Chapter 7
Alexei
There's a cockroach under the chipped desk by the window. I saw it slip under the woven laundry basket by the corner of the room. If we could even call this a room.
Two single beds placed on opposite sides of the tiny space, two identical desks placed under the tiny window that is barely covered by a flimsy curtain, and a cupboard that lines the wall.
Are we supposed to share that thing?
I turn to Yuri, who is studying the room with faint interest. His pale eyes flit between both the beds, most likely deciding which one I will take and which one he will end up with.
"You can have both." I conclude, saving him the trouble. "I'll be heading back to the penthouse."
There's no way I'm staying in this dump and sharing a room with a cockroach, let alone Yuri.
"But boss..." Yuri stutters, face blanching like I just told him he's fired. He might as well be for coming up with this ridiculous plan and getting my father to go along with it.
Who the hell is going to believe we're transfer students interested in graphic design? Every student in that goddamn hall was eyeing us like we were fish out of water.
"We can't. The plan was to stay here and blend in. Become friends with Ms Daphne." He tells me with urgency as he scratches his forearm - something he does whenever he's nervous.
"No, MY plan was to follow her around, like I'd been doing and then approach her at a coffee shop or something."
"That would take too long, boss. The girl hardly ever leaves campus. This is the quickest way, your father agreed."
I stalk up to him and he shrinks into himself as I stare him down, the anger in my eyes clouding over my judgement. I should just end my misery here, snap his neck and leave him in the open cupboard I don't plan to use.
The only thing keeping him alive is the fact that his entire family has been serving us for years. His father, one of our most loyal subordinates. But at least his father was amazing with a sniper, this fool couldn't even get a dorm room right.
I should have just let him die in that shoot out a year ago, when he was assigned to protect me. Instead, I ended up saving his life and now I'm stuck with him.
"Since this is your brilliant plan. You get to stay here and call me when we have a chance to be friend the target." I step away from him and dust my pants off, feeling the dirt from this room cling to me somehow. "In the meantime, I'll be at home."
Yuri sits down on one of the beds. He takes out his phone and scrolls through it relentlessly. "Boss, the girls are going out tonight. For drinks."
At hearing this, my interest is piqued and I sit down next to him, albeit reluctantly. "How do you know that?"
I notice he's already following one of Daphne's friends on instagram - the tall, curly haired one who was sitting next to her in class. Unlike Daphne's instagram handle, this girl's profile is set to public and filled with pictures of her partying or cheering on the field.
She's got a huge following and Yuri's now one of them. I caught him staring after her in class today and now he's lingering on one of her photos for longer than necessary.
"Aren't you engaged or something?" The judgement on my face is obvious and I side eye him for checking out a college student so unabashedly. He immediately backtracks, face turning red.
"No, boss. It didn't work out, remember? Her name was Angela."
I frown at him. Obviously, I don't remember such useless details.
Yuri's expression turns melancholic as he stares out the window. "I waited for her at the altar.... only to learn that my fiance had run away with her cousin's sister in law's brother's best friend."
I almost go cross eyed hearing that statement. "Let's just focus on the issue at hand." I nod to his screen and he nods determinedly. He scrolls up and clicks on the curly haired girl's stories.
I immediately spot Daphne in the picture, her head turned away from the camera as she speaks to someone else. Big bold captions announce that it's darts night at one of their regular bars in town and that they were all going to be there.
"Pfft, and you told me she doesn't leave college enough." I stand up, my skin prickling with discomfort after I sat on the unmade bed. The stale air in the room makes me want to open the window or switch on the fan.
Instead, I stretch my legs and straighten up.
"Listen, since you've done such an excellent job at finding this room and enrolling us here. As a bonus, I'll gift you your privacy. This dorm room is all yours."
I head for the door, just as Yuri protests.
"No, I insist. You are to stay here and keep an eye on Daphne at all times. If you lose her, I'll make sure you're never able to see anything else, again. Got it?"
Yuri gulps, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down his throat exaggeratedly. "Ye-yes, boss. But aren't I supposed to protect you?"
"Forget it," I mutter, kicking the dusty mat away from the door. "Send me the location. I'll meet you there later."
He rushes to open the door for me and I slip outside, walking along the dimly lit corridor that leads to the main lounge on this floor. The only thing Yuri did right was choosing a room on the exact same floor as Daphne, precisely three rooms away.
I pause for a second, stalling outside her room, recognising the chipped paint around the doorknob.
It's quiet at this time of evening, not many students are milling about and I wonder if she's inside.
We followed the girls back from the distance and I wonder if she felt me staring like she did in class.
I remember the way our eyes locked, the flicker of alarm she couldn't quite hide. She was so easy to read that a smile tugged at my lips.
Yuri texts me around eight, telling me the girls are en route to a bar called The Dirty Martini. I freshen up at home, slipping into a clean shirt and pants. I get a driver to drop me off since Yuri already has one of our cars on stand by and attend to some calls on the way.
The Dirty Martini is a small bar, situated not too far from our own T bar. The people milling about outside with cigarettes in hand look young enough to be students and I ignore their stares as I walk past them, heading inside.
Yuri is waiting by the door, half obscured by the shadows. He nods in the direction of the bar and I catch sight of the tall, curly haired girl whom Yuri has repeatedly told me is Stacey. I can never seem to remember her name.
She's the most obvious in the group with her towering height and mass of hair.
There's a blonde girl standing next to her who's currently throwing her head back as she takes a shot.
Her skin is pale like Yuri's and she almost chokes on her drink as she laughs at something another girl with straight jet black hair says.
All three of them stand out in their own little ways - the blonde one, sweet and innocent looking, the straight haired girl with her mixed features and the tall cheerleader with her tanned skin and wild hair.
And then there's the rabbit, hidden by her tall, striking friends - small and inconsequential in comparison. The most unimpressive in the group.
It's almost like she knows it, her shoulders hunched as she folds in on herself and nurses her drink half heartedly. She barely touches it and unlike her group of friends who are dressed in stiletto heels and short, skimpy dresses - she's wearing jeans and a long sleeved top.
She's the only one not in heels and it doesn't do her any favours considering she's tiny. The girl must barely reach five foot three.
I shake my head in disappointment. If I hadn't spent the past week memorising and replaying her face in my mind, I wouldn't have recognised her as the girl in the tight, sexy black dress that night.
"Let's get a drink," I tell Yuri, who's eyeing the group of thugs gathered near the front.
We walk over to the bar and I can sense the girls turning around to stare at us. Just like in the auditorium, we stand out here as well and numerous pairs of eyes settle on us.
"Two whiskeys on the rocks," Yuri orders for us and I take a seat, pretending not to notice how the rabbit's tall friend is oggling us.
She saunters over the moment we get our drinks and I eye her with boredom before sneaking a look behind her at Daphne. She hides behind her wall of friends, sneaking a furtive glance at me.
Such a coward. Always hiding, always running away. My hands bunch into fists as I school my features and flash her friend my brightest smile.
"Hey classmate. Would you like to join us for a game of darts? I'm Stacey by the way." She juts her bony hip out to the side and smiles at us seductively. This woman knows her strengths, knows her effect on people, I'm sure Yuri must be creaming in his pants by now.
I stand up straight, my gaze going past her and settling on the coward who is watching our exchange with wide eyes.
"I'd love to," I smile, meeting Daphne's gaze and walking over to her group. I extend a hand, introducing myself as Alex. Her friend Danielle is first to greet me, then the blonde one Elizabeth, until finally I feel her palm in mine, her skin soft and warm, her touch hesitant.
"I'm Daphne. Nice to meet you." Suck a meek, unimpressionable voice.
I hold on for just a little longer, my gaze taunting, teasing as she tries to pull away. Her phone buzzes, making her jump in her skin and she quickly excuses herself, rushing outside.
I shoot Yuri a look, telling him to keep the friends busy as I follow her to the back alley behind the bar.
"Aaron!" She breathes into the night air, her voice eager and painfully hopeful. "Oh my God, Aaron. Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for days."
Aaron, the curly haired fool who led her to our bar. He's the reason she was there to begin with and judging by her tone of voice - the reason she wore that tight dress as well.
Thankfully, we're near the washrooms so I can pretend to wait for my turn whilst I listen in on her conversation.
There's a pause of silence and it drags on, making my pulse spike. I peak out the open door and there she is, sauntering in a zig zagged pattern further away from me.
I need to hear what she says. The overwhelming need to be nearer causes me to grab someones pack of cigarettes, whip out one and force him to give me his lighter, before heading out into the alleyway.
I light the cigarette and pretend to smoke even though I hate the smell of it.
"Aren't you coming back? I need to talk to you. Please, Aaron." She purses her lips and her desperation fills the air, making her look more and more pathetic in my eyes. "I can't. Not here. You're alright though, right? That's all I need to know."
Another long pause and then she tucks her phone back into her pocket, her expression miserable. It's only then that she notices me leaning by the wall, taking a nice long drag.
"Did you..." she trails off, shaking her head like she can't believe it. "Did you follow me out here?"
I blow out of a puff of smoke in her direction, chuckling. "You think I came out here just to watch you beg like a desperate teenager with a crush?"
Her nostrils flare and she stalks up to me but she's so tiny, it's comical. "I wasn't begging. That was concern."
"Oh please." I wave her off with one hand. "That call practically reeked with one sided love."
She looks up at me and her eyes widen for a fraction of a second, catching the light. Suddenly, I'm at a loss for words. Almond-shaped hazel eyes, flecked with gold, illuminated by the warmth of the lamp above us.
She glares at me and I suddenly forget why we are arguing in the first place.
"Mind your own business." She snaps and then she whirls around and marches inside, slamming the back door behind her.