semester, and I can’t afford for him to fail me.”
Charley drained the rest of the milk from her cereal. “So I guess trying to talk to him about invading your personal time is out of the question?”
Daphne moaned. “He would probably fail me on the spot. By the way, I found this under my bed. It’s not mine.” She pulled out a pair of blue boxers.
Charley grimaced. They no doubt belonged to Kaz. “Sorry, I thought I cleaned everything out.” She took them gingerly and carried them to the trashcan. Daphne watched in amusement.
&
nbsp; “I take it you know who they belong to?”
“My previous roommate’s boyfriend. He was…an interesting guy,” Charley said.
“Ah. That explains the boyfriend question. Why didn’t your old roommate stick around? Did you two not get along?”
“Actually, she’s practically my best friend. She moved in with said boyfriend. They’ve got a nice house in the ritzier part of town. Damn, he was sexy. I miss the eye candy.”
“Did any of his friends ever drop by?”
Charley turned her head. “Why?”
“I could use a little sexy in my life,” Daphne said dryly.
Laughing, Charley shook her head. “If you weren’t so busy, I’m sure you could find plenty of sexy. Okay. I’ve got a meeting with my advisor, and then I am off to work. I’ll see you later?”
“Probably not. I’m going to work straight from Dr. Nico’s,” she said forlornly.
“Whenever you get frustrated, think of how good an assistantship to Dr. Stefan Nico is going to look on your resume,” Charley pointed out.
A dreamy veil crossed Daphne’s face, and Charley left her with that image to keep her warm.
Charley stopped by the house between school and her job for a quick bite to eat. Daphne’s car was in the drive. Did Nico fire her?
She opened the door and stepped in only to hear the familiar sound of a bed squeaking. Freezing in the doorframe, she heard Daphne’s moans filtering through the house.
“Yes. Yes. Yes.”
Shaking her head, Charley quietly slipped from the house. Apparently Daphne had taken her advice and found herself something sexy. And she’d adopted a Russian accept for the playtime.
***
“I’m supposed to be spending all summer naked and in the arms of a beautiful woman,” Kaz complained. “So explain to me again what the hell I’m doing here meeting with you.”
Dmitri pulled his hat low over his face and frowned. A few dark curls escaped the cap and wound low on his neck. He and Kazimir met on the veranda of a popular coffee shop, and although few people would recognize him, Dmitri couldn’t take the chance with Ivan looking for him.
“Tell me what you know about Ivan Bobrov,” he said in a low voice.
Kaz cocked his head and stared at him. “And why would you be interested in Fedor’s successor? To my knowledge, he hasn’t done anything notable. He’s slowly easing into things. Who knows? Maybe he’ll dismantle the whole thing.”
Dmitri ignored his curious gaze. “Tell me about Ivan and Fedor. How did they know each other? How long have they been friends?”
Narrowing his eyes, Kaz straightened. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Maybe then I’ll be more forthcoming with the information you want.”
The implication was clear. They were not friends. Dmitri felt irritation swell within him, but he tried to get his anger under control. “It has nothing to do with Fedor’s daughter. I have reason to believe that Ivan might be looking for me.”
“That’s ridiculous. First of all, no one knew of your identity until you faked your death. Why would Ivan believe that you aren’t dead?” Kaz crossed her arms.
“Forget it,” Dmitri growled. He leaned back, and Kaz shot forward and grabbed him arm.
“Dmitri, we called it even. You don’t owe me, and I don’t owe you. Consider this very carefully. If Ivan is looking for you, and he has enough information to know that you faked your death, he’s going to be looking for the last people who saw you alive. Now I can protect Veronika, but Charley has no one.”
“I’ve already thought of that,” Dmitri snapped. “I’m going to circle around and keep an eye on Charley. I just need to get ahead of this situation. Any information that you can give me will be helpful.”
“You can help by staying away from them,” Kaz muttered. He sighed and shook his head. “Ivan and Fedor were friends long before I ever started working for Fedor. Although friends is not exactly the word I would use. There was something odd between them. Fedor would get drunk and mutter about how fucking useless Ivan was, and I know enough about hatred to recognize it in Ivan’s eyes. They drank together and laughed, but they certainly didn’t like each other. I can’t remember a time when the two of them were alone together. I have a feeling that if that ever happened, one or both would have been dead.”
“So no one blinked when Ivan just took over? How did that even happen?” Dmitri muttered.
“Fedor didn’t have friends. I suppose, in the eyes of the public, Ivan was the closest that he had. I hear it’s been difficult for him to find loyalties within Fedor’s circle. He stopped by once to talk to Veronika, but she wasn’t home. I made it very clear that he was never to bother her again.”
“And how did he take it?”
“It didn’t seem to bother him. I get the feeling she wasn’t the one he was after anyway. To my knowledge, he hasn’t been back. Why would Ivan question your death? No one else has. Most are relieved that you’re no longer in the game.” A look of concern crossed his face. “Or are you lying to me? Maybe you are still in the game, and Ivan is your next target.”
Dmitri smiled sardonically. “I never claimed to be out of the game. But no, Ivan isn’t a contract. You can call him a mere personal interest of mine.” He pushed back his chair and stood.
Kazimir’s eyes never left his. “I was under the impression that Fedor was the only personal interest of yours. I heard a rumor that he killed your father.”
“It’s funny,” Dmitri said quietly. “I heard that same rumor myself.” Without another word, he turned and tried to leave.
“Stay away from Charley. She’s trying to distance herself from all of this. She even got herself a new roommate.”
A new roommate? Dmitri picked up the pace. The chances of Ivan moving that quickly seemed small, but there had been a strange undertone in Kazimir’s voice as he imparted that piece of information, as if he knew something Dmitri didn’t.
Reverse psychology bullshit.
An hour later, Dmitri parked his car a few blocks from Charley’s house. He recognized her car in the driveway. The sun was setting low over the horizon, and it was easy for him to cross the yard on foot and keep to the shadows. Only one light was burning.
Leaning against the brick, he eavesdropped in the open window. Charley was in the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and a phone cradled between her ear and her shoulder.
“Hi. My name is Charley, and I’m Daphne’s roommate. Is there anyway I can get a message to her?”
He moved cautiously around the edge of the window and peered in. She was sitting at the table with her profile to him. Her dark hair fell in curls down to the small of her back, and she shoved her hands through it impatiently. He clenched his jaw. There was something about seeing her again that made him lose control over his body. He’d brushed off the first encounter as just an affect from a long dry spell, but he’d seen beautiful women before. Stunning. Exotic. Women with such perfect bodies that most men would gamble their lives away for one night with them. And yet he’d never had a reaction to them like he did with the American.
“I’m sorry? You must be mistaken. Her name is Daphne Reynolds. She just left her cellphone here, and I’m calling to see if she wants me to run it by the club.”
She got up from the chair and bent across the table to grab a piece of paper. Dmitri felt his breath hitch as he watched her shirt ride up as she stretched. Her skin looked smooth and inviting. He ached to reach out and touch her.
“Really? No one by the name Daphne works there? Are you sure? Maybe you just have a lot of employees and you’re bad with names. She’s quite beautiful. Blonde. American. She’s a student at the University.” She sat back down and scrunched up her nose. “No, I can’t call her. I have her cellphone. Is there anyone else I can speak to?”
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she bit her lip. “I see. No, I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect the manager to be answering the phone, that’s all. I’m sure I’ll get this whole thing straigh
tened out when I see her next. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” She hung up the phone and stared at it.
Dmitri watched, fascinated, as she shook her head. “You’re just being paranoid, Charley,” she muttered to herself. “I’m sure she has an explanation for it. You’ve got to stop being scared and seeing conspiracies everywhere.”
Scared? Charley was scared? He frowned and pushed back as he saw her head swing around to the window. For some odd reason, knowing that the woman was scared didn’t sit well with him.
What else had she discovered about her new roommate that made her so nervous? Mentally filing away the name Daphne Reynolds, Dmitri cast one last glance at the house before moving back to his car.
He told himself that it was just to keep Ivan from discovering the truth, and that it had nothing to do with his reaction to Charley or need to keep her safe.
Chapter Three
The little boy was no longer little. One the eve of his fourteenth birthday, he stood at the edge of the simple wooden fence and tried to pretend that the weight of the gun didn’t bother him.
“Keep both eyes on the target. Loosen your elbow. And never hesitate.” The boy listened to Ivan and took a deep breath. His finger tightened on the trigger, but even though the target was nothing more than a tin can, he failed the third rule.
He hesitated.
The gun recoiled sharply, and the boy, unprepared, shouted in fright.
“No hesitation. Again!” Ivan shouted.
Ashamed, tears streaked down the boy’s face. He dropped the gun and shook his head. In his memories, he heard the bullets slamming into the walls. Slamming into bodies.
“Do you want to avenge your father? Do you want Fedor Saiko dead?” Ivan shouted.
Of course he wanted to avenge his father. It was his duty to kill the man responsible for taking his father’s life. He should care for nothing else. This was his life’s mission.
With shaking arms, he bent down and picked up the gun. Slowly, he raised it and kept both eyes on the target.
He loosened his elbow.
And he squeezed the trigger.
