“I truly don’t know much,” I breathed out. “I was kept in a safe house or something. It wasn’t his actual home. I never heard him speak of their operations or anything else. I do know his men are loyal; he has brothers and sisters. But that’s about it.”
My brother frowned as he sat down. He looked at me for a bit, studying my face. He mumbled under his breath. “I should have ensured Zhenya was taken out.” I could just make out enough to know what he was saying. Now I understood why Iosif was so angry at him.
I staggered backward as horror filled me. Keeping my face straight, I spoke softly. “May I go?” I didn’t want him to know that I knew the truth now.
“Yes, go, go,” he said, waving his hand in the air as he turned and stared out the window.
I was relieved to be able to get out of his office, his presence. I hurried back to my room and closed the door before pulling out my phone. Dialing Iosif’s number, I paced up and down. I had to talk to him, but there was no answer.
After a couple of tries, I decided to call Zhenya. She had given me her number on our last visit, and I was grateful that she did. There was a clicking sound as the line connected. I didn’t wait for her to say anything before I spoke. “Zhenya, I’m so sorry we didn’t tell you the truth, and for everything my brother did to you. I’m an Aslanov. I’m Kolya’s youngest sister. I didn’t know what my brother tried to do to you.”
There was silence for a bit before she replied. She didn’t sound upset. In fact, she sounded very calm. “If I’m being honest, I find it hard to believe that you are a part of that family. But if you are, I know you did nothing wrong.”
I heard her breathing in slowly before she continued. “I don’t have any grudges. I am in a good place in my life now. I am happy and just want to put it all behind me, okay?” She took another breath before she spoke again.
“Come to think of it, I can now see the small similarities. So, this is how Iosif planned to get back at your family. Interestingly, we walked such similar paths. But then again, I didn’t know either. Yet, I have to add…”
She went silent. I waited a moment and then asked. “What Zhenya? Please tell me what you’re thinking?”
“I’ve never seen Iosif as calm and happy as he is with you around. I could actually see the pure joy on his face when we came to visit. And the stress when he found out you were gone.”
Her words hit me hard. I sighed. I hadn’t realized or thought of the pain I could be causing him. I was so focused on my own pain. I realized leaving him was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.
“Zhenya,” I said. “Sorry, but I have to go. I have something that I must do, and it can’t wait.”
She mumbled something as I disconnected. I had no time. I had to sneak out and find Iosif. I had to tell him I was sorry and that I was carrying his child. I wanted to fix this. I wanted a future with him.
I sneaked out of the house and managed to bypass all of Kolya’s men without being seen. As I stepped out onto the road,trying to decide how to get to Iosif so I could try and fix this, I heard a speeding car heading my way.
Moving a few feet back, I waited, hiding behind a tree for the motor to pass. I had to apologize in person and ask Iosif to forgive my quick judgment of him. I watched the dark blue van approach, slow down, and pass at a snail's pace.
For a brief second, my mind went back to the kidnapping. Then I felt a large arm tighten around my waist. A man’s hand came over my mouth and nose with a cloth in it. It had a strong odor.
What the fuck, I swore mentally. How was this for luck? I had the worst luck in the world, I realized, as everything went dark. I wasn’t completely out as they loaded me into the van. I could hear them mumbling, but it sounded as if they were in a cave.
We drove for a while, then there was a sudden thud as they drove over something, a bump in the road perhaps. I knew I was coming to, as I could hear them clearer. There was another bump. I groaned as my head hit something. I felt pain shooting through my body.
I knew I would have bruises for days. The way they were treating me, they were street thugs, drug dealers, or something. No Bratva group would ever handle a woman this way. I shifted, trying to get my head away from whatever was slamming into it.
One of the men grabbed my arm and mumbled something to another. That’s when I felt the scruffy rag cover my mouth and nose. I tried to pull away, but I was still too weak. My nose and throat burned as I inhaled the strong chemicals. My breath caught in my chest, and I thought I was going to die. Then, there was a soothing darkness. I relaxed and succumbed to it.
Chapter 23 - Iosif
I couldn’t help but wonder how Clara would react to my plan. I felt sure she would be pissed at me. But I didn’t care much. I had to get to her. Sneaking into Kolya’s place was my only option.
I didn’t care about my life at the moment; all I wanted was to see her once more. To hold her and maybe have one last kiss. I wanted to make things right between us. Living without her was like hell. I couldn’t take it anymore, and I felt sure we could work things out.
After managing to sneak past the guards, I stood by what looked like a living room window. The latch wasn’t closed, so I was able to unhook it and open the window. Glancing in, I saw no one. I listened but heard nothing.
This was my way in. Once the guards had moved around the corner and the coast was clear, I climbed in. Softly, I pulled the window closed behind me. I crouched behind the couch for a moment, listening.
There was movement above me on the second floor. But everything was quiet around me. Moving to the door, I peeked out. There was a long hallway moving in both directions. Doors lined the sides, left and right.
Moving into the hallway, I went right as the main part of the house was towards it. Kolya’s place was much bigger than I had imagined. I gently felt the door handles and looked into the rooms as I went. I did not want to be surprised by someone walking out of a room.
I felt lost as I made my way to the arch at the end of the hallway. I knew this was a dangerous and stupid move. I stopped at the end of the hallway and looked at the foyer opening beforeme. It was much bigger than the one at my new home or the one at my father’s place.
There were about five more archways and three sets of stairs. I felt like I was about to lose my mind. How did I ever think I would be able to find her inside this mansion? Well, no turning back now. I picked a staircase and started moving up. I was out in the open now. I had to move swiftly.
