64
Cross-stitch
T he door of the place opened, and Yuri entered with blood-stained pants.
I was already feeling much better. The fever had completely subsided, and eating solid food had given me strength. Yuri leaned on the table and pulled down his pants to assess the depth of the wound. A good chunk of flesh had been torn away.
“What happened?” I asked with my pulse racing.
“A scratch.”
“That’s more than a scratch.”
“You should see the others to judge, they’ve turned into meat for Bolognese sauce.”
My heart sank. Yuri didn’t reference that sauce for nothing; I could read the connotation between the lines of what he wanted to convey. Italians, he had faced them, and he only got a scratch.
“You should go to the doctor to get stitched up.”
“What for? You can treat me. Cheng, bring us the first aid kit.”
“Your sister is right,” she interceded, heading to the kitchen with a calm step. “The wound is ugly, and look what happened to Nikita.”
“It may not win a beauty contest, but my sister can handle it. Right, Kalinka? You’ve always been good at crafts.”
“That was Irisha,” I corrected him. “What I was good at was causing wounds.”
“Yes, you were always the most bloodthirsty.”
The Chinese woman brought the first aid kit.
Yuri’s eyes were gleaming, expectant. He was amused by the situation. He didn’t care what I thought, but I would still say it.
“I don’t know if I’m the most suitable for the task.”
“You’re not scared of blood.”
“That’s not it.” I opened the box, took the chlorhexidine spray, and sprayed it on the wound.
I knew the product. Ana María used it on Adriano when he got scratches. I missed that little rascal, he had earned a place in my heart, and I guessed he would be worried about my absence. In the end, we learned to get along. I wiped the area around the wound with gauze.
“The blood will keep flowing if you don’t get stitches.”
“Well, then, let’s get to it, sew me up with needle and thread. A little bird told me you’re good with pins.” I glanced at Cheng, who rolled her eyes discreetly.
“I’m good at turning you into a pincushion, not at mending. I was too busy learning how to kill efficiently; I didn’t have time for cross-stitch.”
“That’s true, but Dad also helped us face unexpected situations. Come on, little sister, are you going to leave me like this?” Yuri pouted like a child; he reminded me of Adriano when we didn’t get along well. I hoped he would take after his mother more than him.
“I’m going to make a mess of you.”
“I’ll settle for you treating my wound with the same delicacy you use to draw that black line around your eyes. It can’t be that bad.” I gave him a tense smile; Yuri wasn’t going to relent.
“And where am I supposed to get the tools?”
“Cheng, there’s a sewing kit in that cabinet. Cauterize one of the needles and thread it with the thread you find. My little sister is going to honor me with a scar that will remind me of how glorious this day has been.”
I gagged at the thought of it.
“If you wanted a maid, you should have paid for one, Korolev.”
Yuri looked at her with displeasure.
“Is it so hard to do what I asked? Remember, I’m your ally, and thanks to me, you’re not a married woman.”
“Leave it, bratishka, I’d rather do it myself.”
I went to fetch the sewing kit, thinking of how to take advantage of the situation. I couldn’t stand being there any longer, nor without Romeo.
“You know, I talked to your future ex-husband.”
At the mention of him, I flinched. Luckily, I was facing away from Yuri, and he didn’t see my reaction.
“Oh, really?” I tried to keep my voice steady. My pulse was racing inside my chest.
“A courtesy call. I wanted him to know that today I caused a few casualties in his ranks. He’s such an idiot. Such a coward. So predictable. You know, the more you destabilize and provoke the enemy, the better; nerves are not good allies. Did you find it?”
I already had the needle and thread, just stalling to calm myself.
“Yes, here it is. Give me a minute.”
I had seen a needle threaded hundreds of times. Rare was the garment my mother bought that didn’t pass through the skilled hands of our maid in Saint Petersburg. I knew I had to tie a knot at the end of the thread so it wouldn’t slip through. I tied it, grabbed the kitchen lighter, and lit the flame to burn the tip of the needle.
“Her Royal Highness, Princess Cheng,” Yuri announced mockingly, “would you be so kind as to bring the vodka ? In the absence of local anesthesia, alcohol in the veins will do, plus it surely kills any bacteria.”
"That only works if you pour it on the wound, not if you drink it."
"It works the same for me." She huffed and opted to hand him the bottle.
My brother took a long swig. I blew on the cauterized tip and approached the table.
"Where did they attack you?"
Discomfort shadowed his eyes.
"At Huang's restaurant."
The Chinese woman jumped while I crouched.
"You went to see Huang without telling me anything?!"
"Calm down, dear. I just wanted to gather some information about the steps your father was taking. I prefer to be safe rather than sorry." Cheng's hermetic expression wavered. She was no longer as inscrutable to me after spending the last few days together. I detected the tic of distrust in her thin lips. She no longer believed my brother. The seed I planted in her had germinated.
"And what happened?" I urged him to continue talking.
"They must have had the place under surveillance. As soon as I entered, reached the downstairs area, and Massimo's thugs attacked."
"One thing I don't understand. How did you get Huang to invite you downstairs?"
"I'm a resourceful man, hard to believe you don't know that. Relax a bit, will you? So many questions are boring, besides, you don't have to worry about him anymore. He's dead," he replied without giving the answer Cheng seemed to already know. If he went downstairs, it was because he was betraying her. "It was an act of goodwill. I hope it pleases you. I also brought a good handful of dead bodies for my Kalinka," he whispered with a lethal smile on his mouth.
"Ready?" I placed my left hand on his thigh and joined the two portions of flesh. Yuri pressed his lips together.
"I was born ready. Go ahead!"
I plunged the needle into the flesh and pierced it. I would have preferred to do it with a dagger, to be honest. My brother had annihilated all the good feelings I had for him.
His fingers clenched, and he huffed, pushing the Grey Goose bottle to his lips again.
"Am I hurting you?" I didn't want him to perceive that his suffering relieved me.
"It's not pleasant, but go on." I tightened the thread and prepared to make the next stitches.
When I finished, Yuri seemed satisfied with my work.
"Wonderful. I have another gift. I've been saving it until you were more recovered."
He stood up, buttoned his pants, and handed me a couple of pills.
"What is this?"
"The solution to your problem. Take them."
The pills fell into my palm with the same weight as a sentence. Yuri handed me the bottle.
"Let's celebrate its death," he whispered, caressing my belly. I couldn't control the disgust I felt at his touch. I stepped back.
"What's wrong, Kalinka?" he asked, puzzled. "Don't tell me you want to bring this abomination of nature into the world. You never wanted to be a mother, much less to our greatest enemy."
"It's not about that," I feigned.
I never wanted to be a mother, that's true.
I wasn't thrilled about my belly reaching the size of a watermelon, having stretch marks, or cracked nipples; not to mention the part about raising a child, which made me itch.
However, that baby had become my driving force these days. I found myself imagining what his face would be like, if he would be as handsome a boy as Romeo or if he would take after my family. I also wondered how Adriano would take the news. Would he be excited to share the house and attention with that tiny, crying being?
A Romeo embracing fatherhood was another image my brain insisted on showing. I kept seeing him smiling, cradling the baby on his chest until he fell asleep.
His eyes would seek mine, he would smile at me, and then his grin would turn into hatred. The hatred I had so carefully cultivated.
If R let us leave the hospital, it was because that creature was growing inside me. Not because he felt love. I had single-handedly annihilated that emotion, and now I regretted it.
I had never been a woman to grovel for anything or anyone, but for Romeo, I would.
I longed for a life with my husband, sharing trips, laughter, work, and sex marathons. God, how I missed him in bed!
Maybe I had been wrong, and after all, it wasn't such a bad idea to unite our power.
The history of humanity was full of wars and great alliances; maybe I could make him forgive me over time, no one could outdo me in stubbornness.
"Kalinka," Yuri urged, pushing my hand to my lips. I stopped the motion.
"I prefer to abort in a clinic. I'm only a little over a month pregnant, and I've just had a serious infection. It wouldn't be wise to do this."
"Your sister is right. A friend of mine had to be hospitalized after taking them. It should be done under supervision, or it can cause a hemorrhage."
Yuri's face contorted into an unpleasant grimace.
"The supervision will be done by you and me," he growled at Cheng. Then he turned his gaze to me. "Either you take them, or I'll make you take them."
"Are you threatening me?" I raised my chin in defiance.
"I'm warning you. I'm your older brother, your vor, and you must follow my orders."
"That's why you should consider my safety."
"Do it!" he shouted. "I told Romeo that bastard would die, and I always keep my threats."
His fingers grabbed my chin roughly.
"What did you tell him?"
"I'm not repeating myself. R knows as well as I do that you detest that baby and want to get rid of it." I worried it was true and that my husband would think that of me.
I couldn't prolong it any longer; I had to end Yuri tonight and prove to Romeo that I was above him. Time to pretend. I brushed his hand away firmly.
"You know I don't like being threatened. One thing is wanting to abort, and another is doing it in this dump without a professional."
"You took care of me, Kalinka." His voice turned as sweet as syrup. "Let me take care of you, sister. I promise if things get complicated, I'll take you to the hospital, although I doubt it. You are a Koroleva, strong and tough."
"Alright, I'll do it," I murmured, conciliatory.
"We're going to be great. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the start of our hegemony than the sacrifice of his child. You were just the vessel; you should feel proud to be the bearer of the Capulet's misfortune."
Had my brother always been like this, or was it me who was changing? Either way, I knew now that I didn't want the future he promised.
"Let's toast, then, brother. May what happens tonight mark our destiny. For a now that doesn't understand yesterday."
I let the pills fall onto my tongue, took the bottle, filled my mouth with vodka , and turned it into a damn sprinkler that spilled over his eyes.