Chapter Twenty-Two - Kiara
Earlier that day…
Seeing Ethan at the estate dug up nostalgic memories. Not bad ones, but memories of being carefree and going out in college with my friends. I don’t remember the last time I’ve spoken to Stacy and Emily. We all used to be so damn close. I drag my feet to breakfast, Akim’s already gone, and the penthouse feels empty without him taking up space.
Terence is downstairs. I can see him smoking on the internal camera in the parking lot.
It’s funny how life can do such a 180 in such a short span of time. I used to go around Emily’s house for sleepovers more times than I can count. Sadness creeps in when I think about how I know nothing of their lives anymore.
Emily’s closer to me, and we both run in the same circles. Both of us are married to Bratva men, and it’s eerily uncanny how we’ve both ended up meeting them in clubs. The housekeeper hasn’t started today, and I’m glad I have time to breathe without people lurking around.
I make myself a bowl of muesli, flicking on the TV, thinking about what I want to do. If I was living with Dad, I would be job hunting and working on finding a new apartment, like most twenty-two-year-olds. But not me, I have access to money, most twenty-two-year-olds will never have, but truth be told, I haven’t used or spent much on the black card Akim’s given me.
Today, I decide is the day I splurge a little and try out this new life. Maybe I can get my hair colored and my nails done. I make a small plan for myself, feeling more cheerful. The next thing is to ask Akim about working part time or doing some office duties. Something to keep my brain stimulated. I’ve got a computer science degree sitting idle, and I want to be able to do something with it.
I book the appointment after breakfast and tell the bodyguard. “Can you drop me off this morning. I just need to get ready first.”
“Sure. I’ll be here.” Checking in is becoming my new normal, and sadly I’m getting used to it. Once I’m at the hair salon and laughing with the stylist, I immediately know it was a good decision.
I’m waiting for my highlights to be finished and it’s while I’m flicking through the magazine that I get the shock of my life. “Is that your phone?” the stylist asks as I look up, my ringtone buzzing away in my bag.
“Oh shit. Yeah it is.” I giggle, reaching inside my purse and picking it up without scanning the caller ID. I’m hoping it’s one of my friends or Dad calling. It’s not as if my number’s changed.
“Nice hair. You always did have the best mane.” Blood drains from my face as I stare back at myself in the mirror, looking through it and in the rearview reflection I see Ethan standing outside on the phone waving.
“Ethan. Why do you have my number?” I twist around confirming it’s really him standing at the door, and sure enough it is.
“I never let you go, that’s why. You’ve stayed on my mind since college, and I guess I feel bad about the way I ended things.”
“Ethan. I don’t think we should be talking, and I’m pretty sure my bodyguard is standing right outside.” Discomfort kicks in as I think about how long I want to stay on the phone before hanging up on him.
Ethan chuckles sheepishly. “Yeah. I know. I don’t want to interfere with your marriage or anything. I was out of line at the estate. Forgive me.”
Pausing, I sigh, not hating Ethan, but wanting him to move on and leave me alone. “Okay, well that’s great and thanks for the call, but I’m going to go.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Hey, I don’t want to end things this way. You’ve been part of my life, and… I don’t know… I’ve got these great memories of that one summer we shared together. Don’t you? Remember how we would take off at the weekend to my parents’ place in Cali? We had a ball.”
A small smile creeps over my face because I did have the best time that summer, and if I’m honest it’s a highlight in my life. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Or… or those giant cookies we used to share after finishing our assignments? It’s the little things, and I’m the one who messed us up. We could have been something, and that’s why I said the things I did at the event the other night.”
Sighing, I realize a lot of what Ethan says make sense. “Look,” I say, “I totally get it, but it’s best we leave the past in the past and move on, don’t you think?”
“I want to, but it’s bugging me. Do you think we could talk some—like closure. I want to end things the right way, if there’s such a thing as a do-over. And hey, who knows, maybe we could all be friends.”
Laughing, I quickly shut that notion down. “No. You’re not going to be friends with Akim. You’re lucky he didn’t shoot you in the face.”
“Right, right. Reaching a little too far, huh? How about meeting me a little later this evening. Do you think you could call your bodyguard off for a while? I’m not going to do anything. It’s me, Kiara. Your fellow computer geek.”
Sighing, I roll my eyes, wanting men to leave me alone for the foreseeable future.
“I don’t think I can, but I’ll see. Send me the details of where you want to meet, and I’ll come and meet you. But communication after that is off. Okay?”
“Cool. Cool. I can respect that. It’s good to move on. I’m happy for you. I really am.” He sounds genuine enough, and in a way, I’ve always wondered what happened to him after college.
“I can’t talk long anyway; I’ve got a nail appointment in half an hour.”
“Fair enough. I bet you weren’t expecting me to pop up out of the blue,” he mentions.
“No. I wasn’t. See you soon.” I shut down the call, not knowing what to make of it as the stylist finishes working on my hair, and when she puts the finishing touches on it, I feel like a million bucks. Thank you, Akim. For the rest of the day, I relax, getting my nails done, and decide to annoy Akim by purchasing a hoodie—for old times’ sake.
I’m tempted to send him a message with the new hoodie I brought, but I keep it as a surprise for later. Ethan sends me a message with the details of the restaurant, and I’m sure Akim is tracking my phone, but I can explain later.
It’s not as if the punishment he dished out was something I hated. A flash of me with my lavender dress up around my waist, the sink in the estate’s lavish bathroom skips through my mind, the scorching touch of Akim’s fingers bringing me to orgasm making me hot all over again.
Maybe I want to be punished…. Shaking off the taboo encounter, I read the message.
ETHAN: Rockpool Bar and Grill. 80 West Avenue, Lower West Side at 6pm. I hope you can make it. Please come.
ME: Akim is working late at the bar. Sounds fine.
ETHAN: Thank you. It’s going to be a nice going away present.
My fingers hover over the keys. I don’t want this to turn into a texting back and forth thing, and a swirl of conflicted feelings start to rear up. Why should I see the guy? He ghosted me years ago, and it was a nothing fling to him. I’m sure he’s got a girl and has moved on like I have.
Now I’ve got to work on the bodyguard for the night. “Hey, I’m meeting an old friend for dinner tonight at Rockpool Bar, but I need you to give me some space. Can you hang outside the restaurant instead of coming inside?”
Terence—the bodyguard assigned to me—holds a cold, blank stare, but we do have a good rapport. He can see the tight rein Akim has me under, and I think he feels sorry for me sometimes.
“I’m not supposed to do that, Mrs. Utkin. I’ve been told to keep an eye on you. So, I don’t think so. Sorry, princess.” He shrugs, but I’m not going to get honest feedback from Ethan if he’s in my face.
“I get it, and you’re doing a wonderful job of keeping me safe, but all I’m asking is if you can be outside. I can send you text messages if you need me to.”
“Okay. Who’s the person you’re going to dinner with?” My stomach burns as I tell the lie.
“Emily, you know Ryurik’s wife.” I beam at him as he smiles back. I’m chipping away at him.
“Ah, Emily. Family. You’re going to dinner with family. You should have said so. No problem. The check-in text works.”
Phew. I shower and get ready, not wanting to ramp up my looks, but today I do look sensational. I don’t want Ethan to think this is a date or something weird like that.
We leave a touch before six, but I can’t shake this strange feeling that I’m betraying Akim by going to dinner in the first place. I keep consoling myself in my head that I never asked for the marriage with Akim.
He forced you to marry him. You didn’t marry him by choice. If Ethan wants to talk and gain closure, so be it. Over and over, I feel Akim’s energy in the room as I get ready, putting on lip gloss. I half expect to turn around and see him standing in the doorjamb asking me where I’m going. That’s how powerful the invisible tether he’s got over me is.
Walking through the hallway, I take a breath, meeting the bodyguard at the door as he opens it. Technically, he spends more time with me than Akim, and to me, that’s a little sad. What am I becoming? One act of rebellion won’t hurt anybody.
“Ready to go?”
“When you are, Kiara. Remember our agreement. You text me when you get to the table. If you don’t, I come in.”
“No problem, and I understand how serious it is.”
“Good.” Akim will shoot him if he finds out, or at least fire him, but I’m banking on the first one. I don’t have to stay long. Just a quick trip down memory lane.
I arrive at the restaurant on edge, but hopefully the next time Akim and I see Ethan at an event it will be less hostile. The exclusive seafood restaurant has a nice feeling about it, and the host leads me through to the left as I study the huge fish tank in the middle of it. A large crayfish stares back at me, along with other tropical assortments of fish. I can see the chef working on an open-fire grill at the back, and I’m kind of glad I’ve got revenge hair and nails done today.
Look what you missed, Ethan. He stands up and I have to admit he looks good. Not like Akim. He doesn’t give me the same giddy feeling he used to, and it feels good to be completely done with him. And now when I see him, he’s kind of too smarmy a guy for me.
“Wow. You look amazing. Your hair turned out good.”
“Thanks. Nice to see you. You look good too,” I say politely, not wanting to confuse the situation and why we’re here. I freeze for a second as he leans forward to embrace me with a hug and a kiss, but I put a hand up.
“Not a good idea. Let’s just sit down.”
“Ah, okay.” Confused, Ethan flashes his fancy watch with a huge smile on his face as I dig in my purse shooting off a text to Terence, letting him know I’m okay. It’s a good thing we’re close to the back of the restaurant, that way he can’t see who I’m really with from the main street window.
“So here I am, Ethan. What did you want to tell me?” I ask as he pours me a glass of water. I notice there’s a bottle of wine on the table, but I decide I want to keep a clear head. I don’t exactly trust Ethan.
His eyebrows quirk as he grins. “Straight to it, huh? How about we enjoy the entrée together? No need to rush. Do you like oysters?”
“I’ve never had them. I can’t say.”
“I’ve ordered us some fried and fresh. This place specializes in them, and it would be a shame not to try them out.”
“Alright.” I gulp down some water, waiting for Ethan to come clean.
“Ah, I did go missing back in college, and there’s a good reason. I had to train up in the family business.”
“Family business. I thought your dad worked at the printers and you’re mom at the bakery. You always told me you wanted to forge your own path.”
Ethan snickers as the oysters arrive. “Enjoy. I didn’t lie to you when I said that.” I try both types of oysters, but I can’t deal with seeing him. I’m already thinking about ways I can leave. Turns out, I don’t care about Ethan’s need for closure. All I want to do is get out of here.
After the entrée.
“You’re being cryptic. So, what is the family business?” Wiping my mouth, I wait as Ethan’s cold blue eyes bore into mine. Shit. I’ve got a bad feeling. Really, really bad.
Ethan sighs loudly. “I went to computer science school so I could learn how to code systems to help the business. The bakery and the printer are real, but they’re also fronts.”
“Umm… what? Fronts for?”
“Come on. You’re married to Akim,” he says in a condescending tone. “You know what I’m talking about. Money laundering. You know, cleaning dollar bills. I’m the son of a Perelli.”
“Huh?” I blink rapidly at him, processing the fact that many parts of my life have been shrouded in secrecy and lies.
“You heard me. I’m not Ethan Myers. I’m Ethan Perelli. Son of a former Don, his protégé, and that’s the reason I left university.”
“You’re kidding.” The oysters swim in my stomach as I realize I’ve got a thing for monsters.
“No. I’m not, and I’m here to tell you that the Bratva don’t have long. We’re rivals, you know.” Trembling, I reach in my purse to text the bodyguard, but Ethan’s face morphs into the face of a killer as he holds a gun discreetly behind his glass. “If you try to run, I’m going to shoot you. Don’t bother about texting dummy. He’s already been dealt with.”
“Ethan. Don’t do this. Akim is going to come for you, I swear, you won’t survive.” I stare at the gun, thinking about the odds of surviving a gunshot wound.
“I’m going to survive. And Goldilocks, you’re coming with me. He killed my half-brother, Kevin. So don’t kid yourself about me wanting you back. You were a fucking snore to me back in college and wouldn’t give it up,” he sneers, my world crashing around me once again. His brother, that’s why he wants me. He’s using me as bait to get revenge on Akim.
“Ethan,” I whisper, willing him to change his mind. “Don’t do this. It’s not going to end well. The Bratva are too strong for you.”
His eyes pull tight. “Shut. Up. Don’t make a fuss. Just get your pretty ass up and pretend we’re on a date. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to act. You’re already doing that with Akim,” he stabs as I slowly stand up with a distant smile on my mouth. As much as I told Akim I would rather him kill me to save my father, I do want to live, and this is not the hand I want to die at.
“Oh, and one wrong step and you die. Your choice.” He grins, the nightmare that is my new world continuing.