by Ruff, K. S.
Konstantin’s soft brown eyes shifted to me. “Most of those men were from the Simferopol mafia. Maxim, Lev, and I work more at the national level. We coordinate with the local mafia whenever we are in their territory. So, now that we are in Sevastopol, we need to coordinate with the mafia that manages this territory.”
I shot him a curious look. “So there are multiple levels of authority?”
Konstantin nodded. “Exactly. We alert them to our presence as a professional courtesy, and they provide assistance while we are in their territory.”
Shae and I exchanged glances. “Their organizational structure is quite fascinating when you think about it,” Shae remarked.
I nodded. “It sounds complicated, and I bet we don’t even know the half of it.”
Konstantin reviewed some text messages on his phone while the rest of us got checked into our rooms. I wondered whether he’d end up bunking with Shae and me or if he’d be staying someplace else. I made a mental note to ask Shae. If she wanted to sleep with him, I could get my own room. I’d be sharing a room with Rafael soon, anyway.
Konstantin followed us upstairs. We dumped the luggage in our rooms before gathering in the center of the hallway.
“Kri, Konstantin, and I are going out to the Chersonesus ruins. I think Kri needs a diversion and some fresh air. Do you guys want to join us?” Shae asked Sammi and Cory.
Sammi shook her head. “No. I’m beat.”
“I’d really like to get unpacked, and I’d prefer to stay here with Sammi,” Cory responded as he wrapped his arm around Sammi.
I glanced at Ethan and Brady. “Are you guys up for this?”
“Sure. I’d like to see the ruins,” Brady replied.
Ethan pushed off from the wall. “I think we should both go, especially since the rest of Maxim’s security team isn’t here yet.” Ethan looked at Konstantin as he nodded toward Sammi and Cory. “Can they send someone here to watch over these two and send a couple of men to meet up with us at the ruins?”
Konstantin immediately began texting on his phone. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure the guys are anxious to meet Kristine given all the press surrounding her and Maxim.”
I glanced at Cory. “Would you like us to wait until they get here?”
Cory waved his hand dismissively. “We’ll be fine. Go. Enjoy the ruins.”
Shae linked her arm in mine. “Let’s go then!” We followed Konstantin back downstairs.
“I’ll drive,” Ethan offered as we walked out of the hotel. Ethan and Brady slid into the front seats. Shae, Konstantin, and I climbed into the back.
Konstantin gave Ethan directions before answering a phone call. Ethan backed out of the parking place and turned onto the road. We had only been driving for ten or fifteen minutes when Konstantin pointed out the window. “That’s the Saint Vladimir Cathedral. Let’s start there.”
Ethan pulled into a gravel parking lot. There were only three other cars parked in the lot. “I was expecting more tourists,” I confessed as we climbed out of the car.
Konstantin shrugged. “These ruins have never really drawn a lot of tourists.” He reached for Shae’s hand as we began walking toward the cathedral.
The five of us stepped inside the cathedral. The inside of the building boasted a soft blue tile, an enormous amount of gold embellishments, and a number of beautiful murals. Everything was gleaming. “It’s breathtaking,” I whispered. Shae and I snapped a couple of pictures with our cell phones while everyone quietly walked around.
Ethan and Shae lit candles near the front of the cathedral before we went outside to explore the ruins. The few columns that remained standing looked like they belonged in ancient Greece. I snapped a number of pictures of the tall white columns, which stood holding nothing.
As I wound through the columns, I stumbled across a partial wall that held a doorway with no door. The doorway had me intrigued. I wondered who had walked through that door, what type of building it had led to, and what kinds of things might have transpired inside. I snapped a number of pictures of the open doorway.
Shae joined me. “That doorway makes for a very compelling picture.”
I nodded, then looked around. “Where’s Konstantin?”
She smiled as she tried to gather her wind whipped hair into a scrunchy. “I asked him to grab us some bottled water from the car. I thought we could use some time alone, so we can talk about what’s going on between you and Maxim.” She nodded toward my hand. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the ring.”
I sighed. “I’m so confused right now, it’s not even funny. I cried when we said goodbye last night. I’m crazy in love with Rafael, and I cried when I said goodbye to Maxim. What the hell’s wrong with me?”
Shae sat on one of the columns that lay strewn haphazardly across the ground. “I don’t know, Kri. Maxim seems like a really nice guy. Kadyn’s a nice guy, Rafael’s a nice guy… all three of them are genuinely good guys, but I think you find it difficult to resist men who are nice to you. Your ex-husband beat you for nine years, Kri… not just physically but emotionally. You aren’t used to men being nice to you. Then Kadyn, Rafael, and Maxim come along and you have no clue what to do with them. You can’t choose between them because you’re in shock. You can’t believe any man would actually be nice to you.”
I sat next to her on the column. I thought about what she said as I watched a small brown bird hop across the rocks. One wing hung brokenly at his side. I wondered how long he’d survive being broken in Ukraine. I tore my eyes from the wounded bird as I responded to Shae. “I’m in shock because they’re nice to me? So, really, I’m not in love with any of them… I’m just drawn to them because they’re being nice?”
Shae sighed. “I think you may be mistaking kindness for love.”
I ran my fingers through my windblown hair. “I don’t understand. Those aren’t mutually exclusive things.”
Shae shook her head. “They aren’t mutually exclusive things, but when you’re in love with someone, that relationship extends far beyond kindness. You value that relationship above everything else. You’d sacrifice anything for that relationship. You can’t even bear the thought of losing that person, because you love him so much.”
My heart sank as tears filled my eyes. “That’s how I felt about Michael.”
Shae wrapped her arm around me. “I know.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “But I can’t be with Michael. I begged, Shae. I fell to my knees and begged, and he still sent me away. I can’t still love him. I just can’t.”
She rubbed my back, then gently patted me on the leg. “Then you need to find a way to move past that relationship. You can’t really give your heart to Rafael or to anyone else when Michael still holds so much of it.”
I stared at her, completely stunned. “Maxim said the same exact thing.”
Shae studied me. “Konstantin told me that Maxim is crazy about you. He’s never seen him like this with any other woman. He really likes you, Kri. Is he still pushing for you to move here?”
I sighed. “Yes. He asked me to move here again last night, as did the prime minister. He personally offered me a job in the foreign ministry. So now I have two job offers I’m supposed to consider.”
Shae chuckled softly. “Maybe the two of us can move to Ukraine together. I know it sounds crazy, given his connections to the mafia, but I really like Konstantin.” Shae grew quiet as she fidgeted with her phone. “He wants me to accept the teaching position at the university and move to Ukraine.”
My eyes widened. “You’d move here? Wouldn’t you be scared to live here with all the government corruption? Aren’t you worried about being associated with the Russian mafia?”
Shae shook her head. “I can’t reconcile the mafia’s image against what I’ve observed and experienced firsthand. No one here seems to mind their presence. In fact, they seem to rely on the mafia for a lot of things.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Ethan and Brady, who were studying
a bell that was suspended between two large stone columns. Four men were approaching them. Their long black coats whipped in the wind. “I think our new security team just arrived.”
Shae glanced over at Ethan and Brady as we both stood.
I wandered toward the edge of the cliff, inexplicably drawn by the sound of angry waves. Storm clouds formed an ominous barrier against the sun, making the sea look nearly black. “This is the Black Sea, isn’t it?”
Shae joined me at the edge of the cliff. She took a step back when she saw the jagged rocks below. “Yes. That’s what Konstantin said.”
I nudged her arm as I pointed toward a cluster of gray ships. “I wonder if that’s the Russian naval fleet… the one Maxim and Foreign Minister Kozhara are negotiating on today!”
Shae followed my gaze. “Those are Russian ships. Look at the writing on the side.” She pulled out her cell phone and snapped a couple of pictures.
“Ostanovit'!”
Shae and I both spun around.
Two men in long black coats walked briskly toward us. “Ostanovit'!” one of the men yelled as he pointed at us.
I glanced nervously at Shae. “I don’t think that’s Maxim’s security team.”
Shae couldn’t take her eyes off of them. “Ostanovit' means stop, but what do they want us to stop? What were we doing wrong?”
I pulled my eyes away from the two men so I could find Ethan and Brady. My pulse quickened. “Shae, where are Ethan and Brady?”
Shae nearly sobbed. “I don’t know. I don’t see Konstantin either.”
I bit back my own tears. “This cannot be good.”
The two men looked furious by the time they reached us. One of the men spoke rapidly in Russian as he thrust his hand toward Shae.
She fidgeted nervously as she glanced at me. “God, Kri. What do you think he wants?”
I stared wide eyed at the man. “I think he wants your phone.”
Shae slowly handed him the phone. “This?” she asked.
The guy snatched the phone out of her hand. He immediately began messing with the phone. He held up the picture of the naval ships as he began yelling at Shae.
Two other men approached us as the second man demanded my phone. All four of them were dressed in the same long black coats. I handed the man my phone. That’s when it hit me. Without our phones, we had no way to call for help.
Shae’s eyes raked over the ruins. “Where the hell is Konstantin?” she asked through gritted teeth.
I shifted nervously in front of the man who held my phone. He was sifting through my photographs even though I hadn’t taken any pictures of the ships. The man who held Shae’s phone was speaking rapidly to the two new guys. I cleared my throat. “Vy govorite po-angliyski?”
They ignored me. The man with my phone got visibly upset. He grabbed the other three men. They walked a short distance away from us as they studied a picture on my phone.
Adrenaline surged through me as I began to panic. I grabbed Shae’s arm. “We have to run, now!”
Shae’s mouth fell open. “But they have our phones! Besides, where would we go? I don’t have the keys to the car, do you?”
I looked around frantically. “Where are the other tourists? Where are Konstantin, Brady, and Ethan? Everyone just disappeared.”
Shae grabbed my shoulders. She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Calm down. We can do this. We’ll just answer whatever questions they have. They’ll see we have nothing to hide, and they’ll let us go.”
I shook my head. “Something’s not right about this. Our security detail is missing, Shae. Something is bad wrong.”
“Just stay cool,” she breathed. “If we run, they’ll assume we’re guilty of something.”
The four men turned to stare at us. One of the men hung back to make a call on his cell phone while the other three stalked toward us.
“Vy govorite po-angliyski?” I repeated. “Do any of you speak English?”
One of the men nodded. “Yes. I speak English.” His accent was thick, almost sluggish, and nothing like Maxim’s.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Can you please explain what’s wrong? Why did you take our phones? We don’t understand what we did wrong.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “It is illegal to take picture of Russian naval fleet.”
Shae and I exchanged glances. She shook her head. “I had no idea that it was illegal to take pictures of the ships. You can delete the pictures. You can keep my phone if you want.”
All four men were now glaring at me.
I shook my head. “I didn’t take any pictures.” I waved toward my phone. “You can see for yourself. I didn’t take any pictures of the ships.”
The man holding my phone shoved it in my face. “Do you work for the American government? Are you military?”
I looked at the picture on the phone. It was the picture of me with Kadyn and the rest of my Air Force friends at Mason’s pinning on ceremony. I shook my head. “No. Those are my friends… moi druz'ya. I do not work for the government or the military.”
The four men immediately began conferring again. They appeared to be arguing about something. Two of the men suddenly grabbed Shae and me by the arm.
I jerked my arm out of his hand. “Don’t touch me! I have no idea who you are. You haven’t identified yourself. You haven’t shown us any kind of badge. You take our phones, start yelling at us, then grab us? I want to know who you are. I want to see some ID!”
The man pulled a black handgun from inside his coat. He shoved the gun against my forehead. “This is my ID.”
I put my hands up as I took a couple of steps back. I glanced nervously at the cliff behind me. “This is all just a big misunderstanding. If you want the phones, take the phones. We won’t take any more pictures. We’re not here to cause any trouble. We’re teachers… uchitelya. We’re working at the National Technical University.”
One of the other men took a step toward me. “How long have you been teaching at the university?”
I shook my head. “We’re supposed to begin on Monday. We just arrived from Simferopol. We were teaching at the Taurida National Vernadsky University. Ask Dean Bykov. He’ll explain who we are.”
Shae tried to pull away from the guy who held her by the arm. She looked around frantically. “Konstantin!” she screamed as a single tear stole down her face.
The man standing in front of me slapped her across the face. Hard.
I shoved him in the chest. “Don’t you dare hit her!” I tugged at the other man’s arm. “Get your hands off of her!”
Someone grabbed me by both arms. He yanked them forcefully behind my back. I bent my knees and threw myself back as hard as I could. He pulled me with him as he fell backwards. I scrambled out of his grasp as his head hit the ground. I glanced over my shoulder at Shae. “Kick him in the knee and run!”
Stars bit at my eyes as I was yanked by my hair. I kicked my foot back against his shin as the man reached for my arm. “Let me go!”
“You are under arrest,” he spit into my ear.
My heart slammed into my chest. “Under arrest? For what?”
“For spying on the Russian government.”
I bit back a sob. “This is a terrible misunderstanding.”
The man pinned me in place while another man snapped handcuffs onto my wrists. I glanced at Shae, who was now sobbing. She, too, was in handcuffs.
The four men held us by our arms as they forced us to walk through the ruins.
I stumbled, then fell to my knees when I saw Ethan and Brady lying on the ground just on the other side of the bell. Their legs were twisted at odd angles, and they weren’t moving. I started vomiting.
“Oh my God. They’re dead,” Shae rasped. She began sobbing even harder.
I cried out as someone lifted me by the hair. I was shoved forward as the men forced us to continue walking. I saw Konstantin the second we hit the parking lot. He was sprawled face down next to the car. A small pool of blood saturate
d the ground near his head.
A horrifying sound escaped Shae’s chest. She fought to break away as she lunged toward Konstantin. Her screams echoed off the side of the cathedral. She went limp when the men wouldn’t release her, then burst into tears.
I stared at Shae, numbly at first. My blood boiled, then scalded my veins. The skin tore from my knuckles as I worked the handcuff off of my right hand. The sky darkened, as did the ground. My muscles coiled as I breathed in every vile word… every bit of pain… and every violent act that I had ever endured. Anger, hate, and vengeance beckoned me like old friends. In a storm of fury and fear, I turned toward the man who held me and raged.
Chapter 9 – Dark horse
Rafael stood glowering at Michael. “I’m not discussing this here.”
Michael huffed out a breath irritably. “Why? What could you possibly have against my office?”
Rafael’s eyes hardened. “Every time I walk into this room, I see Kristine on her knees sobbing, begging you to let her stay. Right there, Michael… in the exact spot where you are now standing!”
Michael looked down at the floor. His jaw clenched as his gaze returned to Rafael. He stalked toward the door. “Fine.”
Rafael followed Michael to the terrace overlooking the gardens. He groaned when he saw the fountain where Kristine had nearly died… the same fountain that now memorialized the child she and Michael had lost. He turned his back against the fountain so he wouldn’t have to look at it.
Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “Why are you here?”
Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “I’m here because I’m in love with Kristine. Since you are my brother and the two of you were previously engaged, I felt I should tell you this in person. Michael, I intend to marry her.”
Michael’s eyes filled with rage. “You couldn’t keep your hands off of her. You couldn’t respect the fact that she belongs to me.”
Rafael’s fists clenched. “She doesn’t belong to you, Michael. She’s not some acquisition… some piece of property that you own.”
Michael growled. “You know what I mean.” He unfurled his arms and stalked across the terrace. He stopped and stared at the sculpture he had installed in the fountain when Kristine lost the baby.