“I do not know what those words are.”
Jahn read the words. “Crystal Palace.”
“What is a Crystal Palace?”
Crouching down, he smiled. “They are for people who have too much money, and they are boring.” Reaching into his pocket he brought out a small block of chocolate. “This is far more exciting.”
The young eyes lit up, but she did not move until Jahn had placed it in her hand. Her mouth stretched in a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’ve been a good girl,” he told her proudly. “Much better behaved, I’m sure, than those three old witches.”
The girl giggled. “They are not witches.”
“Oh, but they are,” Jahn nodded. “Their spells keep this place safe and make sure you are well looked after.”
The girl shook her head and gazed at him. “You keep this place safe, you and Natasha. She scared the bad boys away.”
Frowning, Jahn looked over to the women.
Anya nodded solemnly. “Some boys, just stupid boys. They come in one night after following those two idiots.”
She indicated the two teenage boys who bowed their heads lower as Jahn shifted his frown to them.
“What were they doing?”
“Fighting as usual.” Anya replied. “It could have got bad. There were four of them and these two did their best, but were no match for these much bigger boys. We were never so happy to see Natasha arrive. She sorted them all out, and gave these two a good kick in the pants.”
One boy glanced up. “We’re sorry, Jahn.”
Jahn stared back coldly. “You are fortunate that Natasha dealt with you.”
“She is your best friend, isn’t she Jahn?” The little girl glared at Lena as she asked.
Lena made no response other than a small smile, but waited to hear what Jahn would reply.
“Natasha is very special to me.”
“I want to be strong like Natasha.” The girl said. “Why is she so strong?”
Grinning, Jahn told her simply, “Because she eats all her vegetables.”
The girl screwed her face up at the answer. “I like chocolate better.”
Taking her prize, she skipped away to a spot on the floor where she could sit and eat.
The boys cowered as Jahn approached them.
“”You endanger everyone with your stupidity,” he told them. “You think you are men because you can fight? That is not what makes a man.”
One looked up timidly. “But you fight. There is no man that can beat you and everyone respects you.”
“I also educate myself so I will never have to fight again. I have gained more loyalty through kindness, than I have through brutality. If you choose to act like an animal that is all you will ever be. Is that what you want?”
The boys shifted uncomfortably but offered no replies. Jahn drew a piece of paper from his coat.
“If you want to go on feeling sorry for yourselves, go do it where you can’t bring harm to these people. On the other hand, if you would like to start using your wits and brains, I have something for you.”
The paper was passed to the boys, and as they read, their eyes widened.
“Computers?”
Jahn nodded. “A technical school. Modernisation has even caught up in Ukraine and they need to train more people who are ready to enter the age of technology.”
One boy beamed at him proudly. “Like you.”
“A day is coming when computers will be the most powerful weapon in the world. Your fists will mean little, and no power will be attained without the right knowledge.”
The other boy looked at him nervously. “You would get us into a place like this?”
“Your names are already registered to begin next month.” Jahn replied. “Whether you show up is up to you.”
“Even after what we did?”
Jahn grinned slightly. “I’m sure Natasha got the message across.”
Both boys blushed, but one grinned. “She kicked us both up the arse, but not half as bad at what she did to those pricks.”
“Watch your language,” Jahn growled.
The old men were next to receive Jahn’s attention. Lena watched as they were handed tobacco and tins of coffee. Their old faces were wrinkled with delight and they each took turns to grasp his hand. He spoke with them quietly and one of them sobbed, before seizing Jahn into a hug, holding on for a long time. There was more handshaking before Jahn moved away to the women.
“Where’s my caviar?” Anya laughed.
Jahn frowned at her, stifling his grin. “I brought vegetables, cured meat and a few treats, but for you Anya, I have brought a nice big injection of B12.”
Anya’s face fell. “I told you, I don’t need those awful shots.”
Jahn drew a black case out from the inner pocket of his jacket, and opened it. A syringe and small vial was inside and he proceeded to fill the syringe as Anya continued to complain.
“I don’t want it.”
“Your anaemia is not going to cure itself,” He grinned at her. “And please, don’t try to run away again. I’m a lot faster than you.”
Her companions giggled. “Go on, Anya, pull your bloomers down for Jahn.”
She backed up as he approached. “You get away from me.”
With one fluent movement he had the woman tucked backwards under his arm, her dress up and woollen tights and panties pulled down on one side. He quickly swabbed the skin and sunk the syringe in, methodically releasing its contents.
Anya opened her mouth wide in a silent scream of agony. Only when her garments were back in place did she make a lot more noise, moaning and rubbing her buttock. A string of expletives launched from her mouth.
Jahn allowed her to straighten up but kept her against him in a secure embrace. “You watch your mouth, young lady. I have no age restrictions for turning naughty girls over my knee.”
His remark sent all the women into laughter and Anya grinned up at him. “I haven’t been young for a long time, but you, Jahn, are always welcome to put your hands all over my withered old arse and anywhere else for that matter.”
Jahn sighed and shook his head, as the women laughed uproariously. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small tin and held it up where she could see it.
“I don’t know whether you deserve this.”
Anya’s laughter died down to a smile. She gazed at the tin of caviar and then looked up at him. Her eyes were glistening.
Having watched in silence and wonder, Lena was eager to launch a hundred questions but managed to keep quiet until they were back in the car.
“Who are those people?”
“The victims of a changing world.” Jahn replied. “Before glasnost, their jobs were guaranteed. Now with all this freedom we are supposed to have, there are no certainties in anything, especially the economy.”
“And the children?”
“The boys ran away from an orphanage a long time ago. Now they are at an age where they can go into a technical institution and learn a trade.”
“Wouldn’t they have been better off in the orphanage.”
Jahn shook his head. “They are homosexual and were very effeminate, which didn’t go down well with the other boys, or their care workers. They had to deal with a lot of abuse. I’ve toughened them up a bit, shown them a few defence tactics, but they need education if they’re going to get out and find somewhere where they can be accepted.”
“And the little girl?”
“I took her away from her drug addicted mother who tried to sell her to me.”
Lena gasped and her heart wrenched. For a while she stayed quiet staring down at her lap, until she looked back at him.
“Why do you get involved?”
Jahn stared out at the road. “Because I lived in a place like that, and someone gave me a chance to get out. It took a few years and some time in prison to appreciate that. When I got out, I managed to get into the Army and trained as a medical officer before going on to do Intelli
gence. From there the world opened up for me.”
“And now you’re a coalminer.” Lena grinned.
Jahn flashed her a look. “Yeah.”
“You’re no more a coalminer than I am,” she smirked. “So what is it that you do now, apart from charity work, which earns you so much money?”
“You saw the other night,” he answered. “I fight.”
She waited to see if he would volunteer more information, but he said nothing further. It was no use persisting, but she was determined to learn more.
As casually as she could manage she asked, “And who’s Natasha?”
There was a pause before he answered. “Natasha was already in the orphanage when I was put there. Every day she was attacked in one way or another. At first I ignored it, but it got harder to look away. I started defending her which made me very unpopular, but they were afraid of me. Unlike her, I knew how to fight, so I taught her and she learnt well. Now she’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“Is she your girlfriend now?” Lena prompted.
“I told you, I don’t do relationships. Natasha is my closest friend. We went through a lot together and she taught me much more than I taught her. I had a lot of anger back then, but she made me realise that I could do nothing about it, unless I came to know all there was to know about the system I despised, and even become part of it.”
“What system?”
“The one that was forced upon me. The one that killed my family and dragged me back to this fucking hole.”
The passion in his revelation should have kept Lena quiet, but her curiosity was already unleashed.
“Dragged you back from where?”
For a while Jahn was silent, and Lena could see he regretted his outburst. She was not prepared to push him, and was relieved when he spoke of his own accord.
“I didn’t grow up in Ukraine. My childhood was spent in Thailand where my parents were running a mission. My mother was a doctor and a Christian, and my father was a scientist and a pacifist. When I was three, my father made the decision to get out of the Ukraine and we defected to the United States. He had been working on top secret weapons technology and hated it. The Americans were eager to help him get out, to learn information that he just wanted to forget. My parents lived to help people, but the Americans began to make life difficult too, and then there was an assassination attempt on my father. Somehow he got us out of the States and was positive we would be safe in a place like Thailand, and we were for many years, until the KGB tracked us down.”
His last words brought a deep frown to his face.
“Tell me what it was like growing up in Thailand,” Lena said quickly. “I don’t even know where Thailand is.”
“It’s in South-East Asia.” His mouth curved slightly into a smile. “I grew up in a village and my mother took care of the people. I was six when I watched her deliver a baby. She took me and my sister with her everywhere she went, while my father used his skills to set up irrigation systems and other things that benefited the village. They were strict about our education, and we were expected to do the work they set us, but I was more interested in what the boys in the village were learning.”
“And what was that?”
“Muay Thai kickboxing.” He grinned. “My parents weren’t happy. I was constantly dragged home from the fights, but the severest of punishments didn’t deter me. Eventually they compromised. If I did well with my lessons, I was allowed to fight. My brother wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t get along with the boys like I did. He came to watch me fight once and brought my sister with him. On the way home we argued and he decided to give me a hiding. Unfortunately for him, he lost. It didn’t do much for his seventeen year old ego to be beaten by a nine year old boy, especially in front of others. He told my parents that I had got the boys to gang up on him. My father was going to give me a thrashing, but then my sister told them what happened, and then we both got one.”
Jahn smirked. “My father was a good man, and rarely handed out harsh punishments, but when he did, we certainly knew about it. My brother and I didn’t get along after that.”
“Why didn’t your brother just do this kickboxing as well?”
“We were different,” Jahn replied quietly. “My brother was more interested in his books than in anything physical, and he had a constant chip on his shoulder. He didn’t like the simple life we had and he still had memories of our home in Ukraine. He often fought with my parents about their decision to leave.”
“And your sister?”
Jahn breathed deeply. “Kristina was just lovely and gentle, and being the middle child, it fell on her shoulders to keep the peace between Taras and me. She was always quick to stick up for me, but at the same time she would berate me for annoying him.”
“Did they both have blue eyes like yours?”
He nodded. “It was a family trait. The children in our village always wanted to study our eyes. We rarely saw foreigners, and then one day everyone was talking of another man with blue eyes being spotted in the village. I didn’t take any notice. My mind was set on winning a tournament that day, but when I arrived home, my parents and sister were dead and my brother was gone. I managed to kill one of the men, but another one, the one with blue eyes, injected me with something and I passed out.”
“How old were you?”
“I was twelve.”
With a quiet controlled breath, Lena managed to keep her emotions in check. She could only imagine the trauma Jahn would have suffered.
“Who were they?”
“Assassins, sent by the Kremlin to make sure my father’s knowledge stayed permanently buried.”
Lena felt sick. “And your brother, where is he?”
Jahn shook his head. “I’ve never found him, though not from lack of trying. They must have taken him away before they got hold of me. He was a grown man, and could have been thrown into prison for all I know. Maybe he got away. I didn’t get to find out. I was kept sedated until I was brought back and put into a boy’s home, which was more like a prison. What I’ve learnt so far about that day has not shed any light on Taras.”
“Don’t give up,” Lena said. “When you give up, something inside of you never feels right again.”
Jahn glanced at her. “I haven’t given up. I’ve already found one of those assassins and I killed him. I have one more to find, and then he’s going to tell me everything, before he dies.”
Lena shivered, and wasn’t sure if it was from the sun being swallowed up in the approaching dark clouds, or by the icy chill in Jahn’s voice.
CHAPTER EIGHT
By the line of light under the bedroom door, Lena knew that Jahn was already awake, though she could hear no movement. Looking at the curtains drawn over the single window, she knew it was still dark outside, but she felt well rested and eager to get up.
Shifting up to recline against her pillows, she took a moment to appreciate her sense of well-being and contentment. Her day with Jahn had been nothing short of wonderful, and had concluded with an evening of him teaching her to play chess. Learning the game had not been as exciting as just listening to his deep, masculine voice explaining the moves.
She giggled softly as she recalled his announcement of bedtime. Her reluctance to leave him had prompted her to complain crossly at him, only to be given an ultimatum. “You can go to bed without a fuss, or you can go to bed with a smacked bum. Your choice.”
He had no idea how tempted she was to take him up on the latter option. Even after she had gone to bed, she had whispered his words over and over again, enjoying the thrill they gave her. She imagined the bedroom door flying open, and Jahn finally coming to take his prize. It hadn’t happened, but it had provided an exciting scenario to lull her off to sleep.
Moving across the bed, Lena got out at the other side and went to the window. Shifting the curtain aside, she smiled to see the first light of dawn behind the concrete rectangle of neighbouring apartments, but something else caught her eye.
Down below there were lights on in the asphalt reserve between the buildings, and distant voices drifting up to her. Several shirtless men were moving about, and as she looked closer she could make out the distinct body of Jahn.
They were playing soccer, kicking and dribbling the ball up and down the reserve, shouting victoriously as it landed between two garbage bins set up as goal posts. Lena grinned as she watched Jahn participating with enthusiasm. He was much broader than the thin youths but moved with a far greater skill and grace than any of them, dominating the ball and enduring an all-out attack on him.
There seemed to be no rules of contact, and bodies were slammed into him, either to be shoved to the ground or to make little impact. Weaving about, he avoided many of the attacks and sent the ball flying between the bins with precision.
Lena was fascinated and pressed closer to the window to watch. At one stage, an opponent kicked the ball fiercely to send it flying towards the back of the neighbouring block. It landed in a small balcony on the third floor and didn’t reappear.
The player received a slap to the back of his head by his teammates, but Jahn was already jogging towards the building. Fortunately it had avoided breaking the small windows that sat stark in the dreary wall.
Two of the youths ran after Jahn. Lena watched them hoist him up to grab hold of the lowest balcony. Her mouth fell open as he used his arms to pull himself up and climb onto the rail, balancing precariously as he reached up to take hold of the next. A fall to the unyielding ground would be severely injurious, if not fatal.
Her heart was thumping as he repeated the movement until he was on the third balcony, throwing the ball back down. Only when he was safely on the ground did she dare to breathe.
Leaving the window, she angrily flicked on the light and began to pick through her new outfits, dressing quickly in a dress, and going out to the lounge to wait for him. Sitting down on the couch, she pouted at the pillow and folded blanket next to her. Even in her mood, she could not resist the temptation to reach for his pillow and bring it to her face, breathing in his lingering scent.
Trying to sit there with her arms folded in anger soon lost its appeal. After a few minutes, she rushed back to the bedroom to brush her hair and put a little of her newly purchased lipstick on. She could still be cross and look decent.
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