by C. Luca
I don’t recall booking this hotel room.
My eyes swing towards Nikolai, who is sitting in an armchair not far from the bed. He’s watching me intently as he lithely rises to his feet. His jaw is set, as if he’s preparing for a confrontation of sorts.
My eyes dart away from him and roam the room once more before it dawns on me that I am definitely not in a hotel. Betrayal overwhelms me as I come to the conclusion that he’d brought me to his estate.
I am horrified that he’d gone against my wishes, and I struggle to sit up. “You asshole! I trusted you!” I burst out furiously as I shove aside the luxurious comforter. The movement is causing immense pain along my abdomen, but I do my best to ignore it.
Nikolai’s stoic expression switches to alarm as he hurries to my side. He leans over me while trying to gently press my shoulders back into the mattress.
I slap at his hands, struggling to sit up as anger burrows deep within my gut. “You rotten bastard! I am not staying here!”
The pain is becoming excruciating as the blood drains from my face, but I’m not going to willingly lie in this bed. I weakly push at his hands as he tries to keep me down on the mattress. “Get away from me!”
Concern flashes in his eyes. “S-s-stop!” he bursts out loudly.
The sound of his voice makes me go completely still, and I stare up at him as the fight momentarily leaves me. He’s glaring now, a muscle throbbing in his jaw as he remains leaning over me, making certain that I won’t try to force my way out of the bed.
“You lied to me,” I rasp as the pain intensifies now that I’m not physically distracted from it.
His eyes search mine, and then he leans back slightly so he can pull his phone from his pocket.
“Use your voice, you owe me that after kidnapping me again,” I snap, still reeling from his deceit.
His eyes narrow on me, and a glare pours from his gaze as his jaw flexes. I watch as his hand visibly tightens around his cell phone. After a tense moment, his lips flatten, and then his voice is stiff as he forces out, “I am t-t-trying to protect…you.”
“By keeping me here against my will?” I shoot back.
I can see the struggle he’s having with trying to speak, but he does it anyway. “How c-c-can I make…it b-b-better?”
I am so very angry with him, but I also know how difficult it is for him to allow me to see him at his most vulnerable. He could have ignored my demand, and I wouldn’t have been able to do a damned thing about it. Instead, he’s honoring the request to try to repair the damage he’s caused by bringing me here against my will.
My entire body aches and throbs, and I’m just not capable of standing my ground and insisting he take me to the hotel. As much as it stings to know I am back at his mercy, I remind myself that things have changed. He swears he’s trying to protect me, and I’m obviously not in the basement.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” I say reluctantly. I’d rather not be making any deals with the purpose of accepting the decision he’s made for me, but it has to be done. It also gains me a little more control over the situation.
Nikolai looks at me sharply and waits.
“You treat me like a guest until I am capable of taking care of myself, and then you let me go without any other motives. If you do this, I won’t fight you for the next few days,” I say levelly.
He is not happy over my request but tightly nods.
I’m certain he’s aware that this is the best offer he’s going to get from me. He clearly doesn’t want me to hurt myself, and agreeing to my wishes can prevent that from happening.
“I’m not done yet,” I warn him.
He glares.
I glare back. “Do you want me willing or not?”
With aggravation, he waves a hand for me to continue.
“I’d like you to speak to me during my stay. It doesn’t have to be constant, but I’d like to talk with you,” I say quietly, knowing that this is one request he could flat out deny me no matter how much I ask or threaten. Though I would never resort to threats. I want him to trust me on his own, not because I gave him no other option.
He shakes his head, just as I expected.
I’m not ready to give up yet. “Please, Nik,” I say softly. It’s the first time I’ve used the nickname, and something flashes in his gaze.
After a long moment, he releases a resigned sigh and reluctantly nods.
I hold out my hand, wanting to shake on our agreement. “Don’t you dare break your word,” I warn, referring to allowing me to leave when it’s time.
He takes my hand in his large, warm grip. After a hesitation, he says, “I w-w-won’t.” He gives me a reprimanding look. “Reed needs t-t-to see if you t-t-tore any of,” he pauses as if struggling to continue, “your s-s-stitches,” he finishes.
I make a face. “I might have. And I am in desperate need of something for the pain.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, I am alone in the guest room after insisting Nikolai give me some space.
Thankfully, I hadn’t torn open any of my stitches, and Reed had given me something stronger for the pain than what the doctor had originally suggested. The pain is beginning to ease somewhat, allowing me to process the fact that I’m back on Nikolai’s estate—exactly where I didn’t want to be.
My gaze moves around the room. The blinds on the two big windows are open, and from the bed, I can look out over the estate’s grounds down below. There are plenty of tall trees in the back, giving the grounds and house privacy from the other estates in the area.
I never could have imagined I’d end up back here again.
As aggravating as Nikolai’s actions were, I have to admit that they’ve certainly distracted me from all the sadness that had overtaken me the past few days. I’m feeling a little more like myself, but a lingering loneliness is still there.
Even with being here at Nikolai’s, I still feel very much alone. I’d grown accustomed to Ava always being around, and now I’m on my own once more. Granted, Nikolai is in my life, but this thing between us is just beginning. When I’m capable of taking care of myself, I have every intention of leaving and staying at a hotel until I can find a new apartment—one I can swing on my own.
My eyes slide to the bandage covering my left forearm.
Once again, my life has changed and not in a good way. I’ll carry these scars with me permanently. The one on my arm is a good four to five inches. The cut on my ribs is slightly longer, and the incision from the surgery is seven inches—give or take a few centimeters—on my abdomen.
I’m lucky to be alive, I know that.
I just wish things were different and that Ava was still alive too.
TWENTY
Nikolai
As I exit Blakely’s room after getting her settled, I nearly run into Jonah. I look at him with surprise, wondering why he’s even lingering so closely to Blakely’s room. I’d made it a point to situate her in the guest room just down the hall from my own room. Jonah’s personal quarters are on the first floor, so he rarely comes up to the second level unless I call him to my office.
“We’ve got a problem,” Jonah says immediately. “Peter dropped by, and he could hear Blakely yelling from upstairs. It was hard to ignore,” he adds dryly.
Immediately, I begin mentally cursing. This is the last thing I need. There’s already been way too much happening today.
“I figured you’d want a word with him before he leaves, he’s in your office,” Jonah explains.
With a curt nod, I move around him and head for my office as I debate how to explain a woman’s presence on the estate. It’s not really any of Peter’s business, but I’ve always been careful not to ever have anything going on that would draw curiosity in the first place. It’s just shit luck Peter happened to drop by today.
I find Peter sitting in the chair across from my desk, patiently waiting. He isn’t wearing the sling Reed had outfitted him with, no surprise there. My men are stubborn, and so
am I.
I settle into the chair behind my desk and watch him with cool eyes, waiting. I’d like to hear what he has to say first.
Peter seems completely unaffected by my lukewarm welcoming. He’s always been very professional, which is probably why he and Jonah get on so well. It’s another reason I haven’t minded him dropping in once in a while to catch up with Jonah. The man keeps to himself and has never triggered any reason for me to be suspicious of him.
“I stopped by briefly to see Jonah,” he explains. “I’m assuming I’m in your office since I couldn’t help but overhear a woman upstairs,” he says tactfully, his expression impassive. If he’s curious over what he’d overheard, he’s taking care not to show it.
More than a little annoyed with how this evening is unfolding, I pick up my phone and text a message to his. She is of no concern.
Peter pulls out his phone even before it vibrates, notifying him of the incoming message. He scans the message, and his expression never changes. His eyes lift, and he nods respectfully.
I text, You are not to speak of her again. I send the message and sigh inwardly.
All I’m doing is building more curiosity, but I haven’t a clue how to explain Blakely’s presence, and coming up with an explanation spur of the moment is never a wise idea. Nor do I want Peter mentioning her to the others. One man’s curiosity I can handle, not the whole damn lot of them, though.
Peter nods. “Yes, sir.”
My fingers move across the phone’s screen one last time. My estate is no longer a meeting place between friends. Jonah will have to meet you at a different location. So will Reed when it comes to your checkup. I send the text and wait for him to read it.
Peter dropping by once in a while has never been an issue since I’ve never had anything to hide from my men. However, Blakely changes things. No one needs to know about her except Reed and Jonah. I don’t want my illegal affairs to touch her in any way.
Peter reads the text and nods, his expression very serious. “Yes, sir,” he says once more.
I motion to the door, signaling that the discussion is over.
He nods and then repockets his phone, leaving the office, and closing the door behind him.
Now that I’m alone, I recline back in my chair and frown.
I’ll have to find out from Reed if Peter has full mobility of his arm yet. I’d like to get him out on a contract as soon as he’s cleared so that he’ll forget about Blakely.
There’s a knock on the door, and I press the button that emits a sound signaling that Jonah can enter. I’m certain he’d been hovering just down the hall so that he could speak with me as soon as Peter left.
Jonah enters the office, and I nod at the chair across from my desk. He sits down and gets right to it. “I know you have things handled, but I don’t think it’s wise to have Blakely on the premises against her wishes. It’s quite a risk.”
Instead of responding, I take a moment to study him.
I’ve always allowed Jonah a little more leeway than the others, but that’s turning around to bite me in the ass. I don’t want his opinion, not on Blakely. Not to mention I’m very much aware that there’s a lot of animosity he holds towards her. She’d bested him twice now, and that’s a very sizable blow to a man like Jonah.
I’ll have to keep a close eye on him while Blakely is here. I can’t imagine Jonah risking my wrath by hurting someone that I am personally protecting, but nothing is ever one hundred percent certain.
I reach for my phone and send him a text. She is no longer here against her wishes. We have come to an agreement, and that is all you need to know.
Jonah already has his phone out, and he scans the text. His expression remains stoic as he glances at me and nods.
My fingers move over the phone’s keyboard. Have the police released the apartment yet?
Jonah glances at his phone and shakes his head. “They still have it blocked off, but I would guess they’ll release the scene tomorrow.”
I nod. Blakely might feel a little better when she has her own belongings.
I send him another text requesting that he buy more pain reliever for Blakely.
Reed told me she wouldn’t have enough to get her through more than a few days. It’s over-the-counter pain reliever, but Reed had told me that if she complains about being in a lot of pain even with the suggested pain medication, he’d drop by and give her a little something more potent. He doesn’t want her to get hooked on the strong stuff, so if the over-the-counter meds are enough, he’d prefer her to stick with those.
Jonah nods, and when I signal that our conversation is over, he leaves the office, closing the door behind him.
Now that I am alone, my thoughts shift to Blakely’s request.
She wants to hear me speak.
I’m more than a little uncomfortable about it, but if it prevents her from hurting herself or fighting me, I suppose it’s worth it.
I just don’t have to like it.
TWENTY-ONE
Blakely
Later that evening, Nikolai drops by with a tray. Very carefully, I prop myself up against the pillows and see that there’s a bowl of yogurt, a glass of water, and three pain reliever pills on the tray.
I am quite unsettled over how similar this moment is compared to last year. Instead of allowing the similarities to bother me, I wrinkle my nose over the yogurt.
I am so damn hungry for real food.
In the hospital, they’d only given me a liquid diet because of my healing intestine. Unfortunately, my recovery demands liquids or soft foods that are easily digestible.
Nikolai, noting my expression, looks at me questioningly.
“Yogurt isn’t high up on my list of foods that I enjoy,” I explain.
He pulls out his phone, and a second one. I had wondered where my new one had gone. He sets it on the tray and types on his own phone.
The new phone vibrates, and I pick it up, turning on the screen. Nikolai had agreed to hold up his end of the bargain, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to insist he speak to me every time he has something to say. I could see how difficult it was for him earlier, so I plan to be careful not to press too much. Hopefully he’ll speak to me on his own here or there without my prodding.
I read the text he’d sent. Would you prefer pudding? Or Jell-O? I glance up at him. “It’s only for a few days, I’ll survive. My craving for a burger and fries will just have to wait,” I say with a disappointed sigh.
I reach for the pills, popping them into my mouth before picking up the water and swallowing them down. “Thank you for the yogurt,” I say politely, reaching for the spoon. I’m so hungry that the yogurt shouldn’t taste all that bad.
Nikolai sits down in the chair by the bed and turns his attention to his phone.
As I wait for his incoming text, I swallow a spoonful of yogurt and decide it’s not as awful as I’d thought it’d be. My phone vibrates, and I set the spoon down and look at the screen. How are you feeling?
I’m still annoyed that he’d taken away my ability to choose where I wanted to stay. I glance at him with cool eyes. “Physically or about the situation?”
He hesitates and then says, “B-b-both.”
I’m pleased he’s keeping his promise. “Truthfully, I don’t like your home. It’s hard for me to relax,” I confess.
His brows knit as he types on his phone, sending me another text. Can I do anything to change that?
I shake my head, my eyes lifting to his. “As soon as I am able, I am going to leave,” I say firmly. I don’t want there to be any confusion over how long I’ll be here.
His lips press into a thin line, and his eyes return to his phone while his fingers fly across the screen. You need to heal, his text reads when it pops up on my screen.
I give him a look, not willing to allow him to make any further decisions for me. “I should be fully capable of taking care of myself by next week.”
He looks further aggravated, and he sends, Five days
isn’t enough time to recover.
I squarely meet his gaze. “You heard the nurse. I can start moving around in a few days as long as it’s nothing strenuous. By Tuesday, I should be able to stay at the hotel and resume at least one of my jobs.”
At least, I hope.
Nikolai looks like he’s chewing glass as his jaw flexes. Then, the tension builds on his face as he forces out, “T-t-too s-s-soon.”
“I am leaving when I’m ready, Nik,” I say steadily. Then, I pick the spoon up and resume eating the yogurt, hoping he’ll drop the topic.
My phone vibrates, and I use my free hand to glance at his text. You’re forgetting that whoever attacked you and killed Ava is still out there.
Emotion overcomes me at the sight of Ava’s name, and I take a deep breath and slowly exhale as I set the spoon down. I look over at him. “I’m not forgetting anything. He killed Ava first,” I say thickly. “She was likely the target, not me.”
Nikolai’s lips tighten as he responds on his phone. His reply appears a second later. But you were there, and that makes you a witness and a loose end.
I refuse to live my life in fear, and I can’t imagine the killer coming back for me. It’d be too risky since the police are now involved. “I’m going to move on with my life. But I’ll be careful,” I add.
Now Nikolai looks exasperated as he turns his attention back to his phone. Are you sure Ava never mentioned any other names? Did she say anything about her coworkers?
I stare at his questions as my heart sinks.
I’m so tired of questions, and reliving the attack or conversations with Ava is so incredibly draining. “I’d rather talk about you,” I say, switching the topic as I pick up the spoon and swallow another spoonful of yogurt.