Page 17

CHAPTER 17

Sabrina

I don't say much as Oleksi carries the last of my packed things down to the car. I’ve got Elena cradled against my shoulder, and every step I take toward that car feels like I'm surrendering a piece of control I’ve fought hard to hold onto.

It’s ridiculous. I should be furious—hell, I am furious. I feel like Oleksi has somehow won. After my spectacular take down of him earlier, now I’m like a dog with its tail between its legs needing his protection! Jesus—now I know why no one wins against him—even fucking fate is on his side.

I watch him secure Elena’s seat into the car seat frame before he turns and holds his big hands out for her and another feeling starts to burn beneath my skin, one I refuse to name. Because while my brain is busy listing all the reasons why moving in with Oleksi Mirochin is a terrible idea, my body hums with a kind of twisted comfort at the idea.

As I hand Elena to him I can’t help but feel relief as he gently takes her and places her in the seat, securing her. His hands are gentle, practiced—like this isn’t the first time he’s done this kind of thing. He checks the belt, runs his hand along the strap to make sure it’s not twisted.

I know without a shadow of a doubt my baby girl will be safe with him and that thought both relieves and pisses me off. But the truth is, I’ve never been more terrified in my life than I was when those men broke into my apartment. Not for myself. For Elena. My baby. My little girl.

The thought of them hurting her—touching her—finding her in that tiny panic space Sam built into the wall of my room… It makes my blood run cold even now. Thank God for those soundproof earmuffs Sam thought to include in the tight space. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she’d woken up and cried.

She’s still sleeping soundly, her soft baby breath puffing up her little chest as Oleksi pulls her blankie over her and my heartstrings pull tight at how natural he is with her. But I quickly shake off the feeling of how right it feels with all of them together—like a family.

No. No. No, Sabrina push that fucking stupid thought from your mind. He is not family. I give myself a hard mental shake but can’t ignore the little voice shouting—oh but he is. Shut up stupid conscience.

I stalk around the front of the car, yanking open the passenger side. “Let’s go.”

Oleksi doesn’t say a word. He slides in beside me and starts the engine of my car as if we do this every day . I fold my arms over my chest and quietly seethe, knowing I’m being an ungrateful bitch, but it seems I haven’t quite shaken the Sabrina that emerged earlier today and relished taking Oleksi down. Now here we are with him rushing to save Elena and me.

Agh! I want to hit something but then he’ll see how this is getting to me. So I take a deep breath, calm myself and in a steady voice say, “Thank you.”

He glances at me, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“For saving Elena…” I swallow. “For saving us.”

His eyes meet mine and I can see the astonishment in them before he smiles. “Of course.” He looks at the road. “You know I’m always here, Sabrina.” His eyes seek mine again. “No matter what.”

Irrational anger spears through me at his soft words. Fucking bastard. How dare he make me feel so small ? I swallow it and breathe it away. Don’t be a bitch Sabrina. But as we drive past the turning of my family home a thought slams into me like a punch to the chest.

“Shit.”

He glances over. “What?”

“My mom,” I breathe. “I need to go to her house.”

“I’ll take you in the morning.” He frowns. “It’s almost two a.m. I’m sure Carla and Mark will be asleep right now.”

“I don’t care.” I twist in my seat to look at him, panic rising again. “If they targeted my place, they could target the family home, too. Tara stored boxes of her shit there, Oleksi. Important stuff. Her journals. Personal things.”

He doesn’t argue. Just shifts gears and makes a U-turn.

Ten minutes later, my stomach drops when we pull into the driveway and I see nearly every light in the house blazing.

“Oh no,” I breathe, my heart pounding against my rib cage.

Before Oleksi can stop me, I’m out of the car, yanking the back door open and scooping up Elena. She stirs, letting out a sleepy whimper, but I don’t have time to soothe her.

I’m running.

Heart hammering, I throw the front door open and barrel inside. “Mom! Mark!”

“Sweetheart?” My mom appears from the hallway, dressed like she just stepped off a cruise ship in the Bahamas—sunhat, oversized sunglasses perched on it, and a floral tunic. Her eyes land on Elena and widen. “Is my princess—?”

“Are you okay?” I pant, chest heaving.

“Rina!” Mark’s voice calls out behind her, and then his familiar face appears from the bedroom, his shirt as loud and Hawaiian as hers. He steps forward immediately, arms out. “I’m so glad you brought her by. Let me—”

“Wait.” I step back, as Mark takes Elena from me, narrowing my eyes. “What the hell is going on here? Are you two doing some kind of kinky Hawaiian cruise roleplay?”

“What?” My mom looks at me like I’ve just slapped her and then gives a nervous laugh. “No, sweetheart! Didn’t you get my message?”

“No,” I snap, patting my pockets looking for my phone. “Shit. My phone’s in my purse and that’s still in the car.”

Carla sighs, shaking her head, just as Oleksi appears in the open doorway.

“Hi.” He gives her a polite nod.

Her eyes sharpen like daggers, shifting between him and me. “Hello, Oleksi. I assume this isn’t a coincidence, you showing up at my door at this ungodly hour with my daughter in tow?”

“Oleksi?” Mark repeats, his expression just as curious as my mothers as he steps from the kitchen, Elena now content biting on her icy teether in his arms.

Oleksi nods. “Sorry to barge in, but there was an incident at Sabrina’s and—”

“It was nothing,” I interrupt with a forced smile and sharp warning glare at Oleksi, but I can already see the suspicion in my mother’s eyes.

“Sabrina?” My mother drawls in that voice with that tone. It’s the same one she used every time I tried to lie my way out of something as a teenager.

“Seriously. It’s nothing.”

But Mark’s already pulling out his phone. “Let me just call Sam and—”

“No!” I bark, but it’s too late.

Mark hands Elena over to Oleksi, stepping into the kitchen with his phone already plastered to his ear, and I throw Oleksi a look sharp enough to draw blood.

“Sabrina?” my mother says again, her tone hinting at this being my last chance to come clean.

And I’m fucked if it doesn’t still make me want to crumble. “Okay.” I hold up my hands. “Two men…”

“Two Russian men,” Oleksi corrects and my mother’s eyes widen as she glances accusingly at him. “Not mine, or any of my family.”

My mother nods and looks back at me. “Russian men broke into your apartment tonight?”

“About two hours ago,” Oleksi interrupts again, sparking my anger.

“Can I tell my mother what happened?” I hiss at him.

Oleksi just shrugs. “Just keeping the facts straight.”

I see my mother gives us a weird look before I continue. “I was in bed and Elena was sleeping with me when I saw the silent alarm button flash before I heard someone in the apartment. I did exactly what Sam and Uncle Nik trained us to do. I switched the button off, hit the panic button, grabbed Elena and hid in the panic space.” I glance at Oleksi who's just washed his hands in the sink so he can help Elena with her teether, and the sight is doing strange things to my system.

“Good, that's good.” My mother looks relieved then turns to Oleksi. “How were you involved in this?”

“Sam is out of town and called me to go check on Sabrina when the silent alarm was triggered and went through to his phone,” Oleksi explains as he gently bounces a happy Elena who I know is only eight months but I could swear she gave me a smug little look all cozy in Oleksi’s arms.

“Why didn’t he call us?” my mother says, offended.

“He needed my particular manpower.” Oleksi ruffled her feathers as easily as he just charmed my little girl and I feel my hackles rising—he really is integrating himself into my life and I’m not sure what to make of it. “When we got there the men were still in Sabrina’s apartment. We have them for interrogation and I’m waiting for Sam’s direction.”

That’s a fucking lie. I heard him tell his team to take them to Gunther and Syd gleefully tell them just who Gunther was. Fuck, even I know who the man is and I’ve also seen the huge scary brute. Interrogation my fucking eye—more like torturing the information from them.

“So you don’t know who they are or what they were after?” my mother asks. “Are they American Russians or…”

I see fear and panic flash in my mother’s blue eyes and frown. Does she know something about the men after Tara? I tilt my head slightly, chewing the side of my mouth thoughtfully. Is my mother keeping something from me about Tara?

“No, they were from Russia,” Oleksi tells her.

“Are you sure?” My mother has a strange wobble in her voice as she addresses Oleksi. “Sure they were from Russia? And they weren’t your men?”

“No, I promise I’ve never seen them before,” he answers quickly. “They weren’t American Russians. They had heavy accents and I would guess they were fresh off the boat from Russia.”

The gasp that echoes from my mother’s lips has my head snap back to her—and that’s when I see it.

The flicker in her eyes. The sharp intake of breath. The sudden paling of her skin as fear darkens her features then she sways.

“Mom!” I reach for her, steadying her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she says too quickly, pulling herself upright with a mask I’ve seen her wear before—one that hides everything.

“I’m not sure about the woman though,” Oleksi continues and my mother’s brow shoots up again.

“There was a woman?” Her eyes fly back to mine. “What woman?”

“You fucking snitch,” I hiss at Oleksi. “Did you tell Sam about the woman as well?”

“I had to tell him,” Oleksi replies, not the least bit apologetic. “I promised him I would.”

“Sam confirmed everything Oleksi just said,” Mark says grimly as he returns to where we’re all standing near the living room. His features are grim as he looks at my mom. “Carla, maybe we shouldn’t go.” He steps around my mother to reclaim Elena from a reluctant Oleksi. The scene pulls on my heartstrings but I don’t have time to ponder on it as Mark's words sink in.

“Go?” I echo, eyes darting around the room until I finally see the packed bags stacked by the door. “Where are you going?” I turn back to my mother, stunned.

“I left you a message,” my mom says carefully. “You said you needed time to figure things out while you’re unemployed. So I thought you wouldn’t be needing as much help with Elena so Mark and I are taking up Galena and Nikolas’s invitation to go on a tropical cruise with them for a couple of weeks.”

“Oh, is that why you put in for a four-week vacation?” Oleksi chimes in casually.

“Four weeks?” I splutter. “Jesus, Mom, thanks for the heads-up.”

“It happened so fast, sweetheart,” my mother explains. “We weren’t going to go, then you told us you were no longer working at the Golden Lights and taking some time with Elena…”

“So your mother and I decided to join Galena and Nikolas on his yacht,” Mark finishes for her. “But we’re going to miss our little princess.” His voice becomes gooey and he tickles a delighted Elena.

“So you decided to sneak off in the middle of the night?”

“No, we have to get to the airport by 3:30 because Galina has her private jet waiting for us,” my mother tells me excitedly. “I haven't traveled overseas in over twenty-four years.”

“That’s how old I am,” I point out, confused. “I thought you’d never been anywhere but Los Angeles?”

“Uh… yes, that’s what I meant,” my mother corrects herself with one of her sweet smiles.

“You said you haven’t traveled overseas in twenty-four years..” My eyes narrow with suspicion as I watch my mother.

“Did I?” She does that dumb blonde thing where I know I won’t get anymore out of her on the subject. She’s suddenly got convenient dementia.

But I push it aside and another thought strikes me. My family home is going to be empty for four weeks. “Can I stay here and house-sit?” I ask.

“No!” I’m taken aback as all three of them bark in perfect harmony.

Mark steps forward. “Sam thinks it’s safer if you stay with Oleksi. Especially with that woman still unaccounted for.”

My glare swivels to the man in question. “I can’t believe you snitched to Sam about her too.”

“I had to,” Oleksi says simply. “Sam wanted to know and I’m sorry if you’re mad, but this is about Elena and you being safe. Sam or I can’t help with that if we’re not open about what’s happening.”

But before I can argue further, my mother turns to Oleksi. For once—maybe the first time in my life—I see something different in her eyes. Not suspicion. Not ice—respect.

“If Sam has put his trust in you, then I guess we can, too,” she says slowly before switching to Russian, her voice low and deadly. “But if you harm my daughter or granddaughter in any way… I don’t care who you are, Mirochin. I will destroy you.”

Oleksi doesn’t flinch. He meets her gaze head-on. “You have my word,” he replies in flawless Russian, “that I will protect them with my life.”

“Good.” She switches back to English before turning to Mark. “Now give me my princess so I can say goodbye.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re on the road again. Elena is fast asleep in her car seat. The silence is almost too loud.

“I didn’t know your mom spoke Russian that well,” Oleksi says at last.

I nod, eyes on the road. “Yes, I think your aunt taught her. They’ve been close for years. And as she and my dad worked for your family…” Our eyes meet as I let my words hang meaningfully. “I guess it was useful for them to understand what the people they were working for were saying.”

He’s quiet for a moment again before saying, “Your mother didn’t just speak Russian, Sabrina. She spoke it like it was her native language—like a Russian.”

I glance at him, frowning. “So?”

He shakes his head slowly. “Nothing. Just… interesting.” Oleksi shrugs but something in his eyes sends a cold prickle down my spine.

By the time we pull into the underground garage at the Diamond Hotel, a new worry nestles itself beside all the others in my chest.

I can’t help but see the look on her face when Oleksi told her the two men who broke into my apartment were from Russia. That wasn’t just shock like the—what the fuck are Russians doing breaking in my daughters apartment look. That was pure terror—like the kind you get when you think the IRS are after you or the boogeyman really is in your closet or you’ve been found...

Is my mother hiding something from me? Does she know more about what’s happening with Tara than she’s letting on? This trip they’re taking is rather sudden even if she did leave me three messages about it early—my mother is not an impulsive trip taker. In fact she hates traveling. And what was that slip up about not having traveled overseas for twenty-four years?

What the hell is she not telling me? On top of everything going on in my life I don’t need my mother keeping secrets from me—especially ones that nearly got my daughter hurt! With a head full of steam I follow Oleksi into the private elevator, my baby hugged tightly in my arms. As we swoosh to the penthouse I pat my faithful oversized purse and feel the metal tin I found earlier under my bed—stashed there by my sister.

As soon as I have a moment of privacy I’m going to open this box as now I’m more than sure Tara has something stashed in here explaining what’s going on. As she stashed it in my secret hiding spot I also know she meant for me to find it.