Page 4 of The Fixer

Clenching my jaw hard, I forced my knees unbend and flexed my toes. Every part of me was still and unyielding, as if my joints were made of the concrete I slept on last night. Just moving was exhausting, but I refused to take his hand. Crossing my arms tightly over my chest, I shook my head and hoovered a huge breath— until my lungs couldn’t take it.

He raised a brow at me. “Do you care if they die? Or do you care because it affects you?”

I didn’t bother trying to think hard enough to answer him. The living room seemed too wide, and my legs ached just thinking of crossing it.

“I assume you find comfort in knowing they deserve what they’re getting simply because they’dhaveto be beyond idiotic to try it. I’m sure it’s even worse knowing they didn’t even graze my father.”

“… It’s got nothing to do with what they deserve. My dad plotted to kill your dad and wasn’t even close to being successful. What’s common law for attempted murder? Retaliation. So… no. It’s not worse. I don’t find comfort in how idiotic my parents and brother are. I’m just— just sad. Sad, I’m involved because I was born a Cherinivsky. Ophelia Matheson sounds better than OpheliaCherinivsky.” It hurt to talk, to think— to move— tobe,and my cheek twitched as a sigh escaped me. Disgust tinged my voice.

Aleksander frowned at me ? not that the curiosity in his eyes diminished in the slightest.

My knees wobbled dangerously as I made my way across the vast expanse of my father’s home. “If you’re going to do it— do it right, so you don’t have to suffer the consequences.”

“Confidence breeds foolishness. Obviously, you’re the black sheep in personality just like your name. That’s another curiosity I find interesting enough to keep you around. Your parents named you ‘Ophelia’, but they hate your boyfriend for his dual citizenship of which the primary isn’t Russia.” Aleksander opened the door to the dining room for me. “You’re definitely more interesting than your brother.”

I glanced up at him. “Martin’s name is just asnot Russianas mine. Go stick your arm up his ass rather than making me find someone that can open his mouth just right.” Beyond the dining room was the back garden, and goosebumps washed my arms and across my abdomen. “For someone streamlining, you’re pretty convoluted.”

“See… even more interesting. You just insulted me, and I don’t feel any urge at all…”

Tensing as Aleksander pressed the cold barrel of a gun to the back of my head, I gulped harshly.

He smirked faintly, like he enjoyed my reaction, even as he touched my cheek. “Don’t make me wait forever.”

“You won’t have much of a forever if you don’t put that gun away.”

The feminine voice hit me like lightning.

Aleksander’s face froze. His eyes tore off me into the dining room to narrow into slits.

“We have four more of these circus acts to get through, Aleksander, and you aren’t going to shoot her, so hurry up.”

“I have an image to maintain,sokrovishche,” he replied.

“The last time you shoved a gun in a girl’s face, she ended up having sex with you every other night. Let’s hurry this up. You have exactly 7 more people to shove guns in their faces, and none of them are women.”

My brows in surprise at howannoyedthe woman sounded.

She gestured in impatience.

Aleksander sighed in defeat before shouldering his way past me.

The door slid closed against my back, a forebodingclickechoing in my ears. “W-wait, wait—“ Holding up my palms as her bright, brown eyes met mine, I pointed between them. “He shoved a gun in your face, and—you find that attractive?”

“Yeah?Youdon’t think it’s attractive when your boyfriend gets all bossy?”

Blinking hard, I could only nod stupidly at the ‘duh’ tone of her questions.

“If you didn’t, all that snot earlier wasn’t worth it.” She turned and strutted off.

I gulped harshly at the amused smirk and slight shrug Aleksander shot me before following her.

Who was worse…?

3

Sascha

“Oppie?” I called out. Leaning on the door frame, I pursed my lips thinly. My knuckles tingled as they rapped the door, but nothing but silence met me. “Ophelia, baby… open the door if you’re in there.”