by Raven Rivers
“I’ve seen your books in the bookstore. I’ll have to grab one and have a read.”
“That would be really nice of you, ma’am,” Jade replied, glowing yet trying to hide it. “I met Jonathan here on the beach. He was showing me his lizard. We decided to come looking for so you wouldn’t be worried. He seems like such a sweet kid.”
The woman beamed proudly. “Jonathan's wonderful. Thanks so much for walking with him.”
“It’s no problem. Hope you folks have a nice day.” Turning to the boy, she knelt down again and smiled. “It was really nice meeting you, Johnathan. Maybe we can walk the dunes together again some time.”
“Sure, that would be nice.”
She waved as she watched them walk off, then started back to her vehicle with Sir Kitty following by her side. She loved kids but didn’t get to interact with them often since she’d become so reclusive. Meeting Jonathan and his pet iguana had been a real treat for her. The time spent with him had lifted her spirits. That all changed, however, the moment she approached her vehicle. Lying on her hood was a small, dirty piece of red water hose. Freezing for a brief moment, she stared at the ugly reminder of her past victimization. Putting Sir Kitty into his carrier, she picked it up with the sleeve of her shirt and placed it in the back of her vehicle. Driving directly to the police station, she asked for the officers who had responded to her call a few nights prior. Kelsey’s shift hadn’t started yet, but Brookes was there and came out to speak with her. She took him out to her vehicle and showed him the bit of red hose.
“I forgot to tell you that my abductor—”
Interrupting her, he finished her sentence. “He hit you with a hose very similar to this when you were restrained. I pulled up your case and read through it.”
“Can you dust it for fingerprints or something?”
“On this old thing? Probably not,” Brookes said, shaking his head. “Look, I’ll be honest with you here. This is probably some fan just messing with you. Chances of Calvin McMillan tracking you down all these years later… it doesn’t seem very likely.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”
“It could be a prank of some sort.” Taking rubber gloves out of his pocket, he grabbed the piece of hose and helded it carefully with two fingers. “I’ll get our team right on this and let you know what we find.”
Jade knew prioritizing what could be a simple prank wasn’t something the police were usually known for. Her small degree of fame seemed to have afforded her star treatment, and she was perfectly fine with it.
“Thank you. I appreciate it more than you know.”
Driving home, she recalled the information she still wasn’t telling the authorities. The piece she’d never shared with anyone. The world wasn’t fair. Therefore, she’d elected to keep her lips sealed all those years ago. It would be best not tell law enforcement about the lengths Yuri and his friends went to in order to track her down in that cave, let alone what they’d done to Calvin’s cohorts after they’d found her. They’d crossed the line, for sure… hadn’t they? One of the guys could never walk right again and the other had to get his jaw reconstructed. Despite the savage beatings, and despite the brief time they spent in jail as accomplices to the crime, neither of them had pinned the assault on Karl or Luka in fear of further retaliation. Out of loyalty and gratitude for Yuri saving her life, she’d kept that bit of information to herself all these years.
Mindlessly moving through her evening routine, Jade thought long and hard about her options. For some reason, Calvin had taken an interest in her again. Though it didn’t make any sense for him to pop back up after all these years, she was now reasonably certain that it was him and not some crazy fan. The police may have been skeptical, but the dirty red hose sealed the deal for her. No way a fan could have learned that part of her past. A hose, maybe… but a dirty red one? It was Calvin, she was sure of it. The only defense she’d ever had against him was Yuri. Her high school sweetheart’s beautiful ice blue eyes rose in her mind. He was a handsome man, strong and powerful. His jet black hair had always been a mess back then.
She sat down at her computer and sighed. Finding herself wondering what he looked like now, she searched for him on several social media platforms and through two search engines. She’d done it dozens of times over the last ten years and always came up empty. She was hoping she’d get a hit this time but, as usual, there was nothing. A chill crept up her spin at the thought that his life on the streets might have resulted in an untimely death. No, he was tough. Just because he wasn’t on social media didn’t mean he’d met an unfortunate end. Unless he’d changed tremendously over the years, the Yuri she knew wouldn’t care about Facebook or any of that nonsense.
At a loss as to how she might contact him, she stared at an unpublished draft of a novel she’d written years earlier. The file stared back at her, mob_mystery.docx, as if begging her to open it. She did, and as she read through the first few chapters she realized it could be just what she needed to reach Yuri. It was one of her earlier works about the Russian mob, a subject she’d taken interest in when Yuri used to share stories of the bratva. He claimed his father was somehow connected to it, and boasted that he would someday be a member. Had he actually done it? Wherever he was, he was laying low and doing a damn good job at it. She’d been afraid to release this story in fear it would tank her blossoming career since it was so different than her usual books. Now that she was established, she thought as she continued to skim what she’d written, she might be able to get away with it. If she changed the main character’s name to Yuri Kozlov and added his friends into the mix—what were their names? Mikael? Karl? Luka?—word might somehow get back to him. She was fully aware of what a long shot it was, but it was her only real option short of hiring a private investigator. This route gave her a chance to see if fans would be receptive to her writing in a different genre, and could also reconnect her with Yuri. It was more of an experiment than anything, and one too good to pass up.
Over the next few days she reworked the draft, adding intimate details from her past that Yuri would undoubtedly recognize. She included the horrible incident in the cave, and how he’d rescued her from an infatuated monster who took pleasure in hurting her. Writing their story in fiction form was healing and fulfilling in many ways. It was a way of working through all the details and coming to terms with the worst part of her life. Writing about her abductor and reading her own words verified that true evil existed in the world. That was a life lesson she never wanted to forget. It also allowed her to compare and contrast the two men in ways that helped her understand that honor, integrity, and strength were not the province of the privileged elite, regardless of her parents trying their best to burn that idea into her soul. More importantly, capturing all their special moments in writing was a genuine labor of love. Writing about the man she still loved with all her heart was a way of honoring his sacrifices and demonstrating that their love had been something real and tangible, rather than just a flight of fancy in her head. She still regretted how she’d treated him after he’d rescued her. Smelling another woman on him had been too much for her and she’d shoved him into the dreaded friend zone. She made sure she wrote of this regret and hoped the story would somehow end up in his hands.
Finished with the revisions, she submitted the final draft to her publishers and nervously awaited their reply. This was unlike anything she’d ever written. Much darker, much more personal. Its reception could potentially sink her career, but if it reunited her with Yuri, it would be worth it.
Chapter 12
Reaching Out to Him
Yuri
Sitting across the dinner table from Trisha threw Yuri’s life into sharp contrast. She was bright, vivacious, friendly, and outgoing. Much like his Jade, laughter and smiles came easy for her. Tonight, their guest seemed intent on gifting all of her attention to Luka. Uncaring what the other men thought, Luka was overtly hanging on her every word. If his longtime
friend were a cartoon character, hearts would be flashing in his eyes. Unable to remember the last time he’d seen his friend so elated, Yuri was happy for him. Such pleasures were a rarity in their life. Yuri could pinpoint the exact moment he’d last enjoyed this kind of warmth from a woman.
He was barely of age and had pulled his Jade into his tiny room. Pride had filled his chest as he showed off his personal space. After earning for only three months, he’d poured most of his money into filling his room with brand new matching furniture and luxurious bedding. It was nice, clean, and smelled like his cologne. Needless to say, Jade had been suitably impressed. Though, she might not have been had she known how he was getting his money.
She sat end of his bed, looking lovely with a snow white blouse and matching pants. Her smile had stolen his breath away. It took him a minute to pull himself together but he finally got moving in the right direction.
“I have a surprise for you.” Pulling out his nightstand drawer, he took out a small bag from a local pharmacy. Inside was beautiful light pink nail polish; her favorite color. For some reason, that exact shade was hard to find. Tracking it down earned him a squeal of excitement and, more importantly, a hug.
“Come. We will try it on,” he told her, his English still far from perfect. “I watch you do this all the time. I will paint your fingers beautiful.”
Laughing, she held out her hand and watched as he carefully painted each nail on one hand. While she blew on them, he painted the nails on her other hand. She watched him concentrating on the delicate procedure. All things considered, he did quite an impressive job.
“I wish it could be just like this all the time,” she smiled.
He glanced up at her and returned her smile. “Me too. Give me your feet. I’ll take your shoes off and we can paint those pretty little fingers as well. I know how much you like that.”
“They’re called ‘toes,’ silly!” she laughed.
Giddy with the excitement of spending more time with him, she quickly kicked off her shoes and allowed him to pull her socks off.
Watching him, she quipped, “You’re going to make some lucky lady a wonderful boyfriend.”
He immediately screwed the top back on the nail polish, set it on his nightstand, and pushed her onto her back, coming down on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to be careful of the wet polish.
“I thought all this time that I was your boyfriend. I hope you weren’t just thinking of me as a study partner.”
“You’re much more than that. I really like you.”
Running a finger around her neatly-applied pink lipstick, he muttered, “I’m going to mess up your lip color now.” Staring down at her, he gave her a moment to object. Instead, her eyes dropped to his mouth and she squirmed eagerly underneath him.
“Oh, are you, now?” she teased.
His lips drifted down to hers. Claiming his very first kiss was everything he’d ever dreamed it would be. Yuri brazenly smoothed his hands down her soft feminine form as his lips danced over hers. Within moments she melted into his embrace, welcoming his gentle seduction. Feeling like a conquering hero, he deepened the kiss.
A burst of laughter from the table brought him from his internal musings. Everyone began talking excitedly. They were discussing skiing, or something along those lines. Unable to feign interest, he excused himself from the table. Seeing the full moon through his large double doors, he headed out to the balcony for a breath of fresh air.
Mikael’s bulky form moved behind him, casting a shadow Yuri recognized all too well. “You okay, boss?”
“I just needed some air.”
“It’s Ms. Trisha, isn’t it?”
“Maybe.” Taking out a cigarette, he tapped the end on the banister to pack the tobacco and slipped it behind his ear. Now it was a waiting game. One he played with himself to see how long he could go without smoking it.
“I can get rid of her,” Mikael offered.
Looking over his shoulder at the man leaning against the double doors with a devilish smile on his face, Yuri said nothing. Instead, he looked at Mikael with mixed feelings, unsure of what to do. When his friend spoke again, his voice was laced with amusement.
“I don’t think you’d want to harm anyone who reminds you so much of your Jade.”
“She’s not my Jade, though. You know better than anyone that Jade’s in my past. A past I no longer want to remember.”
“You’ve been over Jade for a few years now. It took you so long, I hesitated to talk to you about her. I didn’t want to see you bottom out again. After she left, you took chances with your life that would shame a reaper,” Mikael said.
“I was young and honestly didn’t care whether I lived or died. I was a screw up. Everything I knew was complete shit. I didn’t feel like my life was worth much. I’m not like that anymore.”
“You weren’t until Ms. Trisha came to stay.”
Mikael was right. After Jade left, no amount of fighting or risk taking seemed to fill the gigantic hole in his soul. Trish hadn’t been with them long now, but she had softened him up a bit. He’d told her she was free to go after recouping his money from his sleazy accountant, yet she’d chosen to stay. Weeks had passed and they hadn’t scared her off. She seemed to enjoy their company, perhaps getting a thrill out of the risk involved, and he could see a romance budding between her and Luka.
Staring at the full moon, Yuri murmured, “I remember you were the one who saved me before. You pulled me from the bottom of a bottle of Russian ice water. Vodka was the mistress that never let me down back then.”
Laughing, Mikael moved over to stand beside him. “Those were hard times. We were always in over our head but somehow made it work because we all stuck together, my friend.”
“The last time I was released,” Yuri said as he gazed at the sprawling city, “I realized Sonovo not only respected me, but feared me a little as well.”
“I suppose that means you’re an acceptable protégé, no?”
“Why are you out here in the moonlight talking about old times, my friend?” Yuri asked.
“I think you’ve gone through enough whores to know no one can replace the one you love.”
“Fucking lot of good that does me,” Yuri scoffed. Turning on his heel, he stalked towards the doors.
“I have something to say and I haven’t gotten it out yet,” Mikael called after him.
Feeling himself become embarrassingly emotional, Yuri stated dismissively, “Perhaps another time, my friend.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Sitting in his study, Yuri opened his computer and began reviewing his financials. Unable to keep his head straight, he opened the folder marked ‘private’ on his laptop and began scrolling through picture after picture of her. During their time together, they took quite a few photos of each other with their cell phones and those blurry pictures were now one of the only things he had left to remember her by. His hand went to the St. Christopher necklace he’d worn every day since she’d given it to him. It was a reminder that he was once loved and cherished by a beautiful woman, and that was more than some men were fortunate enough to have. Mikael thought he was over her. Hell, even he thought he was over her… but he was only fooling himself.
He stared out his window, lost in recollections of her. Within moments a gentle rain began to fall. Memories of what it felt like to hold her in his arms, to feel her soft hair caressing his chest, and her soft skin rubbing against his, assailed him. The hardened criminal touched his lips with the fingers of one hand as he remembered what kissing her felt like. How she opened her mouth to his kisses when he swiped his tongue against her lips. He could still remember what it felt like to make love to her.
Anger at himself rose hard and fast. How could he have let her slip away all those years ago? Slamming his fist down on his desk, he cursed himself bitterly. He should have fought like the warrior he was to keep her. If he had it to do over, things would be different.
A gentle knock sounded at his door. It was likely Mikael wanting to talk after giving him an opportunity to cool off.
“Zakhodi,” Yuri said, without getting up.
As predicted, it was Mikael. He came into the room carrying a book that looked tiny in his gigantic hand.
“I’m sorry about earlier, Mikael. Please, have a seat.”
When Yuri noticed that his friend had seen the photos he had called up on his laptop, he quickly closed out of the folder. Mikael dropped down in one of the chairs in front of Yuri’s desk and nervously ran his hand through his hair.
“I have been debating whether or not to tell you something, my friend,” he sighed, shaking his head. “I had decided to let a sleeping dog lie, until you disconnected again after being around Ms. Trisha. Now I think you are never going to move past your need for Jade. What’s more, I don’t think she’s ever moved past her need for you.”
Jerking his head up, white hot rage flared to life in Yuri’s gut. “You’ve been in contact with Jade without telling me?!”
“God, no. Never would I do such a thing.”
“Why don’t you think she’s over me?” Yuri asked, now more curious than upset.
“She is a writer of mystery novels. I recognized her name and, sure enough, it’s her,” Mikael explained. “Her photo is even on the dust jackets of her hardcover books. I carry them at my store and have read a few. They’re quite good.”
Leaning forward slightly, Yuri was fascinated by the revelation. “You always were a bookworm, my friend.”
“Reading is my way of taking a vacation of the mind. I’m surprised you did not know she was an author now. She is getting quite popular, it seems.”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“You have never… searched for her? Perhaps looked her up on the internet?”
“I’ve thought about it,” Yuri admitted, “but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’ve spent the last ten years trying to forget about her. Finding her again would kind of undo all of that.”