Dark Widow’s Blessing

by I. T. Lucas

  Uncrossing her legs, Vivian leaned forward. “I agree, but Ella might be reluctant.”

  “Why is that?”

  “When her father was killed, I took her to a therapist. The experience wasn’t good. Instead of getting better, Ella got worse. Eventually, I stopped insisting that she continue seeing that therapist. Things got better on their own, and since then Ella has detested psychologists.”

  Vanessa nodded. “Just like in any profession, not all therapists are good.”

  “She came highly recommended.”

  “Nevertheless, she didn’t know how to deal with Ella. There is no one treatment that fits all. People are complex, and each individual is unique. And yet, some therapists just follow the dogma instead of tailoring the treatment for the specific person. I can assure you that I’m not one of them.”

  Vivian glanced at Magnus. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to convince her to even come to see you.”

  “So don’t. Tell her that she can be of help to other girls who’ve gone through a similar experience. She can come as your arts and crafts assistant.”

  Vivian looked uncomfortable. “I can’t lie to her, and I don’t want to.”

  “It’s not a lie. She can come, look around, talk with some of the girls, and see if she can find solace here. That is it. And in the meantime, I’ll try to get her to warm to me. If it works, great. If not, we will think of a different approach.”

  “Sounds reasonable enough.” Vivian glanced at Magnus again. “What do you think?”

  He smoothed his hand over his goatee. “I’m not an expert, so my opinion is not all that relevant. But in my personal experience, time is the best healer, especially when you’re surrounded by a loving family.” He cast Vanessa an apologetic look. “No offense to your profession. As I’ve told Vivian, I think you’re doing an amazing job here. These girls don’t have a support system back home, so your help and that of the volunteers is invaluable to them. But Ella has us, and also the rest of the clan to catch her if she falls.”

  Vanessa smiled indulgently. “The difference is that your particular trauma was shared with other Guardians. You had friends to talk to who’d gone through the same experiences. Ella, on the other hand, is going to feel isolated. I’m not belittling the healing power of her family’s love, but it’s not going to be enough. Not after what she’s gone through.”

  Vivian’s hand trembled as she pushed her hair back. “Ella is strong. She found a way to cope with her situation. She decided to think of it as an arranged marriage. She didn’t resist.”

  With a heavy sigh, Vanessa leaned back in her chair. “The sad thing is that the comparison is appropriate. Those so-called arranged marriages, when a girl is coerced into marrying someone her family has chosen for her, or someone who paid the highest price, is just a sanctioned rape. Granted, in most cases it’s not a violent rape, like when a woman is attacked by a stranger, beaten and then violated, but it is just as much a violation as any other sexual coercion. And in some cases it is just as bad. The fact that it’s the girl’s family doing it, putting pressure on her to agree or just sending her off like a sacrificial lamb, and then some cleric presides over the sacrificial ceremony, doesn’t mitigate or justify the emotional and physical trauma to the girl. It blows my mind how in this day and age, entire societies still don’t see it that way and continue to condone the practice.”

  45

  Ella

  “Nice, eh?” Misha asked as he passed by Ella, holding a suitcase in each massive hand.

  “Yeah, you could say so. Very impressive.”

  The experience of staying at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah three-bedroom suite was not one Ella would soon forget. What made it special wasn’t even the opulence or the price tag she couldn’t begin to imagine. It was sharing a suite with Dimitri and five of his bodyguards. The other five were staying somewhere else.

  If anything ever made it hit home that she was globetrotting with a mafia boss, that had been it. Dimitri was either super paranoid or had very dangerous enemies who wanted him dead. The ten bodyguards weren’t for show.

  Standing in the suite’s foyer, Ella snapped several pictures with her reading tablet. Hopefully, she would be able to take it with her when the rescuers came for her.

  The idea to use it as a camera had struck her the day before in the Dubai Mall. After they had arrived, Dimitri had left for his meetings with whomever, and Misha had taken her shopping in the biggest and fanciest mall in the world. With Dimitri’s American Express black card in her purse, Ella could’ve bought whatever she wanted, but she’d been more interested in visiting the huge indoor aquarium and aquatic zoo.

  Impressive didn’t begin to describe it. She must’ve snapped a hundred pictures.

  As Misha came back for more stuff, he started up the stairs but then stopped midway and turned around. “You take picture of me?” He grinned and struck a pose.

  “Sure.” She lifted her tablet and snapped one more for her growing collection.

  Today, they’d gone sightseeing. Which meant a procession of two limousines. She, Dimitri, and four bodyguards in one, and six additional bodyguards in the second. Ella hadn’t asked, but she was sure the limos were bulletproof.

  Since it was hotter than hell outside, they hadn’t left the vehicles much and had done most of the touring by looking out the windows.

  Security had probably factored in it as well.

  There were only two places where they'd had no choice but to leave the air-conditioned interior--the old Bastakia quarter and later the Jumeirah Mosque.

  After that, it had been back to the hotel, a long shower to wash the sweat off, and dinner.

  Holding his briefcase in one hand and his phone in the other, Dimitri came down the stairs, his army of bodyguards following behind him.

  “Did you enjoy the day?” He stopped next to her.

  “I did. Thank you.” It was on the tip of her tongue to add that she would probably never get to see Dubai again, but Ella stifled it at the last moment.

  As they walked out and headed for the elevator, two bodyguards went ahead and checked the interior before she and Dimitri stepped in. The rest of the bodyguards followed.

  Dimitri turned to look at her. “I wish we didn’t have to rush things and could stay another day, but I have a morning meeting scheduled in New York.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “I saw all the main attractions. I doubt there would've been enough left over to fill another day.”

  He leaned and kissed her cheek. “I could’ve taken you to the mall and insisted that you spend my money. I’m very disappointed that you haven’t bought anything.”

  “Pfft.” She waved a hand. “Shopping is boring. Visiting the underwater zoo and aquarium was fun. Besides, Pavel can do a much better job than me picking out my outfits.”

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, Dimitri pulled her closer to him. “I thought you’d enjoy the freedom to buy things you like.”

  Well, that was nice of him. But as long as her freedom was restricted to purchases, it wasn’t freedom at all.

  “I can order things from catalogs.”

  “True.” He walked her out of the elevator. Behind them, his cadre of bodyguards followed.

  “Are we going straight to the airport?” Ella asked as they stepped out of the lobby.

  “Yes. But we are only flying out at two in the morning.”

  “Why so late? And why are we leaving the hotel at ten if we are flying out in four hours?”

  “I have my reasons. You can go to sleep on the plane. I have some work I need to do first.” He kissed the top of her head. “It was a pleasure spending the entire day with you, but duty calls.”

  She didn’t have to fake the smile she flashed him. “I understand.”

  If he was busy working, he wasn’t going to bother her for sex. And when he came to bed, she was going to be asleep.

  “I’m still a little confused with all the time zone differences,” she said. “What
time are we arriving at New York?”

  “If we are leaving Dubai at two in the morning, we will arrive at seven in the morning at New York.”

  “How does that work?”

  He cast her an indulgent smile. “The flight is about fourteen hours long, so when we land it’s going to be four in the afternoon in Dubai. But because of the time difference, it’s going to be seven in the morning in New York.”

  “Oh, now I get it.”

  “I knew you would. You’re a smart girl. I try to fly overnight as much as I can, so I don’t waste time. I sleep on the plane and then conduct business all day.”

  “Does it mean that you have meetings scheduled for the entire day in New York?” She crossed her mental fingers, hoping that he did.

  The rescue operation and faking her death would be much easier with him gone. Now that she knew he slept with a gun within reach, Ella feared he would use it on her rescuers. Dimitri might be too smart to be fooled by the pretend fire. He would keep her with him and probably rush her to some safe panic room he had on the premises. Not that she knew he had one for a fact, but it made sense that someone as careful as he would have one.

  “I’m afraid so. You’ll have to eat dinner without me.”

  Ella pulled her tablet out of her bag. “I have plenty of books to keep me busy, and I need to start on that Rosetta Stone.” She smirked. “Sleeping with the tablet under the pillow didn’t do the job. I still can’t speak Russian.”

  “I can hire you a tutor.” He helped her into the limousine.

  “First, let me try to do it on my own. If I see that it’s too hard, I’ll consider a tutor.” She glanced at the four bodyguards sharing the ride with them. “Misha can teach me.”

  The panicked expression on her bodyguard’s face was comical. “I’m no good teacher.”

  Dimitri patted her knee. “Lesson one in doing business. Always hire professionals to do what they’re trained for. The job will be done faster and better.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  He certainly knew a lot about doing business, but she wasn’t interested in an apprenticeship.

  During the drive to the airport, Ella’s thoughts drifted to what she’d observed about Dimitri while she’d been with him. It seemed to her that he was mainly engaged in wheeling and dealing. She hadn’t seen or heard anyone getting beat up, and the only suspicious character she’d met had been Logan. But even with him it had been all about business. Maybe not a legit one, but still.

  “I want to ask you something,” she said.

  He arched a brow. “Yes?”

  “It seems to me that most of what you do is conduct business. Why are you even mafia? Can’t you make all of your businesses legitimate?”

  “Most of what I do is legit, or semi-legit. Even the arms dealing. Governments contact me all the time with acquisition requests for operations they need to keep quiet. But for historical reasons, I need to provide protection to my people, the same way my father did, and that’s considered mafia business.”

  Ella was still stuck on the first thing he’d said. “You provide weapons to governments?”

  “My biggest and best-paying clients.”

  “Even democracies? Or just Third World countries?”

  He chuckled. “All of them. Those in power—and it doesn’t matter if they were elected in a democratic process, or inherited their title, or have taken it by force—do all kinds of things they don’t want the public to know about. You’re naive if you think that politicians care about the people they are supposed to represent. They are the biggest mafia there is. Power and money. That’s their motivation. Not ideology. That’s the crap they feed their citizens. It’s a smokescreen. In a way, I’m better. At least I care for the people in my territory and protect them. I’m also honest about what I do.”

  Ella shook her head. What Dimitri was saying rang true. But she wasn’t sure whether it was because he believed it or because that was indeed the reality.

  “Why don’t you run for president then? You say that you care about the people, and you say that you’re better than the politicians. So why not? You are sure smart enough and charismatic enough for people to vote for you.”

  Dimitri laughed. “Running for office in Russia? I don’t have a death wish. But thank you. That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.”

  46

  Vivian

  As Magnus pulled out of the sanctuary’s parking lot, Vivian looked at her reflection in the car’s window and adjusted the wig. It had been a difficult visit, mainly because of what Vanessa had said about Ella.

  The road to recovery was going to be long, and she knew that her daughter was going to fight it every step of the way. Ella would act as if nothing had happened, and she was fine. She hated to appear weak, and she hated it even more when people pitied her. That was why she didn’t tell anyone her father had been killed unless she had no other choice. Ella was more comfortable letting people assume that her parents were divorced.

  She would never fit in with the girls in the sanctuary.

  While Magnus had stayed in the office, Vanessa had taken Vivian on a tour. It had been a heart-wrenching experience even though the therapist had acted all cheerful and the girls seemed well taken care of.

  The haunted look in their eyes told a different story.

  The visit had convinced Vivian that she wanted to help in any capacity, even if it was teaching girls how to create new clothes from old ones. As Vanessa had explained, creating in any shape or form helped the healing process, and most anyone could learn how to sew.

  “So what did you think?” Magnus asked.

  “I can do that.” Vivian turned to him. “I want to do that. But the sanctuary is so far away. It’s an hour and a half in each direction.”

  “You don’t have to come every day. It can be a once a week class.”

  She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll do it. But I need something to do the rest of the week.”

  “Don’t forget that you have to homeschool Parker until we enroll him in a regular school, and then you’ll need to be there for Ella. You are underestimating how busy that will keep you.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  Except, knowing Ella, she would want to start working right away and push back against any attempts Vivian made to coax her into talking about what she’d been through.

  Maybe creating a homey atmosphere would help. What Vanessa had said about making things being beneficial could apply to cooking. They could cook together, or even join a cooking class.

  As long as Ella didn’t think it was about her and her issues, she wouldn’t resist.

  “I can also use the time to learn how to cook better. That will make Parker happy.”

  “Your cooking is fine.”

  “And you’re sweet, but you’re a liar.”

  She knew how to make a few simple dishes, but even those sometimes didn’t come out tasting good.

  “Speaking of food. Can I take you out to lunch?” Magnus asked, cleverly avoiding responding to her accusation.

  “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  “I am.”

  “Then by all means. Where do you want to eat?”

  “There is this place in Malibu on the beach. The food is okay, not great, but it’s on our way, and the view alone is worth the inflated prices they charge.”

  “I’m not crazy about dining in overpriced places. But it’s on the way, and I don’t want to delay too long before getting back. I feel bad about imposing on Merlin. I'm sure he has better things to do than babysit my son.”

  “I think he enjoys Parker's company.”

  “Nevertheless, he didn’t come all the way from Scotland to sit around in his house all day.”

  Magnus smoothed his hand over his goatee. “He is here to do fertility research. The idea is to find a way to improve conception rates for immortals.”

  Vivian got excited. “That would be awesome.” She r
eached for his hand. “We could have a child together.”

  He squeezed her hand lightly. “Fates willing.”

  Yeah, it was way too early to start thinking about children.

  First, they needed to get Ella back and help her heal. Then Vivian had to transition. The wedding could happen either before or after that. Hopefully, she would come out alive on the other side.

  At the restaurant, Vivian barely touched her food, sipping on a margarita instead. Thoughts of the future that should’ve been uplifting were stressing her out.

  Magnus eyed her plate. “You didn’t eat anything.”

  “We can ask for a container and take it to Parker.”

  “Right. As if he’s going to eat your salad.”

  “I’ll add a steak to it.”

  “That’s a good idea. Except, he is going to eat the steak and leave the salad.”

  “I’ll take the chance.”

  When they pulled out of the restaurant’s parking lot, Magnus asked, “What did you think about Vanessa as a therapist for Ella?”

  “I like her. But I don’t think the sanctuary is the right place for Ella.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s depressing. You should’ve seen those girls’ eyes.” Vivian uncrossed her arms and hugged herself. “Ella will take one look at them and march straight out.”

  He nodded. “She’ll need some kind of help.”

  “Let’s cross that bridge when we get there. I don’t want to make plans yet. For a professional treatment to work, she needs to approve it first.”

  As if summoned by the talk about her, Ella opened a channel.

  Mom.

  I’m here, sweetie.

  I have information for the rescue team. We are on the plane, but it leaves in only two hours. Dimitri says we are going to land in New York at about seven in the morning tomorrow. He’s not coming with me to the estate because he has meetings in the city all day long. The rescue should happen while he’s away.