Chapter 34
Y ulianna
Pulling out my phone, I looked at the dark screen. Eddie would’ve messaged or called to warn me, so I knew something was wrong. Right now, I could only pray they hadn’t killed him or put him in prison. I honestly didn’t know what I would do if that was the case.
Christov’s guards weren’t paying attention to me and Lilya in the back of the van, so I quickly opened my phone and sent a text to Vlad.
Y: Are you all okay?
V: We’re fine. Are you?
Y: I don’t know yet. We’re about ten minutes away from the house. We need to move to Plan B. After we talk, this phone will go dark.
V: Understood. Is Christov with you?
Y: No. Do you think you can find out what they did to Eddie and his men?
V: I’ll make a few calls.
Y: Be safe. They know you’re loyal to me.
V: Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Reach out as soon as you can. And remember your cameras.
Y: Will do. Thank you, Vlad, for everything.
V: This isn’t over, Yuli.
Y: You’re right. It’s not.
I bit my lip and debated about whether it was safe to reach out to Eddie. Taking the chance, I blocked my number so I’d show up as an unknown caller if Christov had Eddie’s phone.
Y: Plan B
Not daring to say more, I turned off my phone just as we pulled into the driveway.
“We’re not going to see Eddie,” Lilya asked, her voice so soft that it broke my heart.
“No, sweetie, not right now,” I said, holding her a little tighter.
“But I want to go.”
“I know you do. So do I, but it’ll have to wait.”
“Okay,” she said.
Her eyes were sad as she hugged her stuffed bunny to her chest. The last time we’d seen Eddie, he gave it to her as a gift and it had quickly become her favorite. She wouldn’t go anywhere without him. I knew exactly how she felt, but it wasn’t the comfort of a small stuffed animal that I needed.
The men jumped out and reached back in to grab Lilya.
“Don’t touch her, or I’ll break your fingers,” I snarled at them. “We’re getting out.”
Lilya wrapped her arms around my neck and hung on so tight that I could hardly breathe. But there was no way I was telling her to loosen her grip. The men escorted us into the house. Alina stood in the foyer looking about as happy to see me as a snarling possum.
I ignored her furious expression as we marched up the stairs to my room.
“Get in there,” one of the men said, giving us a little shove.
They slammed the door and I heard the click of the lock from the outside. A moment later, they did the same with Lilya’s door.
“Assholes,” I muttered under breath.
“Mommy, why are you shaking,” Lilya asked, touching my cheek with the ear of her stuffed animal. “Mr. Bunny makes me feel better when I’m scared,” she said, running the velvety softness up and down my cheek.
My eyes filled with tears.
“I failed you,” I said, and she tilted her head like she was examining my expression.
Lilya was far too smart for her age, and that worried me. No child should have to worry about abuse, but my fear extended beyond that. There was no telling what Christov and Alina had planned, and she would remember it all.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t cry, Mommy.” Lilya kissed my cheek. “Let Mr. Bunny make it all better. Eddie says he has magic powers.”
I closed my eyes and hugged my sweet daughter.
We were standing in that same spot when the door was suddenly unlocked and thrown open. Christov marched in, and even though I never wanted to back away from him, I did now. He held out his hand.
“Give me your phone.”
I pointed to my purse on the bed.
“It’s in there, get it yourself.”
He turned it upside down and dumped everything out. Then rummaged through my things like they were trash until he held up the phone.
“You’re never getting out of here. So I’d get real cozy if I was you.”
Christov walked out and locked the door.
He hadn’t continued to taunt me, which was surprising, but if it wasn’t now, then more would come later. This wasn’t the plan. In my plan, I ran, and everything was better for everyone, including Alina and Christov. Now, everything was messed up. All I knew was that if it came down to me and Lilya or them…there wasn’t even a question of who I’d choose.
Hours passed, and the sun was long gone when Lilya said she was hungry. I’d packed some plane snacks for her in my purse and spotted the bars on the bed. I was just tearing open the wrapper when the door opened, but it wasn’t a guard or even Christov, it was Alina.
“Why can’t you just fucking go away,” she said, hands balled into fists.
Lilya gasped at the bad word, her hands going to her mouth. Eddie and I never swore around her.
“I was happily on my way out of the country when Christov dragged me back.” Her face twisted with anger, and I crossed my arms. “So, you’ll have to ask him. Maybe there’s a part of him that knows he still needs me because you’ll always be trash,” I said, purposely pushing on her insecurity.
“You bitch,” she yelled and lunged for Lilya instead of me.
I screamed and jumped in front of Alina before she could touch Lilya. Pushing her back hard, she landed with a thump and cried out.
“Don’t you dare touch my daughter. I will tear you to shreds,” I said as Lilya grabbed my leg and began to cry.
“I’ll kill you, you fucking bitch. You’ve interfered in our life for years.”
“Your life? I never wanted this life!” I roared at her, the insanity of the situation fueling both of us. “You think I wanted to live here in this loveless marriage with you two? Are you crazy?”
“You should’ve died when I poisoned you, but I dosed you wrong. I won’t make that mistake twice,” Alina said, openly admitting it was her.
“Well that answers my question. Yes, you are crazy.”
“I fucking hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”
Lilya tightened her hold on my leg and hid her face, as Alina screamed hysterically. I touched her head trying to comfort her as best I could while preparing for another attack.
“Enough, Alina. We need Yulianna alive for now,” Christov said as he strolled into the room. I wasn’t sure if he meant to say ‘now,’ but I picked up on it. It told me all I needed to know and had known for some time…they were just biding their time before killing me.
“Did you hit her,” Christov asked, looking at Alina, still on her ass on the floor.
“She went for our daughter. Keep your whore on a leash, Christov. If she tries something like that again, I won’t stop next time,” I threatened. He must have seen something in my eyes because he helped Alina stand up, and they walked out the door.
Lilya lifted her head from my leg, and I bit my lip as her sad eyes locked onto mine.
“I need you to let go. But stay right here for a minute and be really quiet.”
Lilya nodded. I tiptoed into her room and over to the door. If I put my ear right against the wood, I could hear them talking.
“Why do you keep protecting her? We have no use for her anymore. You promised me years ago that we’d get rid of her. She was leaving, and you brought her back. Why?” Alina fumed.
At least she was asking all the right questions.
“Alina, get it through your head. We can’t just off Vadin Mikhailov’s daughter. He’s helping me because he thinks I want her. If we murder her, and it doesn’t look like an accident, he’ll retaliate. How long do you think we’ll survive with every Mikhailov family member gunning for us?”
“I hate her so much. I want to strangle her daughter in front of her and then slit her throat,” she snarled, and then I heard a muffled sob. I rolled my eyes. “I just want us to have a normal marriage, free of that woman and her brat.”
“We will. But Lilya is my child, too. We’ll kill Yulianna and keep Lilya. She’s a Mikhailov princess who will fetch a huge price when she’s older. I could easily sell her off at fifteen as a virgin bride. We’re talking millions for a prize like that.”
“Fine, I won’t go near her again. But please, I can’t take years of this,” Alina pleaded.
“I have an idea that will allow us to get rid of her next week. Just trust me and keep clear of them both,” Christov said, and I bit my lip.
Their shadows moved, and their voices got less distinct.
Sucking in a deep breath, I walked back into my room. Lilya was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She had fat tears rolling down her cheeks but didn’t make a sound. Picking Lilya up, I sat on the bed with her on my lap.
“Mommy, why is Daddy so angry?”
I was so torn. We were long past the stage of not turning Lilya on Christov, but did I want to be that mother? In the end, all that mattered was her safety.
“Baby, there’s something I need to tell you. Christov is….” She blinked at me, her eyes so wise beyond her years, and yet she was still a four-year-old child. “He’s not mad at you. He was mad at Auntie Alina for trying to hurt you.”
“But everyone was saying bad things.”
“I know baby girl. Sometimes, adults say really mean things to one another when they’re angry. But I promise that I’m not angry with you, and neither is Eddie. He’s still really excited to see you soon.” Her face lit up at Eddie’s name.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“What’s a whore?”
I snorted, not expecting that. Smoothing back her hair, I leaned in and kissed her forehead.
“That is a grown-up word, and when you’re old enough, I’ll tell you what it means. Why don’t you eat your snack and get some rest?”
Nodding, Lilya took her snack and went into her room to play. I closed my eyes as I thought about how to get us out of this.
As soon as Lilya was tucked into bed and sound asleep, I looked up at the hidden camera and began signing what I’d overheard. Vlad and Mylo had learned sign language for emergencies, and I knew they would be watching.
Six Hours Later
There was a soft tap on the door before it unlocked and opened. I stood from the bed, careful not to wake Lilya. One of the housemaids slipped inside. I recognized her, but we’d rarely spoken.
She held a tray of food, and I watched as she closed the door and walked across the room to place it down.
“Ma’am, I’m so sorry for the way you’ve been treated.”
She stood there awkwardly, twisting the front of the maid’s outfit and licking her lips. She glanced at the door before wiggling her fingers like she wanted me to come closer. Her remorse seemed genuine, but at the moment, I didn’t trust anyone.
“I’m Vlad’s girlfriend,” she said, and my eyebrows shot up.
I didn’t know he had one, let alone that she was in the same house. Good for him. I walked closer, and she whispered.
“My name is Kira, and I’m going to help get you out of here.”
Kira lifted the first large silver dome on the tray. It was filled with food, most were Lilya’s favorites, and despite all the other emotions, appreciation for this act of kindness filled me with joy.
“Thank you, this is very sweet,” I said, touching her shoulder. A light blush dusted her cheeks. She was very pretty and seemed genuinely sweet. I could see why Vlad had fallen for her.
Kira lifted the second dome, and instead of dessert, there was a gun with a silencer. She quickly covered it again.
“The guards are lazy here. They’ve never had to worry about anything. No one is even manning your door. They go for lunch together during shift change, which is around eleven. They won’t be back for a couple of hours. If you’re going to make a move, that’s when you should do it.”
I nodded and she grabbed my hand, putting a metal key into it. I knew it had to be for my door.
“What about Sabastian? I don’t want him involved. He’s an innocent child.”
Kira nibbled her bottom lip. “Alina’s mother comes to pick him up every Wednesday for a visit, but that only gives you a day to plan this out.”
“I’ll make it work, thank you.”
“Good luck,” she said and slipped out the door, relocking it again from the outside.
I’d learned to shoot at Wayward. Not that I’d been great at it, but it had been part of a survival course that Eddie and I had taken together. Unsurprisingly, he’d been a fantastic shot, and right about now, I really wished I had his skill. Grabbing the gun from under the dome, I checked the clip. It was fully loaded.
Thank you, Vlad.