One to Keep

by Sophie Oak

  wrong. I think you would just come up with something else. Maybe

  you would think I needed more time to be successful without you.

  Maybe you would decide I wasn’t ready for kids. All I know is you’re

  the one making the decisions. You’re the one deciding what my

  dreams are and how I’ll achieve them.”

  “Ah, we’re back to the King Stefan argument again. Yes, I’m

  horrible. I pull everyone’s strings. Poor Jennifer. I’ve been terrible to you.”

  She sighed, her body sagging. “Not at all. You just don’t love

  me.”

  “I told you I loved you. I said it last night.”

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  “Fine. I’ll rephrase. You don’t love me enough.”

  “I love you enough to let you go.”

  “But not enough to keep me. Not enough to let me make up my

  own mind. I would have been like Stella, you know. I would have

  been here. I wouldn’t have walked out. I can’t promise that I won’t

  want more of a career someday. I can’t promise that I’ll never want to spend time outside of Bliss. But there’s a difference between your

  mother and me. I would ask you to build that career with me. I would

  ask you to see the world with me because none of it would matter if

  you weren’t with me. She didn’t leave because she needed more than

  you could give her. She left because there was something missing

  inside her, something she never had. She didn’t love you. She didn’t

  love your father. The fault lay in her, not either one of you. But I

  would have loved you. So much. I know I’m probably proving your

  point by walking out now, but I can’t spend the rest of my life proving myself to you. I can’t wait around for you to decide I won’t ever

  leave, because I don’t think you’re ever going to believe it. I’ll always be younger than you, Stefan. I’ll always be an artist. And you’ll

  always be waiting for me to leave.”

  Silence hung in the air, a palpable weight keeping them apart. Stef

  stared at her across the space between them and couldn’t seem to

  move.

  “Jen?” Callie’s voice echoed as she walked through the door.

  There was a solemn quality to Callie’s tone that let Stef know she had been informed why Jen was leaving.

  “I’m coming.” Jen turned and began walking. “Good-bye,

  Stefan.”

  She didn’t look back.

  “Go after her.” His father was standing, staring at the door before

  shifting his focus to Stef.

  Stef took a step back, and then another, until he found his seat. He

  had to force the air into his lungs as the truth crept over him. She was right and had been all along. He’d been testing her and calling it a

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  selfless act. He’d said he wanted to wait until she was ready, but he’d been doing the opposite. He’d been watching and waiting and

  cocooning her in protection until he was ready.

  She wasn’t the one who wasn’t mature enough for commitment.

  He turned to his father. “Why did you come back?”

  “Damn it, Stefan. This is serious. That girl is leaving you.”

  “Why did you come back?” He shouted the question, all pretense

  at civility gone.

  Sebastian stepped back, startled. “I came back because I couldn’t

  waste another moment. I came back because I love you, son.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  His face a chalky white, Sebastian took his seat again. “No. I

  came back for her. She doesn’t seem interested anymore. I can’t

  blame her, but I’m going to try. I came back because I can’t live

  another moment knowing I haven’t done everything to make it up to

  her.”

  And there it was. The truth. Fear had cost his father decades. It

  had been fear, not abandonment, that had ruined his father’s life. Stef sat back as regret swirled through him.

  “It doesn’t have to be that way for you, Stefan,” his father urged.

  Maybe. But maybe he’d ruined any chance he had. Would she

  believe him if he ran after her? The question no longer occurred to

  him whether or not he wanted her. He wanted her with all his soul. A

  new question had arisen.

  Did he even deserve her?

  * * * *

  Alexei yawned and managed to sit up, his muscles pulling and

  aching slightly from the too-cramped cot. It had not been made to

  accommodate a man of his size. The room was dim, the blinds still

  closed. He stretched and wondered what time it was. He’d managed to

  get to sleep. He’d been in worse places than the Bliss County Jail.

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  He’d even found the deputy’s light snoring somewhat comforting. It

  was a reminder that he wasn’t alone. For the first time in a long time, his dreams hadn’t been about blood and loss.

  “Don’t worry about it, Sheriff. You do what you need to do. I

  knew I’d be working a lot during the festival.” Logan was talking

  quietly into the phone as though he was trying not to disturb his

  prisoner. Alexei was astounded by it. “I’m fine. Naw, I might have

  snuck a little nap in. I can handle things this morning. Just give me the weekend off next week, and we’ll call it even. Thanks.”

  Logan put the phone down and glanced Alexei’s way. “Oh, hey.

  Sorry if I woke you.”

  “Not at all. I sleep very good.” He wasn’t about to return the

  deputy’s kindness with complaints. Alexei felt his stomach rumble.

  Logan walked to the front window and twisted the cord that

  opened the blinds. Sunlight streamed into the room. The street outside was covered in a blanket of snow. A few people walked past the

  window, long, colorful boards in their hands. “Stella should be here any minute with your breakfast.”

  If breakfast was as good as his dinner had been, Alexei wasn’t

  sure why there weren’t more people in jail. He felt unaccountably

  cheerful. It made no sense. He was sitting in a small jail, waiting to be taken to a larger jail where he would most likely be interrogated and

  potentially deported to a place where everyone would want him dead.

  Yet, he felt a sense of peace he’d not felt in forever. He was going to do the right thing. He was going to bring down Pushkin, but in the

  proper way, in the way that would have made his family proud.

  “Is the FBI still coming?” Alexei suddenly wanted to get started.

  He was eager to begin this new life he’d found.

  “Yes. They’re driving in, though. The airports in Colorado

  Springs and Denver closed. There’s an ice storm. We’re good here,

  but they’re going to have to fly into Albuquerque and drive up from

  there. I hope they know how to drive in the mountains. I doubt they’re going to get here until tonight.”

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  Patience. He would have to be patient. Alexei nodded. “It is good.

  Is sheriff indisposable?”

  Logan’s face went slack, his jaw open. “Huh?”

  He would really have to work on his English. He searched for the

  words. “He is working on other things?”

  “Oh, yes. He’s helping out with the setup this morning. The finals

  of the snowboarding competition take place on the mountain today.

  We’re a real small town. Everyone has to help. This festi
val is our

  biggest event of the year.”

  The door flew open, and a small, well-wrapped person stumbled

  inside. At first, all Alexei could see was a bright blue coat and a

  plastic bag. Logan rushed to the door and managed to catch the visitor before she went tumbling.

  “Hey!” a soft voice fluttered as the woman in the coat was helped

  to balance by the deputy. “Sorry, Logan. I slipped on the ice. It’s

  getting bad out there. I hope it doesn’t hurt the festival. Stella sent me with your order.”

  “Holly Lang! Everyone’s been looking for you. Damn it, where

  have you been?” Logan took the bag from her hands, frowning at her.

  Holly. Alexei wished the floor would open up underneath him and swallow him whole. Sweet, sexy Holly was here, and he was behind

  bars. It wasn’t the way he wanted her to see him. Oh, he knew there

  was no way he could have any sort of a relationship with her, but

  she’d flirted with him and shown him her kind nature.

  She shrugged out of her coat and stomped her boots on the mat in

  front of the door to get the snow off them. Her pretty green eyes were on Logan as she replied. “My evil ex managed to forget to tell me

  Nicky was going on a retreat with his high school band. Jerk. I only

  get to see him every other week. He knows how far I have to drive,

  but does he call?” Her face was tight for a moment, but she smiled,

  obviously throwing off her anger. “But I got to talk to him on the

  phone. He’s doing so well. He made the honor roll.”

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  “That’s great. While you were gone, two people died and there

  was a shooting and a stolen painting, and guess who has the key to the mystery?”

  Holly had gone very still. “Died?”

  “Yep, murders. It’s been a regular CSI episode around here,

  except without the bad jokes. Every time I tried to make one, or

  dramatically take off my sunglasses, Sheriff slapped me upside the

  head.”

  “I’m about to do the same thing, Logan. Who got killed? Dear

  god, why didn’t someone tell me? Stella was crying when I got in

  today.” Holly looked like she was about to cry, too. It ate at Alexei

  that he’d had a hand in that.

  Logan placed his hands on her shoulders. “It was a tourist.

  Everyone in town is fine. And Stella’s been crying a lot lately. My

  moms think she’s going through the change. I don’t know what that

  means. I try to avoid all talk about feminine parts with my moms.”

  “So two tourists died?”

  “One tourist, and some Russian dude who was trying to kill Jen

  and Callie.”

  “Oh, my god! I leave for twenty-four hours and this is what

  happens? I think I met the Russian guy. He seemed so nice.”

  “It was not me,” Alexei said. “It was partner, Ivan. He was not so

  nice.”

  Holly turned, noticing him for the first time. “Hello.” Her voice

  sounded awfully small now that she realized she wasn’t alone with

  Logan.

  “Hello.”

  “I remember you from the diner the other day. You took the

  Farley twins out. They couldn’t stop talking about how nice you

  were.” She smiled at him, her face lighting up. “What did you do?

  Jaywalking? Nate can come up with a lot of reasons to toss a tourist in the clink, but usually it’s just because he’s in a foul mood. I’m afraid

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  our sheriff is a bit of a character. He only narrowly avoided losing to a rubber duck in the last election. What was your name again?”

  Logan gestured to the cell Alexei stood in. “That’s Alex

  Something Russian. He’s a member of the Russian mob, and he’s

  looking for a painting his boss had Jen’s old boss steal for him.”

  “Really? So he’s an actual criminal?” Holly looked between the

  deputy and Alexei as though trying to discern if someone was joking.

  “Yeah, but it seems he’s reformed. He took out the other fellow

  and saved Callie and Jen and Callie’s baby.”

  Holly’s startled shout echoed though the small building. “Callie’s

  pregnant? Did I miss a newsletter? Damn it. I hate not having a

  phone. I had to use the Evil Ex’s to talk to Nicky. The minute I can

  afford it, I’m getting a cell phone.”

  Alexei’s attention shifted. There was a small group of men

  walking across the street. He couldn’t see them clearly yet, but they

  stood out. While everyone else was casual, there was a certain

  formality about these men that had Alexei staring. They wore black

  coats in a sea of colorful, fun parkas.

  Logan continued to talk to Holly, poking at her like an annoying

  younger brother. “Yes, that would have been helpful since you’re the

  one who knows who has the painting everyone is looking for.”

  A cold chill went through Alexei’s body. Was that? Dear god, that

  looked like Luka. Luka was one of Pushkin’s top men.

  “I do?”

  Luka turned and pointed at the same building that housed Alexei.

  Bile bit at the back of his throat. The phone. His phone had gone off

  all night. It hadn’t bothered Logan, but the trill had awoken Alexei

  several times.

  Logan pointed toward the cell. “This guy came to town looking

  for a stolen painting. Apparently Jen’s boss in Dallas hid it. It’s

  behind one of the paintings Jen gave you to sell. The one for Rachel.

  You sold it to someone, but we can’t read the receipt.”

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  Now Alexei could see that Luka had two other men with him,

  Nikolai, Luka’s brother, and Pushkin himself. His hands tightened

  around the bars. Pushkin had come after the painting. Alexei knew

  Ivan had called in and told Luka where they were going, but he’d

  never imagined that Dimitri Pushkin would come himself.

  “Oh, well, that was—”

  “Is that my food?” Alexei interrupted them with a short bark. He

  had seconds to decide what to do. A plan flashed through his brain. It was probably a terrible plan, but it was all he could come up with.

  The three men were moving with purpose toward the office. There

  was no time. If they walked in, they would simply kill anyone in their way. At least this way they had a chance.

  Logan picked up the Styrofoam container and walked toward the

  bars. “I think it’s pancakes and sausage.”

  The minute the deputy was in reach, Alexei reached out and

  grabbed him by the neck. He heard Holly gasp. The tall deputy didn’t

  weigh much. It was easy to haul him close and grab the gun out of his

  holster. Alexei turned him quickly, pulling his back against the bars.

  He wrapped an arm around the deputy’s neck. He could break it if he

  wasn’t very careful.

  “I need you to be listening. There are very bad men be coming in.

  They will kill you both unless you do this right.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m getting the feeling you’re the one who is going

  to kill me.” Though his voice was steady, it was soft. A fine tremble

  went through the younger man. “You get out of here, Holly.”

  “Don’t. If you run, they will stop you. They will be here in

  seconds.” He softened his hold but didn’t
let Logan go. There wasn’t

  time to run. They crossed the street, moving ever forward, snaking

  through the crowd toward their destination. “You cannot to tell where

  painting is. If you tell, you die.”

  “Fine. If I don’t tell?”

  “You be beaten very badly.” He would be tortured, and Alexei

  would have to watch until he could gain the advantage.

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  “Why should I trust you?” The question came from between

  gritted teeth.

  Alexei put his heart and soul into his reply. He had to make Logan

  believe him. “Please to trust. Please, I can’t…I can’t take more

  killings. I will help as soon as I can, but there are three of them and one of me. I will have to go with them for while. But help will come.

  It will.”

  There was no time to get Holly out. She stood staring at them,

  terror in her eyes. He had to deal with her, too. Pushkin was at the

  door. Alexei could hear the outer doors open. In a moment, they

  would be inside, and he wouldn’t be able to explain.

  “I need you to listen, Holly. I want to see you safe. You must to

  take the gun. Hold it on the deputy like you are trying to get me out.

  You are my ho.”

  Her spine snapped to attention, and her green eyes flashed. She

  took the gun from him anyway. When their fingers touched, Alexei

  felt a jolt of connection. “I am so not your ho.”

  “You must pretend. If you are mine then they will not rape your

  body and slit your throat.”

  Logan nodded, his head tapping against the bars. “I think you

  should be his ho, Holly.”

  “Fine, but I’m not happy about it.” She held the gun out, her

  hands trembling.

  The door opened, and Luka walked in first, with Pushkin behind

  him.

  “It took you long enough.” Alexei switched to Russian. “I was

  beginning to believe you would leave me to rot.”

  Pushkin surveyed the room while Nikolai bolted the door. “I

  suspected something had gone wrong when neither you nor Ivan

  would answer the phone. Ivan told me you were having difficulties. I

  do not like difficulties, so I come myself. I’m not happy, Alexei. The trip was horribly long, and we had to drive through a storm. Where is