by Ethan Egorov
Kristina shut her eyes once more and said a silent prayer for Trent. Surely he was on his way. She pictured him in his tight t-shirt and worn jacket kicking the door in with nothing but fury in his eyes. He was generally easy going, but at the same time he did have a cold streak that emerged when he was angry. It was almost like he morphed into some sort of superhuman. He only reacted and didn’t care how many broken ribs or bloody noses were involved as long as he did his job. She needed that Trent right now more than anything. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and commanded her breathing to be steady. She certainly didn’t want to anger Augustin. She knew in her brain that she was still much too weak to fight him. He also had she assumed guards at his disposal which would have far outnumbered her. She knew she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She cleared her throat and in a tiny voice only whispered, “Sir…”
“Yes, I’m listening do go on. Tell me Kristina. What’s this horrible secret that you’ve carried with you like an albatross?”
Kristina took a deep breath and simply stated the facts. “I’m a virgin. That’s what started the rift between us.”
“Haha! You’re kidding me right? Well I’m honestly failing to see the problem. That’s an issue that should have been resolved long ago. I feel a bit sorry for you I must confess. Had I known this situation existed I would have definitely guided Cassandra to have successfully helped you with your problem.”
“I really didn’t consider it a problem.”
“Ah but it certainly is. So tell me… why has this been something that none of your partners have been able to resolve?”
“I, um, I’m not certain. I mean Cassie….she wanted to, she tried at least.”
“This certainly intrigues me. I’ve been around many women through my years, but I’ve never known this issue to have been problematic before. So are you saving yourself out of some strict religious adherence?”
“Oh no. This has nothing to do with God sir. This doesn’t have anything to do with purity or a white dress, I’ll assure you of that. Cassandra, she did everything right in my estimation. It’s just that it wasn’t what I had envisioned I suppose. None of the people I’ve been with have been well what I envisioned.”
“That’s curious. Tell me about that.”
“I’ve dated lots of guys… in fact, some would call me a bit of a whore I’d imagine, but the truth is I’ve done relatively little physically speaking. I’ve just never been with someone that I feel is worth going that extra mile for. In fact the guys that fall in love with me are usually well, boring. Businessmen and executives tell me I’m pretty and think I’d look good at their parties to impress their friends. They’re one hundred percent right, but I need something else, I suppose. I need something a little more…varied.”
“I see. Cassandra did that for you didn’t she? She appealed to that part of you that craved danger and the unusual.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about that night in detail Kristina. Tell me about the night that Cassandra failed.”
“The more I think about it I think she did everything right. Things though always are better in retrospective aren’t they Sir?”
“Yes…this is a very true fact of life I’m afraid. The moment is always golden after it’s lost.”
Cassandra took a deep breath and shook her head. Her voice grew very quiet and she said, “That night started off wonderfully. We had a great time at the party, then we came back to her apartment. Of course, I’d already moved in and felt quite at home at that point. I could tell by the look in her eyes what she wanted, I just couldn’t do it. I mean, she tried to make me feel at ease and of course comfortable. It was just all very sad really. I just couldn’t relax enough to let her in. In fact, that’s been the problem for everyone. I don’t consider it a problem really though. The rest of the world, however, may.”
“Hmm…well I feel it is certainly a hindrance. It’s a distraction that quite frankly you don’t need in your life, Kristina. By eliminating this hurdle I promise you it will advance your career. You’ll be more focused than ever. Trust me, I know these things. Once you let go of the one thing holding you back, you’ll be completely free. When you think about it, and I’m sure in retrospect you’ll agree, this will be the best thing to ever happen to you. It’s my duty now as your keeper. I’ll see you later tonight and we’ll eliminate the problem.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry though…you’ll be completely safe and unharmed. In fact, we’ll make it special, just like you’ve probably envisioned plenty of times before. Rest up. Wear something formal this evening, we’re going to have a grand dinner in the main hall.” Kristina watched the man exit the room and this time she didn’t even attempt to move from her seat. Exhausted Kristina laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, she had to figure out an escape plan. If Trent wasn’t coming to save her she’d find a way out herself or she’d die trying.
Trent and Cassandra stealthily made their way to the front door of the mansion. Of course there were security cameras, but Cassandra spotted them and made certain that they dodged their rotating eyes. Cassandra knew that the guards would be numerous and the defenses would be tight she knew better than to even try the electronic pin pad which locked the front door. Surely he wouldn’t have used the same code that he had in his other homes. Or would he? Cassandra walked up to the front pin pad and cautiously put her fingers on the numbers. “Wait! What are you doing? Oh my God do you want to get us killed first thing?!”
“Sometimes the best way into a house is to knock right?”
“No! That’s never the best way. Jeez… now I know why Kristina didn’t become better at her job by following you.”
To both of their surprise the door beeped once and the lock clicked open. “That son of a bitch. He thinks he’s some kind of genius but look at this shit.”
“What’s wrong? I’m just glad you got in.”
“He uses the same code for everything.”
“Bastard.”
Cassandra placed her had to her lips once more to signal for Trent to be quiet. They slipped in the front door of the mansion and looked at one another. Trent only shrugged about which direction to go first, so Cassandra pointed to the large staircase in the center of the room. Trent sighed heavily and nodded, knowing that things could potentially get rough. He stepped ahead of Cassandra on the bottom stair. He slowly pulled his arm underneath his jacket and pulled out his gun. The Colt had served him well in the past and when it hit his hands he felt as if he were once more in his element. He narrowed his eyes and stilled his breathing even as he made his way up the staircase. Seeing that no one awaited at the top of the landing he quickly motioned Cassandra upwards and then tilted his head to the right indicating which direction they should go.
They crept through the lengthy hallway slowly each peeled for any guards which should have been standing at attention. Cassandra looked at Trent concerned and with a hushed voice said, “Something’s wrong… this isn’t right. Augustin would have had guards at every entrance had there been anything of value nearby. She’s not here Trent.”
“Well how do you know….maybe they’re all just on break or something. We don’t have any other leads, Cassandra. She has to be here.”
“Come on let’s go further. I have a feeling that Augustin is hiding something, he’s always been a big fan of puzzles.”
They walked to the end of the hallway and walked into a large room that appeared to be the house’s library. There was a lit fireplace and once again everything was silent and still save the roar of the fireplace. Despite the warmth from the fire, Cassandra still felt a chill and Trent saw her visibly shudder. “I don’t understand why it’s so cold in here either, I mean, we’re in the South and it’s humid everywhere else.”
“No. There’s something certainly not right about this whole situation. Trent it feels like we’re right in the middle of a trap. Or, maybe we’re closer to the truth than what we think.”
Cassandra walked over to the bookshelf and examined the contents while Trent looked at the mantelpiece. He picked up a Russian nesting doll which was one of the ornamental pieces which lined the top. “This guy has expensive tastes doesn’t he?”
“Oh absolutely. He was always importing some new piece from another country. He certainly knows how to spend money. I think he always had the need to fill some void that’s obviously in his life. He’s a collector…he’s not going to keep Kristina in his collection though Trent. We’re going to find her.”
“Yeah I hope so soon. This place is starting to give me the creeps.”
“Why’s that? Don’t tell me my big bad mobster is scared of an empty room.”
“I think I’m more scared of the fact that there’s not any cobwebs. That means that someone comes here frequently either to clean it or actually be alone in this cold space. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be around that type of psychopath.”
“Now that’s a good word to describe Augustin.”
“Yeah you’ve said that but I’m curious. If he were such a terror why did you work for him for all those years?”
Cassandra looked at Trent and lowered her eyes for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose I got sucked in. I mean, the money was definitely nice. He could be very kind. He was also very persuasive. When Kristina entered the picture, well let’s just say he was even more persuasive then.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that she doesn’t know just how close to death she came on some of her jobs. What you and your brother don’t understand is when she was in Paris ‘finding herself’ I was busy keeping her safe from Augustin. Sure, I was her mentor and he was my boss, but he often used her as a bargaining chip to keep me from taking jobs. I was secretly glad when she walked away. That meant that she would at least be safe somewhere, even if it wasn’t with me.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that. Well thank you Cassandra. I’m glad you managed to keep her safe despite her life being used as blackmail to keep you working for someone you hated. So…what are we doing here? Clearly this is some sort of decoy, so where would Augustin hide something precious to him?”
“I’m not really positive. I’m still in shock the gate key code worked. I just have a feeling that we are where we need to be…we’ve just got to be missing something.” They once again split up and began to examine the room more thoroughly. Trent even decided to put his gun away since he was positive there were no apparent threats in the vicinity. He walked to the bookcase to the right of the fireplace and eyed some of the volumes on the shelf. “You know Cassandra, I’ve never really been much of a reader. I admire people who can read dense novels, though. I mean I just never really learned how to sit still ya know? I guess watching a baseball game is as tranquil as I get.”
“Yeah…we were talking about that. I’m the opposite though. I can get sit for hours at a time when I get in the zone working on a painting. Ages ago I even used to make myself meditate. I still do sometimes, it’s very soothing you should try it.”
“Hah! Do I look like the type of guy who wants to be soothed?”
“Maybe you should be.”
“Nah…I’m fine, trust me on that. Besides, when things are troubling me, I know that I have a great support system. I’ve got a good life, Cassie. I hope one day that you can find that kind of peace as well.”
“Yeah. Once we find Kristina and kill Augustin I’m starting over. I’m not getting back in the business either, I can promise you that.”
“We’ll see.”
Trent then lowered his head and began reading the titles in the bookshelf. There were many leather bound volumes in the bookcase, many of them were in French and Trent scratched his head. He then saw a line of classics that he was somewhat familiar with. “Hey look Cassie, he can’t be all bad, he’s got the book about the giant whale. I mean, who doesn’t like the prequel to Sharknado.”
“Um…Trent that’s not what that’s about.”
Before Trent had a chance to respond, he picked up the book and blew a thin layer of dust off of it. He then opened it smiling to himself over the illustrations that lined some of the interior pages. “Hey now this is some cool art in here!” Cassandra’s eyes went wide as a rumble began in the room. “Trent! What’s happening?!” Trent pulled his gun again and dropped the book, slowly backing away from the bookcase. They both turned to see the fireplace suddenly die and the wall behind it gave way.
“Oh my God. He didn’t.”
“Look Cassandra! Is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah…come on. Let’s go and find our girl.”
Chapter 20
Trent pulled the passageway open and they both stooped down and lowered themselves into the small passage. Trent couldn’t believe that he had actually created a secret passageway. He thought that was only in movies. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he took a deep breath and pulled out his gun. Together in the near darkness, Trent and Cassandra crept slowly and quietly through the passageway until they reached the end of it. There was a door that had been latched in place, but didn’t appear to be locked. Trent looked to Cassandra for confirmation and she nodded her head. He opened the door with his gun pointed outward. He quickly swiveled it from left to right in an effort to get the first shot off if they had encountered some armed guards. He was relieved that nothing welcomed them but another long corridor and another larger door. The passageway had increased in height so neither one of them had to hunker down to walk comfortably to the next waiting door. They stopped at the door and Trent nodded at Cassandra. It was her turn to lead the way and she opened the larger door to find a bulky man wearing sunglasses and a dark blue suit standing at the entrance.
Kristina felt antsy as she fingered the silk of her teal evening gown between her fingers. She didn’t know exactly what to expect, but she thought that Augustin would appreciate the fact that she had indeed followed instructions and attempted to dress properly for dinner. Earlier in the evening she had made use of her small, personal shower that was adjacent to her ‘room,’ and found herself feeling a bit improved after washing the bits of blood and dirt from her hair which had accumulated over the course of the past few days. She appeared somewhat elegant though at the moment. She decided that since the evening was a decidedly formal occasion that she would put her hair up in a tight bun on top of her head. She did allow a few strands to wisp down and curl around her ears, however, making her appear almost royal in her attire. The only thing that was missing was diamonds glistening around her neck and of course, a handsome, confident man to take her shoulder and escort her to the dance floor. Kristina knew that wasn’t what Augustin had intended for the evening, but she allowed herself a few moments of daydreaming in an attempt to relieve the worry she felt about her dire situation.
She didn’t have time to be in her head for much longer though, because the lock clicked on the door and two burly men in dark suits ambled into the room and took Kristina by the shoulders. They pulled her up from the bed and didn’t say one word. The pair then marched Kristina down the hallway into a large room that despite being a large dining hall felt more like a ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hung everywhere in the room and provided a warm glow. Even though the room was inviting, Kristina still wondered if she could make a run for it. The guards holding her had a firm grasp on both of her shoulders, though and despite her own quickness, not to mention toughness, she decided that it still wasn’t the optimal moment to try to make her escape.
They led her through the room to a smaller dining table. It was set with elegant formal china and there were candles lit on it along with an ornate centerpiece full of white roses. Despite the fact she knew that Augustin was a textbook psychopath, she thought the setup was actually quite romantic. Her thoughts then turned to Trent. She smiled at his own attempt at romance. Of course, hiring an Elvis impersonator was in fact one of the sweetest things anyone had ever thought of doing for her, but at th
e same time she did appreciate the elegance that Augustin provided. She sat demurely with her hands in her lap as the guards helped her get seated then walked away, still standing on opposites of the room, watching her for any sudden actions.
Before she could become lost in her thoughts once more or even begin to formulate a way to escape the room her attention was turned to the center of the room. She watched in amazement as a group of elegantly dressed individuals carrying instruments walked into the room. The son of a bitch had hired a string quartet to play for dinner. Wow. Kristina was in awe of just how much effort he was putting in to their time together. She watched as the group got situated and their leader nodded his head. They all began at the same time and Kristina watched in awe at their level of skill. They deftly hit all the right notes and seemed to be in harmony with one another and also felt a connection to the song they were playing. She wasn’t a music enthusiast, but she did have a deep level of appreciation for the arts and assumed that the piece they were playing were a classical masterpiece. She closed her eyes and sat back in the chair giving herself a few moments just to enjoy the tranquil sounds of the violin. She had just relaxed her shoulder muscles when she heard a baritone voice in her ear.
“It is quite lovely, isn’t it?”
“Augustin. I didn’t even hear you come in.” She begun to stand up for him but he shook his head, “No, you can stay seated. This is your evening and I won’t have you inconvenience yourself. Wow, I must say that you look rather lovely tonight. This is an amazing color on you, it serves to bring out your eyes, which if you don’t mind me saying certainly sparkle in this light.”
“Thank you. I really liked this one, it makes me feel I guess the word would be vibrant.”
“Well you certainly hit your mark.”
She smiled at his compliment and noted that he had made an effort to make himself more presentable as well. It appeared as if he had trimmed his greying beard and the cologne he wore made him smell fresh. If Kristina had just met him, she’d assumed that he was in his late 30s rather than the early 50s. He looked dapper in his solid black tuxedo. He paired it with a black bow tie and wore it well. She smiled at him and wanting to remain on his good side, paid him a compliment in return. “I must say that you clean up nicely yourself. That is a very good look on you Augustin. I love that scent you’re wearing too. What is it?”
