Chapter 10 - Clara
It has been a couple of days since we arrived here. I felt sure Iosif believed that I had settled into this new routine. It was time to make my move. I couldn’t wait to leave, but I had to pick the right time to do it.
After my morning routine, I headed to the kitchen for a light breakfast. Somewhere today, I would find a gap and get out. I felt sure of it. I made some eggs, sausage, and toast. As I sat down, Iosif came in.
“Good morning,” he said cheerily. “Any plans for the day?”
“Not much,” I replied after swallowing the bite I took.
“I was thinking we could go out for supper if you felt up for it?” he asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Sounds nice,” I responded as he left.
After breakfast, I strolled around the house for a bit. I went to the gym and did my mid-morning pilates. I felt energized and took a quick shower before going for a swim. By lunchtime, I was burning to get out.
Walking through the house, I noticed it was quieter than usual. No guards were around, and I was sure Iosif was still in his office. Walking to the front door, I thought I would just try it. It was surely locked, but I would never know if I didn’t try.
I wondered where his staff had gone. There weren’t many, but they seemed to have great skills at avoiding me. I had only seen three in the week I had been staying here. As I suspected, the front door was locked. It had a keypad, and I didn’t know the code.
Moving on, I entered the living room. Outside one of the windows was a big bushy tree. As I stood examining it, I felt sure I could hide in it if I had to. I could see the front gate from where I was standing, and there were four other bushy trees on the way there.
Glancing back, I felt the window latch. It was stuck and wouldn’t budge.
I wondered if he had ensured that they could not be opened.
Looking at the other windows, I noticed one where the latch wasn’t completely closed.
I dragged one of the heavy chairs closer to get up to it, as it was higher than the others.
Playing with the clasp caused it to nudge open. I opened the window and slid through. I landed hard but moved to the bush quickly. I waited a couple of seconds to see if anyone had heard or noticed me, but all was quiet.
I looked back as I headed to the short line of trees. I had barely taken two steps when I hit something hard, stopping me in my tracks. Turning, I shielded my eyes to see what I had hit. I had run into a man, but it wasn’t a guard. I scanned the tall stranger before me.
He shared some features with Iosif and could be his brother, I thought. But I could be wrong. “Excuse me,” I mumbled, stepping back uncomfortably. Not wanting to cause any problems, I decided to play our incident down. Yet, I was cursing myself for not seeing him.
Smiling, I spoke in a soft tone. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you. I was just going for my morning run. Are you related to Iosif?”
The man didn’t answer. He only stared at me for a moment as a deep frown developed on his brow. He took my arm and pulled me with him to the front door. He was walking so fast that I was struggling to stay upright. “Let go of me,” I spat.
He ignored me. As we got to the front door, he keyed in some number and shoved the door open. “Iosif,” he yelled. “Where the fuck are you, brother?”
I heard Iosif speaking even before I could see him. “Calm down, Avgust. Let her go.”
Glancing at the man he called Avgust, I noticed he seemed pissed. He shoved me forward into Iosif’s arms. “Keep a leash on your pet,” he huffed.
I let out a soft groan as Iosif steadied me and placed his arm around my shoulders.
“What the fuck were you thinking bringing an Aslanov here?” Avgust asked. His tone was filled with anger. “She is the Aslanov, right? Word on the street is that she got kidnapped.”
Iosif glanced at me as he spoke. “I saved her from being kidnapped. I wanted to ensure she was safe while I looked into it. I will send her home once the coast is clear.” There was a calmness to his tone that gave me some comfort.
“Go to your room, we’ll talk in a bit,” he said, squeezing my arm softly. It sounded more like a command than a suggestion, but I knew I had no choice. As I stepped past his brother, two men joined me and walked with me. I could hear Iosif and his brother arguing as I went upstairs.
As I entered my room and the two guards closed the door, I cursed under my breath. I paced up and down, wondering why Iosif hadn’t told his brother who I was. Sitting down on the bed, I flopped back. Looking up at the ceiling, I mulled over the events that had taken place.
I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until I heard the knock on the door. “Clara, Clara,” Iosif said. Sitting up, I saw him peeking around the door.
“Sorry, I must have fallen asleep,” I replied, rubbing my eyes.
“Dinner is ready,” he said softly. “We’re not going out. My family will be joining us.”
Nodding, I got up and went to the bathroom. Once I had washed, I headed downstairs. As I got closer, I heard a woman laughing. I smiled as her laugh was filled with pure joy. As I entered, the room fell silent. Everyone turned and looked at me.
There were more people than I had anticipated. I suddenly felt out of place. There were three men and two women seated at the long table beside Iosif. Iosif got up and pulled out the chair to his left. “Come, sit with us,” he said.
I moved closer and sat down. “This is my brothers, Avgust, Lukyan, and Timofey,” he said, waving his hand to the side. “And next to you are two of my sisters, Misha and Elisse.”
“Pleased to meet you all,” I said softly.
There was a mumbling under them as the staff started bringing out the food. The food smelled divine. It was some sort of spaghetti dish with cheese and bacon.
I sat quietly next to Iosif, trying my best not to interact with his family as I ate. The man he called Avgust kept glaring at me like I had done something wrong. Iosif must have also noticed. I could hear slight irritation in his tone as he spoke. “Avgust, stop making Clara uncomfortable.”
I shifted slightly, feeling more uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be in anyone’s sight; I wanted to disappear. “It’s fine,” I whispered. “Please don’t worry about me.”
Avgust turned his head slightly, still staring at me, before he turned his attention to his food.
“Any changes I need to know about?” Iosif suddenly asked, looking at his brothers.
“No, everything is going as planned,” One of the other two replied.
The food was so good, I wanted more. But I knew if I had more, I would be uncomfortable. Plus, I wasn’t sure how it would look to his family.
“You sure, Lukyan?” Avgust asked.
“Yes, I am. Why do you have something to add?” Lukyan replied, grinning.
For a moment, I thought they were going to argue. I felt my shoulders lift as my body tightened.
“Is this about the new car?” Lukyan added.
“Oh, no, you didn’t do it, did you?” Avgust spat back. He had a wide smile, and I wondered what was happening.
The youngest one, called Timofey, bursts out laughing. “Yes, he had to. His ex-girlfriend touched his old car,” he added between bursts of laughter.
Everyone laughed. I felt my shoulder relax. There was no fight coming. Seeing them bantering with each other was nice.
“You’re telling me he bought a new car for that reason?” Iosif asked, heaving. “It’s like the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Bro, what’s wrong with you?”
“I had to!” Lukyan huffed. “She had her poisonous hands on it. I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Now suddenly she had poisonous hands?” Avgust asked between laughs.
“Wait, the best is, he was about to propose to her,” Timofey added.
Lukyan sat back and folded his arms across his chest.
“Wait, wait,” one of the women said. “Can’t you stop? Look at him. He is trying his best not to laugh.”
“Shut up,” Lukyan huffed as he tried to muffle the laughter. “I was young and stupid, okay. I couldn’t see the danger she held at that time. She sugar-coated things.”
“Young and stupid?” Iosif asked. “Now you’re just young, no longer stupid?”
Lukyan shook his head as he pushed his chair back. “Okay, okay,” Iosif said, taking a deep breath. “Enough, let’s move this out.” He got up and took my hand as he led me to another room.
We moved to the lounge area for nightcaps. I stood on one side, watching them talking and laughing. Timofey was standing to the side of me. “So, you’re the youngest?” I asked, shifting closer.
“The youngest brother, but luckily not the youngest. That would be Zhenya,” he replied, grinning.
“Oh, she’s not here tonight?” I pried.
“No, she’s home with her husband. But I’m sure you’ll probably meet her soon as well,” he responded.
Smiling and flickering my eyes, I tried to soften him up. I wanted to know more about Iosif, and I felt he was the one most likely to talk.
“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked innocently. “Why does your brother feel the need to protect me?”
He smiled softly. I could see he was about to spill the beans as Iosif interrupted. “Of course, my dear…,” he started saying, but then closed his mouth.
“I’ve told you, it’s for your own safety,” Iosif chipped in. His tone was deep and stern. I knew he was lying about something.
Everyone was quiet, looking at us. “I think it’s time to head home,” Lukyan said, placing his glass down.
“Yes,” the two sisters agreed as they started moving towards the door.
We walked with his family to the door and saw them off. As Iosif closed the door, I turned to face him. “What the hell was that? I never get any clear answers from you?” I spat at him.
He met my gaze but didn’t say a word. He gestured for me to go upstairs. Feeling my anger building, I stormed up to my room. Iosif was following closely. As I entered my room, I turned and slammed the door shut.