Chapter 19 Eddie
Eddie
The bedroom door closes behind us with a soft click, and Viktor sets me down gently on the edge of the bed. The room is sleek and modern, pretty much in keeping with the rest of the penthouse. Or certainly what I’ve seen of it.
All I truly know is that we’re high above the city. It feels like we're suspended above the world, untouchable, but I know that's an illusion.
Tomorrow everything changes.
Judgement day, Daddy called it.
The words hang heavy in the air between us as he unbuttons his shirt and sits beside me, the mattress dipping under his weight…
“Baby boy,” Viktor says, but no other words follow. It’s like he just needs me to know that he’s here, alongside me.
I lean into him, my head resting on his shoulder.
Daddy’s arm comes around me automatically, pulling me closer. We sit like that for a while, just breathing, the city's distant hum filtering through the glass.
My heart is racing. I’ve been through a lot. We have been through so much together too these last few days. I’ve probably had enough action and adventure and drama to last me a lifetime.
But mostly my heart is thumping because of what I need to say…
"Viktor," I whisper, tilting my head up to look at him. His face is half-shadowed, eyes dark and serious. "I think... I think I'm falling in love with you."
The words slip out before I can stop them, hanging there like fragile glass.
His expression shifts—surprise, then something softer, deeper. Viktor brushes a strand of hair from my face, thumb lingering on my cheek.
“Malysh," he murmurs, voice rough. "Not now. We'll have this conversation when everything is settled. When it's safe."
I swallow the lump in my throat. "Okay, Daddy. You know best."
“Of course I do,” Viktor says, his voice low.
He pulls me onto his lap, cradling me like I'm something precious. I curl into him, my ear against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. It's strong, reassuring, a rhythm that lulls the edges of my fear.
Daddy’s hand strokes my back in slow circles, and exhaustion creeps in—the emotional whirlwind of the day finally catching up. My eyelids grow heavy. I feel safe here, in his arms, even with tomorrow looming.
"Nighty-night, Daddy," I mumble, sleep pulling me under.
He kisses the top of my head. "Sleep, baby boy."
I drift off like that, wrapped in him, the world fading away. I don’t know whether Daddy wanted some sexy time, but the truth is that I’m just to beat to even consider it. Maybe it’s the luxury of the penthouse, but I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years and still not wake up…
“Daddy?” I ask, more in hope than expectation.
Morning light filters through the blinds, painting stripes across the bed. I blink awake, reaching instinctively for Viktor—but the space beside me is empty, sheets cool.
But my instincts are right.
He's gone.
Panic flickers for a second before I remember… the meeting at dawn. Judgement day. And then as quick as it went, the sense of panic returns. Anything could happen today, and I just have to trust that it will be my Daddy Viktor who comes out on the other side triumphant.
But then I remember… Daddy promised it would be okay.
“Yup, a promise is a promise,” I say, doing my best to manifest my happy ending.
The penthouse is quiet as I pad out of the bedroom, Goldie clutched under my arm.
Robbie is already up, lounging on the couch in his lavender onesie, scrolling through his phone. He looks up and smiles.
"Morning! Viktor and Ivan left super early,” Robbie says. “Said we'd be safe here. Coffee?"
"Yeah," I say, rubbing my eyes. "Thanks."
“Cool,” Robbie says. “Ivan has a cool setup here. Not bad for a… whatever he is.”
He fiddles with the stainless steel coffee machine while I curl up on the rug, staring out at the city sprawled below.
The view is breathtaking—skyscrapers piercing the sky, rivers of traffic below—but it feels isolating too, like we're in a glass cage high above the danger.
Robbie hands me a mug… strong, black, with a splash of oat milk just how I like. "You okay? You look... thoughtful. And I know what that usually means as far as you’re concerned."
I sip, nodding. "Just worried about Daddy. I mean, Viktor."
He sits beside me, crossing his legs. "He'll be fine. The man is like a tank." He pauses, then grins mischievously. "Wanna play hide and seek? Or explorers? Penthouse edition? It'll distract you. Come on. It’ll be wicked cool."
I laugh despite myself. "In rompers? Hell yeah. Why not."
We finish our coffee, then start…
“Wahooo!” I giggle, darting around, bursting up the stairs.
The penthouse is huge. It’s even bigger than I’d guessed last night. Open-plan living area, hallways leading to bedrooms, a home gym, even a small library.
Robbie hides first.
I count to fifty, eyes closed, then prowl the space, giggling as I check behind curtains and under tables. "Come out, come out, Robbie!"
His laughter echoes from somewhere down the hall.
I follow it to Ivan's office… sleek desk, locked cabinets.
But no Robbie.
Then a closet in the corner looks ever so slightly ajar. I swing it open. It’s empty. But wait… the back panel looks off, a seam where there shouldn't be one.
"Robbie?" I call, curious. I push the panel. It gives with a click, sliding aside to reveal a hidden door.
I step through, my mouth open…
“What the…” I say, barely able to believe what I’m seeing.
It's a fully furnished panic room mini apartment—bed, kitchenette, bathroom, stocked shelves of canned goods and water, even a small TV and bookshelves. High-tech panels on the walls… security feeds, I guess.
It’s all fortified, self-contained. Like a bunker for the end of the world.
Robbie pops out from behind the bed. "Boo! Wait, how did you find this?"
"I... the closet. Ther secret door. Wait, did I just say that?"
Robbie whistles, looking around. "Whoa. Ivan's got layers. This place screams high-level criminal. Like seriously high-level. Viktor too, probably. Panic rooms, penthouses… they're not small-time."
I run my hand over the reinforced doorframe.
"I guess so," I say, my head spinning.
Externally, I shrug it off, but internally, doubts swirl. Am I truly sure about committing to this life? Secret rooms, ambushes, blood.
Viktor's world is shadows and violence.
Do I want that forever?
The art, the passion—yes. But the danger? The moral gray? My stomach knots.
Robbie senses my mood shift. "Hey, let's explore more! Bet there's a home theater or something."
After lots of fun and distraction from my whirring mind, mid-morning the buzzer sounds. Robbie checks the intercom.
"Alexander?"
We let him up. But when the elevator opens, it's not the steady, watchful Alexander from before.
He's bloodied. His shirt torn, cuts on his face, arm held awkwardly like it's sprained or worse.
Alexander stumbles in, face pale, his left eye barely able to open.
"What happened?" I gasp, rushing forward.
Robbie grabs a towel from the kitchen, presses it to a gash on his forehead.
Alexander leans against the wall, breathing heavy.
"Ambush. Before the meeting at dawn,” Alexander says. “I was left for dead. When I came to, Ivan and Viktor... gone. No one knows where. Could be captured. Could be..."
Dead.
Alexander doesn't say it, but the word hangs. Terror crashes over me like ice water. My Daddy—dead?
No. No. No.
This can’t be happening.
Please don’t let this happen…
I sink to the floor, knees buckling. Robbie wraps his arms around me.
"We'll find them,” Robbie says, doing his best to sound hopeful. “We have to."
But Alexander shakes his head. "No one leave the apartment. You stay locked down. I'll make calls."
The penthouse feels smaller now, the city view mocking.
What if my Daddy is really dead?
I bury my face in Goldie, tears coming hot and fast.
I want to cry, scream, pound my fists on the floor.
I want my Daddy now more than ever. But right now I don’t know if I’ll ever see him alive again…