Chapter 11
Marcel
The Recent Abduction
Surprising her with Pasha couldn’t have gone any better. The way her face radiated was nothing less than stunning. Sebastian and I couldn’t get enough of them. She came alive in ways that reminded me of her demeanor from before.
She had been having so much fun with him over the last week; it made my heart happy to see her this way. Today, as I waited for Kinsley to meet me in the drawing room, Pasha joined me for a chat.
“So you weren’t sure she was Mischa at first?” I asked.
“Yes, I had to remind myself that I attended her funeral and that she was probably a look-alike. But then she sat down.” He laughed.
“You could tell by how she sat down?” I asked, rubbing the back of my head.
He nodded. “She used to do this thing the minute she sat down. She would bring her knees up to her chest, but the process was uniquely hers. First, she would wiggle her toes as she scrunched her nose up. Then she’d point her toes, bring her knees up, and sigh softly before laying her head on her knees as she watched or listened. ”
I chuckled because she was forever doing that exact thing in our sessions.
“Once she danced, I knew for sure. I started dancing with her when she was four, but I’d known her since she was born.
There are signature ways a dancer moves, and when you’re 100 percent reliant on trusting that partner, you get to know them with every moment you practice together.
Much like lovers know one another’s caress. ”
“Are we discussing a lover’s caress today, Dr. Marcel?” Kinsley had snuck in, startling me, and Pasha laughed.
“Speaking of that, I should probably check in with mine,” Pasha said with a blush. Kinsley gave him a stern look before hugging him.
“We’ll chat about this lover of yours later,” she said.
All this talk about lovers had me fidgeting.
I would need to update the guys. They were due home by the end of the week.
Kinsley and I had finally gotten through her backstory.
Today’s conversation was going to be a more in-depth dive into the most recent abduction.
She was adamant that the two were tied together.
After she hugged Pasha one last time, he left, closing the door behind him.
“Have a seat.” I motioned for her to sit, then chuckled when she went through her signature move of resting her head on her knees.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, then laughed when I told her what Pasha had pointed out.
“Do I really do that? Now I’m going to have to pay attention.”
“You most certainly do. I can pull footage up of our sessions from when you were in Seattle. You wiggle, wrinkle, and then point. Come to think of it, you point your toes all the time.”
“Oh yes. Habit from hearing point your toes yelled at you every time you’re mid-flight during a leap, and the constant reminder that your toes need to be pointed every time your foot leaves the ground.”
“Interesting. Are you ready for today’s session? It might be a tough one for you because we need to discuss the details of your recent abduction.”
“What about it? Did they find his body?” Her question was tinged with apprehension.
“No, but I’d like to go over the details with a fine-tooth comb. The man you killed, I need you to describe him to me. Leave nothing out.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “He was Russian. He spoke to me several times, but I pretended like I didn’t understand him. He also had a series of tattoos across his knuckles, almost like rings with symbols on them. Russian prison tattoos. I searched online,” she admitted.
“And did either the unmasked man or the masked man from your childhood speak Russian or have tattoos?”
“No tattoos. I never really thought of it, but now that you mention it, I remember the rules were given to me in Russian on that first day.”
“Okay, this is good. Now, what else makes you believe that this man was connected to the Mask?”
“The things he said. The fact that he told me ‘Did you think he wouldn’t come for you,’ the reference to my worth and value because I was no longer a virgin, and how that devalued my price. Then he mentioned pictures. The Collector, that was his thing. Mementos, is what he called them.”
“And I guess, coupled with the fact the Mask wasn’t there that night, that makes it a possibility,” I mused aloud.
I had already concluded that from every angle, the Mask was either her grandfather or someone he hired. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Kinsley was viewed as a commodity for him.
Knowing that high-ranking members of organized crime regimes frequently traded women as property made it real.
Arranged marriages were a given in that realm, and strengthening families to increase power and privilege was a necessary evil.
Her family was ruthless. There were no two ways about that.
Her grandfather had been connected to the mob since he was a teenager himself.
Even the timing of the recent kidnapping was right.
It coincided with his release. The reason he wore a mask could have been to disguise the resemblance to her father.
I’d need to discuss it with Sebastian at length first to ensure I wasn’t drawing conclusions unnecessarily and then update Alek, Nik, and Ivan.
“You have done beautifully with how open and honest you’re being. But we need to turn the conversation a bit because we need to make plans for you to disappear.”
Her face clouded over. “Okay, did Sebastian find someone who can help?”
“He did. The reality is, though, this will be a permanent thing. Once you agree to his terms, there’s no going back. There’s only one chance at this. You’ll be walking away from everything and everyone you know and love.”
“I know, but there isn’t another way.”
I hated this part. She was so young, and despite everything she had been through, she wasn’t built to be alone.
I knew she mentioned Owen had taught her survival skills; they had spent years living off grid.
She said she knew how to fish, hunt, and even knew how to field-dress animals.
She obviously knew how to kill and wasn’t afraid to, but none of this made it any easier.
We finished up, and she hugged me and headed off to the kitchen to bake. She’d made herself at home here, and I loved that we could provide her with that, even if only for a short amount of time. I went to find Sebastian to discuss how to proceed with the Kings.
“What’s up, Counselor? You’ve got that strained look. Do I need to schedule you with one of the girls at the club? Say the word, and I’ve got you covered.”
“Maybe. But first, we need to discuss the guys. I’m torn. Do we tell them now or wait?”
“You’re asking my opinion?” He paused and then added, “I say we wait until they’re in the air. The way Alek and Nik have talked about Ivan and his attitude, I’d be afraid he wouldn’t come home. Has Kinsley shared what happened between them?” Sebastian grew serious; he was worried about Ivan too.
“She has, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it. But you’re right, he’d probably choose to stay in Seattle if he knew. As much as I hate keeping it from them any longer, we’ll wait.”
“It’s only a few more days, anyway. Alek and Nik are going to be so excited, any amount of irritation they have will have dissipated the minute they land.”
My mind turned to Kinsley and Ivan’s last encounter together.
It sucked having the knowledge I had. It was a literal double-edged sword.
I knew the real reason Ivan was struggling but couldn’t share it with the guys.
I also had answers for Kinsley about the exact reason Ivan was so upset.
I knew personally how deep the scars were that he carried, but I couldn’t share it with her either.
“Bash, I’m going to take you up on that suggestion from earlier. Make it with someone who craves the harsher things, please,” I said, feeling antsy.
“Not a problem. I’ve got you, Brother.”