Page 14

Arielle

“Good morning, ребено к .” Maya’s voice startled me, and I almost fell from the tall kitchen stool I was currently standing on.

“We should really put a bell on you,” I muttered, catching my breath. The lady made no sound.

“Was there something you needed?” she asked as I climbed down from the stool, and my stomach rumbled in response.

Mikhail and I got in late from our movie date last night, and I skipped dinner for a generous serving of ice cream. Now, I was up at six a.m., turning the kitchen upside down like a starved rodent.

“Come sit,” she said, patting on the chair next to the kitchen counter. “I’ll fix you something real quick.”

“Thank you, Maya.” I sighed in relief, hopping on the stool.

Over the past few days, Maya and I have developed a form of friendship over dinner. Most times, she cooked while I watched, and other times, I joined if she was making something I was interested in.

“What about Mikhail?” she asked, chopping some spring onions. Her cutting speed always had me on edge and scared for her fingers.

“He was still sleeping when I got out of bed,” I replied, my eyes not leaving her fingers.

A smile touched her lips. “You know he always had trouble sleeping till you moved in. I’d find him working on the table as early as six a.m., and he’d still be making work calls when I left at ten. You’re good for him.”

I felt a twinge of guilt at her words. I could sense how much she cared for him. I had asked Mikhail about her, but he didn’t say much. He just said that she followed him from Russia.

“Maya,” I started, clearing my throat. “How long have you been with Mikhail?”

Her face transformed following my question, and a look of gratitude bled into her eyes. “I’ve been with him since he was five.”

My antennas were instantly up and alert. This was the perfect opportunity for me to dig around Mikhail’s past.

“Woah, that’s a very long time,” I commented, adjusting myself on the stool. “He told me you followed him from Russia. Was your family not worried about you?” I needed to know if she was working for him of her free will or if Mikhail had something on her.

“Yes, ребено к . After his grandfather died, the young master took over the family business at a very young age. My husband—” she cleared her throat before continuing, “My husband, he was not a good man, and he got into trouble with some bad men. They killed my husband, took everything we owned, and threatened to kill me if I didn’t provide what was left of my husband’s debt. I was a poor widow with nowhere to go. When Mikhail found out about what happened, he took care of the men and returned all they had taken from me.”

It took a while for me to completely digest the information she had just dumped on me. When I asked about her life with Mikhail, I didn’t expect to hear about him going out of his way to take care of his grandfather’s housekeeper.

“So, when he told me he was leaving for the States, I packed up my life in Russia and followed him. He is the only family I have. He has been so good to me. He even got me my own house after we settled in.” She wiped a stray tear from her eyes, and her unwavering love and loyalty to Mikhail began to all make sense.

“Woah. He didn’t tell me this part of the story.” I said, my chest suddenly feeling tight.

“That’s the young master for you. He’s not one to blow his own trumpet,” she sighed, putting off the fire in the cooker.

I had been so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t noticed her rounding up with her cooking.

“Arielle,” she said, her warm gaze resting on me. “I know he can be difficult at times. He had a rough childhood, and the mistakes of his father rested on him for a very long time, but I can see how much he cares for you. Be patient with him. He might not be the most affectionate, but he’s fiercely loyal and will protect you with his last blood. He did the same for me.”

I could only nod. The tightness in my chest spread to my throat, and I couldn’t produce a sound even if I tried.

“Alright. Breakfast is ready. Go get him,” she clapped, clearing her throat and shooing me away. I’ve never been more relieved to leave a room.

I leaned my back on the nearest wall after I left the kitchen, taking deep breaths to steady myself. The conversation took a completely different turn from what I expected, and I found myself battling with an alien feeling of guilt and not the triumph I thought I’d have after prying information from Maya.

Beneath the feeling of guilt that gnawed at me was a simmering feeling of pity for Maya. She’ll be so heartbroken when she discovers Mikhail’s true nature. It’ll completely crush her.

“I don’t care what it takes, Enzo. I want the whole perimeter secured. No one leaves, and no one gets in until someone gives me a reasonable answer.” Mikhail’s harsh words reached my ears as I got close to his door, and I slowed my pace and strained my ears to hear more.

“No, Lorenzo, no! Just do as I instructed.” He barked with a tone of finality, and the sound of something crashing on the floor followed his outburst. I immediately rushed into the room to find a wide crack in the mirror and blood dripping from Mikhail’s hand as he paced his bedroom.

I took a slow, cautious step towards him, not knowing what to expect. I’ve never seen him like this. “Is everything okay? I heard some commotion in the room.”

His eyes found mine, and he drew in a deep breath, looking at his hand and the mirror. “I’m sorry about the mess, darling. I just received very bad news,” he said, sitting on the bed and supporting his head with his hands.

“What happened?” I asked, standing between his legs and cradling his face in my hands.

“It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll go to Russia tomorrow and have it fixed,” he replied, forcing a small smile on his face.

“You can’t ask me not to worry after seeing you like this,” I said, lowering my voice. “Remember, we said no more secrets.”

I couldn’t tell if I was still acting or if I was genuinely concerned for him. “Talk to me, baby,” I coaxed gently.

He sighed, leaning into my hands. “My shipment got bombed the moment it got to the port.”

Shipment? The alarms in my head went off. Could it be the same shipments Father has been on my neck about?

I tucked my questions away, bringing myself to eye level with him. “Did you find who was responsible?”

“Not yet, but once I get to Russia, I’ll find them, and I’ll make sure—”

“Hey, hey. Look at me.” I said, forcing his gaze on me. “I’m sure you’ll find them, and you’ll take care of it. Hopefully, the goods didn’t sustain permanent damage.”

I found myself earnestly praying for the content of the shipments to be safe. It could be anything between kids and atomic bombs, and it was our key to exposing him.

“Thank you,” he sighed, placing kisses all over my hands. He looked at me like he wanted to say more but decided against it.

“Maya said to get you downstairs for breakfast. But first, we have to get your wrist cleaned up, or she’ll have a coronary if she sees you coming downstairs with burst knuckles so early in the morning.” He chuckled as I pulled him to his feet and led him to the bathroom.

*******

“Did he say anything about the condition of the shipment?” Father asked hastily before I could finish my report.

“He only said that the port suffered an explosion immediately after the shipment was offloaded. He didn’t mention anything about the state, and I couldn’t ask more without seeming suspicious,” I replied, glancing over my back.

I told Maya I was going to take a quick post-breakfast stroll around the neighborhood after Mikhail left, and I seized the opportunity to update Father on recent events.

“Good job, Cara. See how much progress you’ve made in a very short time with you in the same house with him,” he commended, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, he would give himself credit for my progress.

“One more thing, though. You said he would be leaving for Russia tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, Father,” I answered, silently praying he wouldn’t ask me to raid the house in Mikhail’s absence.

“I need you to go with him.”

“What?” I spluttered, taking a minute to register his words.

“When he returns from work, you’ll tell him you would love to visit Russia. Make up a story about how you would love to know his roots. Whatever you do, make sure you’re on that plane with him,” he said, and the line went off before I got the chance to refuse.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

I doubt Mikhail would be keen on letting me tag along. This was a work trip.

I let out a frustrated sigh and made my way back to the house, feeling a sense of regret over reporting to Father, but at the same time, I held on to the hope that this shipment would be the key. It was the cause of everything.

*****

“That was…woah,” Mikhail panted as I crawled up to him on the bed, wiping the remnants of his cum off my chin.

“I just missed you a little, and you looked so tense when you left earlier.”

He pulled me flush against him, placing a kiss on my head. “Thank you.”

I counted to ten in my head, waiting for the right moment to start the conversation with him without seeming like it was the reason I gave him an unexpected blowjob.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, and I lifted my head to get a good look at him.

“What gave it away?”

“You do this thing with your fingers when there’s something bothering you. Come on, what’s the problem?”

I took a moment to let his words sink in, making a mental note to be more careful around him. “I want to follow you to Russia.”

His body suddenly stiffened beneath my touch, and he said a hard “No.”

“Why?” I said, slipping out of his arms and getting into a seated position. “Why can’t I come with you?”

He flashed me an incredulous look, pulling himself into a seated position. “Because it’s dangerous, Arielle, and you know this. I won’t be taking you with me, and that’s the end of it.”

“I’m not saying I want to work with you. I’m just saying I’d love to see the place where you grew up. I barely know anything about you beyond New York. Even Maya knows more about you than I do,” I said, my voice softening at the end.

He drew in a heavy breath, holding out his arm to me, and I crawled back into him. He always felt so warm and comfortable. “I understand, sweetheart, but it’s hardly ideal. You can get hurt.”

“I don’t care. I just want to be with you,” I whined, placing my head on his shoulder. “I just want to be a part of your world.”

He went silent for a moment before finally speaking. “We’ll have to set up some ground rules, baby.”

“So, you’ll let me tag along?” I squealed in excitement.

“Easy, don’t get ahead of yourself.” He tried to sound stern, but I could see the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He finally gave in to my puppy look, and his face was completely transformed by a wide smile.

“You’re lucky I can’t say no to you,” he sighed, placing another kiss on my forehead.

“You said something about rules,” I beamed at him, and he chuckled.

“No going out without supervision. You’ll only go to places I deem safe, and you’ll have your location on at all times.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes.” He let out another chuckle, and I rolled off the bed, heading to my room to pack my stuff.

I found myself uncommonly excited to be traveling with Mikhail. This house would’ve felt so empty without him.