by Ivy Clyde
“Andrei,” I whispered, staring at the name on my screen. It had been months since he last contacted me. Taking a deep breath, I opened the message.
Meet me at the intersection between Havannah Street and George Street. Come alone- Andrei.
The time displayed on the right corner showed it to be close to midnight. I was about to return home soon but could definitely meet Andrei on the way. My fingers poised over the screen to reply back but I stopped myself. It could be a trap. My phone was stolen last week. Someone could have done the same to him and was now using it to text me.
The phone vibrated in my hand, drawing my attention back to it.
Are you worried about it being a trap, zaichik? - Andrei.
The word meant ‘bunny’ in Russian. My brows knit together at his use of my childhood nickname. Maria had given it to me after she saw me in a bunny costume for Halloween. We’d both been around four at the time but somehow, she’d stuck with the silly name. Andrei used it to tease and bully me, knowing how much I hated being called zaichik. No one other than him and Maria knew about it.
Now I know it’s you, I replied back.
Get there in another half hour. I am waiting- Andrei.
Skye’s condition was stable by now and even though I wasn’t allowed to visit her, I’d made sure to get the information from the doctor in charge of her case. It put me at ease, helping me make up my mind to see Andrei. Part of me knew why he wanted to see me.
He must have already heard about Skye by now. Andrei could either want to know about her condition or lay the blame on me for what happened to her. Still, I wasn’t going to give up on the chance to speak to him. I was ready to face the brunt of his anger. The misunderstandings between us had been growing since Maria’s death and it was time we cleared it between us. Our friendship was too deep for any hatred to last between us.
See you then, I typed and sent the message.
Draining the last of my latte, I threw the cup in a nearby bin and walked out of the visitors’ center. Four guards followed me to the basement car park but I stopped them just as they were heading into their own cars.
“There is no need to follow me,” I told the leader. His raised brow was the only change in his expression. “You are dismissed tonight.”
“Yes, Sir,” said the leader, standing back as I walked toward my car.
Climbing in, I drove the car toward the exit. The rearview mirror showed the guards still standing where I’d left them. It was dangerous to meet Andrei without any protection but I was willing to risk my life. Maria was gone from our lives but we had to protect ourselves. Staying united was the only way to be stronger in the days to come. Our families had always been close. We couldn’t let misunderstandings tear us apart and leave us weak against an unseen foe.
The city streets were deserted as I speeded toward our meeting point.
Reaching close to the intersection, I stopped the car at the side of the road. There were no houses or shops around the area, making it a perfect point to hold short meetings without drawing any attention. My gaze scanned the vicinity. The dark silhouette of a tall figure several feet away caught my eye.
I climbed out of the car and made my way toward the person on the far side of the intersection. My breath rose up in clouds before me as the chill of the night settled down on me. The weight of the revolver in the pocket of my coat felt comforting as I moved closer to the figure.
“You came.” Andrei’s voice held a note of resentment. He crossed the distance between us and came to stand under the street light that bathed us in a circle of light.
“You haven’t wanted to talk to me in a long while. I didn’t want to let you down.”
He scoffed. “I’m miles under the ground with my expectations, zaichik.”
I exhaled a long breath, willing myself to keep cool. He knew how much that nickname irritated me. “What did you want to talk about?” I asked, deciding to ignore the jab.
“What did you do to Skye?” The tightness in his voice was enough to tell me he was pissed. While I knew the question would come up, I still didn’t know how to answer it. It had been difficult enough to answer Paris Dumas who’d swelled up like an angry bullfrog as she confronted me about Skye’s condition.
“I caught her in the server room of Novomedik,” I said.
“What was she doing there?”
“Apparently, she was on an apprentice job, but I don’t believe it. Skye never missed school on account of it. No matter what the company says, I think she was up to something. She was scared when I cornered her. That increased my suspicion.”
“Have your servers or security been compromised?”
“No.”
“Did she steal anything?”
“No.”
Andrei stepped closer to me. “Then, why the fuck did you drive her to kill herself?” Before I could come up with an answer, his fist collided with my jaw, knocking me backward from the force of his punch. “Everyone’s a thief and backstabber in your book,” he shouted, kicking at my knee. I fell down with a gasp as a sharp pain flared up my leg.
“I don’t know why she did that,” I said, struggling to get back on my feet.
Andrei strode forward and grabbed the lapel of my coat, pulling me close to his face. “Why was she found naked and bleeding out?” He punched me once more, causing me to groan out in agony. “How much did she bleed that they needed to use blood transfusion to save her life?” He raised his fist to hit me again, breathing hard. He must have realized I wasn’t fighting him back because his hand fell by his side. He pushed me away from him, the force strong enough to throw me to the ground. “What did you do to her, Dimitri?” he screamed.
“I intended to scare her,” I said through my puffed and bleeding lips. “I didn’t mean for her to hurt herself like that. I swear I didn’t touch her.”
Bending down, he pulled me up by the collar of my shirt. “I don’t want you going near her,” he grated through clenched teeth. “Skye is mine. I will kill you if you ever touch her again.”
Pain from his kicks and punches was making me lightheaded but I was determined to get my point across Andrei. “I can’t do that,” I said slowly. Speaking was painful at the moment but I continued. “I want to protect her.”
“You think of her as a thief and still want to protect her?”
“She reminds me of Maria too much!” I pushed Andrei away and got back to my feet. “Maria had acted aloof and strange around the same time those transactions started up in her account. If I’d forced her to tell me the truth then, we might have been able to save her. I want to know what Skye is so afraid of revealing. I don’t know why she cut her wrists but don’t you want to find out the reason from her? Don’t you want to be sure she isn’t being used by someone to hurt us?”
In a flash, Andrei pulled out a gun from the pocket of his jacket, aiming it at my head. Anger coursed through me at the gesture. I took my own pistol and pointed it at him.
“Drop it, Volkov.” A familiar voice called out.
Next moment, Mikhael Petrov stepped out of the shadows, pointing a gun at me. At least a dozen men stood behind him, aiming their guns at me. My gaze slid back to Andrei.
“Was this just an excuse to finish what you started this summer?” I asked, thinking of the incident that almost killed me this summer. If Skye hadn’t come forward to help me, I would have died from the gunshot inflicted by one of his men.
“How many times do I have to tell you it wasn’t me?” He stared at me but I could see some of his rage dissipating.
Andrei was a changed man now. Back when Maria had been alive, he would have never touched a gun. Using one to take someone’s life was far from his agendas. Now, he stood before me like a mafia lord with his army of men to take me down.
My gaze shifted toward Mikhael Petrov. He had a determined look on his face as he held his gun in a steady grip. He’d risen in ranks soon after Egor’s fall. While he was about the same age as Andrei and me, he was
never part of our circle. He’d been adopted by Hale Romanoff twelve years ago and had lived with Andrei’s family ever since then. Egor had hated and bullied him, reducing him into a weakened, sickened child. It was incredible to see the transformation that had come over him now. He was as tall as Andrei now and slightly leaner. The cold look in his eyes told me he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me.
“Killing me won’t get you any closer to the answers,” I said, turning my gaze back on Andrei. “You don’t know who set Maria up. The people who murdered your family are still walking free. I want to help you find the culprit behind everything. I still trust you.”
Andrei bared his teeth in a silent snarl. “I hate you for being the one to kill Maria. You knew she couldn’t be involved in such a scheme but you still chose to kill her.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” I shouted, feeling the old wound flaring up in my chest. “Would you rather have us give her away to Egor or someone else who would have tortured her till she spilled the truth? Killing her right away and quickly was the only way to save her from pain. Would you have done anything differently?”
“I would have hidden her away until we found out the truth.”
A scoff escaped me. I placed the gun back in my coat’s pocket before looking back at him. “Your father would have done the same thing as mine. He would tell you nothing mattered more than loyalty to the syndicate. Doing something like hiding the thief would only cause more bloodshed. You know it well enough, Andrei. Why are you acting like a spoiled child who doesn’t understand our ways?”
He stayed quiet and I knew I’d hit a nerve. Moving closer to him, I looked him in the eye even as he kept his gun pointed at me.
“There is a chance to protect Skye from meeting the same fate as Maria,” I said in a low voice that could only be heard by him. “Don’t you already see the similarities between them? I don’t mean the resemblance between them but the zeal with which they were holding onto a secret that even giving up their lives didn’t matter to them? Who were they trying to protect? They are definitely related to whoever set Maria up and killed your family. It isn’t a coincidence that she was placed at Knightswood Academy where she could be close to both of us.”
“Dimitri.” Andrei’s voice was thick with warning but I wasn’t done yet.
“I am not saying Skye is the villain who tore our families apart but she definitely has a link to them. If you want to protect her, try finding out her secrets.” A shuddering breath escaped me as a cold breeze made the sore wounds on my face throb painfully. “Skye may not trust me again but you still have a chance to find out what she’s really up to. She’s not a normal girl. If she were, she would have already asked for a sports car or diamond jewelry or whatever. She’s no heiress but has no interest in your money. Think about these things with an open mind.”
I stepped backward and turned my back on him, knowing he and several others had their guns aimed at me. Deep inside, I knew my best friend wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt me. Our bond was too deep and strong to tear so easily.
Reaching my car, I pulled open the door and slid inside. No one moved forward to stop me as I turned the vehicle around and drove back toward the city. A smile lifted the corner of my lips despite the raw ache there. Andrei had held up my trust.
40
Skye
To my surprise, Olga, the housemaid from Ivanov Mansion, came to get me the next day. She was accompanied by four bodyguards but as usual, she had a sour expression on her face.
“Why must I come all the way here for you?” she huffed as soon as she entered the hospital room.
“Good to see you too,” I said with a cheerful grin.
Olga’s apple-like cheeks turned brighter as she fumed at my cheekiness. “Master Ivanov instructed me to bring your clothes and help with whatever you need.”
“I can get dressed on my own,” I said, climbing off the bed. My body felt stronger after a day’s rest. Olga thrust a bag at me and moved away to sit on one of the chairs. Opening it, I peeked inside and found a mauve dress with white lace on it. Trust Olga to choose the ugliest dress she could find to vent her anger. There were cotton bras and panties underneath it.
“Did you bring me shoes?” I asked. Mine were still lying somewhere in that bedroom suite where Dimitri had forced me to strip completely.
“Shoes are here,” she said, pointing at a bag that lay at her feet.
Giving her a nod, I entered the en-suite bathroom. No one had spoken to me about my medical bill yet. I guessed either Paris or Nikolai were paying for it because they both knew I wouldn’t be able to afford such lavishness on my own. I stripped out of the hospital gown and quickly pulled on the dress Olga had brought me.
My gaze fell on the mirror before me and I was immediately startled by the image before me. At that moment, I looked hauntingly like the dead Maria Volkov. The full-sleeved dress, embellished heavily with white laces, was something she would choose to wear. The fleeting look of utter confusion on my face deepened my resemblance to her.
Giving myself a mental shake, I looked away and hurried out of the bathroom.
After putting on a pair of flats, I followed Olga out of the room. Four bodyguards in crisp black suits fell behind us as she led me through the hospital corridors to reach the elevators. Nurses and patients gawked at our team as we passed by.
It was a relief once we entered the elevator and had it take us down to the parking lot in the basement. The men flanking our sides led us to one of the cars waiting there. Olga and I were made to sit at the back while the men instructed the driver to move.
Once we came onto the open road, I noticed a similar car following us in the rearview mirror. Turning around, I realized the four bodyguards were right behind us. Olga sat in stiff silence beside me, her gaze locked to the front. I leaned back and watched the dreary countryside pass by. It was late fall and everything was a shade of dull brown by now.
After an hour’s drive, I got the first view of the familiar stone walls of Ivanov Mansion. Hidden among the heavy woods, it was barely noticeable through the thick foliage. Leaning forward in my seat, I said, “Please drop me near the garden house. I want to see my mother before meeting Mr. Ivanov.”
Olga sneered openly but the driver gave a polite nod as he drove the car through the heavily guarded gates of the Ivanov estate. It felt like a long time since I saw Mom. The last few days had been draining. All I wanted now was to hug her and lay my head on her lap.
The car wove its way around the large estate to reach the garden located behind the stone mansion. Thanking both Olga and the driver, I climbed out and hurried toward the one-story house where Mom was staying.
Entering the living room, I noticed Mom’s doctor talking to two nurses. He looked up as soon as I entered the room but I rushed away to see my mother. I could deal with talking to him later but for now, I was desperate to see Mom.
Opening the door to her room, I walked in.
“Skye!” Mom’s surprised voice greeted me.
“Mom.” I moved toward the chair she sat on. She seemed different than I last saw her. Her cheeks didn’t seem so hollow and the dark circles around her eyes weren’t so deep anymore. She looked…healthier.
“What are you doing here today?” she asked, turning the chair toward me. “Why aren’t you at school?”
“Some classes got canceled, so I came to see you,” I said at once, easily lying through my teeth.
“I missed seeing you this weekend. I’m so glad you’re here, honey.” To my utter amazement, she got to her feet, walked up to me and wrapped her thin arms around me. It had been at least a year since I last saw her walk by herself.
“Are you strong enough now?” I asked, hearing the surprise in my voice.
“Yes, sweetheart,” she said, patting my back soothingly. “Dr. Steven started a new experimental treatment which could only be tested on terminal patients. We think it’s having an effect on my health. I feel so much better lately.”
&
nbsp; “That’s so great, Mom.” I squeezed her and breathed in the familiar smell of orange blossoms that always seemed to cling to her. Stepping back, I took another look at her. “You look so good now.”
She smiled through the tears that shone in her eyes. “We have Christian and his family to thank for this. They’ve taken such good care of us. I don’t even worry about you anymore.” She chuckled, the sound taking me by surprise. “I know that even when I’m not around you will have good people to look after you.” Suddenly, she tugged on my wounded wrist, drawing an immediate gasp out of me. “Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, struggling to keep the pained expression from my face. “Got a really bad sprain.” Pulling my hand out of her hold, I pulled the long sleeve further down to keep the thick bandages hidden from view.
“Come on,” she said, walking over to her perch by the window. “Let me show you what I’ve been doing.” She gestured at a small wooden table where two long needles lay among the colorful balls of yarn. A half-knitted piece of crocheted cloth was neatly folded beside them.
“You are crocheting now?” I asked incredulously.
“I’m getting pretty good at it too,” she said with a shy giggle. “I am working on scarves right now. It will be my Christmas present for you and Christian.”
“Just don’t tire yourself out.”
“It’s no problem at all. Anyway, do you want some tea? I can make you a cup.”
“Sure,” I said. Her energy and good mood were not ceasing to surprise me. Looking at her closely, I noticed the light makeup she’d applied on her face. She was no longer wearing a loose nightgown now. She’d gone back to wearing a black skirt paired with a cream-colored blouse. For the first time in two years, I was able to see glimpses of the beautiful woman she used to be.
I went back to the living room to see Dr. Steven while Mom wandered off into the kitchen. He was sitting on a couch now and going through a document. He looked up at the sound of my approach and gave me a welcoming smile.
