by Ivy Clyde
“You’ve been exposed. There are people out there waiting to get their hands on you.”
“But why? What did I do?”
“We will discuss that another time. I need to head out now but Christian will take care of everything.”
My glance slid to the handsome young man beside him. His green eyes glinted as the corner of his lip rose in a devilish grin.
Perhaps, Nikolai could sense my discomfort because he said, “You are safe here. No one can get to you here. No one will hurt you.” He looked pointedly at his nephew before rising to his feet. Glancing back at me, he added, “You should stay out of trouble too. This is not a place to act impulsively. People here act before asking questions.”
He strode out of the room leaving me with Christian.
“Follow me,” he said, beckoning me with a finger. “I will show you to your room.” When I didn’t make a move, he said, “I could always ask people to tie you up and physically carry you there. Your choice.”
“Didn’t your uncle just say I won’t be hurt?”
“Yeah. As long as you do what you’re told.” His green eyes met mine. “I am simply asking you to follow me. It’s not so hard, is it?”
“Fine,” I bit out.
He grinned, walking forward to open the door. I followed after him, feeling my heartbeat return to normal now that there was no immediate threat to my life.
We walked through several corridors. At every turn, I came across big, bulky men in bulletproof vests, carrying guns. Their eyes followed our movement but they didn’t make a move to hurt us. Almost unconsciously, I moved closer to Christian.
“They won’t hurt you as long as you’re with me or one of our people,” said Christian suddenly catching hold of my hand and giving it a squeeze. Despite myself, I found the gesture strangely comforting. Now that the threat of my immediate death was gone, I became aware of the fiery sparks shooting through me at his touch.
It took a long time to reach the room. By then, I’d effectively forgotten the way to the lavish office completely.
“Come on,” said Christian, opening a door and walking inside.
I followed after him, wondering what I’d find inside. To my surprise, the room was amazingly light and airy with big windows. Sunlight came in, illuminating the cozy space. It wasn’t as vast as the office but my entire apartment would easily fit in here.
“I am going to stay here?” I asked, looking all around me. A large bed took up most of the floor space while beautifully carved mahogany furniture dotted the room.
A soft chuckle escaped Christian. “What did you expect? A prison cell in the dungeons?”
“Kind of,” I admitted.
“My uncle brought you here because he thinks you can work for him. Don’t disappoint him by doing something stupid.”
“What does he think I can do?”
He shook his head. “I can’t tell you everything right away. He wants you to relax and settle down before explaining your role.”
“I can’t relax until I know what’s going on. What does he want from me?”
“You’ll know soon enough.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out a phone that I recognized as mine. I lunged for it but he was too fast for me, springing back so I was left to claw at empty space. “I am keeping your phone with me until Uncle says you can have it back. Don’t worry. I will keep it safe and if your boyfriend calls, I’ll tell him you’re with me.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend but…” I bit my lip, thinking about my mother. She rarely called to talk anymore but what if she suddenly had the urge and couldn’t reach me? She would worry and…
“Yes?” Christian was looking at me expectantly.
“Nothing. You can keep it.” There was no way he could open it anyway. My phone was secure enough and I didn’t have to tell these people about my greatest weakness.
7
Skye
An entire night passed as I turned and tossed in the large, unfamiliar bed. Even though everything in the house was quiet, sleep eluded me. My mind warned me from relaxing. The vast mansion was filled with armed men. So far, I hadn’t seen a single female and that made me even warier.
As a gray dawn lit up the dark room, I realized that Nikolai Ivanov had kept his word. No one came to hurt me. Even Christian had stayed away after bringing me to the room. They’d fed me a generous dinner, consisting of soft bread rolls, soup, meat, and even pudding. Everything was delicious, making me stuff myself until my stomach hurt.
Climbing out of bed, I walked to one of the tall windows. Moving the curtains, I glanced down. The men who were patrolling last night had changed but were replaced by others, carrying the same kind of guns. The mansion was a fortress.
My gaze went to the hills surrounding the estate. The view was spectacular as the tips of a rising sun slowly poked its head from behind them. Climbing onto the sill, I sat there, watching a beautiful sunrise and ignored the armed men down below.
All night I thought of the ways I could help a man like Nikolai Ivanov. If he could order Sergei to drug me and bring me over to his place, he was definitely up the chains. After seeing the inside of his mansion and the number of people who guarded his lair, I could say he was at the very top of the mafia chain in this city.
But why me? The question haunted me. Yes, I’d figured out to hack into the schools of the area to steal test papers and fiddle with the grades and attendance sheets. Yes, I’d hacked into small business accounts to get information for Sergei. But all these were small jobs. I doubted a man like Nikolai Ivanov would want a kid like me to do that sort of thing for him. And even if he did, he would get someone much better and more experienced than me at his beck and call.
No, he wants me for something else, I decided, watching two sparrows hopping on the branch of a nearby tree. My stomach twisted into knots as my mind went to the two young men I’d saved. Had that been a mistake? Even though they were perfect strangers, I still cared for them and hoped they were all right.
“I am so going to die,” I moaned, hitting the side of my head against the window’s glass.
A soft knock sounded at the door followed by the voice of a woman. “Are you awake yet, Miss?”
I ran to open the door, eager to see another female in this fortified mansion. A middle-aged woman stood there in a neat black and white maid’s uniform. Her gaze took me in, her nose wrinkling at the sight of me like she’d just spotted dog shit in the middle of the road.
Without a word, she pushed past me and entered the room. Her gaze swept around the room before looking back at me. “You’d better not steal anything,” she said in a low, strict tone. Her mean words were heavily accented.
“What do you want?” I asked. “Does your master want to see me this early in the morning?” My brows rose on my forehead as I let a mocking grin take over my face. There was no need to attempt politeness with this lady who thought so low of me.
She closed her eyes like I’d just cursed out. “I came to see if you were awake. Your breakfast will be brought here very soon. After that, you will shower and dress like a lady before meeting Young Master.”
I scoffed. “These are the clothes I was kidnapped in. Your master will have to see me in them. He didn’t go blind when he saw me in them yesterday. I am sure he’ll live through it.”
She muttered something in Russian before stomping out of the room and closing the door hard. Whatever stick she’s carrying up her butt, I wondered, going back to my perch on the window sill.
The man who delivered my dinner last night came back with a large tray. Even though the dishes were covered, my nose immediately detected the delectable smell of cooked bacon. I might die in this place but some of my resent was diminishing because of all the food they were feeding me.
The irritated maid from earlier barged in after him, her arms full of shopping bags. She dumped them all on the unmade bed.
“Here are your clothes,” she said with a huff. “Dress appropriately.” With that, th
ey both left.
Ignoring the pile of shopping bags, I rushed to the coffee table in the corner where the breakfast tray had been left. One by one, I opened the covers, revealing the contents of the dishes. There was creamy porridge topped with fruit, thick slabs of buttered toasts, fried eggs, bacon, and sausages. My mouth watered at the sight of them all. It was regular breakfast food but I hadn’t had any in a long, long while.
“Happy birthday to me,” I squealed, getting started on the toast. My eyes closed as my mouth savored the crunchy, butter-oozing bread. Part of me felt disgusted with myself as I gorged on the food like a starving kid from a black-and-white version of an Oliver Twist movie.
I slumped onto the couch with a stomach full to bursting. Everything on the tray had been licked clean. Mom had been complaining about how thin I’d gotten. This meal was bound to rectify that. All that bacon and sausages had to be worth a ton of calories.
I’d almost dozed off after the meal but the sound of the door opening alerted me.
“Are you ready yet?” called a familiar voice.
Sitting up, I found Christian in the room. This morning, he was dressed in ripped jeans and a casual blue shirt but still ended up looking hot. I took the moment to study his handsome features while he took in the messy state of the room before glancing my way.
“You didn’t even shower,” he said, cocking an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged. “What do you want?”
“Uncle’s ready to see you now. Come on.”
A burp escaped me as I climbed off the couch. “Excuse me,” I muttered, covering my mouth.
“Whatever. Just hurry up.”
Pulling on my sneakers, I hurried after him. He led me through a labyrinth of corridors and hallways until we were back in the vast office space. Entering the room, my glance fell on the man Sergei had called a king. He sure looked like one, sitting in an armchair and watching us walk in. He wore a luxurious navy tux that fit him like a glove, accentuating his broad shoulders and chest.
Nikolai’s mesmerizing gaze was as expressionless as yesterday, giving nothing away. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen but those stone-cold eyes gave me the creeps. I preferred his nephew’s company who at least mocked and laughed when something amused him.
“You didn’t like the clothes you were offered?” asked Nikolai.
“Err…”
“She didn’t even take a look at them,” said Christian. “She was in a food coma until a while ago.”
I glared at him, feeling my cheeks burn.
“Sit down,” said Nikolai, gesturing toward a couch opposite to him. Christian walked away from me to take a seat beside his uncle. Once I sat down, Nikolai began. “From now onward, you’ll be a spy. You will get close to the two kids whose lives you saved and go through their things until you find a certain file. It could be on paper. It could be on a hard drive. But you will have to find it within the next ten months or so.”
“But why me? I am not even that good of a hacker. With the kind of money you have, I’m sure you can hire someone far more experienced than me.”
“It’s not talent that will get me what I need,” said Nikolai, his silver-gray eyes shining with intensity. “No. It’s your face that I need to use.”
“What?”
“You resemble the girl they both loved. There’s no one else in the world who can get under their shields and get me the information I need. Your likeness to her is so strong they’ve got their men searching for you right now. Even the poor dead girl’s grave has been dug out to run a DNA test to make sure it’s really her inside the coffin.”
Maria…the sound of that name echoed in my mind, sending a shiver down my spine. That’s what they’d all called me, including Nikolai.
“Let’s run a test to see whether they are related,” said Christian, glancing at his uncle. “Don’t tell me you’re not curious too.”
“I am,” said Nikolai, gazing at me. “We will run a test to see whether she is related to you.”
“My parents only had me,” I said at once. “No matter who I look like, it’s just a coincidence.”
“We’ll find out,” said Christian.
A minute passed. They didn’t speak, giving me the time to absorb everything they’d said.
“So…who are they?” I asked after a while. “They sound as powerful as you if they already have people searching for me.”
Nikolai nodded. “They are.” He motioned at Christian who moved forward and opened the laptop resting on the coffee table before us. His face was lit up by the glow of the screen as the computer warmed up. After a moment, he turned the laptop toward me.
I leaned closer to take a look at a photograph that took up the entire screen. My mouth parted slightly as I recognized the two young men I’d rescued. However, the thing that completely baffled me was the girl who stood between them with a soft smile on her face. She was me...well, could be me if I ever wore such fancy clothes or had that sort of content, all-is-right-with-the-world expression on my face.
Maria…my mind whispered the name.
Tearing my gaze from the laptop, I glanced between Christian and Nikolai.
“Do you understand why we want you working for us?” asked Christian, sitting back on the couch. “You have the same face as that girl.”
“But how?” I squinted back at the screen. Even her eye color was the same as mine, a shade of turquoise blue.
“That’s why I want to run a DNA test on you. The samples from Maria’s body should still be available at the lab. We’ll know whether you’re related or not.”
I shook my head. “We can’t be. My parents were never so poor that they would give up a baby.”
“We’ll found out,” said Nikolai.
I glanced up at him. “You want me to spy on these guys for you? Steal some file for you? But how? I know nothing about them. Even if I pretend to be their dead girlfriend, they’ll know it’s not her.”
“You don’t have to pretend to be her,” said Nikolai. “Just use the advantage that you look like her. They will be naturally drawn to you unlike any other woman. Get close to them, find out what they’re up to and report to Christian.”
He was making it all sound so easy. While my summer was free and I had been planning to work all through it, I doubted two months would be enough time to even get near these guys.
I shook my head. “School will start in September. That’s approximately two months from now. How will I ever get near them in time? Will their security even allow me to approach them?”
“You don’t have to worry about approaching them,” said Nikolai. “Once they see you, they’ll come to you. In fact, their men are already searching for you.”
“So, I should let them catch me and take me to them?”
Christian groaned. “It’s going to take a long time to explain everything to her.”
“Be patient. She has to understand what she’s up against. She can’t fail this mission.”
Mission? Spying? Stealing some file for the mafia king? When did my life turn into a secret agent movie?
“Just look at her spacing out,” said Christian with a sudden sneer. “She looks like an idiot. She might look like Maria but that’s where all resemblance ends. Andrei and Dimitri will never fall for someone like her.”
A surprisingly long sigh escaped Nikolai as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. “Love doesn’t really work that way,” he said in a soft whisper. For a moment, the mask of indifference was lifted off him. He sounded like he was thinking of someone. The image of a beautiful woman with emerald-green eyes rose up in my mind. She’d been there by his side on the night of the mayor’s charity event. He’d called her Paris. Was he thinking of her now?
A sudden sharp pain flared up on my forehead. “Ow!” I howled, glaring at the young man leaning down beside me. He’d flicked me so hard even rubbing the spot wasn’t decreasing the sting. “What did you do that for?”
“Stop spacing ou
t,” he said, his voice suddenly as cold as his uncle’s.
I looked back at Nikolai, deciding to ask the most pressing question. “How did Maria die?”
Christian’s glance flickered toward Nikolai before he sat down on the couch beside me.
“Maria was killed by their enemies after she became a pawn in a deadly game.” Nikolai leaned forward, fixing me with his piercing eyes. “You have to be very careful when you’re around them. Stay alert at all times. You can never lower your guard. It’s paramount to your survival.”
I swallowed, my throat feeling dry.
“That’s the reason you’ve been brought to live here,” continued Nikolai. “The enemy is among us. If they got to you first, you’d be used in worse ways. I have also made arrangements to secure your mother. She’s been transferred here.”
“What?” I shouted, jumping to my feet. All nervousness fled from my system as rage flowed through me, hot and burning. “She can’t be taken out of the care center. She needs to be there.”
“I will provide her with better care,” said Nikolai in a calm, stable voice, not at all perturbed by my outburst. “She will have a nursing staff with her at all times. You can stay with her until you go off to Knightswood Academy at the end of summer.”
“Go where?” I asked still trying to process that Mom was somewhere in this huge mansion.
Another painful flick hit me in the side of my head.
“Stop that!” I cried, whirling around to glare at Christian. “That hurt!”
“Pay attention,” he replied.
“Why do I have to go to Knightswood Academy?” I asked, looking back at Nikolai and massaging the side of my head.
“Andrei and Dimitri will be in their senior years.”
“Ahh, you want me to go there as a janitor or something and keep an eye on them?”
“No, Skye. You are going there as a student.”
I gaped at him. If he didn’t intimidate me so much, I would have openly laughed in his face.
“No way,” I said, shaking my head. “They’ll never allow me in that school.”