by A. Zavarelli
“I’m going to say that again, Katerina. I need you to pack some things, just essentials. I already gathered Josh’s birth certificate and all your papers. When you’re finished with your things, pack what Josh needs. We can buy anything you forget later, but we leave within the hour.”
I shove his arms off. “I’m going to say this again, Lev,” I try for the same tone he just used with me. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Josh. You, however, are free to leave whenever you want.”
He grins like he’s humoring me. There’s that tilt of the head again. I want to tell him to go fuck himself, but I remember how that turned out the last time.
Lev steps closer, and I’d back up, but the bed is behind me, so I end up dropping into a seat. His grin widens, and he leans down, hands on either side of me on the bed so I have to lean uncomfortably backward.
His eyes roam my face, then down to where the nightie lies open against my chest, down over my belly to my bare thighs.
I look down too, see how high it’s ridden and swallow hard when his eyes, now darker, shift back to mine.
My heart races because I recognize that look, and it’s the one that makes my belly flutter.
Lev leans closer, makes a point of inhaling.
“I smell you,” he says in a whisper, the fingers of one hand brushing my inner thigh.
I make a sound as he leans closer, forcing me backward as his fingers rise higher and higher.
“And I bet you’re wet.”
He does that thing again where he brushes that scruff along my cheek, and I swallow, my legs opening of their own accord as his fingers come just inches from my core.
With his other hand, he pushes me to lie all the way back and straightens. I follow his gaze as he lifts my nightie up to my belly, his eyes on my exposed sex.
I hadn’t worn panties last night because it hurt, so I try to get up to cover myself.
“No, don’t,” he says, pushing my hand away. “Don’t hide yourself from me. This pussy belongs to me, Katerina.” He brushes his fingers through the neat triangle of hair. “I like this little bit of pretty red hair.” He crouches down.
“Lev—”
“You belong to me.”
“I don’t—”
“And I like seeing how wet you are for me.” He pushes my legs wider as he leans his face close, so close I gasp in anticipation of his mouth on me, ready for it, wanting it. But he just inhales and meets my eyes with a wide grin. “You want my mouth on you, don’t you?”
I fist the blankets, wanting to want to kick him away, to kick him in the face, but he’s right, and he knows it.
“You want me to make you come?”
“Josh is—”
“Door’s locked, and Josh is busy.” He closes his mouth over me then, and I cover my mouth to muffle my gasp when he circles my clit with his tongue before pulling back, standing, undoing his jeans and fisting his thick cock. “Open your legs.”
I do, licking my lips and hating myself a little as I spread my legs for him, but it’s not wide enough because he puts his hands on my thighs and forces them wider, and as his eyes never leave mine, he thrusts into me.
I squeeze my hand over my mouth, and he grins, replacing it with one of his as he fucks me hard and fast.
The bed creaks beneath us as I stretch for him and he pushes my nightie up to expose my breasts. He dips his head down and takes a nipple into his mouth, and when I cry out, he presses his hand harder to my mouth, teeth tugging at my nipple. I’m so close, one more thrust, and fuck, I’m coming.
I close my eyes and arch my back, and I come, and I feel him thicken inside me. He lays his weight on me, face inches from mine, hands on either side of my head, making me look at him. He watches me, and I watch him as we come together, and I think he’s so beautiful. So fucking beautiful like this.
“You’re mine, Kat. Mine.”
He kisses me with his final thrusts, and I swallow his moan and dig my fingernails into his back as he finally stills, muscles tight, body rigid, all his weight on me making it hard to breathe.
When he draws back, we’re both breathless, and I see the sheen of sweat on his forehead as he smiles down at me.
“Fuck, Kat. You make me crazy, you know that?”
He pulls out, but when I move to get up, he doesn’t let me. Instead, he cups his hand at my open legs, and I’m still so sensitive I gasp.
“Shh,” he tells me.
“Let me up.” I need to clean up. I feel the cum sliding out of me.
“Where were we?” he asks, rubbing cum all over me, over my pussy and my clit, building tension again. “Kat?”
“I hate you,” I groan.
“No, that’s not it. I was telling you that you belong to me.” He grins wide. “And you wish you hated me.” He winks, then pulls his hand away when I’m seconds from coming again, and I groan. He flips me slightly to my side and slaps my hip. “Now get up, get cleaned up, and go pack Josh’s and your things. One duffel.” He points at the bag he’s conveniently taken out of my closet for me.
His phone rings, and he wipes his wet fingers across my belly, adjusts his jeans, and answers in Russian, gesturing for me to get moving.
20
Kat
“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” I ask as he closes the door after buckling a very excited Josh into the back of the Jeep. “Or for how long? I have a job, you know.”
He’s serious again as he opens the passenger door for me to get in.
“Philly,” he says.
I feel myself pale. Back to Philly? But that’s where all the trouble is. “Why? Why would you take us back there?”
“Get in.”
He lifts me in when I don’t move right away and pulls the strap across my chest, clicking it into place. His expression is serious, not at all like the first time I got into his car, the sporty Audi I was so impressed with, and he strapped me in and I waited for him to kiss me.
“Do you think you’re safe here? Do you think Vasily’s influence doesn’t stretch this far?”
The coffee turns to acid in my belly.
His face softens as he must see how scared I am, because it’s as if I only realize at that moment that it’s not Lev I have to be afraid of. At least it’s not only Lev. It’s the rest of them too.
Josh’s voice registers in my hearing. He’s singing the tune of the cartoon he was just watching, and I think I’m going to be sick.
“Hey.” Lev brushes hair back behind my ear. “I told you I’m not going to let anyone hurt you or Josh. I’ll kill anyone who tries.”
I look into his dark eyes, and what I see there is not what I expect. Tenderness, genuine tenderness, but there’s an edge to it. Because I know he means what he’s saying. I know he will kill anyone who tries. I know well what he’s capable of.
And I think that’s the hardest part.
“Mommy?”
Lev lifts his gaze to Josh over my shoulder, and I study him for a moment longer, that hard line of his jaw, the set of his mouth. His big, powerful hands resting on my thighs.
And even though I trust that the tenderness I just saw was genuine, I know that if I can, if I get even the smallest opportunity, I need to get Josh and myself away from him.
“Yes, baby?” I say, turning to Josh.
“Did you get Wally?” Wally is the stuffed bear he’s had since he was born.
“Yes, sweetheart.” I reach into my purse and pull the well-loved bear out and notice my passport is in there, too. “Here he is.” I hand Wally to Josh.
Lev closes the door and comes around to the driver’s seat. He starts the engine, and when we drive away, I glance back at the little house and think about how much I liked it. Liked being here. Because I don’t know if I’ll ever see it again. If we’ll ever be back.
A text alert has Lev reaching into his pocket as he takes the turn out of town and heads toward the highway. He reads it but doesn’t reply and tucks the phone back into his po
cket.
“What time is our flight?” I ask.
“Late afternoon. We have to tie up some loose ends.”
“What loose ends?”
He glances in the rearview mirror. Josh is busy showing Wally the sights.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything,” he says.
It’s a long, tense two hours to Denver as Lev takes calls while driving. He speaks in Russian, so I can’t understand a word he’s saying.
Just outside of Denver, he pulls into the parking lot of a Marriott.
“Stay here,” he says, parking beside a large, black SUV. He takes the keys of the Jeep and meets my gaze across the front seat. “Don’t be stupid.”
A warning.
He closes and locks the doors.
Josh has nodded off, and I watch as Lev transfers our duffel and another one into the back of the SUV, then walks into the front entrance of the hotel. It’s barely two minutes before he’s back, but instead of getting into the driver’s seat again, he opens my door.
“Get out.”
My heart drops into my belly. I glance back at a sleeping Josh.
“What?”
“Out, Kat.” He undoes my belt and closes his hand over my arm.
I slip out of the Jeep, and he closes the door, walks me to the back, leaves me there as he opens the back door and lifts Josh’s seat out. When the hell did he figure out how to do that? Just yesterday, he didn’t know how the straps worked.
“What are you doing?” I start, panic gripping hold of me as I take the other side of Josh’s seat.
“Mommy?” Josh asks, waking up, rubbing his eyes.
“Shh,” Lev says, smiling down at him. “We’re almost there. You’re going to ride in my car now.”
“What?” I’m white-knuckling Josh’s child seat.
“Help me strap his seat in, Kat,” Lev says, warning me with his eyes. He opens the back door to the SUV. It smells brand new.
“Lev?” I start, but he ignores me, puts the seat into the back seat, and places his body between me and Josh as he secures the child seat to the car.
“Wow,” Josh says. “This is nice.”
“Wait until you get on the airplane, kiddo,” Lev says.
Lev turns and closes the door, then walks me the few steps backward to the Jeep.
“You’re not taking him. You can’t take him!”
He takes my right wrist, turns my hand palm up, and drops my keys in them. At that moment, I realize how powerless I am. How stupid. If he wants Josh, I’ve just made it that much easier for him to kidnap my son.
I look up to find his dark eyes on me.
He wouldn’t take my son, would he? Is this my punishment for running away when I was pregnant with his baby? Does he still blame me for that?
“Please don’t take my son from me.” Tears burn my eyes.
“Katya.” He cups my face, wiping the tears from my cheeks, and something about the way he says my name tugs at my heart. “Josh is my family.”
I feel my knees buckle, and it takes all I have to keep upright. “You can’t. Please—”
“You’re my family.” He pulls me to him and puts his lips to my forehead. He holds me there for a long minute, and I feel myself go soft. When he draws back, I look up at him. “Do you think I would take our son away from his mother? Didn’t you hear me when I told you that you belong to me? I take care of what’s mine, Katya. You and the boy are mine. Now get yourself together. Your passport is in your bag. You need to check in for your flight to Florida.”
“Florida? You said…you said…” I’m hyperventilating. I try to push him away and go to Josh.
“Look at me,” he says, taking my arms and giving me a little shake. “Get yourself together and look at me.”
I look up at him.
“You need to drive to the airport and park your car. Leave the keys inside and check in for your flight to Florida. I’ve sent you the ticket on your phone. Once you check in, you’ll bypass security and walk to Terminal B. You’ll exit the airport there. Josh and I will be waiting for you, and from there, we’ll get to our real flight to Philly. This way, if anyone is looking for you, they’ll think you’ve gone to Florida.”
“But—”
“We’re pressed for time now.” He reaches into his back pocket and takes out an envelope. From inside it, he hands me a new phone. “After you check in, take the SIM card out of your old phone and flush it, then throw your phone away. You’ll call me with this once you’re on your way to Terminal B, and I’ll come get you. Understand?”
“I want to take Josh with me.”
He shakes his head. “Can’t do that. I have your new passport, and I’ll hold on to his until you meet us.”
There’s a knock on the window, and I see Josh’s bright face as he waves to us.
“Pull yourself together for him. You don’t want him upset.”
“Can I at least kiss him and explain what’s happening?” I ask, turning away from the window and wiping the last of my tears.
Lev nods, tucks my hair behind my ears, and opens the back door.
“It’s a nice car, Mommy. We should get one like this.”
I try to smile, but it falters. “Let’s get to Philly first. Lev’s going to drive you to the airport, okay? I have to drop off the Jeep, but I’ll see you there, okay? I’ll see you at the airport, and we’ll get on the airplane together, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
I lean in to kiss him. “I love you, baby,” I say, hugging him as best I can while he’s still strapped into his seat.
“I love you, Mommy.”
21
Lev
Kat’s voice is tense when I answer her call, and it’s clear she’s still uncertain whether I’ll actually be waiting for her outside.
“I’m on my way,” she says. “Just about to walk through the doors.”
“We’re pulling up to the curb now,” I assure her. “We’ll be right outside.”
She’s quiet but doesn’t hang up, and when she finally walks through the doors and spots us waiting for her, the tension melts from her body. She hurries over to the SUV and climbs inside, glancing back at Josh.
“Hey, buddy, are you okay?”
“Yeah, Mommy.” He gives her a sleepy nod.
She glances at me too, and I squeeze her thigh beneath my palm before steering us back out into traffic. “It’s called trust, Kat. We’ll get there.”
“Where are we going now?” She stares out the window as I drive.
“Now we’re going to another airport.”
She nods as if she’s numb to the fact that I’ve uprooted her life like this. A small part of me feels guilty for that, but if keeping her safe causes her some discomfort, I’ll deal with that any day of the week so long as she’s still alive.
“You were right, you know.” Her wavering voice distracts me from the road, and when I look over at her, I can’t identify the source of concern on her face.
“Right about what?” I reach over and turn her face toward me. “What is it?”
Her lip trembles, and her eyes are glassy as she shakes her head. She peeks over her shoulder to make sure Josh isn’t listening before she speaks.
“One of the teachers from school called me on my way to the airport,” she tells me. “She said two men showed up there today, Lev. They were looking for me, and they spoke another language. She thought maybe Russian.”
Acid fills my gut as I process her words. This is the manifestation of my worst fears. Vasily doesn’t trust me anymore, and now he’s coming after her himself. But what’s even worse is the fact that he tracked her down here. Something that took me four years to do myself. The question is how.
“They were in my classroom,” Kat continues. “Nobody knows how they’d even got into the building since it wasn’t a school day. The teachers had meetings all day. So, it must be them, right? It must be Vasily’s men?”
“Probably.” I squeeze her thigh
again, opting for a neutral tone. She doesn’t need to doubt my abilities to keep her safe. That’s the last thing I want. “But it’s going to be okay. You’re with me now.”
“I just keep thinking about it.” She shakes her head, silent tears splashing against her cheeks. “What if we were there, Lev? What would they have done to us?”
“You weren’t there.” My fingers tighten on the steering wheel. “And they aren’t going to do anything to you. I will keep you safe, sweetheart. Even if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
My ominous words don’t seem to bring her any comfort. Kat curls into herself, wiping away her tears and distracting herself with the passing scenery.
“I just can’t believe this is my life,” she murmurs, so quietly I almost don’t hear her.
I know what she means. If she hadn’t gotten mixed up with me, this wouldn’t be happening right now. And a part of me wishes she hadn’t. But yet another part of me selfishly doesn’t give a fuck. Because she’s mine now, and regardless of the impending storm ahead, I intend to keep it that way.
“Everything will be okay. You’ll see.”
We fall into a tense silence while I navigate the two-hour drive to Cheyenne. Josh does surprisingly well for the duration of the trip, napping for most of it. Kat starts to doze off but wakes up just as we cross the border into Wyoming, and her nerves return when I eventually park the SUV at Sloan Airport.
“This is a small airport,” she observes. “Are we actually flying out of here?”
“Yes.” I shoot off a quick text to Alexei and receive confirmation within a minute. When I get out to grab the bags, it isn’t long before Kostya appears to greet us.
“Levka.” He holds out his hand in offer, and I shake it. “It is nice to meet you in person. Lyoshenka has told me many stories over the years.”
“Good, I hope?” I grin at him.
“Eh.” His lips tilt up at the corners. “They can’t all be good in this big family of ours, can they? Now, let me help you with your bags. I’ll show your family to the plane.”
I thank him and offload the bags before walking around to meet Kat as she’s taking Josh’s seat out of the car.