by Ivy Clyde
“Yes but I have my ways,” said Nikolai. “You will go there as my ward. The story you’ll tell is that you saved my life and I decided to gift you with a bright future by enrolling you into Knightswood Academy. Being connected to me will sufficiently keep you safe from most students.”
I sank into the couch, covering my face with my hands. This mission was getting more and more complicated. After a while, I peeked at Nikolai from between my fingers. “So, I am going to the same classes as Andrei and Dimitri? That’s how I get close to them?”
While Nikolai gave a nod, Christian scoffed. “You will probably in the same Math and English classes as them. I doubt you have the qualifications to be in the same Economics and Finance classes as Dimitri.”
“That will be enough to get them close,” said Nikolai. Getting to his feet, he straightened his immaculate jacket. “Think about everything I’ve told you. If you have questions, ask me another time.” He turned away and walked out of the room.
“He didn’t even tell who Andrei and Dimitri really are,” I said, gesturing toward the photograph that was still on the laptop’s screen.
Moving forward, Christian picked up the laptop on his lap. “This is Andrei Romanoff,” he said, pointing at the guy with dark blond curls. He was the one I’d found in the mayor’s mansion with a slashed wrist. I looked at him closely, feeling something deep stir inside me. He looked so happy in the photograph, his brown eyes shining with warmth as he wrapped an arm around Maria.
“The other guy is Dimitri Volkov,” said Christian, pointing to the dark-haired young man who had his arm around Maria’s waist, keeping her close to him. He was utterly beautiful, a man with the face of an angel.
My gaze went to Maria who stood between them. A sliver of jealousy shot through me, shaking me to the core.
They were all strangers to me, Andrei and Dimitri. My meeting with them had been so fleeting but they left me feeling something deep inside. It had been ages since I was affected by anyone or anything. I’d killed all desire and longing for the normal things in life.
Yet, the desire to get close to them was making me strangely excited even though I was scared, certain Nikolai was sending me to my grave. The mission he talked about was dangerous. There was a hundred percent chance the same people who killed Maria would come after me too.
“What are you thinking about?” asked Christian.
“I can’t do this,” I said with a shake of my head. “It’s too dangerous and I might die. What will happen to my mom if I died?”
He exhaled a long breath. “Uncle and I hoped it wouldn’t come to this but if you refuse to take up the mission, we’ll get you arrested. There’s plenty of evidence of you working with Sergei that will put you in jail. Hacking, stealing credit card info and other charges will get you sentenced for at least half a decade. You’re eighteen already, so it wouldn’t even be juvie but proper prison.”
“No.”
“You made your bed when you decided to work for someone like Sergei. How did you think you’d end up?”
I stared at him, knowing what he said was the truth. Tears stung my eyes. I always knew it would be impossible to get out of Sergei’s webs but I hadn’t really given it much thought. I’d been desperate for the money.
“If you successfully get the file Uncle talked about, he’ll free you. After you graduate from Knightswood Academy, you can go to college or do whatever you like. He’ll help you. As for your mother, you will see she is being taken care of better than before. While you do your job, she will be safe here.”
Closing the laptop, he placed it back on the table. “Come on. I’ll take you back to your room. After you’ve calmed down, I will take you to see your mother.”
I got up and followed him, my mind completely overwhelmed with all the things I was supposed to accomplish.
8
Skye
My mind churned with thoughts after Christian left me in my room but the thing that made me most impatient was the idea of seeing Mom. Could she really be somewhere in this vast mansion? It felt unreal to even think of her being here with all the armed guards patrolling every corner of the place.
With nothing much to do, I went over to the stack of shopping bags heaped in a corner of the room. While I had been away with Christian and Nikolai, someone came in to clean up the bed and remove the breakfast tray.
“Working for the Ivanovs certainly has its perks,” I muttered, going toward the corner where the bags lay. One by one, I checked them, looking through the items they’d bought me. Everything was fancy. Most of the clothes were dresses and skirts, similar to the kind of classy style Maria had worn in the photograph they showed me.
It had been ages since I last wore dresses. The thought of wearing anything but my baggy jeans and overlarge hoodies made me nervous. These dresses were too revealing. Not that I was a prude but revealing my body meant revealing my femininity. Over the years, I’d become too used to hiding that part of me.
Soon, I came across a bag with sleepwear. They were all camisoles and short slips made of the softest silks and satins. My cheeks heated up as I picked a pale lavender slip that could be mistaken for lingerie.
My hand went up to itch the side of my neck. “Ow!” I gasped, feeling my nails scrape over a particularly sore spot. Getting to my feet, I ran inside the bathroom.
A large, spotless mirror hung on the wall over the sink. Under the bright lights of the bathroom, I leaned across the sink and took a closer look at the place where it had hurt. A bright red spot marked the pale skin of my neck.
Memories of my first meeting with Christian rose up in my mind. He’d forced me on the ground, keeping my body covered with his while he sank his teeth into my neck. My hand rose to touch the spot. My cheeks turned bright pink as heat throbbed in my veins. Back when it happened, I’d been so scared but now, the memory was making my body warm up with desire.
“What am I thinking?” I moaned, clutching at my hair.
Turning on the tap, I splashed my face with cold water to cool my cheeks but it did nothing. My body still hummed with heat and desire, wanting to get close to Christian.
Ugh! I need a shower, I decided, starting to take off my clothes. It was the only way to wash away the memories of his touch on me.
Fully naked, I walked into the shower stall made of glass walls. Even the size of it was bigger than my apartment’s bathroom. It took a while to figure out the knobs set against the wall but a minute later, I had jets of hot, steamy water falling on me from four showerheads. Using a generous amount of the citrus-scented shampoo and body wash, I spent a long time scrubbing off my body. It was summer after all, and I had gone without a wash for two days now.
After the shower, I took one of the fluffy white towels and wrapped the length of my jet-black hair in it. I used another to wrap around my body before walking out of the bathroom.
“Much better than before,” said a voice just as I stepped inside the room.
A shriek escaped me as my hands clutched onto the knot of the towel.
Christian grinned, his dark green eyes raking me from head to foot.
“What are you doing?” I shouted. “Get out!”
Instead of obeying, he slowly walked toward me, keeping that infuriating grin on his face.
I stepped back but his arm came to wrap around my waist, bringing me against him. My cheeks heated up at once as my heart began throbbing against my ribs. I gazed up at him, taking in the shape of his luscious lips, the way his silver-blond hair fell into his striking green eyes.
He leaned closer, his nose sniffing the side of my neck. This close to him, I became aware of the droplets of water rolling down my shoulder.
“You smell so good right now,” he whispered, his lips moving against the sensitive skin of my neck. “But I like how my mark’s still on you.”
My hand rose to touch the spot where he’d left the red bite mark.
“Why are you here?” I asked, suppressing the embarrassing reactions
he was forcing out of me.
“Have you forgotten already? You wanted to see your mother.”
“Let go of me,” I said, pushing at his chest with a hand while the other firmly clutched onto the towel’s knot. It was the only thing keeping that pitiful piece of fabric from unraveling my nakedness. “Please,” I bit out through clenched teeth.
He stepped back, keeping his keen gaze on me. “You’re going to have to warm up a lot if you want to get close to Andrei and Dimitri. No one likes a frigid…girl.”
“I still don’t know if I can do the job,” I said, going toward the bag of clothes. “What if the person who killed their friend kills me before I can even start at Knightswood Academy?”
“You’ll be safe at the academy. Until then, you’ll be protected here.”
I rummaged through the dresses, picking a navy frock with a longer skirt. “I don’t know. It’s one thing to hack into someone’s stuff but quite another to get close to them to do it.” Straightening up, I hurried inside the bathroom before he could stop me.
Removing the towel, I donned the dress, marveling at the way it fit me even though my mind was still wondering if I could evade the job Nikolai Ivanov gave me. I removed the towel covering my hair and picked up the hairdryer hanging from a holder nearby. It would give me some more time to think while my hair was drying.
Christian didn’t knock on the door even though I was taking longer than necessary, giving my hair gentle waves using a round roller brush. There was no makeup in the cabinets over the sink. Thank goddess for that, I thought, walking out of the bathroom. I would fail in their expectations if they thought I was going to doll myself up.
“You took your time,” said Christian as soon as I stepped back into the room.
“Take me to my mom,” I said. I had to make sure she was all right before giving the job another thought. I chose to pull on my sneakers instead of one of the high-heeled stilettos they’d bought me.
He opened the door and walked out, leaving me to follow him. This time, he led me down a staircase until we reached the ground floor of the mansion. Part of a garden was visible through a door that was left ajar.
“This way,” he said, walking through the door, leaving me to rush after him.
A single storied house was visible in the distance. Nestled among trees and flowering bushes, it looked beautiful and cozy, like a cottage out of a fairytale.
“Is my mom in there?” I asked, catching up with Christian.
“Yes.” He slowed down his pace and gazed down at me. “The doctor said she doesn’t have a lot of time to live. Did you already know about that?”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling my chest tighten in a familiar way.
“It must be hard.” He looked away from me. There was no mockery in his expression.
Soon, we entered the house and the first thing I noticed was Dr. Steven Morse, the most noted specialist in treating lymphoma. We’d wanted a consultation from him back when we first discovered Mom’s sickness but he’d been booked for months with sky-high visiting fees. It was unbelievable how he was present here, talking to a couple of nurses like he wasn’t an expert in his field but just a newbie doctor.
“He will be your mother’s doctor from now on,” said Christian, gesturing towards Dr. Morse. “We made sure to get the best person available to treat her.” Without bothering to introduce him to me, he walked further inside the house and led me down a corridor until we reached a closed door. “Your mother’s in there.”
He opened the door, giving me a glimpse of the spacious and neat white-walled room.
“Mom,” I cried, running past him.
She sat on a large bed, her head bent over something she was reading on a Kindle e-reader.
“Skye.” She smiled at me, looking better than she’d looked in a while. “What a surprise!” She opened up her arms to me.
Reaching the bed, I hugged her.
“Let me take a look at you,” she said, putting pressure on my arm so I would let go of her. “You look so beautiful, sweetheart,” she said. There was a light in her eyes that had been missing for years. Peering around me, she smiled at Christian. “Thank you for putting my girl in a dress. It’s been so long since she’s looked so dressed up.”
“Not a problem,” said Christian, suddenly looking like a gentleman instead of the rogue I’d come to know.
“You should have told me about your fiancé sooner,” said Mom. Looking back toward Christian, she added, “You have no idea how much I worry about leaving her behind when she’s still so young.”
“Fia..-” I choked on the word, whirling around to glare at Christian while Mom dabbed at her eyes.
“I love the surprise, Christian,” she said through a sob. “I just wish Skye would have told me sooner. But, it’s all good now. I am so happy for you two.”
“I wanted her to tell you sooner,” said Christian in a grave voice. “It took her over a year just to trust me. She thought I was playing with her. It’s only now that’s she’s agreed to get engaged to me and move to Knightswood Academy with me. A place like that will have so many opportunities for her.”
“Absolutely, I agree,” said Mom with a nod. “If I had taken care of myself, Skye wouldn’t be working so hard to make ends meet. Thankfully, we have good friends who help her out, but it’s nothing compared to having an actual family to support her.”
Christian and Mom kept talking while I tried to wrap my head around the lie they’d told Mom. There was no point in getting mad at them because I’d been lying to her for the past two years anyway. If believing that I was engaged to a guy like Christian was making her happy, so be it.
“Will you excuse me for a moment,” I said, interrupting them both.
“Sure, honey,” said Mom, beckoning Christian to sit down at the side of her bed.
I strode out of the room and kept walking until I had reached the garden outside. A cool breeze blew around me as I looked up at the brilliantly blue summer sky. This place was quiet and peaceful. There were no armed guards in sight. It was a wonderful place for Mom to spend the last months of her life.
The Ivanovs were offering me everything I wanted for Mom. She would be safe here and until it was time to join Knightswood Academy, I could see her every day.
The job they gave me was dangerous but if I really thought about it, living in that apartment and working for someone like Sergei wasn’t the epitome of “safe” either. There was no immediate danger to that life but it would definitely come to bite me in the future. I had committed theft. There was no denying the crime even if I had a reason behind it. The law wouldn’t care.
Nikolai Ivanov was even willing to give me a clean slate. I would be free after the assignment, free to do whatever I wanted with my life instead of fearing a blank, unpredictable future.
I took deep breaths, calming my heart as the decision formed in my mind.
I was going to take up the job and commit to the Ivanovs.
9
Skye
Christian found me in my room. I’d come back to my room instead of going back to listen to him and Mom talk about fictional relationships. The way back was straightforward with no twists and turns of a dozen corridors, allowing me to retreat here.
“Your mother is taking a nap now,” he said, walking inside the room.
“Yeah. She’s probably wiped out from all the excitement. I can’t believe she actually believes you’re my fiancé and are taking care of her because of that.”
“She is clutching at straws,” said Christian sitting down on a chair. I was perched on the window sill, staring out at the beautiful view outside. “She feels guilty to leave you on your own. I think that scares her more than actually dying.”
I bit my wobbling bottom lip, keeping my gaze turned away from him. “I will do it,” I said, steadying my voice. “I am not sure if I can but I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all we want from you.”
I looked toward him. “Tell me more ab
out Andrei and Dimitri. I can already guess they’re from powerful families like yours but I need more details to approach them.”
Christian gave a nod, turning unusually grave. “How much do you know about the underground mafia networks running the east coast?”
A hollow chuckle escaped. I only did what Sergei ordered me to do. There was never any opportunity to sit around, have coffee and get him to tell me the details of his sordid “business”. “Nada,” I said. “Sergei was supposed to be the baddest of them all, but that was before I knew your uncle.”
Christian burst out in guffaws. “He’s just a rat who was ready to drag you from your apartment to hand you over to us. Uncle gave him strict instructions to get it done as gently as possible.”
A thoughtful hum escaped my lips. “Why though? He could have brought me in kicking and screaming if he wanted to.”
“He doesn’t want to hurt you needlessly. That’s not his motive. He wants the file he asked you to find as well as bring order to the chaos raging across the city.”
“What chaos?”
“I am about to explain.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Three powerful families rule over the underground networks on this side of the country. About twenty years ago, there were four but now, only three exist, out of which another one is on the brink of extinction.”
“Is your family one of the three families?”
He nodded. “The Volkov family is the second-most powerful. Dimitri is the sole heir to their empire and was engaged to Maria. Next, we have the Romanoff family. Andrei recently became the only heir to the family.”
“Recently?” I asked, thinking of the way I’d found him with his wrist cut open. Was someone after his whole family? A deep-seated protectiveness bubbled inside me as I turned to face Christian fully. “Explain more about him.”
“Andrei blamed Dimitri for not preventing Maria’s death. He was in love with her even though he’d given her up to his best friend. He didn’t take her death well at all. He was depressed and tried to kill himself for not being able to save her.”