Chapter 24 - Grace
Pavel pulled into the parking garage and found a spot close to the elevators. Switching off the engine, he looked at me as he spoke. “I think this is central. We can walk to your appointments. Exercise is good for you. Plus, I need to stretch my legs a bit.”
Smiling, I nodded and got out. We walked to the elevator and took it up to the street.
Glancing at Pavel as we stepped out, I felt grateful for his friendship. “I truly appreciate that you came with me,” I said. We have come a long way from our initial rocky meeting.
Pavel shot me a light smile as he replied. “No issues, I like spending time with you. You’re my family, and that’s what we do.”
Smiling at him, I nodded in agreement. I loved the fact that he was so open and honest. He was easy to talk to and always listened. “Thank you,” I said softly. “Those words mean a lot to me.”
Pavel chuckled, bumping me lightly as we walked. We arrived at my first interview. Looking up at the corporate building, I felt a hollowness deep down in the pit of my stomach. “You nervous?” Pavel asked.
Taking a deep breath, I replied slowly as I exhaled. “Just a little. Look how large this building is.”
“You’re going to be great. Stop stressing and go get them,” he said.
I gave him a slight smile and headed in. “Break a leg,” Pavel called out jokingly.
Glancing back, I stuck out my tongue at him. I heard him laughing as I walked through the double glass doors. On both sides were small round tables with chairs. In the middle was the oval-shaped reception desk. As I approached, the woman behind the desk looked up.
“Hi there,” she said as I stopped before the desk.
“I’m here for an interview,” I said, feeling my throat closing on me. I was excited for the opportunity, but nervous as well.
“Oh,” she said, looking at her computer screen. “Didn’t they call you?”
“Yes, they called two days back and said I should come in today,” I replied, unsure what she meant.
“Not what I meant,” she responded, shaking her head. “They moved all the interviews to next week. The manager had something come up. I’ll make a note, and someone will call to reschedule.”
My mouth fell open as she stared at me. I couldn’t believe it. “Sorry, dear,” she added.
“Uh, no, it’s fine,” I replied, pulling myself together. “I understand. Thank you for your time. Have a lovely day.” I felt a little disappointed as I headed back out.
Pavel was leaning against a pillar as I exited the building. He must have been able to see the disappointment on my face. “You’ll get something,” he said, lightly bumping my shoulder.
“The interview was moved,,” I replied. But deep down inside, I was scared. I had two other interviews left to do. We walked about four blocks to get to the second place. They wanted someone with more work experience, though, which I didn’t have.
“Come on, smile, even if you don’t get this one, you still have the first one next week,” Pavel said as we headed to my last interview.
Stopping before the last building, I smiled at Pavel. “Okay,” I said confidently. “Wish me luck.”
“You’re going to kill it,” he said. Looking back at him, we both laughed.
Once again, the interview didn’t go my way. My mood had sunk to the depths of the ocean. Pavel placed his arm around me, trying to comfort me. Leaning in, he whispered as if telling me a secret. “I still haven’t congratulated you on taming the beast.”
“The beast?” I asked, stepping back from him. Turning my head to the side, I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him, slightly confused.
Pavel burst out laughing. I waited patiently for him to gather himself. Once he was standing still and breathing normally again, I spoke. “What exactly are you implying with such a statement?”
“Oh, my dear,” he said, coming closer. “My brother, of course. Who else have you tamed that I do not know of?” His tone was light and teasing. “My big, violent, badass brother is as tame as a puppy.”
Instantly, my cheeks heated up as a blush spread across them. Shaking my head, I glanced down. I tried to control the redness, but there was no hope. Looking up at him sharply, I added my own twist. “Oh, shall we start discussing your love life? The Chernykh sister?”
For a moment, Pavel looked offended. He shook his head and smiled softly as he replied. “Nope, nothing to discuss there.”
Smiling, I started walking back to his car. With my interviews done, there was no reason to hang around longer. “What a shame, you have so many admirers,” I taunted him. “I saw the girls drooling over you.”
Glancing back at him, I saw his cheeks changing color. “Well, that’s unfortunate for them. With me, the ladies can expect fun and nothing more. I will never be tamed!” Pavel exclaimed.
I bit my lower lip to keep from bursting out in laughter. His declaration was not an easy one. I kept my cool as I spoke over my shoulder. “If you say so, my friend, if you say so.”
Pavel smiled at me as he opened my door. “I say, it’s time for lunch,” he said, checking his watch. “How about it? Do you think you’ll be able to eat?”
Laughing, I nodded in agreement. He got in and drove to a small shopping complex. “I think this will do,” he said, getting out. As he opened my door, he continued to speak. “What do you feel like having?”
Glancing at the signs, I pointed to one of the boards as I replied. “I think Pizza would be nice. How about you?”
Pavel lowered his head to his right shoulder and then to his left, grinning. “Yes, why not,” he responded after a bit.
We entered the shopping complex and headed straight to the Italian Pizzeria. “I’ve heard they make the best pizza in town, but we’ve never been here,” he said as we went inside.
A young man with two menus in his hand greeted us and led us to a table in the back. As we sat down, he spoke. “Anything to drink?”
“Yes, please. I want a vanilla milkshake,” I replied before Pavel could open his mouth.
He smiled at me as he spoke. “I will have whatever beer you have on tap.”
“Very well,” the waiter added as he turned and left us to look at the menu.
Studying the menu, I felt Pavel staring. Looking up, our eyes met. “Yes?” I inquired, wondering what he was thinking.
Leaning over the table, he spoke softly. “Have you seen the names of some of the pizzas?” He pulled a face, looking at the menu in his hands and back at me.
Smiling at his playfulness, I nodded. Before I could say something about it, the waiter reappeared. “Are you ready to order?” he questioned, placing our drinks on the table.
“Yes, sure,” Pavel said in a light tone. “I’ll have the Avalanche.” He looked at me with his brows raised.
“Yes, just make mine a creamy Italian chicken,” I added, looking at the waiter.
He scribbled in his notebook and headed to the kitchen. “So,” Pavel asked suddenly. “What do you do in marketing exactly? It’s all a bit confusing if you ask me.”
I took a sip from my milkshake before responding. “It’s really easy to understand. Say you want to advertise your business selling sticks.”
“Sticks?” Pavel huffed. “Why would I be selling sticks?”
I laughed at him as I continued. “No dummy, it’s just an example.”
“Oh, okay, I understand.” He replied, grinning.
Sitting up straight, I explained it quickly. “I will then look at your stick and find out if people will buy it. Then I analyze the kind of people interested and design slogans and advertisements to draw those people.”
Pavel sat for a minute, just shaking his head up and down. As our food arrived, he spoke. “I now understand. You are very creative, then.”
“I think so, thanks,” I replied, picking up a slice of pizza.
We ate in silence, enjoying the meal. I only ate about half as it was much bigger than I anticipated. As I raised my hand, the waiter came over quickly. “Please put this in a carryout container,” I said, handing him my plate. He nodded and went back.
Pavel had just eaten the last piece of his when the waiter brought my carryout box. “The bill, please,” he said as he swallowed.
Sitting back, I rubbed my stomach. I must have eaten too much as I felt a light ache beginning. Once Pavel had paid, we got up and left the restaurant. “Thank you so much,” I said as we walked past a couple of shops.
Seeing a shop with some trinkets, I grabbed his arm. “Wait,” I huffed. “I want to go in here.”
He glanced at the display in the window. “Okay,” he replied. “But I need to get to the restroom. Wait here for me, I’ll be right back.”
“Sure thing,” I said as he walked off.
Entering the store, I looked around eagerly. There were so many items. I wanted to get something special for Makari to show my appreciation. Yet, I wasn’t sure what. There were a variety of knives, some watches, little odds and ends, and even some ties and hats.
As I surveyed the items, I suddenly got a feeling of being watched. Turning slowly, I carefully looked at the people in the shot and outside. I had a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn’t right.
Walking around the shelf with the knives, the man to the left of the door was staring at me. He looked at the man behind him and nodded. They were acting suspiciously. I didn’t like it.
I had to know if they were following me. Moving out of the shop, I entered the one next to it. This shop was filled with exercise gear. It wasn’t something I was interested in. But I pretended to be. Two of the men entered the shop and moved towards the back.
There weren’t many people inside. But the few that were there made me feel slightly comfortable. The men appeared to be lurking and not shopping. Two other men entered. Breathing in sharply, I felt my chest closing as I recognized the one. I moved around some of the equipment to get a better look. I had to be sure.
He looked at me, and I knew. It was he, the man who ran away from the docks. My legs felt like they had been replaced by Jell-O. I grabbed hold of one of the equipment stands, turning my back to him.
My chest closed even more. I leaned forward, breathing rapidly as I tried to keep my racing heart still. I had to find Pavel. I wasn’t safe. Glancing back, I realized that I shouldn’t have my back turned to any of them. But there was no other way to get away. If I ran, they would surely follow.
I had to stay calm and get to Pavel as quickly as possible. Moving out of the store, I looked for a sign indicating the direction of the bathrooms. I was surprised to see two signs pointing in opposite directions.
Moving to the one closer to the door, I prayed that Pavel would appear out of thin air like magic. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw six men a little way behind me. Three were walking on one side and three on the other.
If I stepped outside, they would grab me, I thought, stopping and looking at a shop window. Leaving the mall wasn’t a good idea. No, I had to stay inside where there were people around us.
As if by magic, the mall suddenly filled with people. This was my chance, I thought, weaving through them. I could escape if I could just lose them before I got to the doors.
I tried making sense of it all, but my mind kept drifting. How did they find me? Could it be a mere coincidence? Shaking my head, I knew it couldn’t be. Things like this didn’t happen. There was no such thing as a coincidence.
Looking back, I saw they were still on my heels. I was almost in full panic mode. Breathing in slowly, I hoped to calm the anxiety. If I allowed it to take hold, the battle was lost.
Taking a chance, I entered the next shop. Moving in behind a rail of clothing, I peeked through the dresses to see if they were still following me. My heart stopped as I saw two of the men looking in through the shop window.
Turning, I looked around frantically. I had to change what I was wearing. Grabbing a hat and coat, I moved to the sales counter. “Only these, please,” I said, breathing in hard.
“Are you alright, miss?” the sales lady enquired.
“Yes, thank you,” I said, handing her my card while I pulled on the coat.
“Thank you for your business,” she said as I headed out.
Before reaching the door, I put on the hat and pulled it slightly down to cover my face. Glancing at the exit, I saw two more men hanging around. I lifted my phone and took a couple of photos before heading to the ladies’ bathroom.
Once inside, I locked myself in one of the stalls. My hands shook, my legs felt numb, and my heart raced as I closed the toilet lid and sat down. I had to do something, but what?