by A. Zavarelli
Maxim retrieves the photocopies of the notes he took last night, pulling them from his jacket and setting them onto the bar in front of Gleb. For a minute, Gleb just stares at them, thumbing through them before he closes his eyes, revealing an obvious shudder when he speaks.
“She betrayed me.”
“At first,” Maxim concedes. “That was her intention. But I think what you had with her was real. In the end, she didn’t want to hurt you anymore. She felt trapped, and she was too afraid to come to you and too afraid to stay. So, she gave me these and told me to keep them safe. That maybe one day, you could understand.”
“I always understood.” Gleb sighs. “I suspected she was running information back to someone in the Vory, I just didn’t know who. When I confronted her with it, she denied it. I went out to do a job that day, and when I got back, she was gone. I never saw her again, but I’ve been looking all these years.”
“I’m sorry to tell you that Vasily got to her,” Maxim says. “Just a couple of years after she took off.”
Gleb hangs his head, and even from where I’m sitting, I can feel the pain radiating from him. It’s obvious that despite what Ciara did, what they had was real, and Gleb has never gotten over it.
“Vasily did this?” he asks, with a haunting finality.
“Yes,” I answer.
He tilts his head up to meet my gaze. “And what does any of this have to do with you? Why would you betray your uncle to come here with this information? You aren’t even inducted. You owe me nothing.”
He’s suspicious of me, and I can’t say that I blame him. But I lay it all out for him.
“I have a few reasons to care,” I say. “The first being that he murdered my mother, and I suspect my father too. The police said he was mugged, but it just seems too coincidental.”
“And the third reason?” Gleb presses.
I look at Maxim, my chest constricting as I make the biggest gamble I’ve ever made in my life. “They are twofold actually. And I hope you can understand why I’m hesitant to tell you. But what you felt for Ciara? I feel that way about her daughter.”
“Daughter?” Gleb’s eyes shoot up, bouncing between Maxim and me. “What... daughter?”
“I suspect that would be your daughter,” Maxim answers. “Or at least, that’s what I concluded when I saw her with the baby after she ran out on you.”
The room falls silent for a long moment, and I know there’s nothing else I can say right now. Gleb is digesting the information, turning it over in his mind, trying to make heads or tails of it. It’s a situation I can relate to well, considering my own circumstances when I found Kat.
“I find it difficult to believe,” he says finally.
“I thought you might.” I remove the fake driver’s license Kat used in Colorado, sliding it across the bar toward him. “But genes don’t lie.”
His finger moves over her face, examining her, and he shakes his head, his voice fracturing when he speaks. “It’s like seeing a ghost.”
“I can bring her to meet you,” I tell him. “If that’s what you want. I think she has a few things she’d like to tell you herself.”
He downs the glass of vodka in front of him and stares at the wall ahead to hide his emotion. “I would like that very much.”
“I need your assurances that she will be safe,” I tell him. “I intend to make her my wife. And I’m not letting her go.”
Gleb glances at me, and the smallest glimpse of respect flashes in his eyes. He’s not used to anyone speaking to him this way. He gives the orders. He tells other people how things will go. But when it comes to Kat, I’m not willing to concede on this.
“She will be safe,” he answers. “And the other part, well time will tell if you are worthy.”
A grin tugs at my lips, and I nod. “There’s just one more thing we need to discuss.”
“Ah, yes.” He reaches for the bottle of vodka in front of him and pours another glass. “Vasily.”
15
Kat
“Can we swim now, Mommy?”
I turn from the window to find Josh has stripped down to his underwear and is clutching Wally. He’s standing by the door with his hand on the doorknob, and I remember Lev had promised to take him swimming today.
I have to smile when I walk toward him and crouch down so we’re at eye level. I brush hair back from his face and think how much like Lev’s it is. How it constantly flops this way or that no matter what I do with it.
“Why are you in your underwear, Josh? Where are your clothes?”
“Daddy said he’ll take me swimming.”
Daddy. How easily he accepts this. It’s a relief.
“Ah,” I say. “I guess in lieu of a swimsuit, you thought your briefs would do. Smart.”
I ruffle his hair and check the time. Late morning. The minutes are crawling by as I wait for Lev to return, fighting back that niggling thought that he might not return.
“I’ll tell you what, let’s get you dressed because you can’t swim in your undies and Mommy certainly can’t either, so we’ll go down to the gift shop and buy new swimsuits. Would you like that?”
He nods enthusiastically, and I go to retrieve his clothes from the floor of his bedroom. Once he’s dressed, I type out a quick text to Lev.
Me: I’m taking Josh swimming. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe.
I wait, hoping for a response or even acknowledgment that he’s read the text, but I get neither.
“Mommy.” Josh tries the door handle, but it won’t open because of the extra lock.
“All right, all right,” I say, dropping our room key into my purse where the gun I used the other day is. I guess Lev put it back when I didn’t know.
My belly feels tense. I hate this. I hate all of this.
Taking Josh’s hand, I open the door and set the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside of it. I smile at the two housekeepers chatting in the hall as we make our way to the elevator. We’re alone as we ride down to the lobby.
The hotel is busy. There are a restaurant and bar, which I’m sure draws in tourists and guests alike. The energy in the air is one of excitement and fun, but I’m on the outside of that.
Scanning the lobby, I don’t see anyone out of the ordinary, and no one even glances up as we walk through to the gift shop.
I must not be moving fast enough because Josh tugs at my hand and points at the little store. We walk in, and Josh goes directly to the area with floats and pool toys. I follow him and find the rack of swimsuits for kids. The price tags give me pause, but it’s this or our underwear, and I don’t really want to get kicked out of the pool, so I hold up two suits in his size.
“Minions or Marvel?”
“Minions!”
“Minions it is.”
“Mommy?” Josh holds up a pair of floaties with—surprise—minions on them and a ball.
“All right. Why not? Come on, Mommy needs a suit too. I can’t swim in my underwear, can I?”
“No. Silly Mommy.”
I buy the least expensive suit I can find, which still gives me sticker shock at eighty dollars. I hate that Lev will have to pay for these things because I have about twenty-five dollars on me, but I charge it all to our room and ask the girl to cut off the tags before we leave.
Josh happily carries his ball, and I take our bag to head to the pool, which is one floor down. I can already smell the chlorine as the elevator descends, and when the doors open, I find a large indoor pool busy with families with children ranging from babies to pre-teens.
Josh is so excited that he puts down his ball and starts to strip right there.
“Whoa, kiddo,” I tell him, and I have to laugh. “Changing rooms are right there.”
“Okay.” He picks up his ball again, and we go into the changing rooms to put on our suits. I decide to keep the rest of our things in a locker, including the gun in my purse, because with all these families around, there’s no way I’d use it.
Grabbing two towels and Josh’s floats,
we head to the pool, and I take a seat to blow up the floats. Once they’re secured around Josh’s arms, he runs and fearlessly jumps into the deep end.
Just like your father.
I get up and join him.
It’s late afternoon when I hear Lev’s knock, the three taps, a pause, then one more. I get up from the bed where I’m watching the door while Josh is wholly absorbed by the TV and unlock the bolt from inside.
“Thank God,” I say, melting into Lev’s arms as soon as I see him, that knot in my stomach finally coming undone.
“Daddy!” Josh comes charging off the bed and launches himself against Lev’s legs.
“This might be the best greeting I’ve ever had,” Lev says, lifting Josh with one arm and hugging us back.
We walk into the room, and Lev closes the door behind him. I step backward. He sets Josh down and rustles his hair.
“Did you just take a bath?”
“Mommy and me went swimming.”
He looks up at me.
“I sent you a text. Didn’t you get it?”
“Shit.” He pulls his phone out of his back pocket and walks to where the chargers sit on the table. He plugs his in and puts it down. “I didn’t have my phone on me for most of the day, and by the time I got it back, it was out of charge.”
“Did it go okay?” He’s in one piece.
“Yeah,” he says. “Better than expected, actually.”
“Daddy, look at my suit!” Josh comes running out of the bathroom where I’d hung our suits up to dry. He’s carrying his suit, the ball, and one of the floats, all still soaking wet.
“Oh, those are nice.”
“Minions,” Josh points out.
Lev crouches down.
“And I got a ball and floaties and Mommy got a suit, but hers is only pink.” That last part he attempts to say in a whisper because I guess that’s bro code.
“I bet she looked beautiful in it,” Lev says, standing again.
“I charged it all to the room. I hope that was okay?” I ask.
“Of course. Don’t even think about it.” He comes to me with Josh’s wet things in his hand as Josh returns to the TV. “Come with me and let’s hang these up.”
We go into the bathroom, and he closes the door most of the way, then drops the ball and floaty in the tub and hangs the suit on the heating rack beside mine. He picks mine up, examines the skimpy suit, and raises an eyebrow.
I take it from him and put it back to dry. “It was the least expensive one.”
“I can see why. There’s not much to it.”
“Well, don’t worry, it was pretty much just families with their kids.”
“And I’m sure the dads got a hard-on looking at your ass in this.”
“Shut up,” I tell him, playfully slapping his arm.
He catches me by my waist and pulls me to him, squeezing an ass cheek in his hand.
“You good? You weren’t scared?” he asks.
I shake my head. “It was okay. I was worried about you, though, and I’m glad you’re back. Why didn’t you have your phone?”
“Gleb took them during our meeting.”
“Why?”
“Pretty normal for a man at his level.”
“Tell me about it.” I’m anxious to hear about his meeting with Gleb. I still haven’t quite wrapped my brain around the fact that he’s my father, and I can’t see myself accepting it as easily as Josh has accepted Lev.
“It went well. He got one look at a photo of you, and you should have seen his face. I do think he cared about your mother. I could see it on him and feel it when he found out she’d been killed.”
Tears fill my eyes. “I’m glad. I know it sounds weird, but—”
“It doesn’t sound weird.” He hugs me, then kisses my forehead. “He wants to meet you, Kat.”
I draw back and look up at him. I knew he’d want that. Of course, he would. But I’m not remotely prepared.
“Does that mean he believes I’m his daughter?”
“I don’t know. I mean, he’s done the math, I’m sure, but I guess there’s a chance you’re not.”
He doesn’t want to say there’s a chance my mom had more than one lover. I don’t either, but I understand.
“When?”
“Tonight. Before dinner.”
“Before dinner? That’s now.”
He checks his watch. “Yeah.”
“What about Josh?”
“He’ll come with us. I’m not trusting him with anyone.”
“Maybe Maxim can watch him?”
“I trust Maxim but no. He’ll come with us.”
“Are you sure it’s safe? I mean, what if he thinks I’m not his daughter and—”
“He gave me his word. We have to trust it. And I wouldn’t take you if I didn’t feel it was safe.”
“What about Vasily?”
“He’s MIA.”
“That tip to the cops about the body?”
“Bastard had it cleaned up. The body was gone. No trace of the girl in the ground or in the house. Although there was CCTV footage of Andrei leaving with her so there’s that at least.”
“Will Gleb help us with Vasily?”
“If he believes what we told him today, he’ll more than help us. He’ll put a hit out on my uncle himself.”
“And if he doesn’t believe you?”
“Let’s go meet him. I think we’ll know then where we stand.”
“I’m scared, but I trust you. And…” I pause, remembering what he’d said earlier. “I love you, too, you know?”
He pulls me to him to kiss him just as we hear a knock on the door.
I freeze, but Lev springs into action.
He’s gone in a second, and by the time I get to the bedroom, I see Josh standing at the open door looking up at a woman. Lev is beside him, hand on Josh’s shoulder, one leg almost blocking Josh’s view of the stranger.
“I brought towels, sir. We didn’t clean the room today.”
“Thank you,” he says and takes them.
A moment later she’s gone, and I can breathe again.
Lev turns to Josh.
“When someone knocks, you let Mommy or me open the door, okay?” His voice is tight even though he’s trying to sound more casual than I know he feels.
Josh looks at him in confusion, then his lower lip begins to tremble because he must sense this shift in Lev’s mood too.
“You’re not in trouble, Josh,” I say, gathering him up in my arms. “It’s just that we have to be careful with strangers, that’s all.”
He nods, burying his face against my chest.
Lev straightens, puts the stack of towels on the bed, and looks at his watch.
“We need to go, Kat. The car should already be here.”
16
Kat
Josh and I sit in the back of the SUV while Lev rides in front. I’m anxious as we weave through rush-hour traffic, the driver not saying a word and Lev texting something into my phone. Since his was dead, he left it in the room charging and took mine.
“I’m hungry, Mommy,” Josh says.
“We’ll get you something to eat soon,” I tell him. He hasn’t eaten since our late lunch, and I don’t have a snack with me.
“We’re almost there,” Lev says, turning a little.
I nod, biting my lip. A few minutes later, the SUV comes to a stop, and both Lev and the driver climb out. The driver opens my door, and I slip out. Lev grabs Josh up in his arms and keeps hold of him. We walk toward the two men standing beside the door.
“Bag,” the one says to me.
I’m confused, and I look back at Lev who nods. I open my bag for him to look inside. Lev took the gun and placed it in the hotel safe before we left.
After looking through my bag, the man tells me to stretch my arms out.
“I’m going to get Josh a pretzel. We’ll be right back,” Lev says, signaling for me to do as they say while distracting Josh.
I watch how he ke
eps Josh’s head turned away as the men search me. Once they’re satisfied, I watch Lev and Josh return, Josh chomping on a huge soft pretzel.
“Why don’t you and Josh wait inside? I’ll be right there,” he tells me, handing Josh to me. I know Lev is armed, and I guess they’ll take his gun and cell phone from him like he said they’d done earlier.
I wait just inside the door the man opens, and a moment later, Lev joins us. He takes Josh from me, and his hand rests on my back as I follow the man through the busy club to a staircase at the back. I glance at Lev again before descending, and he gives me his nod.
Downstairs is quiet. There’s a bar here too, but far fewer people are in this one, and all are men.
I know instantly which one is Gleb. I’d know this was the man in charge even if I weren’t here knowing what I know because he radiates power.
He’s older than I expect because he’d have to have been at least twenty years older than my mom. He’s tall, too, as tall as Lev. I see it when he stands and buttons his suit jacket, dark eyes zeroed in on me.
“Lev?” I hesitate, turn.
“Go on, Kat.” He takes my hand, and when we get closer, Gleb pulls out a chair and looks at Josh. Although I can’t read the man, I swear surprise crosses his features.
“Katerina,” Gleb says when I get as far as I can, the only thing between us the chair. He searches my face, takes in my dye job, which I admit is a little messy, but I didn’t have the luxury of time. His eyes are intense, and he almost smiles as though he’s just thought of something. “Turn around.”
“What?”
“I need to see something.”
I turn my head, not sure what he wants, but then I feel his hand at my hair, brushing it away from the back of my neck before pushing my sweater down a little. That’s when I realize what he’s looking for.
He makes a sound, and I turn back to face him.
“Every member of my family has that same mark. Looks better on a woman,” he says with an attempt at a joke, but I get the feeling this meeting is heavier on him than he expected.
The mark he’s talking about is the heart-shaped birthmark on my back, just below my neck. Josh has it too in exactly the same place.