I make them drop me at the front gate. The mess has been cleared, bodies are gone and I imagine Svetlana made the relevant calls.
When I walk up the drive, Isaak’s waiting outside his red Porsche, holding a miserable-looking Albert.
Albert wiggles down and dances and barks at me, excited and bewildered. No doubt he can smell Alina.
Isaak looks about. “What the fuck happened, man? I thought you were dead or something. Demyan’s wife said something about chasing after Alina?”
“I might as well be dead,” I mutter, going past him inside.
We head into the nearest room with booze, and I pour us both a glass of whatever my hand lands on. I explain what happened, and later, he helps me bleach and hose down the blood. We then go back inside and continue to drink ourselves stupid.
But through our drinking and my raging, I can’t help thinking dark thoughts.
“Demyan will get over it,” Isaak says.
I point my bottle at him, having abandoned my glass. “First, you’re staying. You’re in no condition to drive. I’ll have Svetlana make up a room. Actually, it’s probably ready. Second, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Even if Alina forgives me?—”
“For what?”
“—there’s no way in hell Demyan’s gonna let me anywhere near her now.”
“She’s of age, dude.”
“He’s Demyan, bro.” I take a swig. “And itismy fault.”
“Shit happens, man.”
We drink some more.
Later, after Isaak’s in one of the guestrooms, I stagger to mine. Albert’s already waiting, still miserable. I know how he feels.
“We should call her,” I say, now very drunk.
So I do. But Demyan answers.
“Alina is asleep. She left her phone with me, and I want you to leave my sister the fuck alone.”
“Put her on the phone, Demyan.”
“It’s 1:00 a.m.,” he snaps. “And you should have seen this coming. All of it. What the fuck is wrong with you? She lost Max. You want her to lose someone else? Lose her life? A wife of a pakhan’s going to be in danger. You put a target on her back the moment you married her.”
I don’t know if Demyan hangs up or the call cuts out, but I throw my phone across the room, making Albert whimper.
“Sorry, little buddy,” I say. “I tried.”
Albert snuggles in next to me, a doggy sigh escaping him. I stroke his fur. Just because I’m in the doghouse, that doesn’t mean he should be, even if he is a dog. He misses his Alina, and he was brave when she got kidnapped.
I’m not going anywhere tonight.
I feel like utter shit. More shit. Shittier shit.
Demyan’s right.
I should have seen this coming.
And the fact I didn’t?
It means I don’t deserve Alina.
