Chapter 40 - Anatoli
I woke up as I was being dragged out of the trunk of a car.
Someone kicked my feet out from under me the moment they touched solid ground, and hauled me down a path behind a mansion in the hills.
My head was throbbing from the blows I took back at Julio’s place, and my back and ribs hurt from punches and kicks after I got knocked out.
I wasn’t feeling too friendly toward any of the Fokins.
There was a small stone shed hidden amongst some trees near the back of the property.
I could see a wall beyond it and took note, as well as the fact that they only left one guard.
My strength was returning, but I decided to bide my time.
Despite everything I saw, I still believed Masha would come through for me and sort this out as a misunderstanding.
I couldn’t have been wrong about her feelings, not after working together like a well-oiled machine to cripple the Collective. Any minute now, Daniil would come into the shed, untie me, and thank me for helping them out as well as saving one of their favorite cousins.
Then we’d go from there. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t retaliate if they accepted Masha and me being together.
Just as I suspected, I only had to wait in that stuffy room for about half an hour before Dan came in, trailed by Aleks, the stone-faced leader of the family.
Aleks looked at me like I was no better than a bug that had somehow gotten into his food and didn’t say a word.
Dan, however, had plenty to say, and none of it was what I expected or wanted to hear.
“The only reason I’m not slicing you up into little pieces right now,” he said, pausing dramatically. “The only reason you’re not already dead, in fact, is because of Masha.”
I nodded. This was better. Now we were getting somewhere. But why the hell wasn’t one of them untying me? I was wrapped up so tight to the chair I could hardly move a muscle. It would have been a bit of a compliment if it wasn’t so damn annoying.
Before I could tell them to get on with it so we could start negotiating a peace treaty, Dan continued, looking way too smug, with Aleks a step behind him, unable to hold back a vicious grin.
“She wants to be the one to make you pay,” he said with a laugh.
Aleks nodded, joining in. “I think you remember how good she is at her job. And she’s not letting you get away this time. You’ll suffer more than you ever have before.”
Too stunned to make a rejoinder, I only stared straight ahead as they retreated, slamming the door and locking me in.
No. Hell no. I still couldn’t believe their words.
The pain in my head made me rest my chin on my chest, trying to conserve my strength.
Trying to block out the stronger pain that threatened to overwhelm me.
More time passed. Where the hell was Masha?
Maybe it was time to accept the truth that I was wrong.
That my feelings for her weren’t reciprocated and never had been.
That she was a better actress than I ever could have dreamed.
I was half asleep when the door opened again, and didn’t give enough of a shit to see who had come to taunt me some more until Masha was ready to do her worst. Joke was on her, though, because no pain could match what I already felt at how wrong I was.
“Anatoli.” It was her, barking my name.
I looked up and saw she was alone. There was an unreadable look on her face, and damn me to hell for still thinking she was beautiful. She took a step back, almost as if she was afraid to approach me as I sneered at her.
“Well?” I snapped. “You’ve got me right where you want me. What are you waiting for?”
Her tense shoulders lowered, and she actually rolled her eyes at me, finally coming forward. “Dan must have gotten to you,” she said, tugging at the knots in the rope holding me fast to the chair. “I’m here to get you out, not torture you.”
My aching head reeled, and I groaned. I was wrong about being wrong, and it was the sweetest feeling in the world. As the knots loosened, I heaved against the heavy rope and was free. She wrapped her arms around my neck as I stood, holding onto her and breathing her in.
“You doubted me,” she said.
“Never.”
“Liar.”
I chuckled, nudging aside her hair so I could nuzzle her neck. “Your cousins were very convincing.”
She pulled back, her face scrunched with worry.
“I was very convincing to them. It was the only way I could get out here to see you.” She dropped her eyes as she dropped her hands, sliding them down my chest. “They’re not quite ready to believe how I feel about you,” she said.
“So we’ll have to be on the run a little while longer. ”
“Is that what’s clouding your beautiful eyes?
” I asked, yanking her tight and kissing her until she was limp in my arms. “As long as you’re with me, I don’t care where we’re at.
” I set her feet back on the floor and looked over her head at the door.
We were still on her cousin’s property, surrounded by Fokins who were hellbent on only seeing me leave in a body bag. “So, what now?”
She pulled a cellphone out of her back pocket and looked at it, then back up at me. “Now we wait.”