50. Lena
CHAPTER 50
Lena
I finish texting Alek that I’m on my way home. I should’ve messaged him when I was leaving the restaurant, but I was talking with my castmate as we waited for the cab we were sharing before dropping her off first.
Alek insisted Clay or Vance pick me up for the evening, but I reminded him I wanted to do normal things. Which, of course, he seemed confused about, but I’ve been insistent on keeping my independence.
When the cab pulls up to the curb at my apartment complex and I step out, my mood sours. Cinita is pacing back and forth at the front.
She spots me immediately and comes striding over in a long, lavish green coat. She looks gaunter than the last time I saw her. She might’ve cleaned up a little during her time with Alek but it’s likely she’s using again.
“Yo, girl, you changed the locks? My key doesn’t work,” she says.
I furrow my eyebrows. “Yeah, you haven’t lived her for months now”
She licks her lips. “I need to grab some things.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “You do realize that someone broke into the apartment shortly after you left. And in the hospital you said I could sell everything if I wanted to.”
Her eyes widen. “You sold everything?”
“No. Well, except for the broken shit. There’s only like a box left in your old room.”
“Can I go through it?” she asks, wide-eyed.
I’m uncomfortable with her being here, especially knowing Alek is on his way. But at least this way, once she’s taken her shit, it’s done. I hadn’t even remembered that box in her room until now, and I haven’t had a need to get a new roommate.
“Sure, but try to make it quick,” I say, and she lights up with a bright smile.
“Thank you. I know I kind of fucked you over a bit when I left, but thank you for being such a good friend.”
I eye her incredulously. That’s certainly not the impression I had about the way we left things, But I’d rather her feel this way than remember the horrible things I’d last said to her.
“Were the stairs always like this?” she asks as we walk up them, she’s breathing heavily.
“Yep, they’ve always been a killer,” I reply, but I’ve gotten used to them now. I grab my keys and open the door, then switch on the light. I quickly scan the apartment to make sure none of Alek’s belongings are in sight. He keeps a few article of clothing here now, but everything is in my wardrobe.
I take my coat off. “The box is just in your old room.” I point toward the second room on the other side of the bathroom.
“Thanks,” she says as she licks her lips. She doesn’t look well, and it’s unsettling. I consider messaging Alek that she’s here, but a small part of me is hesitant. What if he comes rushing forward for her again? It brings insecure feelings to the forefront of my mind. Old hurts that haven’t yet healed. But I trust Alek and where we are in our relationship right now.
So I pull my phone out of my pocket.
“I saw your photos in the paper from the red-carpet event,” Cinita calls out. “Looked really nice.”
I don’t like the way she says it, because I know the photo she’s referring to is the one with me and Alek. My mother sent me a photo of it from a magazine. We haven’t spoken since they showed up here, but I know in a small way she’s trying to reach out again. I still have mixed feelings about her efforts considering she didn’t deem me as ‘successful’ until now.
“You must feel pretty lucky,” Cinita says, and before I finish my text, I look up at her, and my stomach drops. She has a gun pointed in my direction. “Put the phone down,” she orders with a smile.
Oh fuck. Goose bumps erupt along my skin, and the temperature in the room feels like it drops. She licks her lips again as she yells. “Put down the phone, Lena!”
I do as she says, taking a shaky breath. “What do you want Cinita?” I ask cautiously.
She chuckles, as if I’m the deranged one. “I don’t know, maybe a bullet to your head.” I wince at the reminder of the comment I’d made about her only months ago. “It was me he was in love with.”
“You never loved him,” I accuse, and she makes a point to hold the gun higher, reminding me I really don’t get an opinion here. It just fell from my lips. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. Fuck, is she going to kill me?
“Maybe not. But at least he listened to what I said until you came along.” She glances around the apartment. “You’re dating a guy who could literally buy you anything, but you’re still holed up in this shitty place?”
She looks at the photo I have beside the TV of me and Archer, and my jaw tics. What if she goes after my family once she’s done with me?
“You know I sent Alek a ransom demand for myself a week or so ago. Buddied up with one of my friends and sent him another woman’s finger, telling him it was mine. We asked for a lot of money, and would you believe how shocked I was when he never came?”
She has crazy eyes as she stares me down. I didn’t know any of that.
“Why didn’t he come, Lena? He always comes. My friend and I were going to share the money, but when Alek didn’t arrive, he decided he didn’t want to be my friend anymore. And now I’m at square one again. Fucking alone.” She raises the gun again, a tear leaking from her eye. “Because you took him from me.”
I raise my hands in the air. “I didn’t mean to make you feel lonely.” That’s the only thing I manage to say. She’s expecting some kind of response, but I don’t know if I can give her the one she’s looking for. One she won’t shoot me for.
She begins laughing and crying and looking around, as if she’s trying to remember where the fuck she is. My heart hammers in my chest, and I glance in the direction of my kitchen. Fuck, there’s no knife or anything else on the counter I could use as a weapon.
“As if you didn’t already have enough. Family. Rising to stardom. But you had to take him as well?” She bites her bottom lip, bewildered. “Maybe I should cut one of your fingers off and see if he’s willing to pay a ransom for that?”
Another shiver runs down my body as I fight against crippling terror. No, if I panic, I’ll make it worse. But can it get any worse? I’m literally stuck in my own apartment with a psychopath right now.
“Oooh, I know! Luckily I came prepared,” she says, nodding with excitement as she puts her hand in the pocket of her green coat and pulls out a sheathed blade. She puts her gun down on the edge of the TV cabinet and unsheathes the knife. I swallow and take a step back.
“Ah, ah, ah,” she scolds as she steps forward menacingly. “I mean, what’s a finger to a singer? It would be worse if I slit your throat, right? Then how would you sing?”
A lump is caught in my throat as she steps toward me. Fuck. I can run around the counter and pull out a knife, but what if I don’t make it in time? And what will I do? Stab her?
Protect yourself.
It’s a distant voice in the back of my mind but one that takes precedence as it tries to take over my raging fear and shock.
What if I do die here? Who would be sad to see me go?
A pair of green eyes are the first thing to come to mind, and a tear slips down my cheek. Alek would be sad, right?
The front door bursts open, and I’m so shocked, all I can do is take a few steps back as Alek breaks into the room and rams into Cinita. The TV knocks off the cabinet as he slams her hard into the wall, and she screams.
A tall, blond man I don’t recognize stands in front of me. He’s covering me, but I’m angling myself to look over his shoulder, unable to move or speak, frozen in place.
Cinita’s face twists into a soft, bewildered expression. “You came,” she says, sounding relieved even though Alek holds a gun under her chin.
“Look away, Lena.” Alek’s voice is labored. But I can’t. He looks like the light to her world, her eyes locked on him.
“You wouldn’t hurt me, right, Alek?” she breathes.
“Look away, Lena,” he says again .
Cinita smiles as she begins to cry. “Alek—”
Bang .
I jolt under the deafening sound of the gunshot and stare in shock at the blood that splatters against the wall. I can’t breathe.
I immediately bend over and hurl as I hear the sound of Cinita’s body slump to the floor.
“Lena,” Alek rasps. I can’t help but raise my head, shocked, as if in a daze. But when I look at him, my vision is laser focused as he takes a wobbly step forward. My eyes widen at the knife protruding from his stomach.
“Are you okay?” he breathes, struggling to take his next step.
“Alek!” I scream as I push the blond-haired man out of the way to catch Alek as he falls.
“Fuck, I’m calling your sister,” the man says with an English accent. But I can only focus on Alek, my fear and terror gripping me for an entirely different reason now.
“Alek.” My voice screeches as tears spill over my cheeks. It looks bad, there’s a lot of blood, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to stop it.
His hand reaches for my face as he slumps back, and I catch him in my arms. “I’m sorry,” he breathes.
“Stop talking,” I breathe out. What do I do? What do I do? “Aleksandr, don’t you leave me!” I cry, and it’s the weakest I’ve seen him. But also the kindest as he stares at me lovingly.
He becomes blurry as tears continue to spill over. “Don’t leave me!” I say defiantly. “It’s going to be okay.” I try to turn my head to locate the Englishman so he can help, but Alek’s grip is surprisingly firm against my cheekbone.
“Sing for me, sunshine,” he rasps.
“No! You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. You’re invincible.”
The door slams open, and I hear a flurry of Russian as Anya rushes into the room. She tries to tear me away from Alek, and River and the Englishman grab him, but I cling to him, staring into his forest-green eyes that seem to be dimming.
“No!” I scream as I elbow Anya in the face to pry myself from her grip. “No!” I trip on myself as they carry him out, and I’m on my knees, staring in horror as they take him away. “No, you’re supposed to be invincible, Aleksandr Ivanov! Don’t leave me!” I yell on a sob as they carry him down the hall.
I’m eye level with Cinita’s body and feel another nauseating swirl of bile and hatred.
I’m furious I can’t kill her myself for taking the one thing I’ve ever truly loved.