by Tara Rose
But at least they had more information now than they did last night. It was time to return to Faina and make sure they kept her safe until this could be resolved.
* * * *
Faina recognized Magda’s voice, but not the man’s. Magda didn’t call him by name, but judging by the way she was ordering him around, he might be her son or simply one of the staff. Faina had the distinct impression Magda was in charge of the entire household staff.
“You know he doesn’t like his clothes folded. Hang them up in the closet. And where is Rey with the flowers? Master Konstantin wanted no less than three bouquets in here for tonight.”
“He’s cutting them now.”
“When you’re done putting away his clean clothes, check on the girl. Master Alexei said to do that at least once an hour, and the rest of us are too busy up here today. Some of these rooms haven’t been cleaned in two weeks, and I aim to get this done today.”
Hamno! Had it been that long already since she’d left Alexei’s room? How was she going to get back if the staff were up here? Blyat. She’d really messed up this time.
Magda left the room, but Faina heard the man hanging up clothes in the closet. Judging by the sounds, he moved slower than a turtle. Faina’s back ached from being cramped against the wall, and now she had to pee. Her mouth was dry, and it was too warm in this room with the door closed.
Finally he left the bedroom, and she forced herself to count to ten before opening the door, just in case. She listened at the doors to the hallway and didn’t hear anyone, so slowly opened them, but closed them again when voices floated from a room nearby. What the hell was she going to do?
Even once she got back to the other side of the house, she still had to retrieve the candle from where she’d left it in the empty closet, and close the secret panel. She glanced around the room. Maybe there was another secret passage in his closet that would lead her to the next room?
This was ridiculous. What was she doing in this house, hiding from servants, when her friends’ whereabouts were unknown and they might be danger? But she didn’t really know Konstantin and Alexei, either. She had no idea what they’d do if they found out she’d sneaked out of the room. It was best to return and forget this entire thing had ever happened. She’d find something to occupy her time in Alexei’s room until they returned.
A breeze from the open French doors brought with it the smell of rain, and she suddenly knew how she’d get back to Alexei’s room. It was risky, but she could do it. It was either that or take her chances with the staff.
Faina stepped out onto the balcony and eyed the wicker furniture, but dismissed that idea. If she used it to climb, it would be too unsteady. Instead, she grabbed the downspout next to the western edge. She took a few deep breaths then climbed up the intricate design until she was teetering on the edge of it. She wished she had on athletic shoes instead of these silly slippers. She didn’t look down. It would do no good, and if she did, she’d never keep going.
Once she felt steady, she stepped over to the next balcony. A foot seemed way too long a distance while two stories up, trying not to be spotted. The second balcony didn’t have a downspout to grab onto, but the house did have a decorative edge that she grabbed instead. Sweat pooled under her arms and at her hairline as she pushed forward, nearly falling on her face as she tumbled down to the concrete.
She stood, counting. Six more to go. This was nuts. She was going to break her neck and then her friends would never know what had happened to her. But she couldn’t go back, and when she tried the doors to this bedroom, they were locked.
The next balcony proved more difficult to get to because there was nothing to hang onto at the edge. She stepped over and crouched, grabbing the railing and making sure to push forward. This time she didn’t fall, but her legs were trembling by the time she walked to the edge. There were downspouts or decoration on the house to hang onto for the next four, but by the time she reached the last one before Alexei’s, she was out of breath and dripping wet from sweat.
The sound of the hedge clippers was gone, but someone was whistling. She didn’t dare look down, but she did sit for a moment, trying to steel herself for one more climb. The idea of staying here until someone found her was more attractive now than it had ever been, but she really had to pee, and she was beyond thirsty now. And who knew when they’d get around to looking for her on the balconies.
Faina stood and climbed one more time, then fell onto the concrete on Alexei’s balcony, breathing hard. But at least she was here. She was also relieved to see that the doors were still open. Stepping inside, she closed them to allow the AC to cool down the room. After she took care of her immediate needs, she poured a glass of lemonade and then two more.
She sat in the same chair where her clothes had been laid out earlier, closed her eyes, and offered up silent prayers that she’d made it back here undetected.
Then she remembered the candle in the closet.
Had she closed the closet door behind her? She couldn’t recall doing so, but it was closed now. She opened it, and her heart sank. The panel was shut and the candle was back in place. Someone had already discovered her ruse. Was Magda in touch with Alexei and Konstantin by now? Or would she tell the men when they returned home?
Faina felt like a complete idiot. She wasn’t a child or a rebellious teen, trying to sneak out of the house. She was a grown woman. What the hell had she been thinking? What a waste of two hours. She’d accomplished nothing, other than finding out there was a hidden door in the house and where Konstantin’s room was. Oh, and now she knew that she could climb the balconies on this side of the house. Useful life skills. She was certain they’d come in handy at work one day.
Faina turned on the TV, found a game show that didn’t annoy her, and curled up on the bed to waste the rest of the day in an activity that wouldn’t land her in the hospital. The worst part of this was when they found out, they’d reach the conclusion that she couldn’t be trusted. For all she knew, the next time they went out of the house for the day they’d chain her to the wall. She’d really landed in it this time.
Faina tried to stop the tears, but they came anyway. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her friends. She wanted to go back to the night before Halloween and talk them out of trying to find Marie Laveau’s grave. They’d never even found it. Instead they’d become part of more trouble than any one person had a right to.
But if she did all that…if she erased the past two days, she’d never have met Konstantin and Alexei. Faina groaned and rolled over onto her side. This was insane. Who would ever believe this? And what was she going to do when it was all over? Those two were every fantasy she’d ever had, rolled up into the supernatural beings that had fascinated her since she could remember.
Was this even real? Would her life simply return to the way it had been one day? And if it did, would she remember them and her time here? Would they remember her?
Faina was so confused, and she was also tired. Maybe she’d nap for just a bit. And when she woke, she’d have to face the music for her foolish acts. But right now, she needed to rest.
Chapter Twelve
“Wake up. They’re waiting for you in the dining room.”
Faina sat up at the sound of Magda’s voice, her heart racing. “What time is it?” How long had she slept? The TV was off, and soft light filled the room from outside.
“Dinnertime. Come with me.”
Faina followed Magda while she tried to get her breathing under control. Were they upset with her? What could she possibly say that would excuse what she’d done? She heard music from the dining room as they approached it. It was Rachmaninoff this time, and she caught the scent of creole food. As she entered, both men glanced up and nodded slightly. They didn’t look upset, and that only confused her.
Alexei rose and pulled out her chair. “You must have been tired to sleep so long. Magda said you slept until nearly noon this morning, and another four hours just now.”
>
“I was very tired.” She took a seat, glancing at each of them in turn. It wasn’t possible that they hadn’t been told what she’d done.
Magda and another staff member placed a plate of crabmeat ravigote in front of each of them, then poured wine, white this time. She swallowed hard remembering how they’d gone to the trouble of having Ukrainian dishes made for her the night before. That wasn’t something men who were only intent on keeping her prisoner did. It was a thoughtful, caring gesture.
When Magda finally took her place near the wall with the other servants, she wished they’d leave but knew they wouldn’t. Both men began to eat, but she had to get this out first. “I’m sure you heard what I did today.”
Konstantin met her gaze for a brief second, but it was enough to know he’d been told. “Just curious, but how did you get back into Alexei’s room without being seen?”
So, they didn’t know the whole story then.
“The door was still locked, and you don’t have a key, so we’re assuming you went back through the other bedroom. But when Will came to Alexei’s room to find you, you weren’t there. He closed the door in the closet and put the triggering mechanism back in place, so you must have been in the room already. We’ve been trying to figure out the timing.”
She put down her fork and told them the whole story, wishing as soon as she’d explained about climbing over the balconies that she hadn’t done it. Both men wore dark gazes by the time she was finished.
“You could have fallen,” said Konstantin. “That was a very foolish thing to do. What did you think Magda and Will would do to you if they found you in the hallways?”
She was close to tears and had to swallow hard to hold them back. “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to get back to the room without being seen.”
“You’re a guest here, not a prisoner. Our entire staff was at your disposal. Magda told you that, did she not?”
“Guest? You lock your guests up for the day and not tell them where you went?”
“You had everything you needed with a simple pull of the bell chord.”
“I was freaked out being locked in a room for an entire day. None of this makes any sense to me. This war that’s going on, not being able to talk to my friends, not being allowed to use my phone or my computer, and now being locked up room all day. The way you’re talking, you expect me to treat this like a vacation at a four-star hotel. It’s not. This is crazy.”
Konstantin looked hurt, and now she was even more confused. She was also embarrassed because Magda and the other staff were right there. She lowered her voice. “I’m thinking we should discuss this another time.”
“We will discuss it right now,” said Alexei. “We explained all this to you. We have to keep you safe, and the only way to do that is to keep you inside the house. What you did today was not only dangerous because you could have fallen, but because you could have been seen.”
Konstantin shot his brother a warning glance, and Faina narrowed her eyes at each man. “Seen by whom? What happened today? Where did you go? Does it have something to do with this war you keep talking about? Or my friends? Are they all right?”
“Eat your dinner.”
Faina slammed her fist on the table. “I am not a child. Stop treating me like one.”
“Then stop acting like one.” Alexei’s gaze softened a bit, but the disappointment in his voice stung.
“By not wanting to stay locked up in a room? That’s being childish?”
“By shouting and slamming your fist just now. And by climbing on balconies two stories up. Please eat your dinner like a civilized person.”
“So that’s it? Discussion over?”
“For now it is.” His eyes bored into hers, and she had to avert her gaze. She had no idea what he’d just done to her, but for a brief second, the fight was gone.
She didn’t want it to be gone. She wanted to be angry with them. They’d given her no answers and were now talking in riddles and circles. She was tired of it. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to go home.
She ate, only because she knew it would be more embarrassing to have to ask Magda or any of them for food later. The crawfish bisque and blackened salmon were both cooked to perfection, and Faina made one comment to that effect. Both men nodded to acknowledge it, but none of them said a word through the rest of dinner. They also had dirty rice, red beans, and pecan pie for dessert, but she couldn’t even enjoy it. She was beyond uncomfortable and ashamed that she’d lashed out like that.
She couldn’t help but compare the atmosphere tonight with last night’s, and once again tears threatened. How could everything have become so mixed up and uncertain in one short day? She was so frustrated and didn’t know what to do or say.
When they finally left the room, thunder rumbled outside and lightning flashed. Faina remembered Magda telling her earlier it might storm. She had to say something. “Please don’t lock me in my room overnight during a storm. Please.” She touched Alexei’s arm because he was the closest. “I am so sorry. Forgive me. I won’t go anywhere. I swear it.”
Konstantin stood in front of her and cupped her face gently. His touch sent shivers up and down her spine. How was it that she could be turned on by his presence after spending an entire meal in such a sour state? “I’m not sure we can trust you any longer.”
“Trust works both ways. I’m trying to trust you both but you haven’t given me any concrete answers here. You called me a guest, but where I come from, people don’t lock up their guests.”
He released her face, and the pain that crossed his face nearly broke her heart. What the hell was really going on here? “We’re doing this for your protection. I’m sorry if you can’t or won’t understand that.”
“I’m trying to. But you have to give me more to go on than some vague description of a war with supernatural beings.”
He and Alexei exchanged a glance that was both helpless and desperate. “We’ve told you all we dare tell you. Some of the things we’re withholding from you are for your own protection, and to keep you from becoming even more afraid than you are right now.”
“I’m very confused by that statement. Are you admitting, then, that you’re not telling me everything?”
Konstantin surprised the hell out of her by pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry. I guess neither of us really thought this through. We didn’t have time to do that. We simply brought you here, and now we’re trying to play catch up and keep you safe at the same time.”
That made sense to her, but it didn’t exactly answer her question. On the other hand, did she really want to know what they had purposefully kept from her? What good would it do? “Tell me one thing. Are my friends safe? You haven’t just said that to me, have you?”
“Your friends are safe.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, allowing her body to relax into his embrace. He was so warm, and it felt right to be back in his arms. She’d been such a fool to think she couldn’t trust them. “I’m really sorry about before. I swear to you both I will not leave the house. Please.” She pulled away to look into his eyes. “Please don’t lock me in my room.”
“Is it the storm you fear?” asked Alexei gently.
“I’ve never cared for them, but that’s not entirely it. It’s the idea of being locked in and not in control of my own fate.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “You’re not in control right now. You realize that, don’t you?”
She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but what he said rang true in a way nothing they’d said had so far. Even if they gave her free run of the house, she had no control over unseen events and forces at work. And, she had no control over her freedom right now. Her ID and phone were somewhere in this house, and she had no idea where. She had no way to get home. She was at their mercy, and sex or BDSM play had nothing to do with it.
She was a pawn in a game, and she had no clue who was playing it, or why she was
in it. They’d been thrust into it when they took her from the cemetery. And now they were trying to keep her safe. But from what, or who?
“All right. I get what you’re saying now. So what happens next?”
“We wait,” said Alexei.
“For what?”
They exchanged a glance again, and Alexei sighed. “There are things going on behind the scenes that have to play out.”
“And when will you tell me what’s going on?”
“When we feel we can tell you each piece of it, we will do so. You have my word on that.”
“That’s still so vague.”
“We realize that. Please trust us, Faina. We really aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes.”
“All right. But I need you to trust me as well.”
“We did,” said Konstantin. “You let us down today.”
Ouch. “And I’ve apologized for that and assured you it won’t happen again. I don’t know what else I can do. Won’t you give me another chance?”
Konstantin gripped her face again, harder this time. “It is very important that you understand you must stay in the house.”
“Why did you say I could have been seen earlier? By whom?”
“The neighbors. We don’t want any word or even a suspicion to get out that you’re here.”
She hadn’t considered that. They’d told her their house was protected, but the neighbors were more than likely vulnerable. Someone trying to get to her could use them to gain information. “All right. I understand. I promise not to leave the house.”
“Thank you,” said Konstantin.
“Am I forgiven for what I did earlier?”
“Yes, of course you are,” said Alexei.
She eyed him. “I’ve been curious about this all day. What is that other room for? Did you two have it built that way on purpose?”
“We aren’t the original owners. We guess it was built as a bedroom for perhaps a mistress or even a trusted staff member, like a personal assistant.”
She nodded. “Very clever set up, but also quite mysterious.”