Stephan

by S F Draven

  The mansion was far quieter than I imagined, and that’s when it dawned on me that it was quite possible Natalia’s parents weren’t even here. That would’ve explained why everything occurred so haphazardly, and why someone hadn’t done more to get my attention yet if they were really trying to get the painting off of me.

  Natalia still has a lot to learn about how these things work, but it’s a shame she’s never going to get the chance before I rescue Annika and take her far away from here.

  Holding the cardboard cylinder at my armpit, I continued to sneak through the house with my gun in hand, making sure to stay as quiet as possible. I heard voices coming from the upstairs corridor, and I realized it was Natalia who was speaking to one of the mansion staff about cleaning up a mess.

  I realized then that she probably had Annika stuffed away in a room somewhere, so I hid for as long as I could until she came down the stairs and went off into the study before I quietly took the opportunity to head up to find her.

  There were far too many doors that I could see, but I decided to make my way to the end of the hallway, feeling at the doorknob, but I couldn’t get in because it was locked. Realizing that the other bedroom doors had been slightly cracked open, I turned my attention to the lock, fiddling with it until I got it to give way.

  It opened up to reveal a horrific scene. There Annika was chained up to the wall like an animal while a little wooden chair and cut rope sat at the other end of the room. It appeared as though their first attempt at keeping her contained had failed, and they had to resort to other measures.

  I looked down at the floor to see a man with a knife wound in his neck, completely bled out, and laying in a pool of his own blood. It was a terrible sight, and no one on the property seemed to think about cleaning it up, but that didn’t surprise me.

  I glanced over at Annika to see that her entire body had been covered in bruises, like she was beaten, battered, and bloodied due to her first attempt at escaping. I rushed over to her, begging her to come to, so we could get out of there, right as she began to murmur something incoherently.

  “Annika, it’s me, Stephan. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

  “S-Stephan?”

  “Yes, Annika. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m going to get you out of here,” I said, quickly searching the room for anything I could use to break her free. I managed to use the end of a lamp to break away at the chains, even though it was loud enough to alert those around that something strange was happening in here.

  “Stephan, we can’t...”

  “We can’t what, Annika? We’re going to get out of here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “She’s going to kill you,” she said, staring back at me with a blank expression on her face.

  “She’s not going to get the chance. Let’s go,” I said, lifting her up to get her out of there, as I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

  “The painting, Stephan. She wants the painting.”

  It didn’t take Natalia long to find us both, while I desperately tried to get Annika out of there, but it was no use. She stood there with a gun in her hand, staring back at me like my attempt had been laughable.

  “Welcome, Stephan. I’ve been waiting for you to stop by for quite some time now. I was beginning to think that I had been wrong about you and that you didn’t fancy my dear old friend enough to come to her rescue, but I’m glad I was able to read you right,” she said, and the tone of her voice made my stomach turn.

  “I know what you want, Natalia. You don’t have to say it, but I didn’t come empty-handed. I came to get Annika. You can have the fucking painting, I don’t even know what to do with it anyway,” I said, and that part was true. I stayed alert, knowing that the minute she moved over to open up the cardboard enclosure, I only had a few seconds to subdue her before she turned back to start shooting.

  “I’m glad that we have an understanding then. I’m willing to let you both go once you hand that precious painting over,” she said, lying straight through her teeth.

  “It’s over there,” I said, pointing to the bed at the other end of the room, while she moved over to get it, never letting her gun leave the two of us.

  She bent down for a moment, and I set Annika down, pulling out my gun, managing to take my shot. I didn’t have a clear aim, because some of the bedroom furniture was shielding her body, but I managed to get two clear shots into each of her legs, hearing her scream out in excruciating pain, while I scooped Annika up and ran out of there as fast as I could.

  I heard her shouting back for her guards, alerting everyone to the breach, but I already planned the escape in my head, and I was out into the gardens before her guards could even find where I had been, making my way out onto the street and into my car where I slid Annika into the passenger seat.

  I heard them barreling down the sidewalk, coming for us while I got into the driver’s seat, starting up the engine and taking off before they could reach us. Gunfire rang high in the air, and I could’ve sworn I heard Natalia’s scream just as it all began to disappear into the distance.

  It reminded me of that wonderful night we spent together, Annika and I working as the team we both were. Now it was just the two of us, and I had to figure out how I was going to get someone to look at her injuries before they got any worse.

  “It’s okay, Annika. You’re safe now. I need you to hang in there for me, okay? I’m going to find someone to look after you,” I told her, watching her struggle to nod her head back at me.

  I dialed a number over the Bluetooth speaker in my car, waiting for it to connect me to a contact I hadn’t called in quite a while, hoping they’d be able to help, even though we didn’t leave things on the best of terms.

  “Volkov, I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you for a very long time,” he said, the moment the call connected.

  “Listen, it’s a bit of an emergency. Can I stop by?” I asked, trying to hide the desperation in my voice.

  “I don’t think I can help, Stephan, not after what you and your little friends put me through.”

  “Please, Ivan. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, and if it’s any consolation I’m not running with Eduard and Feliks anymore. We’ve parted ways,” I said, hoping this was going to get under his skin because I knew he still wanted me to pay for the damages left behind from one of our jobs.

  “Only if you plan on tying up some loose ends,” he said.

  “I promise I will,” I said, caving in while he gave me his location. I drove down there as fast as I could, stopping outside of a small pharmacy where he was running his little clinic for criminals in the back. He came outside to meet me, catching sight of Annika’s bloodied body in the passenger seat and he started putting the pieces together on his own.

  “Now I see why you were so desperate. You Volkovs and your women. Bring her inside,” he said, and I undid the seatbelt over Annika, lifting her up and taking her inside before anyone saw.

  Ivan led me into the back room where I laid her down on the fresh linens of the bed he probably stole from a hospital not too far from here. The place had enough equipment to treat just about anything, or at least that’s what I thought. I let Ivan take his time looking at Annika’s injuries, telling me exactly what he needed to do to make sure that she pulled through alright.

  Thankfully, her injuries weren’t as bad as I thought, and it wasn’t long before Ivan came out to meet me, telling me that she was resting comfortably.

  “Thank you, Ivan. I know that we didn’t exactly leave things on the best terms, but I just want you to know that I will repay you for what you did for us all those years ago, just as I will repay you for this,” I said, grateful that he even decided to help at all.

  “I’m just glad that you managed to shake the two of them. I told you once before that they were weighing you down, but I’m glad that you’re finally able to see it for yourself. Your girl will pull through, and she’s going to start feeling bett
er very soon. You can head in there with her, but she needs to rest until morning,” he said, and I nodded.

  “I should probably tell you that we’re currently on the run, and if you want us to leave, just say the word,” I said.

  “Does anyone know you’re here?” he asked, and I shook my head.

  “Then you’re safe until morning. After that, you two can take off. I’m heading out for something to eat. I’ll bring you back something,” he said, and I smiled at him.

  “Thank you, Ivan,” I replied. It was the first time I was able to see just how blinded I had been in the past when all I ever wanted was to secure as much money as possible. Now my priorities were entirely different, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before Natalia and her family began hunting us down again.

  I’m going to keep you safe, Annika. You have my word.

  I waited around for what felt like ages, staring back at Annika’s unconscious body while she got the rest she so desperately needed. I was getting restless, eager to head back out and take care of the people that hurt her so terribly, who wanted nothing more than to bargain her off for the sake of a stupid painting.

  I couldn’t believe the lengths that Natalia and her family had gone to in order to secure that thing, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before they came looking for it again.

  Natalia’s plan failed, and I knew that wasn’t going to sit nicely with her family once they found out. They put their trust in her that she would be able to lure me into her trap, subdue me long enough to take the painting somewhere safe, and probably kill both of us. I was grateful that I managed to get Annika out, but now I was worried that she was going to live out the rest of her days with a target on her back.

  I could only imagine that was the life her family never wanted for her, otherwise, they probably would’ve involved her in the family business a very long time ago. Though the more I looked at her, the more I saw what she’d been through, and the more I wanted to save her. I was falling in love with her faster than I could comprehend, but I worried that she was going to wake up one day and decide this isn’t what she wanted anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised, after everything she’d been through, but I was holding out hope that she’d want to stick by me.

  Countless hours passed, and I glanced up at the clock overhead in the makeshift hospital room, seeing her fingers start to curl inwards while her eyes struggled to flutter open. I rushed to her, holding her hand while she woke up, staring back at me with such bewilderment in her eyes, I thought she must’ve expected she was going to wake up right back under Natalia’s roof.

  “Stephan?”

  “I’m here, Annika. You’re safe,” I said to her, kissing her cold, frail hand.

  “How… where am I?” she asked, the fear returning to her eyes, but I did what I could to keep her calm.

  “I brought you to a friend of mine who helped with the injuries Natalia and her goons inflicted on you. I’m so sorry that this happened, I’m so sorry that I was the reason you went through so much,” I said, feeling rather guilty for having Annika be the one to suffer because of me and the fact that I just couldn’t seem to let go of that painting.

  “It’s not your fault, Stephan. You didn’t know they were going to come after me for the painting. It must be one hell of a painting if Natalia’s entire family is after it. It would’ve been a dream to see a painting like that in person. I’m quite the Malevich fan,” she croaked, and I smiled down at her, brushing the hair out of her eyes before I kissed her lightly on the forehead.

  “I’ll be the first to show you when you get out of here,” I said to her, watching her eyes widen as she started to put the pieces together.

  “You didn’t have to give up the painting, did you?” she asked, with a smile.

  “I didn’t. I managed to buy us some time by tossing the cardboard enclosure it was in at the far corner of the room while Natalia went to fetch it. I got us both out of there before she could realize that it was empty. Though I have to warn you, Annika, this means that they’re going to come after us again. Something tells me that they’re not going to rest until that painting is safely in their hands.”

  The stakes were much higher now, and with Annika’s family still set to return back home, there was still the question of whether the Chadovs would act out, trying to take them all down for the sake of a single canvas.

  “Well, when they come for us this time, Stephan, we’re going to be ready to fight back,” she said, with such determination in her voice, it almost convinced me that we were going to do just that.

  “I don’t want to put you in harm’s way again, Annika. Look what happened to you,” I confessed, but she caressed my cheek, and at that moment I believed that everything was going to be okay.

  “We’re going to get through this and we’re going to do it together.”

  Chapter Twelve: Annika

  My world seems like it has changed overnight. I’m no longer asking myself what the next step in my life is going to be because everything is unfolding before my eyes in a way I cannot control. Natalia is out there, a girl I used to call my best friend, ready to do anything to please her family, no matter who she hurt in the process.

  I’m falling in love with a man that is heavily involved in crime, that has shown me the way, and allowed me to enjoy it alongside him. A few months ago, I would’ve never guessed I’d end up here, that I would even consider going on the run hoping that I was going to make it out alive.

  The truth is, Natalia isn’t going to stop until she gets what she wants until she can show her family that she’s worthy of joining them in taking down anyone that gets in their way.

  I’m worried that Stephan and I are going to be outnumbered, and I’m scared that the Chadovs are going to go after my family once they get back in town. I suppose I’m going to have to tell them about what happened, and everything that has transpired since they left. I don’t think I can keep this a secret from them anymore.

  Stephan and I were curled up on the hard yet springy mattress in a little motel room just outside of town. It was the only place we could think of to hide while Stephan did what he could to find out exactly how much danger we were really in. Stephan didn’t have the backing of Eduard and Feliks anymore.

  I was glad to be near him, I was glad to still have him by my side even though he could’ve headed for the hills a long time ago. He decided to stay with me because he cared, and I understood that it hurt him knowing that he was putting me in danger, but I couldn’t just leave him behind. We had something special between us, something that made me question everything I’d come to know about myself because, in such a short amount of time, I’d become someone completely different.

  I was stronger, more resilient, and ready to take on whatever life had to throw at me. It felt like it was just a few days ago when I was fearing for my life, worried that I was going to end up dead by the hands of some men that broke into my house.

  Now, I knew who orchestrated that whole affair and what they were really after. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand because after seeing the Malevich painting in person, I knew that it was likely one of the most expensive pieces out there, and it was one my father and I used to discuss in great detail.

  It was his dream to own that painting in his collection, knowing just how much it was worth, and the notoriety it would bring hanging proudly on his wall, but now it had become a treasure in a hunt that we were caught in the middle in.

  If Natalia’s family would go to such lengths to get this painting, then I have to believe that there are others out there who would do the very same thing.

  The thought alone made me shudder, and I pondered for a moment whether Stephan and I were going to be able to take on every single enemy that came our way all by ourselves. He had trained me well, but I wouldn’t know how I’d operate under pressure if the time came, and I was afraid of freezing on the spot.

  I was afraid of something bad happening to Stephan, leavi
ng me to figure things out on my own, because I didn’t know if I was genuinely capable of doing so.

  I had to hold out hope that we were going to find a way out of this mess. There was still so much about this entire situation that I didn’t understand, so much I had yet to learn, and I had a feeling I was going to have to put my knowledge into practice much sooner than I would like to.

  Natalia’s family, much like my own, had enough money to buy them an entire army, but mine still had no idea that we were facing any danger. My mother and father both still thought that we were holed up at home, enjoying our mundane lives, awaiting their return.

  I was curious about how they would react if they could see me now, being able to hold my own, but also getting involved with a man that they probably wouldn’t like.

  It was a rule of thumb that certain crime families didn’t like each other even if they never called them enemies, and after everything I’d told Stephan about mine, I could tell that there was some bad blood between the two of them. Stephan and I didn’t get a chance to talk about any of those things, and I didn’t think we’d get the opportunity before I’d have to return home to tell my family what had been going on.

  Everything had spiraled completely out of control much faster than I expected, but there was at least one thing I could certainly count on, and that was Stephan. He slept so peacefully next to me, his breathing slow and calm, while I leaned in to kiss him lightly on the cheek. He stirred in his sleep for a moment, his eyes slowly fluttering open, squinting back at me, while he smiled.

  It was these moments that made me realize why I had put so much on the line to stay with him, why I didn’t want to call up my family right then, and beg them to come home. I didn’t want to leave him, and even though I knew that when we both had the chance to meet with my family, he was going to be forced out of my life.