Page 2 of The Runaway

Joci

I’d never met an American in person, but Carlyle Santinofeltexactly like Aleksander Makovich. The aura he exuded as he stood, tall and confident, on the tarmac was overwhelming; even the way he tilted his head reminisce of my boss. Ophelia nodded at my whisper out of the corner of my eye, and I gripped the railing of the steps tighter.

“He’s hot.”

“He’s got a ring on, Joci.” Puffing out my lips absently, I hummed softly; I hadn’t scanned that far down, yet. America brought out the curiosity that Anatoly had almost extinguished…and I was going to live here! Oh, my god!Stifling a wide smile as excitement bubbled up like tar in my chest, I cleared my throat quietly. Aleksander would’ve gotten me what I needed to stay in this country legally, to work legally— all I had to do was figure out what my next step would be.

“Aleksander Makovich.” The deep, thundering baritone that rolled smoothly out of Carlyle’s mouth rattled up my legs, and all my thoughts vanished under a thick blanket ofuncertainty. He held out his hand for Aleksander, and I and Ophelia paused on the plane steps to watch them shake. Only, they didn’t release each other’s palms while the tension in the air became suffocating. In slow motion, both men produced a gun from somewhere on their persons, and my heart leaped into my throat as blood rushed in the opposite direction.Holy shit- these guys are intense.

Still shaking hands, Aleksander and Carlyle glared at each other— like they could read each other even behind expertly built walls. True, the American might’ve had lighter hair, a longer face, and broader shoulders, but there was no real distinction between them. Obviously, both men were born for this meeting, this power, and I realized for the first time how difficult Ophelia’s job was going to be.

Aleksander moved a fraction of a second after Carlyle, gun barrels aimed down and trigger fingers itching. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck bristled, and I grabbed Ophelia’s arm tightly. A horrendousbangdrowned out my gasp, but neither man flinched even as I ducked behind Ophelia.

I was watching some strange caveman ritual of manliness, and it wasawesometo behold. They shot directly between each other’s feet and didn’t react at all; the willpower alone was incredible.Not that I want to be between them right now.

“This is the first time we’ve met in person.” Aleksander’s English was exceptional, his voice ringing across the tarmac to chase away the discharging of two guns at the same time. He let go first, and Carlyle Santino nodded firmly as they both tucked their weapons back. Suddenly, the buzzing in the air and in my ears stopped, leaving my head hollow as my brain struggled to solidify from the goop it’d been reduced to. “I hope my brother hasn’t been a nuisance.”

“My little brother deals with your little brother. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be here to meet you. This is Illya, my interpreter.” Hurrying down the steps as introductions were made, I shook my shoulders of weighty astonishment and took a huge breath. Eyes scanned me dismissively before Carlyle gestured us to follow with a flick of his wrist. “You’ll be staying in New York City, as you requested. Reece will be our go-between. Be kind to him- he’s a bit slow.”

“I take offense to that, Boss.” It seemed like everyone but Aleksander and Carlyle materialized out of nowhere, and my gaze swung to the man that spoke. Reece was only a little taller than me in my heels, with nothing about him to suggest he’d ever so much as talked back to someone aggressively. He stuck out his hand, but Aleksander ignored him to stride by before Reece could open his mouth to introduce himself.

He slowly curled his fingers, awkwardness seeping from his posture as he curled his shoulders. Even Ophelia and Sascha ignored Reece, and I inhaled a sharp, short breath before I reached him. Holding out my hand, I smiled when Reece glanced at me under knit brows wriggling with surprise.

“I’m Joci.”When was the last time I spoke English?I mean, I knew the very rudimentary phrases and could get by on simple conversation, but… I don’t think I’d ever actually spoken English to anyone but my course partner before. Reece smiled gratefully, warmly, clasping my palm gently, and I ducked my head in a curt nod. “My English is no good. I’m sorry.”

“Ah-I speak Russian fluently.” Reece squeezed my hand gingerly as surprise stretched my lips. “Let’s go before they leave us behind.”

“I need practice.” Unclasping our palms, I started after the group as a strange sensation rippled up my jaw and cheeks. Reaching to touch my lips, I frowned while my brain kicked into overdrive to find English words. “Weird…”

“English is a shitty language to learn as an adult.” Nodding as we caught up with Ophelia, I grabbed her bare wrist to get her attention. Raising my brows, I frowned when she shook her head. Either, Carlyle Santino didn’t care who’d be negotiating, or he already knew the outcome, and everything in between was useless knowledge.

If Carlyle was so much like Aleksander, he wouldn’t have agreed to meeting without already knowing what decisions would be reached. What was the point of these men trying to contend with each other? They were basically the same damn person, bar a few shades of color in their hair. When I closed my eyes, there was one aura and no distinction between them.

“Mason will be your driver for your stay. I’ve arranged security at your hotel. There’s been a lot of Albanian activity due to your visit. I wouldn’t want something to happen to you before we can renegotiate your influences, Aleksander.” Carlyle talked so proper that it was distracting as he gestured to the car. The young man smiled broadly, waving and touching two fingers to his forehead. “Take a week to enjoy the city. Anything you need, you can ask Reece, and he’ll provide to the best of his ability.”

“I’d rather get to business, and I know you’re not that patient a man, Carlyle. We’ll travel together.” If Carlyle was surprised at the brisk, almost nonchalant demand, it didn’t show on his face. Anxiety buzzed in my veins as they walked to a sleek, shiny four-door parked in front of the limo. No one moved— no one dared blink or breathe or sniffle for fear or drawing both those men’s attention. Together, they were scarier than even Anatoly, with their calmness and narrowed stares.

“Wow… talk about peanut butter and jelly, right.” Mason’s nervous laugh shattered the thick atmosphere, and I sucked in a huge breath to ease my burning lungs. He popped open the limo’s back door with one hand and rubbed the back of his neck with the other. “I’m gonna need alotof weed to relax from that shit.”

“I wouldn’t relax just yet, Mason.” Ignoring the conversation, I climbed into the car after Sascha and Ophelia to heave a massive sigh. Sinking into the seat, I flung my arms over my face and slouched low. When Reece shut the four of us in and the car rolled forward, my mind stuck in place. Everyone expected something to happen when Carlyle and Aleksander met for the first time, but…

That was beyond anything I could comprehend.

“Well… that went well, I think.” Sascha stroked his beard thoughtfully, slinging his arm over Ophelia’s shoulders and crossing his knees. His English accented much worse than Aleksander’s, but he still spoke it well.I’m starting to regret not trying harder.“What do you think?”

“I think it’s interesting that Carlyle brought up the Albanians. They downscaled when Carlyle’s father effectively destroyed the Italians. They could see his dealings with Aleksander as an opportunity to readjust their own terms with Carlyle.” Ophelia puffed out her lips, her brows furrowing slightly. “I’m sure I’ll get a clearer picture later on. No point in thinking about it right now.”

“We’re in America— we can have fun, right?” I cringed at how sloppy my English was, rolling awkwardly off my tongue and leaving a gross feeling behind. Flames licked my cheeks, but no one cast judging eyes on me as I raked both my hands through the ends of my hair.

“Yeah, we can. We’ll figure out what to do when we get to New York City.” Nodding as embarrassment clogged my throat, I clasped my hands in my lap. The back of the limo grew quiet; no one really wanted to talk to strangers forced together in a tiny space, which only made the air thick with awkwardness. Turning to stare out the window, I gulped down my feelings as my mind turned to Aleksander’s offer on the plane.

I took my out without hesitation, and now, I had some time to figure out where to go next. My English needed working on, and I didn’t even know where to begin with a job. Where would I live? How would I live? What struggles would I encounter, and how would I overcome them?

The person I was before I met Anatoly… would I be closer to her once all of this was behind me? I would never be that woman, of course. And that was saddening. One, seemingly innocuous mistake had irreversibly changed me for the worse.

America is the land of opportunity. The economy is better than Russia. Life was more stable. If I didn’t work directly for Aleksander, I’d never get paid on time. The currency is 0.016 of a single US dollar.First thing was first, though. I had to practice my English. Glancing over at Reece, I clenched and released my jaw thoughtfully. He worked for Carlyle Santino— I couldn’t trust him with something as mundane as helping my English.

“How long to the city?” The words were rough even to my ears, and Reece’s baby blue eyes met mine quizzically.