Glancing back at Avgust, I spoke with authority, stating my claim. “I’ll be with the two of you in a moment.”
I took Clara back upstairs to her room. As she entered, she turned to me. Her smile lit up the entire place as she spoke. “Thank you, Iosif. Thank you for keeping me safe.”
Taking her hand, I lightly kissed her fingers. “As I have said from the start, all I want to do is keep you safe,” I whispered before turning and heading out.
My brothers were still waiting in the foyer as I came down. “Ready,” I said, looking at Avgust. “You know you could have gone and sat down so long.” I walked past them to the kitchen. “Want something to drink?” I asked over my shoulder.
“No, we want to know what’s going on. How can we assist in protecting the family if we are left in the dark?” He spat back.
Grabbing a cola, I turned and glared at them. “I do not appreciate your tone. But I realize you need to know,” I replied. “Let’s take this to my office.”
I moved back past them and walked straight to my office. I waited for them to enter before closing the door. “Have a seat,” I said, waving to the chairs before my desk. “Please sit down. Then we can talk.”
Moving to my chair, I sat down and waited for them to settle. “Look,” I said, grinning at them. “I have a plan. As I explained to you, we need to make Kolya pay for what he did. I started following her around while working on a plan. But while I followed her, I noticed she was being followed.”
Sitting back in my chair, I inhaled deeply. “This is when I decided the best thing to do was to kidnap her so she wouldn’t get taken by someone else. It was my only option. Thingschanged, and I couldn’t wait. But it still worked, don’t you agree?”
“No!” Avgust huffed, sitting forward. I could hear the anger in his tone. “This only complicates things. We think you should return her to the Aslanovs. Let’s wash our hands of this. It’s not going to work out, brother, I have a bad feeling about it.”
“I have to agree with Avgust,” Lukyan chipped in. He didn’t sound as angry as Avgust, but I knew he would take my side if it came down to it.
“Well, I can’t agree with you,” I replied. “I need to protect her. Ensure her safety for now until I’ve decided what to do.”
“And what is your big plan?” Avgust inquired.
I kept my tone calm as I responded. “I am going to keep her here, keep her safe. Let Kolya look for her, let him worry and stress. He needs to learn a lesson about family.”
The two exchanged looks, and Lukyan shrugged. Avgust shook his head before speaking again. “Fine, let’s see where it goes. We’ll then keep an eye out, keep our ears to the ground, and keep you updated. The Vaselievs are monitoring the situation.”
“Well, there you go, thank you,” I said, getting up. “If there’s nothing else, we can get back to business.”
Avgust mumbled under his breath as they rose and headed out. I was following my plan, I reassured myself. I was sure of it; this was the plan, and it would work. Kolya will feel the pain I have endured.
I trampled around my office for a bit, convincing myself I was doing the right thing. Avgust had no reason to be concerned. At lunchtime, I knocked on her door. “Clara?” I called through it. “You want to have lunch with me?”
The door opened, and she smiled. “That would be nice,” she replied, taking the hand I held out. We had lunch in the breakfast sunroom. The light was magnificent, and the meal was nice and light. The atmosphere was tranquil and comforting.
She appeared much calmer, which I preferred. I could admire her without having to speak. After lunch, I headed back to my office. I had some emails and calls to get through.
I had barely sat down when my phone rang. It was Avgust, I hoped he was calling with an update.
“Hi, brother,” I asked impatiently. “What news do you have?”
“Yes, we’ve been diving into every contact. They have been spotted. The group who tried taking Clara,” he replied.
“Excellent!” I said excitedly. “We will then take action and get them out of the way.”
“No,” Avgust replied, sounding anxious. “Slow down. You’re in too much of a rush. The Aslanovs are also very actively still searching for her.”
“This isn’t good,” I huffed. “But, okay. I’ll get back to you. Thanks, brother.”
“No problem,” Avgust commented before hanging up.
Getting up, I paced the length of my office for a bit. “That’s it. I got it!” I exclaimed, talking to the furniture. “I will take her out of the city. A place where I know she’ll be safe with me. Somewhere special!”
Chapter 16 - Clara
A smile tugged at my lips as I thought back on the last couple of days. Things have been bizarre and different from the life I was used to. Excitedly, I packed my bags as Iosif had promised me a trip of a lifetime. He guaranteed that no one would know who I was. But it was a relief that they wouldn’t know who my brother was either.
