Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Alek
Security guards pull me and Dimitri away from each other. It’s in that moment when I realize that Katya isn’t by my side. She’s not anywhere.
“Where’s Katya?” I growl.
Dimitri looks around too like he’s just as surprised as me before a slow smirk crosses his face. “Looks like she ran away from you. You couldn’t make my sister yours. You don’t own her.”
I run past Dimitri and the guards and go outside, searching for any sight of her but she’s gone. Dimitri comes strolling past me, pure smugness radiating off him.
“I am going to get my sister back,” he says. “You will never have her again.”
The thought of never seeing Katya hurts more than I ever thought it would. When I thought she could have died in the pool, things changed between us. I made her mine and she gave herself to me. It started off as possession for her.
But now it’s shifted into something more. Something tender.
I’ve seen Katya afraid. Seen her vulnerable. The urge to protect her hit me the second I first saw her.
I know I care deeply for the woman I kidnapped. And now she’s gone and I have no idea who took her.
“Anyone could have taken Katya,” I snap. “You shouldn’t be so fucking smug.”
“I’m fairly positive I know. But I’m not going to tell you. Have a nice night, Alek.” He whistles to himself as he heads down the sidewalk and flags down a taxi.
A huge fucking hole has been punched into my chest.
Katya
Sofiya gets me back to Dimitri’s house. The moment I step inside, all the anxiety and fears I had all my life come rushing right back. This doesn’t feel right.
I’ve grown in the short amount of time I’ve been Alek’s. And coming right back home feels more suffocating than I ever thought it would be.
“Alek,” I murmur. “I have to get back to Alek.”
Sofiya gives me an incredulous look. “You have to get back to Alek? He kidnapped you, Katya. Are you ok? I’m sure you’ve been through some intense things these past two weeks. Let me help you. What do you need?”
“I need Alek,” I say softly, realizing that I want him more than I ever thought possible. Not because he’s brainwashed me but because he has helped me become the woman I’ve always wanted to be.
“Ok,” Sofiya says slowly. “But Alek isn’t here and he’s Dimitri’s enemy. You should stay here for your own safety. It’s safe here. Dimitri will never let anything happen to you ever again.”
But that’s the problem. I want things to happen to me now. I want to live.
Yet, how can I tell Sofiya all of that? I barely understand it myself.
Dimitri bursts through the front door, startling both of us. He stares at me for a moment before pulling me into his arms. I can’t deny: it does feel safe with him. Tears well into my eyes and I can’t stop myself from crying. Dimitri clings to me like a life raft and I do the same.
The only thing that was getting between me and Alek was the fact that I couldn’t stop worrying about how Dimitri felt. Now I know he’s happy because I’ve returned to him.
But how can I stay when I don’t want to stay here any longer?
“You’re safe now,” he murmurs into my hair, before letting me go and turning to Sofiya. “You got her out of there. Thank you.”
“Of course. I’m your wife. I’ll always help out family.”
They share a tender smile between them. Love. It’s obvious.
I want that too and I believe I could have it with Alek.
I believe I’m already falling for him, even though I know Dimitri will not be happy about it.
Which is why I keep my mouth shut right now.
I want to enjoy this moment of being reunited with my brother because I know the moment I mention Alek, all hell will break loose.
Dimitri turns back to me. “You’re all right now. Let’s get you back into your room.”
My stomach drops right to my feet. “My room? You mean… my old, hidden room?”
“Of course,” he says, his smile faltering.
“What other room? You must have faced trauma while Alek had you. I know how much your room brings you comfort. Let me keep you safe again. Besides, Alek will try to come for you once more. I’m sure of it.
If you’re hidden in your room, he can’t get to you. ”
“But he did get to me. Through the housekeeper he sent.”
“She’s long gone now. Disappeared. Which is smart because I would have killed her if I had found her. But I haven’t hired any new housekeepers this time. No one can get to you.” He cups my cheek – a gesture so similar to Alek and yet, it doesn’t feel as comforting as it should. “I promise.”
A promise to keep me locked away forever.
“What if I don’t want to go back to my room?”
“You don’t? But… you always want to go back to your room. It’s your safe space. It’s the only thing that has helped you all your life. Why wouldn’t you want to go back?”
“I just… I don’t know how to explain it.”
Dimitri frowns. It’s a look I’ve always hated. “You don’t know how to explain it? I am keeping you safe, Katya. Do you want to stay in another room? It doesn’t have to be your old room. I am not going to lock you away in there.”
“But you are. If Alek comes for me, you are going to lock me away in my old room so he can’t get to me.”
“We’ll come to that if we need to. Until then, you can stay in another room. I just thought… I just assumed that you would want to be in your old room. It’s always brought you comfort.”
I can see the sadness on Dimitri’s face and I don’t want to do anything to disturb that so I make a decision: to return to my old room. Just to keep the peace.
“Ok,” I whisper. “I’ll go back in.”
Dimitri nods once like everything is settled. We walk back to my room and I stand on the threshold, uncertain about this. All the pink and stuffed animals. Signs of a little girl. Not the woman I have become.
But I step inside and Dimitri shuts the door behind me. In his mind, he’s keeping me safe.
In my opinion, he’s hiding me away again.
I pace around my room for hours, feeling my anxiety come back. I know I can’t stay here. I need to get back to Alek but to do that, I have to get past my brother.
Fortunately, he doesn’t lock me away in my room for my own ‘safety’ so I’m able to leave. Dimitri and Sofiya are in the living room, talking too quietly for me to hear what they’re saying. Dimitri just assumed I’d be happy to stay in my room, so he’ll never expect me to leave.
I tiptoe into the kitchen and write a note, telling him that I love him and I have no desire to hurt him but I can’t stay in my room any longer. I can’t stay in this house, with all my memories of my childhood ingrained in it. I have to be on my own. I want to be with Alek.
I set the pen down. Dimitri is not going to take any of this well but I have to hope that he and Alek can find a way to work together. I am going to become my own woman and no one is going to hold me back.
Dimitri keeps his car keys on the sideboard in the foyer so it’s not hard for me to grab them and sneak into the garage.
I manage to start the car and leave the garage before Dimitri comes running out of the house, confusion and anger on his face.
He doesn’t understand why I’m leaving. But I cannot stay here.
I make it back to Alek’s house and run up to the door. When it opens, I’m expecting to see Alek but instead it’s Susanna and Nina. What are they doing here?
“You left Alek?” Susanna asks. “He’s all upset.”
“Can I talk to him? Is he here?”
“No. He’s out looking for you. So you can just go away. We don’t want you here.” Susanna slams the door right in my face. I try knocking again but they both ignore me.
Alek is upset. Does he think I willingly left him? I felt pressured to leave but I still want to see him again. I want to talk with him.
I want to touch him and let him touch me.
But I can’t lead Dimitri to Alek’s house. If Dimitri finds Alek here, he will kill him and I can’t risk that. After getting back into the car, I go back to Dimitri’s house. He’ll have questions for me and I need to give him answers.
When I return, I find him pulling into the driveway behind me. So he followed me. Does that mean he saw Alek’s house?
Dimitri storms up to me after I get out of the car. “What the hell are you doing, Katya? You left the house? Of you own accord? Alek is out there, trying to get to you and I cannot let that happen.”
“I want to be with Alek.” I know it’s the right thing to say. I feel it in my gut. I feel it everywhere inside of me.
Dimitri sputters, clearly not knowing what to say. “You want to be with Alek? Have you lost your mind?”
“He has made me feel like a woman. That’s what I want. I’m tired of being in my room all day.”
“Then you can stay in a different room. You don’t have to hide.”
“But you’re going to keep me in your house all day and I cannot stand for that. I’ve learned that I what I truly want is freedom and I can get that with Alek. I can’t get that with you. I want to go back to him. I only came back here because I felt pressured to do so.”
“Katya, you are not making sense. Get inside the house. Now.”
“No. Because if you force me inside the house, then you’re no better than Alek. You will keep me as a prisoner. I love you, Dimitri. I want you to be happy. But I want to be happy too.”
“And that’s with Alek?” He scoffs. “He’s gotten into your head. Brainwashed you.”
“No. He’s helped me see clearly. So I’m going to return to him. That’s what I want.”
“I won’t let you.”
It’s at that moment that another car pulls into the driveway and Alek gets out. He has his gun pointed at Dimitri’s head.
“Don’t!” I scream, jumping in front of my brother. “Don’t shoot him.”
“Katya, you are coming with me,” Alek says.
Dimitri grabs my arms. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“I will kill you,” Alek warns.
“Don’t!” I rip away from Dimitri and run back to Alek. “I came back to your house but you weren’t there. Susanna and Nina wouldn’t let me inside.”
“You came back?” There’s awe in his voice.
“I did.”
He gives me a soft smile before nodding at the car. “Get in. I’m taking you back.”
“Don’t go with him,” Dimitri says. There’s a pleading desperation in his voice. I love my brother and I don’t want to hurt him but I get in Alek’s car because it’s what I want. It’s what I need.
Alek doesn’t shoot Dimitri, thankfully. He gets in the car and drives away. The last thing I see is Dimitri standing alone in the driveway, looking utterly dejected.