A Fated Night

by Kay Loren

  Audrina stood close by, watching as Nonna fried onion, celery and carrots together in the pan. She would never be as good cook as her, she thought. But she would try her hardest.

  “This is Michael’s favorite,” she said as she began to add the pork and meat into the pan. “I cook him everything since he was a child…”

  As nonna went on about Michael’s love for her tiramisu, Audrina felt bile rise up to her throat. As much as she tried to keep it in, she knew there was an accident waiting to happen.

  “Excuse me nonna,” she said quickly before she hurried off to the nearest bathroom down the hall.

  After washing out her mouth several times, Audrina put a hand to her stomach, praying that she wasn’t coming down with anything serious. The last thing she needed was a case of food poisoning. She hadn’t eaten anything out of the ordinary. The smell of the food from down the hall prompted her to turn back to the toilet.

  “You okay in there?” Carmella knocked softly a long while later.

  “Fine!” Audrina called out. In truth she was more queasy than she initially thought. The smell of the food was making it worse.

  “Do you need anything?”

  “ No! I’ll be out in a second!”

  Audrina waited until she heard Carmella’s footsteps retreat down the hall. She cleaned up and brushed her teeth clean. She found anti acids in the medicine cabinet and took them with a handful of water from the faucet. A few minutes later after she gathered herself, she returned to the kitchen to help nonna.

  “Hey baby,” Michael smiled from his place next to nonna. He was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest watching Audrina. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded wrapping her arms around him. The smell of the sauce and the meat nauseated her once more but she managed to keep her composure.

  “We cook all your favorites,” nonna said. “And we made you my special tiramisu for dessert.”

  “Thank you nonna,” he smiled lovingly at her. “But you have to save me some.”

  “Why?” Audrina and Nonna asked at the same time.

  “I have a meeting,” he replied curtly. “Can’t miss it.”

  While nonna was content with his answer- and asked no questions whatsoever- Audrina was not. She didn’t understand why Michael would have a meeting that late at night. Who the hell did? It was nearly eight at night.

  “A meeting at night?” she questioned.

  Michael looked down at her. “Yes. I have to go. Nikolai is expecting me.”

  Audrina froze up hearing his name. She had not spoken to Nikolai since the morning she came back home… He had called her a handful of times but when she did not answer a single call, he stopped. That was over three weeks ago.

  When Audrina had finally worked up the courage to tell Michael it was over, he had announced that nonna was moving in. The few times she tried again she could not bring the words out of her mouth. Everything was going great with Michael, yet she thought about Nikolai constantly. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her heart was torn in two separate ways.

  Dinner went by with mostly nonna talking lovingly about Michael’s childhood and the amount of mischievous activities he had gotten into as a teen. As much as Audrina tried to enjoy the food and the conversation, she felt nauseated all over again. She picked at everything and could only find an appetite for bread and the Caprese salad she had arranged.

  The only thing that could take her mind off the nausea was the thought of Nikolai and what he might be doing at the moment. Guilt got the better of her and she kicked herself for not being woman enough to speak to him. She was determined to call him as soon as Michael left and after she helped Nonna clean up.

  Michael glanced down at his watch. “I have to go,” he kissed Audrina quickly and then placed a tender kiss on nonna’s cheek. “I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.”

  “Why don’t you go rest Nonna,” Audrina offered after they had finished up their dessert. “I’ll clean.”

  After a small dispute, Nonna finally agreed to let Audrina clean. Audrina made sure the coast was clear before she picked up her phone to call Nikolai. The phone beeped and a voice came on the other end stating that the number reached was out of service. She tried again, and received the same message. She frowned, not understanding why or when his phone disconnected.

  “You feeling better?” Carmella’s voice asked, startling Audrina from behind.

  Audrina turned quickly from the sink where she was washing dishes. “Yeah,” she nodded. “I think I ate something that didn’t agree with me this morning, but I’m okay.”

  Carmella nodded and gave Audrina a long once over. She felt naked under Carmella’s scrutinizing gaze and crossed her arms defensively over her chest. After what seemed like an eternity, Carmella shook her head.

  “Let me finish up,” Carmella said softly, sauntering over to the sink and taking the dirty plate Audrina held in her hand.

  “I can do it,” Audrina protested.

  “You should go rest Audrina.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “This is my job,” Carmella insisted. “Please go get some rest.”

  Carmella’s stern gaze made Audrina retreat without much of a fight. She sent Audrina up to bed with a tea to settle her stomach and promised that she would check in on nonna so she could rest. The way she insisted on Audrina resting, made her feel weird. Carmella always doted on her and made her feel as if she was her very own daughter, but for some reason this felt different to her. Different in an uncertain way…

  Audrina got ready for bed and glanced at the empty dog bed in the corner of the room. Tears burned her eyes. The dog Michael had gifted her had run away a week after she had received it. She looked all over for the dog and called up various shelters to see if the dog was there but no luck. Michael didn’t seem to care. The dog ripped his shoes and got hair everywhere and it annoyed him.

  She just wanted something of her own to love and to cuddle for the night. That dog had been that for her even if it was for a few days. She turned out the lights but stayed up well into the wee hours of the night wondering about Nikolai.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “He’s on his way,” Sergei informed Nikolai who was sitting on the hood on the car, smoking.

  The idea of Michael irritated Nikolai for many reasons. One being the fact that he had Audrina. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and thought of her smile, her soft hair and the way she laughed. She had been haunting his every waking thought and dream for the last few weeks. The fact that he had not spoken to her had driven him past the point of insane. He felt like a shell of a man.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, smiling down at the keychain she had gifted him a few weeks back. He didn’t want to think too much into it, but it seemed like a gesture of love on her part.

  “What do you think Michael is going to do once you tell him you let Sammy go?” Sergei asked in Russian, knocking Nikolai out if his thoughts.

  Nikolai sighed placing his keys back into his pocket. “I am not going to tell him anything,” he replied. “Sammy fled. End of discussion.”

  Nikolai knew he was taking a huge risk. Protecting someone who screwed over multiple powerful people didn’t bode well for anyone involved. Yet, when Sammy came to his home and begged for Nikolai’s protection, Nikolai caved. Sammy was once like a brother to him. The two shared a history back in Russia since they were boys and Nikolai felt as if he owed Sammy his life after he had saved him from certain death many years ago.

  Sergei had helped Nikolai get Sammy to safety. He had arranged for transportation and a secret hideout until they could send him back to Russia undetected. Every man was looking for Sammy, but Nikolai swore no harm would come to him. Sammy had been especially helpful to him. He had located the documents Nikolai sought out for months.

  Michael arrived twenty minutes later in the abandoned field they had agreed upon. Nikolai straightened out and waited.

&
nbsp; “Time’s a ticking Nik,” Michael greeted, tapping his watch. “What can I do for you?”

  Nikolai sighed, “Sammy fled.”

  Michael’s eyes hardened. “He what?”

  “He’s gone,” Nikolai shrugged.

  “There’s no fuckin’ way that rat bastard is gone!” Michael shouted.

  “He is.”

  Michael shook his head. “I need that motherfucker!”

  This, Nikolai knew. Sammy had informed him that Michael had hired him -playing on his addiction- to obtain those same documents Nikolai wanted. When Sammy didn’t get them in time, Michael had beat his girlfriend and step daughter in front him to get his message across. Sammy had enough of Michael and went straight to Nikolai, who immediately took the two women to safe houses and dealt with Sammy.

  Michael was losing his shit over business.

  Michael started firing off in Italian to the two guards behind him. One of the men looked at Nikolai with a hard glare and muttered something to Michael who instantly quieted. He shook his head ‘no’ but the man still eyed Nikolai. Nikolai narrowed his gaze at the man, challenging him but the man looked away with a tight jaw.

  Michael pointed at Nikolai. “I know you Russian bastards have some code or law or whatever the fuck you call it but if I find out Nikolai, that you helped that thieving fuck, so help you God.”

  Nikolai nodded at the threat that loomed in the air. He wasn’t one to be threatened but he had to buy time. He offered nothing to his defense except that he still had people on the lookout. Michael reached into his pocket quickly and pulled out his cell. It must have vibrated since Michael quickly put the phone to his ear.

  “What? Yes I’m okay baby… Me too… I know I haven’t… I will be there soon,” he muttered.

  Nikolai’s heart clenched. Audrina. From Michael’s responses he knew Audrina was worried about Michael. He became overwhelmed with jealousy instantly. He thought to pull out his gun from his side and finally end it there.

  “Me too Sophie,” Michael mumbled lowly before hanging up.

  Sophie? It didn’t take Nikolai long to realize that Michael was talking to his long time mistress Sophia. Nikolai didn’t know too much about the girl, just what Sergei had found out when he first looked into Michael’s background a few months before they went into business together. All Nikolai could remember about the girl was that she was from New Jersey and had a reputation for using her sex appeal to trap men. She was a beautiful girl but nothing like Audrina, Nikolai thought.

  Michael shoved his phone back in his pocket and narrowed his gaze at Nikolai. “I’m going to find that sorry piece of shit… and if I get any whiff of you going behind my back, I’m terminating all business with you.”

  Michael left without a glance back and took off. Nikolai watched as his car went down the road and disappeared from view. He would make Michael swallow his words soon.

  “I nearly shot him,” Sergei commented, showing Nikolai the way he had the gun positioned, hidden in his long coat. “I thought he was pulling out a gun.”

  Nikolai chuckled. Sergei was always ready to strike first.

  “It wouldn’t have been the worst thing if you did shoot,” Nikolai stated as he lit another cigarette.

  Sergei noticed his boss was tense again by the way he stretched his neck and rubbed his temples. If anything truly stressed Nikolai out -which was rare- he displayed certain signs. “Thinking about that dancer girl again?”

  Nikolai narrowed his gaze at Sergei. He knew he hated it when he referred to Audrina in that way but he was pulling his leg. “I haven’t spoken to her in weeks.”

  “You won’t know if she called you since Svetlana threw your phone in the lake,” Sergei commented with a laugh.

  Though Nikolai was furious at the time, he found himself laughing about it now. In the first week, when he heard nothing from Audrina, he had went to his home in upper Deep Falls and didn’t talk to anyone. He just sat outside and looked at his phone hoping Audrina would call him. Svetlana, the apple of his eye, got so tired of him ignoring her that she tossed the phone into the lake and cursed at Sergei and Nikolai who fished for the phone for a good hour. Nikolai refused to get a new one and all calls went through Sergei for the time being.

  “If she wants to talk to me she’ll find a way,” Nikolai stated bitterly and then turned to get into the car.

  Chapter Twenty

  Audrina spent a good hour, puking up everything the following morning. It was a good thing Michael did not come home, since he would be asking her too many questions. She just wanted to puke in peace before she had to meet Nikki to try on wedding dresses.

  The idea of shopping for wedding dresses was silly to her since she was indecisive about her and Michael. Yes, everything was as it was when they first started dating. He was loving and attentive -for the time being- yet she could not keep her mind off of Nikolai. His blue eyes haunted her each time she closed her eyes and she found herself dreaming of him each night.

  When she would sleep with Michael -the few times that she did- she compared him to Nikolai. He was nothing like Nikolai. With Nikolai there was passion and a spark that ignited between the two each time they touched and the way he spoke to her felt as if she was the only woman in the world. But he never expressed how he truly felt for her and it held her back. She didn’t want to make the wrong decision…

  “Have you called him?” Nikki asked as they shopped around the store trying to find something to Audrina’s liking.

  “I tried last night but it was out of service,” Audrina sighed. Strange. Quickly, she realized there was one sure way to talk to him. “Sergei works for him… do you think if I called him, he’d let me talk to Nikolai?”

  Nikki shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out,” she handed her phone to Audrina already ready to call. Audrina took a deep breath as she waited, hearing the line ring.

  “Hey baby,” Sergei answered on the third ring.

  Audrina blushed. “Hi Sergei, it’s Audrina.”

  Sergei stayed quiet a moment before he cleared his throat. “Hi… Is Nikki okay?”

  “Yes, she’s right here, but I actually called to see if Nikolai was around,” she said. “I tried calling him but I don’t think his phone is working.”

  Sergei stayed quiet for a while. “He’s very busy at the moment…”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ll let him know you called,” Sergei offered when Audrina went silent.

  “Thank you.”

  She handed Nikki back the phone with a frown. Nikki had a quick conversation with Sergei before she hung up.

  “Sergei was surprised you called Nikolai after all this time.”

  Audrina took a shaky breath. “I know… I just, I don’t know what is wrong with me.”

  “You can’t keep doing this Audri,” Nikki stated. “It’s not fair to either one of them.”

  “I know,” Audrina sighed with a hand through her hair. She didn’t know what to do… “Maybe I should just call it quits with both of them.”

  “I highly doubt Michael will let that happen,” Nikki muttered.

  All things related to Michael had been bugging Nikki as of late. She didn’t like the way Michael had treated Audrina for the last few months. He may have changed for Audrina for the time being, but Nikki knew he was a time bomb waiting to happen. She avoided going to the house as much as possible and although she helped Audrina shop for her wedding dress, she was not happy that her best friend was marrying Michael.

  “Damn your boobs are huge!” Nikki exclaimed when Audrina tried on the first dress.

  The dress was a gorgeous, white, sweetheart neckline with a blinged out bodice that flared out at the hips. She looked liked she stepped out of a bridal magazine once the saleswoman put the long veil on her. Audrina looked gorgeous yet unhappy to Nikki who observed her with a cool gaze.

  Audrina could barely breath in the dress. She felt disgusting and huge for some reason. Her boobs were tender to the touch and s
he had this headache that she could not shake for the last few days. All she wanted to do was sleep.

  “I need to take this off,” she muttered clutching at the back of the dress to take off the irritating, itchy material.

  The saleswoman helped her take off the dress quickly and exclaimed how beautiful she looked and that if she wanted to buy, they could surely up the size. Audrina didn’t understand why the woman suggested such a thing. She was always a size six in dress.

  Once the woman was gone, Audrina looked in the mirror at her body. Her breasts were a bit fuller than normal and her usual flat tummy was rounded a bit. Not too much to be noticeable in clothing but enough for Audrina to think she was bloated. When was my last period, she wondered to herself. She had so much going on the last month or so to not notice she hadn’t had a period.

  She quickly dressed back into her clothes trying to calm her nerves. The possibility of a baby swarmed her mind as she walked slowly out of the dressing room.

  “I think I might be pregnant,” Audrina whispered to Nikki as they exited the store. Audrina clung to Nikki’s arm as they walked down the busy street. Nikki wanted to ask her so many questions, but the blank look on her best friends face was enough to shut her mouth. Instead she suggested they go to the drug store and pick up a few tests to put her mind at ease.

  The long cab ride home was stressful. How could I be so stupid, Audrina thought to herself. What am I going to do with a kid? She prayed silently that it was the beginning stage of her period waiting to happen and not a pregnancy.

  As they silently sat at the back of the cab, Nikki’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and answered quickly. “Here,” she frowned handing the phone to Audrina.

  It was Nikolai. Audrina’s heart raced as she slowly brought the phone to her ear and greeted him. “Hi.”

  “You called me,” Nikolai stated in a clipped tone. He sounded angry and like he didn’t even have the time to speak to her. She felt as if she deserved his cold, harsh treatment after she ghosted him.