Chapter 44
Chapter
Forty-Four
Katya
“Are you asking me to take a shower with you?”
“No.” Alana exhales, and I can see the exhaustion of the day start to kick in as she leads me out of the room.
Down the hallway, plastic is being wrapped around a body, and Donny cries, “What happened to their faces?”
Alana doesn’t break stride as she heads for the elevator. “I don’t think Donny’s really cut out for this whole life,” she says, waiting for the door to open. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done over the past few years. My life has been forever changed in a good way for once.” The door opens, and she steps in. I follow. “As a thank you, I’d like to offer you a job here at Mastodon. Starting pay is two hundred thousand with nine weeks of vacation, plus there are other benefits too.” She presses the button for floor number four. “Katie can be wiped from all public records, and you could be Katya forever, if that’s what you want.”
“Um, I’ll take the job, but I need to think about the other part.”
“That’s fair. In addition, Waverly has a room for you at her hotel so you and Dimitri can reconnect.”
I blush. “Thank you.”
The doors open. “Ok, I’m heading to my office, but why don’t you go meet your new asset? I’m pretty sure the conference call is any second now.” She steps out of the elevator and points down the hall. “Second door on the left. You’re taking mandatory excused PTO for two weeks until you can be onboarded.” Alana’s shoes squeak as she heads into her office.
I follow the voices in the opposite direction. The kids are all standing in a line in the center of the room, very excited, while their parents watch from the perimeter. A giant screen shows an Incoming Call message.
But the screen isn’t nearly as exciting as seeing Dimitri leaning against the wall, smiling with pride and a sense of peace. I take the empty spot next to him. He uncrosses his arms, and his hand interlocks with mine.
“Hi, Katya.”
“Hi.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “Missed you.”
“Missed you too, but I’m pretty sure I’m not about to be the highlight of your day.”
“That’s impossible,” I say as the screen flashes and the face of a blonde woman fills the space. My heart stops and maybe explodes at the same time. I don’t know what to do. It isn’t until I hear Dimitri whisper ‘ouch’ that I realize how hard I’m squeezing his hand.
She’s almost unrecognizable, barely any makeup on, wearing just a T-shirt and leggings. Oh my god! I have those same leggings. I’m twinning with Amanda Chase.
The kids scream—or maybe it’s me. I can’t tell.
“Hi!” she says, and she sounds just like her interviews. It’s her. It’s really her.
The kids all wave and talk over each other to say hi. Amanda smiles and chuckles a little. Behind her, almost blending into the background, stands a man in a black button-down shirt and jeans, his hair is perfect. He waves to the kids and is holding a bottle of water with his other hand. OH MY GOD! It’s Grae!
“I’m so sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you today,” Amanda says as Grae takes a sip of his water.
Oh, I have that same brand in my apartment. Does this mean Grae and I shop at the same stores? It does. We’re best friends now.
Maria pipes in with, “We were kidnapped!” She sounds almost joyful to announce it.
Amanda’s smile vanishes as horror and shock wash over her face. Behind her, Grae starts coughing and choking, water shooting out of his nose and mouth. Well that’s disappointing. I think he just lost his most attractive man in the world award.
“At least I know how to drink water,” Dimitri whispers to me.
“Jesus Christ, are you guys ok?” Grae asks between coughs and gags.
Shae shrugs. “It’s no big deal. Aunt Alana came to get us.”
Amanda moves back from the camera. “She rescued you? With like a SWAT team, right?”
Drew shakes his head. “No, Specs was with her.” Specs? Is that Markus? Did he change his name? Or is it just a nickname?
Ian and Drew reenact the rescue. “Alana kicked open the door and started punching and kicking the guy who hit Ian. And that guy was all like, ‘No, please don’t hurt me.’” Drew pretends to be Alana while Ian cowers like he’s one of the men who is currently four floors away, probably waiting for the sweet release of death.
Amanda and Grae exchange glances, and he says, “Um, I don’t think the free T-shirts are enough. Maybe they should all get the hoodies or something.”
“We’re getting T-shirts!” Shae squeals. “I can’t believe it.”
Amanda gives her an apologetic smile. “Um, we heard this was for your birthday, so we got you cake and some gifts, but Grae’s right. you need more.”
Alana’s assistant steps forward with a tablet and an air of official power like she works for Mastodon. “I’ll have one of our guys come pick up the cake.”
Amanda gives an appreciative smile. “Thank you.” But she turns her attention back to the rest of the kids. “Um, do you have any questions?”
“Who’s Kiki?” I shout, and the entire room whips around to me. But Amanda can’t see me because I’m off-screen.
She laughs. “Kiki is an amalgamation of many women in my life.”
The kids boo, and Shae frowns as she counters, “You say that all the time.”
“We could’ve died today. I lost a tooth. We should get a real answer,” Ian says, and I swear to God I want to be this kid’s mother so freaking bad.
Amanda takes a resigned breath and says, “I can’t give you her name, but she’s a friend I used to have. I think about her all the time.”
Grae throws his hands up in the air. “Twelve years I’ve been by your side, and whenever I ask, I get the stupid amalgamation answer. Come on!”
Amanda shrugs. “But you didn’t almost die.”
“Yes, I did! Last year. I was drugged, in case you forgot. And thirty seconds ago, I choked on water. I could’ve dropped dead.”
Ian frowns and snaps his fingers. “If that had happened, I would’ve been one stamp closer to my trauma pony.”
Dimitri laughs under his breath. But Amanda doesn’t hear it and answers Grae. “If you’re too stupid to figure it out, I’m not telling you.” She turns back to the kids. “Well, since this was for your birthday, would you like me to sing a special song for you?”
The kids huddle together, and I can’t hear what they’re saying, but once I hear a lot of agreeing, they turn around. “Yes, we want to hear ‘Yesterday Was a Lifetime Ago.’”
Good pick, that’s a deep cut.
Amanda’s face falls. “Um, that song is so sad, and I don’t play it in concerts, so the band hasn’t practiced that one.”
Grae slams both hands on her shoulders. It’s an action I’ve seen brothers do to sisters—not tender, more annoying. “I’ll help you.”
Amanda frowns. “On stage? But you never go on stage.”
“Well, these kids are making a reasonable request, and I don’t want to piss off that Alana lady.”
Amanda utters a sigh of defeat. “Fine. It’s just that I’m going to put on a two-hour show, and the only thing the internet will talk about is the four minutes you’re on stage.”
He rolls his eyes at her. “In the past hour, there’s been all sorts of purple smoke clouds all over the world.” He lifts up his phone. “Oh, and the Chief of Staff just resigned. No one is going to give a shit about me.” He freezes. “Sorry about the language.”
Shae rolls her eyes. “My dad is in the Irish Mafia. Yes, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard a bad word before.”
Ian nudges Shae in the ribs, and she realizes where she misstepped. “Oh crap.”
But the new revelation only bolsters Grae’s determination. “Yep, we’re singing the song. It’s happening. Don’t want to piss off anyone today. I don’t like tempting fate too much.”
The official looking woman on the other side of the room steps onto frame and speaks to the celebrities. “Amanda, would you like to meet your new personal protection agent? She starts in two weeks.”
Amanda beams. “Yes, please, Macie!”
Macie waves at me to come forward. No, there has to be someone else. It can’t possibly be me. I look around, but I’m the only one she’s pointing to. I step into the frame. Oh my god, do I look okay? Is there any blood splatter on me?
“Hi!” I wave, and she waves back.
“It’s so nice to meet you. I’m almost done with the tour, so I can’t wait to be home and never leave ever again. I’m sure that will make your life so much easier.” She smiles at me. I’m making Amanda Chase smile!
Hold onto this feeling.
Enjoy it.
“Um, yeah, I can’t wait to protect you with my life.”
Someone else comes into the room—probably her manager—and tells both Amanda and Grae they need to wrap things up. “Well, we’ve got to get going. Thank you so much for being fans, and just being generally awesome badass kids.”
The kids wave and cheer, while I’m so starstruck, it’s hard to understand what happened today. The call ends and I’m pretty sure I just died of joy.
Alana comes in, fully clean, and wearing black pants and a Mastodon Security T-shirt. “Well, what did you think?” she asks, leaning against the doorframe.
The kids wrap their arms around her. “You’re the best!”
She does something I’ve never, ever seen, and I didn’t think was possible. She smiles, and she’s just as stunning as Amanda Chase. It’s like everything about her becomes lighter and joyful.
“Drew, are you done being a butthead?”
“Yes, Alana.”
She squeezes his shoulder. “Okay, here’s the plan. Ian’s going to the dentist, and when he gets back, it’s a sleepover at Shae’s house, where we’ll all snuggle up on the couches in the basement and watch the Amanda Chase concert. How does that sound?”
The kids cheer.
“Why Shae’s house?” Maria asks.
“Because I live in a tiny apartment and Shae’s dad is the only one with an entertainment system worth a damn. Cool?”
The kids agree. But Maria steps forward and squeezes Alana’s hand. “Can we still get Christmas presents?”
“Sure,” Alana agrees and claps her hands. “Okay. Drew, your mom and Lance are going on their trip now, so go say bye, and you’ll see them on Monday.” He nods and rushes out the door. The girls, despite their age difference, huddle in the corner together, planning important sleepover events. Alana reaches her arm out for Ian, who takes it as she leads him over to Dimitri and me. “Do you remember Katya?”
Ian stares blankly at Alana. “You mean Dad’s secret girlfriend I’m not supposed to know about, but you update me constantly about their relationship?”
“Yes.” She points to me.
Ian’s whole face changes, and he lights up.
I smile and throw him a casual wave. “Hi!”
And he throws his tiny arms around me.
Oh my god, I just got a better reaction than Amanda Chase.
“Hi. I have a million questions for you,” Ian says.
“And she’s going to answer you later,” Alana says sweetly. “Tonight is for them, okay?”
Ian nods and Dimitri steps forward. “Are you sure? You’ve had a rough day, and a lot happened. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay tonight?”
“No, we can hang out tomorrow, and you can feel guilty about it and take me to Target to buy stuff after the dentist.” He gazes at the ceiling and taps his chin a few times. “I’m feeling like four LEGO sets will help me recover.” This kid is a genius.
“Fine.” He rolls his eyes and puts his arm around Ian. My boyfriend winks and says, “I’ll see you later.”
Later. And this time it doesn’t mean six months or in a year, but later today. Our future is about to start.
Everyone files out of the room, and I’m left with Alana. “Shouldn’t I go downstairs and help with the cleanup?”
“Why? You don’t work for them anymore. You’re mine now, for all the good and bad that goes with it.” Her face returns to its natural resting face of scary as hell. “You’ve got a date in a few hours. There’s an appointment for nails and waxing of whatever regions you deem need it. I’ll have a few dresses and outfits sent over to the hotel, and you can pick what you want.” She wraps her arms around me in the best bear hug I’ve ever had, and whispers, “Welcome to the family.”