“Well, what can I say? Blossom’s a very good actress. It was just a misunderstanding, that’s all. She took it the wrong way when I refused to carry our relationship on after a one-night stand, a time when I was foolish and weak.” Rollins glanced far enough behind himself to see Illya. “She did it to me and she’ll do it to you as well.”
Illya heard those words and they stirred up some memories. And not very good ones. He pushed off the table.
“There was no misunderstanding,” he growled. “I know actresses and I know abuse.” He rolled up his sleeves and showed his forearms, which were littered with cigarette burns. “Where do you think I got these from? My father always said it was a misunderstanding, that there were crossed wires somewhere. He never hurt us at all. We hit ourselves to get him into trouble. We put the cigarettes onto our arms.” Illya shoved his sleeves down, not bothering to button them up. “And you think I’m going to believe you over Blossom?”
Rollins snorted. He didn’t seem affected by Illya’s wounds.
“Well, she’s twisted you around her little finger. I wouldn’t expect anything.”
“No one’s been twisted, Rollins. Except for you and your mother.” Illya tapped the hammer gently against the back of the chair and felt great satisfaction when he saw Rollins flinch. “You can’t fake the trauma that Blossom has. She’s very good at hiding it but you can see it when you know what to look for. And you two are a disgusting pair to think you can pass it off as boys being boys.”
“There was no rape! Blossom’s acting like a spoiled brat. She’ll come to her senses once we’ve talked.”
Illya barked out a laugh. There was no chance that he was letting this man anywhere near Blossom.
“You mean after you destroyed her house? After you broke in again and attacked Jenny Benson thinking it was Blossom? You think she’ll come to her senses after that?”
Illya saw Rollins straighten up. He was very quiet all of a sudden.
“What?”
“Which part are you stuck on, Rollins? The house vandalizing or attacking Jenny? You must’ve known you’d gotten the wrong person. But, then again, it doesn’t matter, does it? I mean, all black women look alike, don’t they? Especially in the dark.”
Rollins was looking more and more jumpy. Had he hit a nerve?
“What are you talking about? Jenny was attacked?”
Illya snorted. He came into Rollins’ line of sight and crouched before him.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Jenny was beaten with a baseball bat in Blossom’s bed before she was shot, along with my brother. In Blossom’s own house, two days after you tore it to pieces.”
It was hard to read Rollins’ expression under all the blood and swelling but it was there. Rollins was genuinely confused. It was like he had no idea what Illya was talking about.
“I…I didn’t vandalize her house. And I didn’t attack Jenny. I’ve always had the highest regard for her.”
Illya almost burst out laughing at that.
“You, having a high regard of a woman? You’ve physically attacked Blossom. You’ve raped her. If you can do that to someone you were supposed to care about, you can do it to any woman. Why should I believe that you didn’t do it?”
“I’ve never hurt Blossom!” Rollins bellowed. He began to struggle against his bonds. “She knows that. And she’s taken this too far. To say I’ve been stalking her and attacking her like that? I would never do that!”
Illya watched the freak-out and sat back, waiting for it to subside. He didn’t think it would take long for Rollins to crack. And he hadn’t even needed to swing the hammer yet.
*****
Blossom was missing Illya badly. She knew she couldn’t keep him at home all the time but Blossom wished she was able to do that.
So, she kept herself busy. It wasn’t easy but Blossom managed it. There was plenty of paperwork still to do, although she was nearly finished. But when that was done, Blossom knew she would have to find something else to do.
Maybe she should pop over to her house and fish out her sex toys. Pop a porn video on. That always got her in the mood when she wanted a release. There had been no need for it when she had Illya but Blossom didn’t think she could wait. She would most likely explode the next time Illya touched her.
It would certainly eat up some time.
Chapter 10
Blossom was sitting at the dining room table, staring at her laptop and wondering when the best time to get her rabbit vibrator was when her cell phone rang. It was a number she didn’t recognize.
Blossom hesitated before answering it. She didn’t have Illya’s work number so maybe it was him. Or it could be the stalker again. Blossom didn’t want to hear another threat.
Even with that thought in her mind, she answered it nervously.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl.”
Blossom started. She hadn't been expecting that. She sat up.
“Jenny?”
“Who did you think it was?”
“I didn’t recognize the number.” Blossom felt the relief make her body slump. “When did you wake up?”
Shortly after coming out of surgery, Jenny had been put in an induced coma. The doctors had been worried about the swelling in her brain and wanted it to come down before they woke her up. Jeremy had been keeping Blossom updated every day but nothing had changed. Jenny had still been unconscious.
“About two hours ago. They brought me out of the coma first thing this morning.” Jenny chuckled, “They’re going to do a brain scan later today, just to make sure my brain is still there after the bashing I got.”
Blossom laughed. That sounded like the old Jenny.
“That’s great.” Then she sobered. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”
“Come on, girl. I don’t expect you to put your life on hold for me. That would be incredibly boring.”
“Even so…” Blossom sighed and rested her head on her hand, pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “You were beaten because Adrian thought you were me.”
“Blossom, don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t start guilting yourself. No one knew what was going to happen and, even if we did anticipate it, I’m glad it was me that he beat up and not you.”
Blossom opened and closed her mouth a few times before she could respond. She wasn’t sure how to take that reaction.
“You’re glad you got beaten up?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Jenny sighed. “I don’t think I really know what I meant. But I’m glad you were safe. Speaking of which, where were you when it happened?”
“I…” Blossom felt her face getting warm. She was glad Jenny wasn’t in the room. “I was with Illya.”
“Ah.”
“What does that mean?”
“I think it explains a lot.” Jenny’s voice held a lot of mirth. “Listen, girl, I’ll be fine. Jeremy’s been here every day and he’s been hovering over me like a mother over an infant child that needs to be bubble wrapped.”
Blossom laughed.
“Fair enough. But that’s something to put on my Christmas list to you: a bubble-wrapped jacket.”
“I’ll make sure Jeremy gets the rest of the wardrobe. Do you want to rescue me later?”
“Please. I could do with getting out of the house.”
“Are you back in now? Jeremy says it was still a crime scene.”
Blossom smiled. She gave Jenny a brief rundown of what had happened after she left the hospital, leaving out the saucy bits but leaving in what Nicoletta had said to her. When she finished, Jenny gave a low whistle.
“Whoa. That sounds like one helluva week you’ve had.”
“You could say that again,” Blossom grunted.
“Mad obsessed bitch aside, I take it things are going to progress with you and Illya? I mean, you can’t exactly go cold after being this hot for so long.”
Blossom considered this. She was hoping that things would progres
s but beyond Illya saying she was welcome to stay with him a little longer, they hadn’t actually talked it out. Hell, they hadn’t even said they were a couple.
That was something they needed to clear up. And quickly. Because Blossom was going to end up with a broken heart if this all went wrong.
“It seems as though things are progressing between us.” She stood and began to pace slowly around the table. “Illya doesn’t strike me as a man who would drop a woman once he’s finished playing the white knight.”
“Isn’t that a Russian vodka?” Jenny giggled.
Blossom laughed.
“It’s Wild Knight and that’s an English vodka.”
“It’s on the same continent.”
“Seriously, Jenny,” Blossom sighed, stopping to stare out over the garden. “I know it’s a short space of time and what with this business with Adrian…” Could she say it out loud? To her best friend? Blossom had only said it in her head. “I’m in love with him. I don’t know how it happened but it has.”
That was easier than she expected. Blossom had thought it would be hard. She hadn’t expected to fall for anyone, certainly not after what Adrian had done to her. There had been a period of time after the rape where she couldn’t let anyone touch her, not even Jenny. She'd been very jumpy. Illya’s touch didn’t make her shy away, or tense up. It made her feel safe. Comforted.
Loved.
“Well,” Jenny said, “while I’m still dubious about my best friend being lovers with a Russian mobster…”
“He’s their accountant, he’s not a mobster.”
“He’s part of the chain of command. Once you’re in, you’re in. You know that.”
“That’s in the movies.”
Jenny huffed.
“Well, whatever he is, I’m not really surprised about you two getting together. That time I saw you two together, you could light a match in the air with the heat rising up between you. Very hot.”
Blossom smiled.
“I don’t think I’ve had this sort of reaction to anyone. I didn’t think I would after what happened.” She licked her lips. “And I think Illya knows it, too.”
“I’m sure he does,” Jenny said warmly. “Ivan said he’s very protective of you, that he won’t let anyone harm you. Hell, Ivan said he’s never seen his brother handle a gun and yet he is willingly carrying one around since he met you.”
“Well, I’m glad I…” Blossom stopped. Something had just clicked. “Wait a minute. You’ve spoken to Ivan?”
“Well, yes.” Jenny suddenly giggled. “He came to see me a short while ago. Jeremy said he was hanging around in the waiting room once I’d been taken off the drugs to get me to wake up. He guessed that Ivan had been here all night.”
That did come as a surprise to Blossom. Ivan had shown an interest in Jenny but she had thought it would be simply a passing fancy. Every man who came across Jenny felt like that. That Ivan had hung around at the hospital while Jenny was unconscious…to Blossom, that was very telling.
“Is there something going on between you two that I should know about?”
“Blossom, we’ve done nothing. Not even kissed.” Jenny made a sound that Blossom thought sounded wistful. “I think he’s just shy of me.”
“Ivan Chekov, shy?” Blossom burst out laughing. “That’s the last thing that he is.”
“Well, that’s what I think.”
Blossom wondered how long it was going to take before Jenny realized that was not the case. Ivan was certainly not shy, merely picking his moment.
She was jerked out her thoughts by the doorbell.
“That’s the doorbell. I’d better check who it is.”
“You’re not going to open the door, are you?”
“No chance. Illya’s got this place locked up tight. I can see who's out there without opening the door.”
“Well, that’s something.” There was some whispering on the other end and then Jenny was back. “I’d better go myself. The nurse wants to check my vitals again. For the fourth time this hour.”
“Then go. You know nurses will stick thermometers where they shouldn’t go if you don’t.”
“That’s true.” Jenny’s voice was warm. “I love you, Blossom.”
“Love you, too, girl. Stay healthy.”
Blossom hung up and placed her cell phone on the table as she went through the house. The doorbell went again. It was probably Sergei. Blossom had seen him wandering around in the back garden or out in his car outside the house, swapping shifts with his twin Danilo. She hadn’t spoken to them beyond the odd hello and bringing them a coffee but they seemed decent enough.
She didn’t want to ask what they did as work when they weren’t being her guard dogs; Blossom was afraid she might get an answer she didn’t want to hear.
Blossom went to the intercom and pressed the button to see the outside. But nothing happened. She tried a few more buttons and still nothing happened. Illya always kept things up to date. It wouldn’t go out on its own and they hadn’t had a power outage lately.
This wasn’t right.
Blossom tried to peephole but it was dark. Someone had covered it. Now she was beginning to feel the trepidation creeping into her. A cold shiver went up her spine.
It was Adrian. It had to be. He was here and he knew where she was.
Where was Sergei?
Blossom stumbled back and turned to run back towards the dining room. She was going to grab her cell phone and lock herself in Illya’s office. There was no way she was going to keep herself exposed like a sitting duck.
She was halfway down the hall when something swung out in front of her from a doorway. Blossom got a brief glimpse of it before it hit her in the face, knocking her onto her back as pain exploded across her nose and cheek bones. It radiated over her head and Blossom couldn’t stop herself from cracking her head on the floor.
Then everything went black.
*****
Illya grilled Rollins for an hour but after that initial outburst he got nowhere. Once Rollins had said his piece, he shut up. Illya tried different tactics but they didn’t work. He wasn’t about to swing the hammer to shatter a kneecap to get the truth. His gut said that Rollins had said all he needed to say. Now he was sitting back and gloating at Illya’s ineptitude.
He truly believed that he hadn’t done anything bad. Rollins really thought he hadn’t raped Blossom and that it had all been a misunderstanding. Illya had heard that before when his father had beaten him, Ivan and their mother, sometimes even their grandmother. There was never any misunderstanding. It was a narcissistic way of passing the blame to someone else.
Illya had heard it all. And even now it made him feel sick.
Soon he heard another voice in the warehouse, joining Ivan’s. Someone else had come to join the party. Sighing heavily, Illya picked up his jacket, gave Rollins one last scowl and left. The man could sit there and rot in his chair for all his cared. Ivan could do the dirty work.
Anton and Ivan were by the stairs when Illya managed to get out of the maze of plastic sheets. He gave Illya a hard nod.
“How’s it going?”
“Not well at all.” Illya shrugged into his jacket, even though he was already sweltering. “He kept saying it was a misunderstanding and that Blossom had filed false charges against him.”
Ivan growled.
“God, I hate men like him.”
He and Illya exchanged looks. Illya knew his brother was thinking about their past with their father. It was his favourite saying, especially when he was battering Ivan, the biggest one who would fight back.
Anton shook his head.
“I can’t believe that. I’ve only met Blossom once and even I can tell she’s been through something traumatic and not just recently. She’s got that look in her eye.”
Illya couldn’t agree more. Blossom was very good at hiding it but it leaked out when she wasn’t paying attention. And if Anton, not the best at reading emotions, could sense it, it had to
be bad.
“Rollins still believes his own lies.” Illya scowled at the sheeting, still seeing Rollins smirking at him. “And his mother. She managed to swallow it all.”
“I think the expression in America is drinking the Kool-Aid.” Anton grunted.
“Sounds about right.” Illya then had a thought. “Where is Louisa Rollins, by the way?”
“Still in jail.” Ivan smirked. “She assaulted a prison guard during arraignment. She thought she was going to be released with an ankle bracelet like her son and went nuts when she realized that she was going to be kept behind bars.”
“Nice to know it runs in the family.”
Anton sighed and leaned back against the stair railing.
“I’ve had Rollins’ alibi checked out. It was easy enough with the ankle bracelet.”
“If he’s got that, how did he manage to get to the women’s shelter?”
“He managed to disable it this morning. Records say it was working until first thing this morning.” Anton rubbed at his eyes. “He’s been good, according to the law. Nowhere near Blossom’s house.”
“And he has an alibi the evening Jenny was attacked,” Ivan growled. Then when Illya gave him a surprised look: “He managed to tell me that before he shut up.”
“I never got that. Where was he?”
“Visiting his aunt in Bethesda,” Anton grimaced. “That woman is just as bad as the rest of them. His entire family have made Blossom the evil one. From what we got, half of them think she was asking for it and the other half say the police are getting involved because a black woman cried rape against a white man.”
“Charming.”
Then Illya felt his cell phone going off. Fishing it out, Illya glanced at the number. He didn’t recognize it. Signalling at his boss and his brother, Illya moved away to answer it, switching back to English.
“Illya Chekov.”
“Mr Chekov, it’s Jeremy Benson. You met me at the hospital last week?”
Illya could hardly forget the man who looked like he could play for the Green Bay Packers.
“I remember, Mr Benson. How’s Jenny doing?”
“She’s awake. They brought her out of her coma this morning.” Jeremy paused. “But she’s very worried about Blossom. In fact, so am I.”
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