Page 6 of The Fixer
“What? Ophelia’s a fixer, she mops up her parents’ and brother’s messes. If it wasn’t for her, you’d had to have taken care of the Cherinivsky’s years ago. The only reason the operation out of Ukraine runs smoothly is because of her.” Blurting out the defense.
Aleksanderlaugheda deep, hearty sound. “So, youdoknow more than you’re supposed to…”
I blinked hard as anxiety buzzed against my cheekbones.
Aleksander tsked in disapproval. “That’s good for me, bad for you, of course. Tell me, Sascha… How valuable do you think Ophelia is to me? From your perspective, why should I allow her the freedom she has?”
Sitting on the concrete support that edged Ophelia’s apartment complex, I inhaled a deep breath. The stale air in my lungs dried my mouth, but I ignored it to focus on Aleksander’s probing. My heart still beat furiously, straining, and I cast my gaze to the sky to exhale loudly. “I doubt she’s irreplaceable, but she’s above average. Finding someone to replace her will mean training, waiting around ? dealing with silly, little, avoidable mistakes. Ophelia isn’t ambitious ? youdefinitelywon’t find someone with less, at least.” I paused to lick my dry lips, scraping my brain for any tiny tidbit ofsomethingthat Ophelia mentioned even in passing. “Zelchevks supposedly has a crush on her.”
Aleksander paused then said, “… That was not what I expected you to say at all, Sascha. You truly are boring, aren’t you?”
Sucking in a sharp breath, I scratched my jaw roughly.
Aleksander sighed if he was disappointed with my answer. “I thought for sure you’d try to get Ophelia out from under my radar. Telling me the Prime Minister of Ukraine has a crush on her is not the way to go about it.”
“Trying that would only make you more interested. It’s not like I can offer myself or something in exchange. I’m just a university professor.” Running my fingers through my beard and over my chin, I lowered my eyes to scan the streets. “There’s no point in trying to lie about Ophelia’s capabilities. I’m sure you already know what you need to know, and you’re only asking me to see if I’d lie.”
“Lying is a bit of a harsh term, isn’t it?” His tone still sounded amused. “Regardless, you’re right. Ophelia is used to mopping up her parents’ messes…operating on the assumption that she’d be reactive, not proactive. Well, now that her parents and brother are gone, you’ll have no problem being the doting, understanding boyfriend that helps her transition, yes?”
Alarm bells rang in my head at this, but I didn’t have a chance to open my mouth. A small two door pulled up in front of the building, a nondescript baby blue. Hanging up on Aleksander, I rushed over as Ophelia climbed out of the passenger seat and slammed the door behind her.
Wrapping her up in my arms, my cold body burned from how hot Ophelia was. Her shivering reverberated off my ribs, squeezing my lungs until they were completely empty. Burying my face in her thick, mahogany hair, I squeezed her tightly. Clammy palms gripped my sides, but all I did was hold her while the car peeled off the curb and into traffic.
Ophelia’s tears stained my thin, dark grey button down, seeping through the fabric to curl my chest hairs. Cupping the back of her head, I savored the feel of her ? the smell of her shampoo ? the sensation of my shirt tightening from her grip.
“… C-can we go to your p-place?” she asked in a stammering voice.
Grumbling lowly in acknowledgment, I exhaled a heavy breath to clear some of the anxiety that’d settled on my shoulders. Still, though, Ophelia didn’t move, and I surely did not intend to rush her.
4
Ophelia
My mom’s hatred for me brightened by her tears, her glare hot enough to melt steel.
Discomfort gnawed deep into my gut, and I held my shaking hands behind my back. In her eyes, I saw how hurt she was by my betrayal; I could almost hear her cursing me behind the white circle around her tightly pursed lips.
“You’re choosing that nasty dog over your own family! You bitch! You’re no daughter of mine!” Even in this moment before she died, my mother somehow found a way to hate Sascha.
Sadness gripped my chest, but it wasn’t as bad as when I’d called him.
By my side, Aleksander cocked his head. “What does that have to do with you attempting to assassinate my father? How does Ophelia’s boyfriend fit into this in your fucked up head?”
My mom’s eyes had widened in fear.
Those two questions were ones I asked myself often— not in this context, though. Anything that happened, good or bad, my mother found somehow to blame Sascha. I was happy? Well, Sascha made my family look bad. I had a sniffle? Sascha must’ve gotten me sick. It made no sense, compounded by the silence engulfing the garden.
“Is it because she lives and you die?” Aleksander raised a brow at her. “Even then, the boyfriend has nothing to do with it. Why wouldn’t Ophelia do whatever she needed to do to save her own life? Do you honestly think wanting to live is a betrayal? As far as I’m concerned, you betrayed your children when you decided to kill yourself.” Sauntering over to my mom, Aleksander grabbed her chin to pull an ugly squawk from her.
She shivered violently, her hands tied with zips behind her back. Screaming was useless; we lived too far away from anyone because my parents prized their privacy.
The irony was lost to me in this moment, though.
“Even if you did kill my father, you wouldn’t have killed me. The only way this was going to end was you, dead, orphaning your children and giving me the opportunity to lord over your precious, precious girl. I can do anything to her. I can give her to Demitr, as you carelessly handed me her life without any hesitation.That’sbetrayal. Turning your back on your children, and now… you’re leaving all your daughters under my heel.”
Jerking up, a shuddering gasp ballooned my lungs with cold air. Holding my eye as it threatened to pop from the sharp ache behind it, I panted viciously. The ringing in my ears slowly died down, and a shiver lodged between my shoulders as I pulled my knee up to prop my forehead.
“Oppie…”