Chapter 35
Y ulianna
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Kira’s information. If Vlad trusted her then I did too. But here I was, standing in the shadows by the window, waiting for the guards to leave. Sure enough, right at eleven, they all piled into cars and left.
Our food had already been delivered, so it was safe—as it was ever going to be—to get my burner phone from the secret compartment in Lilya’s room. She was happily reading to herself as if yesterday with the men and guns had never happened. Lilya seemed more acclimated to this insane life than I’d ever been, and that knowledge twisted an unusual doubled-edged knife into my chest.
Opening her large walk-in closet, I kneeled down to pry up the loose floorboard that contained my go-bag. It took a minute, but I got it open and grabbed the burner. It felt like forever waiting for the small screen to power up. I quickly dialed my mother, and she answered on the first ring.
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Helena, it’s so nice to hear from you,” my mother answered.
I was about to correct her when I caught on that my father, or someone else she didn’t trust, was nearby.
“Is this a good time to talk?”
“Yes, this is a perfect time. Vadin and I are just waiting for our tea to be served.”
“I need to run Wednesday, tomorrow, not next week. I know it’s tight, but can you make that happen?”
I peeked out the closet door to make sure that Lilya was still reading.
“You’re coming for a visit. That’s excellent news. We’ll be sure to host dinner. Just let me know what works for you and the family. Oh…you’re coming on Wednesday? That soon? Hmm, how about Friday for dinner, then? That gives us a little more time to plan.”
Her coded message was getting confusing. I really hoped she meant that she could do Wednesday and the rest was for my father.
“I’ll be at the hangar for noon. Please let everyone, including Frida and Lev, know so they can meet me there.”
“That sounds great. I can’t wait to catch up, and I’m always happy to see the boys. They grow so fast. Yes, I’ll make sure to gather everyone,” Mom said, and softly chuckled like my aunt was sharing a joke. “I better go. Tea just arrived. See you soon.”
The phone clicked dead.
My next call was to Eddie. I closed my eyes and prayed for him to answer. If they hurt him….
It didn’t even get through the first ring.
“Hello,” he said, his worry obvious even over the phone.
“Eddie, it’s me,” I said, trying to hold back tears of relief.
“Oh, thank god, Ana, I’m so sorry. It was an ambush. They tied and gagged us before forcing us to watch your whole confrontation with Christov from the hangar next door. I didn’t leave you. I swear I didn’t.”
“Even if you had, I would understand. I’m just happy they didn’t hurt you. I thought for sure they’d done something terrible. I was awake all night worrying but didn’t dare to call you too soon.”
“If it had been up to Christov, we’d be dead. Your father is smarter than that. This was a warning and a flex of his power. Vadin’s pissed at me for damaging his businesses but not stupid enough to kill me. He doesn’t want to face the consequences of taking me out.”
“Wait…my father was there?”
“Yeah, he was. I’m sorry, Ana. He’d rather use you to hurt me than see you happy. I can’t ever imagine doing that to my child.”
I sighed and would’ve cried if I hadn’t already suspected his involvement. The look on my mother’s face before she got in the car was evidence enough.
Had I put everyone in danger?
“You’re a far better man than my father. I’ll get my revenge on him one day.”
“You already are. It’s eating Vadin up that you won’t speak to him and that you keep Lilya away, but he’s too proud to admit it.”
“Yeah, well, in the meantime, he is missing out on seeing his granddaughter grow up. It’s his loss because Lilya is amazing.”
“She really is.”
Blinking away the emotions threatening to shatter me, I kept myself focused.
“We’re sneaking out tomorrow. I think my mother was trying to tell me that Dimitri is helping us. No matter what, I’ll let you know when we’re on the plane and on our way to you.”
“I hate this. It’s a lot more dangerous involving other people.”
“I know, but we don’t have much of a choice. I overheard Christov and Alina talking. They want me gone next week.”
Eddie would lose his mind completely if I mentioned what they planned for Lilya.
“Son of a bitch. He just couldn’t stand the idea of us happy. I should’ve fucking killed him.”
“It’s not you, Eddie. I’ve been too complacent. I didn’t want to rock the boat and push too soon and now everyone I love is in danger. I own that.”
“Ana, this is on both of us. I’ve made mistakes along the way as well.”
“Eddie….”
“No, Ana, we chose to wait together. We thought it was safest, and now I’m locked out of the country until I get it appealed. I agreed to take that chance. You cannot take all that on especially considering all of this could’ve been avoided if I’d just got Vadin to sign the contract in front of me.”
“Maybe, but it feels like my mess to clean up. I’m going to take care of this and get myself and Lilya out of here.”
“I know you will. While you’re doing that, it’s time I dropped the axe on the Ivankov family fortune. I’ve been holding off, but Wednesday feels like a great day to shatter someone’s world.”
I smiled. “Just not in the morning.”
Eddie chuckled. “Okay, no destroying souls in the morning. Check. I love you, Ana.”
“I love you so much more.”
“Impossible.”
Just as I hung up, I heard my bedroom door open and heavy shoes walk in before Christov yelled my name. I tossed the phone in the hole on top of my go-bag and put the board back as quietly as possible.
“Yulianna,” he yelled again, stomping around like an angry wolverine.
“In here,” I yelled back, loading my arms with some of Lilya’s clothes and walking out as he came into her room.
His eyes were furious as always like he’d been expecting a fight. Lilya looked up from her book, and I hated that her normally sweet expression was filled with worry. He wandered around the room, looking in the closet and outside the window.
“Hi Daddy.”
Christov tore his glare away from me to look at Lilya.
“Hi,” he said then looked at me, dismissing her.
“What are you doing,” I asked as I eyed him suspiciously.
“Nothing. What are you doing,” Christov asked, looking at my arms.
“Just organizing. Lilya has a ton of clothes she’s already outgrown. I was bored,” I said, dropping the pile on the bed.
“Daddy, are you mad at me?” She held the book to her chest like a shield.
Christov looked down at Lilya and then glanced at me again before losing the glare.
“I’m not mad at you. I just had a bad work call,” he said, shocking me as I began dividing the pile into two.
They were all good clothes, but I had to make my cover look good.
Lilya slid off the bed and tentatively walked toward him. I took a step to intervene, but Christov held up his hand.
“If you hurt….”
“I won’t,” he said, kneeling.
Christov had kept to my contract, and other than a monthly visit for a couple of hours, he never spent time with Lilya. This was the first time I’d seen him really interact with her naturally. In true Lilya fashion, she could melt any heart. I covered my mouth when she cupped his face and looked into his eyes like she was about to read his future.
“Don’t be angry, Daddy. I love you.”
Christov’s eyes grew wide with shock, but under it was something else…affection maybe. I wouldn’t know. We had none for each other. Lilya kissed one cheek and then the other before looking up at me.
“Can I get a snack?”
“May I have a snack,” I corrected.
“May I have a snack,” she repeated.
I smiled and nodded before pointing to my room.
“You know where the tray is.”
She skipped out, her dark hair waving behind her. Christov stood and watched her go with a touch of warmth in his normally cold stare.
“She’s not mine, is she,” he asked, hitting me off guard with the question.
“Why? Because she has black hair? Have you forgotten that half my family has black hair?”
“No, because she….” Christov stopped and looked at me, his eyes darkening again. “Doesn’t matter either way. I came to tell you that I spoke to Alina, and she won’t bother you again,” he said, and all I could do was shake my head.
“I know you love her, and she loves you, so you want to believe her. But if you genuinely don’t think she is planning something…well, then you don’t know her at all. How long are you keeping me locked up?”
“For as long as it takes,” he said and walked away.
“What does that mean,” I called out.
Christov didn’t answer. He just slammed the door when he left. What the hell was that?
The Next Day
Of all days, why did a storm have to roll in overnight? There was a thick blanket of white on everything. What was once beautiful might foil my plans if the guards didn’t leave. I’d dressed warmly, and yet, there was no way the chill of what I needed to do next would leave me anytime soon.
There was a gentle knock at the door, and Kira stepped inside. I glanced into Lilya’s room, but she was on the floor playing with her dolls and a coloring book.
“Is everything in place,” I asked, looking at the time. It was ten forty-five.
“Yes, I’ll be serving Mr. Ivankov’s lunch with his usual brandy. It has the sleeping agent as was instructed. Most of the staff left to run errands, and the guards will be gone any minute now.”
“What about Alina?”
“She’s in her wing trying on dresses. Christov is taking her to a gathering.”
Too bad she’ll never get to go.
Killing Christov would invoke serious wrath from the rest of his powerful family, but Alina…was another story. Today was my retribution.
No one attacks my daughter.
“Excellent,” I said.
“Do you remember the secured passage?”
The service hallways in Christov’s home weren’t as elaborate as the ones at my parent’s house. They didn’t connect to the bedrooms, but there was a passage that went from my wing to theirs. It explained how Alina had so easily hidden when she tormented me for months.
“I’ve got this. Thank you again for everything.”
“I better go. Wait fifteen minutes, then head out.”
Kira left, and I took a deep breath to steady myself. Walking over to my dresser, I opened the top drawer and grabbed the hidden gun, I’d wrapped up and placed in the back. I pulled it out and checked it one last time before tucking it in the back of my jeans and fixing the fluffy sweater to cover it.
Lilya looked up and smiled when she noticed me standing in the doorway. I kneeled and picked up one of her drawings. It was a picture of Eddie and exceptional for her age.
“This is beautiful,” I said, and her smile widened. “Do you want to paint like Mommy one day?”
“Yes. Can we now?”
“No, not right now, but I’ll teach you. Lilya can you do Mommy a favor?”
She set down her crayon and looked at me, her little face all business.
“Yes, Mommy.”
“Can you draw another picture? One of you, me, and Eddie.” She nodded so fast that her pigtails hit her in the face as they whipped back and forth. “I have to go take care of some things in the house, so I need you to be a really good girl and stay in here. Whatever you do, don’t come out until I come back, or we won’t get to go on our trip.”
“Okay, Mommy. I won’t leave.”
She pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and got right to work. I kissed the top of her head before standing and closing the door between our rooms. Twelve minutes had passed when I glanced at the clock.
“You can do this,” I said under my breath, pumping myself up. I slowly opened my door.
The house was quiet. Too quiet. I was used to having Vlad or someone right outside the door and the typical hum of the staff. Tiptoeing down to the furthest corner of the hall, I pulled the hidden lever on the golden statue, and a small door slid silently open.
The wooden boards creaked softly with each step but sounded loud to my ears. My heart was thumping hard, and it managed to get faster the closer to the exit. I peeped through the tiny hole to make sure no one was in the hallway before releasing the lock.
Reflexes alone saved me from getting a silver tray to the head when I stepped out. Alina swung at me again with a blood-curdling scream.
“You bitch, I knew you’d come one of these days.”
I jumped back out of the way as she swung wildly again.
“Please tell me you’ve sat outside that statue every day for five years,” I said, laughing while her face turned red. “I definitely didn’t think about you that much. Hell, I didn’t think of you at all until you and Christov came after me.”
“Liar.”
Squealing in rage, Alina raised the tray and kicked out at the same time. I didn’t see her foot until it was too late. She caught me in the gut, and I stumbled back, doubled over.
Even though I’d worked on my fighting skills at Wayward and then had Vlad and Mylo keep me in shape, there was no preparation for the ferocity of Alina. Training was nothing like fighting for your life.
When she kicked at me again, my instincts took over, and I grabbed her leg. Alina slammed hard onto the floor when I twisted, but she hit my injured ankle on her way down. I crumbled beside her in pain.
There was no pause to catch our breaths. Alina was like a feral animal, clawing at my face as she jumped on me. Holding her arms at bay, I pushed away from the wall and rolled us over so that I was on top. The battle for dominance went around and around. Vases crashed to the floor, and pictures hung crooked, all victims in the wake of our struggle.
There was no denying it now. We were in it until one of us wasn’t breathing, and no way was it going to be me.
I thought of all the times I was forced to leave Eddie and the multiple times Christov had taken me roughly against my will in the name of getting me pregnant. I thought about how this bitch had set me up to fall down the stairs. If I’d broken my neck, Lilya would’ve been left alone in their grasp. They would’ve sold her off like my father had done to me. No one would ever hurt my daughter.
The anger that I’d buried deep the last few years burst free as we rolled, so I was on top. I let go of her arms, and Alina wrapped her hand around my throat. She might have believed she had the advantage, but I drew my fist back like Vlad had taught me and brought it down as hard as I could to the middle of her face. Blood poured from Alina’s nose as she screamed.
We were making too much noise, and this had to end. I was reaching back for the gun when Alina thrust up with her body and flipped us.
“You bitch, you broke my nose.”
Alina hit me repeatedly, but with my hand on the gun stuck underneath me, I could only block with one arm. I needed her to back off just a few inches.
“You’re such a fool, Alina. Do you really think Christov loves you?”
She paused, the wheels spinning in her brain.
“What the fuck do you mean,” she panted.
“Just what I said. He told me all about your plan to get rid of me next week. In fact, the reason I’m over here right now with you, and he’s nowhere to be seen, is because this was his goal all along. He made you think he loved you. Made you do anything for him, and all the while he was playing you. He always wanted me.”
“No…it’s not true.” She rose a little higher, her eyes widening as her fist remained frozen in the air.
“Think about it. You two could’ve been free, but instead, he brought me back here and told you that my Father would be angry? Did you really buy that crap? What did you think he was doing every time you left to go to the spa for the day? Or the hairdresser? Or to visit your mother? While he gave you money to throw around, he was only doing it to get you out of the house. All the while, he was fucking me, trying to get me pregnant again so we could have our son. That’s what he was doing. All this time we’ve pretended to hate one another, but it was all an act just for you. Do you want to know why?”
“It’s all lies.”
“No, it’s not. He did it because I asked, because I’m a bitch and have loved every second of watching you squirm and twist yourself inside out for a man who would never really marry you. Do you really think he snuck you into my eighteenth birthday party? You poor thing…you really thought so, didn’t you? No, Alina. I gave him the outfit and told him to let you in. He fucked you twice and then we laughed as he told me how terrible you were and how he couldn’t wait to have me.” Her eyes bugged out, and I was suddenly very happy I’d never let Christov know that I’d seen them.
None of that was true. But I knew Alina’s fears. They were written all over her face. From the first day when we’d officially met, and with each passing week, month, and year, those seeds of doubt had only deepened until the roots had turned into a paranoia that was eating her alive.
“No,” Alina gasped and pushed back just enough that I got the gun free and pointed it at her.
I thought there would be hesitation, a last moment of guilt for doing this, but there was none as I stared into her crazy eyes. This was a dog-eat-dog world, and only the strongest survived.
Alina realized her error, but it was too late as I squeezed the trigger. She fell backward off of me, her hands going to her chest, blood soaking her shirt. Pushing myself up, I stared down at her, and our eyes locked.
“As you lay here dying, I want you to know that Christov and I are going to be taking our children out for dinner before coming home to a house that is finally rid of you. Then, I’m going to ride him just the way he likes as I scream his name. That will be our dessert. We may or may not have your body removed by then, or we may simply step over you. Goodbye, Alina.”
It was a vicious thing to say, but I wasn’t exactly feeling my normal loving self. I watched as she gasped for air, her mouth moving but no sound coming out, and then blood trickled from her mouth before she fell still. Her eyes remained open, locked on something that couldn’t be seen, and I could only hope that it was the flames of hell.
Limping away, I made it to the top of the stairs before the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off, and I started to shake. I looked down at the gun in my twitchy hand and noticed drops of blood on my sweater. My fingers came back red after touching the corner of my mouth.
Each step down was excruciating, the pain radiating from my ankle up my leg. Dammit.
I tapped on Christov’s office door to be safe, but there was no response. Cracking it open, I spotted him hunched over his desk, his cheek on the paperwork in front of him. All I had to do was grab the keys to his car. According to Kira, he kept all of them in a box on his desk. Of course, he would.
Sneaking across the office, I wet my parched lips and stared at his back, slowly rising and falling. There was only one box on his desk and I slowly reached for it like I was trying to avoid waking a slumbering predator. Inside were three sets, I grabbed the key to the sedan he always kept parked in the driveway and turned to leave, but spotted a framed picture on his desk. It was of Christov, myself and the two kids, taken the night of the Nutcracker. I remembered all too well being forced to have the picture taken. What I hadn’t been expecting was it framed and on his desk. I suddenly wondered if there was any merrit to Alina’s paranoia, not that I cared. It didn’t change a thing.
Christov suddenly sat up like a jack-in-the-box. I screamed as he grabbed my wrist and dug his fingers in painfully. He jerked me forward, but he was uncoordinated. That was when I realized he’d only drank half of his drink. I yanked back and he lost some ground.
“Let me go, Christov.”
“You think I wouldn’t notice the dizzy feeling,” he asked, his voice slurred. “I knew you were trying to run as soon as I felt the effects of whatever you put in my drink.”
Anchoring my feet, I pulled again. Christov lost his balance, partially sprawling over his desk.
“Just let me leave. You can live your life, and I can live mine.” I pulled harder, but it only helped him to stand. He was wobbly, weaving like he was playing in waves. If he took me down with him, he’d still have the strength advantage.
“No,” he growled. “You’re mine. Your father said I could do whatever I pleased. I was just going to kill you, but now I’m going to kill Lilya instead. She’s not my daughter, never has been. Fucking Edmundo. I knew he was in Spain, I just knew it. I’m going gut the little bitch in front of you and then bleed you slowly while you stare at her corpse. Then I’ll send the video to him to play over and over again.”
I had no idea how he found out, but he was never touching Lilya. The sound that came out of me could only be described as a mother’s protective roar.
He wanted to hurt me…fine, but no one threatened Lilya, not now, not ever. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, and warning bells were going off in my head, it didn’t stop me from raising the gun he hadn’t noticed.
“You’re not going to shoot me. You’re too weak,” he slurred, and without another thought, I squeezed the trigger.
Christov released my hand as his went to his stomach. He stumbled back and landed in his chair, staring at the wound. He looked up at me in disbelief.
“Fuck you, Christov. No one threatens my baby girl and lives. My only regret is that I didn’t do this four years ago.”
“You won’t get away with this. I’ll kill you and everyone you love,” he said.
He groaned and fell off the chair when I shot him a second time.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. Fuck you.”
I limped as fast as I could out of the office and up the stairs like the devil was nipping at my heels. We had to get out of here before the guards returned and found….
Oh my god, what did I just do? I killed Christov. Oh no, oh no, oh no.
The Crash
“Ana, the most important thing is that you two get out of that car alive. Everything else…we’ll figure out, no matter what. I will always, always love you, Ana. You and Lilya are my heart and soul. But crying won’t do either of you any good. Pull yourself together and get the hell out of there. Right now.”
“But Eddie, what if I never see you again?”
“We will. Now go, Ana. Hang the fuck up and go. Stay alive, and I promise we’ll be together one day.”
“I will always love you, Eddie.”
“And I love you, anima mia . Now go!”
Tossing the phone, I tried to get Lilya’s window open, but it wouldn’t budge. Shit. Getting up on my knees, I reached for her seatbelt.
“Mommy, I’m scared.”
“I know, baby,” I said, fighting the jammed buckle.
The cracks on the passenger window were spreading and adding to my panic. Screaming, I jerked on the stupid strap.
“Let go!”
Lilya began to cry harder. The fear was finally too much for her. She clutched the bunny to her face as tears poured down mine. There was a flash of lights through the snow, and I heard the roar of snowmobiles as they pulled up.
The compromised window gave in like someone had punched a hole through it, and the icy water flowed into the car.
“Unlock the doors,” Vlad yelled.
I hit the button, but it didn’t click and I bit my lip.
“They won’t unlock.”
“Okay, try opening your windows.”
Vlad was on the bank with some soldiers. I hit the buttons, but nothing happened.
“Nothing, they’re all dead,” I yelled back.
“Cover Lilya’s head, I’m going to try and break the window.”
I grabbed the sweater and held it over Lilya’s head as he slammed something against the window. Stupid reinforced glass. Each blow jostled the car and my heart along with it.
“Mommy,” Lilya cried.
There was so much chaos. I thought I’d known fear, but I was wrong. Staring into Lilya’s beautiful face as the car filled with water, I understood the acidic taste burning me from the inside out.
Vlad disappeared, and the car wobbled again. I slapped my hand against the glass.
“Don’t leave us, please! Come back!”
“Mommy, I’m cold.”
My hands were frozen as I fought with the buckle again. The straps that were meant to protect my child were now trapping her like evil tentacles. Leaning over the seat was too awkward. I took a chance and slipped as slowly as I could into the back with my baby girl.
Lilya’s fearful eyes shimmered with tears as the water reached her chin. My entire body was shuddering, and I could only imagine what this felt like to her sensitive skin.
“Mommy, help.”
A surge of water put the level over her lips. For the first time since we went off the road, she began to struggle. Lilya’s strangled cries as she tried to get free ripped my heart out.
“Lilya, stop. Stop it…look at me.” Her big grey eyes locked with mine. “If the water covers your face, I’ll breathe in air and then give it to you, but you need to stay calm.” I took a deep breath, and she mimicked me. “Good, you’re so smart and so good. I love you, Lilya. We’re going to get you out of here.”
She tilted her head up. “Mommy, I’m scared.”
My lower lip trembled.
“I know, baby, so am I. But we are going to get out of this. Vlad will get us out.” She nodded even as tears streamed down her cheeks. “When the water goes over your nose, close your eyes and don’t breathe, just like in the pool. I’m going to put my lips over yours like a kiss, and I’ll blow air into your mouth. You breathe out when I remove my lips. Can you do this, baby?”
“I don’t know.”
This was so hard for a four-year-old to understand, but if anyone could, it was Lilya.
“You need to trust me, baby. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, Mommy,” she cried.
“Remember, breathe in when I give you air, but don’t breathe in the water.”
She whimpered, her eyes going wide as the water reached her nose. I wanted to freak out, but I needed to give the guys time to help us. So, I tried taking my own advice and staying calm. They were still out there, I could hear them talking and an odd clunking sound.
I pinched Lilya’s nose closed and sucked in a deep breath. As soon as my lips touched hers, she opened her mouth, and I slowly blew the air into her. One small hand gripped my arm, and it was as if she’d reached into my chest and squeezed my heart.
She couldn’t die. I would stay right here in this car with her.
“Vlad!” I screamed every time I came up for air. “Help me, she can’t breathe!”
Fear colder than the ice around me flowed through my veins when Lilya’s hand dropped off my arm, and she didn’t take my next breath.
“Vlad! Please. Please, dear God, don’t do this.”
There was a loud thud and a roar, and then the car jerked. The sudden movement threw me to the side, and I splashed under the water. Gasping as I came up, I righted myself before sucking in another breath for Lilya. I tried to get her to take it, but her lips remained still.
The car was lurching backward, and the water was getting lower as it rushed out the window. Lilya’s head was back above water, but her little lips were blue. Vlad suddenly appeared at the broken window.
“Come on, get out, I’ll get her.”
“Her belt is stuck it won’t release.”
I didn’t want to leave her. Vlad reached through the glass and unlocked the door. He grabbed me under the arms and pulled me out like I was a doll.
“Mylo, take her,” he said.
I collapsed on the snowy bank, even with Mylo holding me. My legs were so cold that I couldn’t feel them.
“Get her up here and in the vehicle,” Dimitri yelled.
“No, I can’t leave her,” I said as Mylo picked me up. “Mylo, please.”
“Let Vlad help Lilya,” he said.
When he turned, I caught sight of Vlad pulling Lilya from inside the car and lying her down on the bank.
“No, my baby, no, no, no.” I reached out toward them, tears blocking my view as he cut open her jacket. “God, please,” I mumbled over and over as Mylo put me in the back of an SUV.
People were talking and pulling at my clothes, but none of it mattered. All I wanted was my daughter. Blankets were wrapped around my body, and I shivered as I watched for any sign of Vlad.
“Please,” I begged on repeat and couldn’t have said how long I was in that truck when Vlad opened the door with Lilya in his arms.
“She’s alive. I got her breathing, but she needs to get warmed up,” Vlad said, handing her to Mylo.
I reached for her, but Dimitri grabbed my arm.
“Don’t, you’re still too cold. Let Mylo help her.”
Mylo removed her wet clothes and wrapped her in a silver blanket before handing her to Dimitri. He seemed to be moving faster than what was humanly possible as he took off his sweater and then took Lilya back, holding her against his body.
“Let’s go,” Dimitri ordered.
Reaching out, I moved her long hair away from her face.
“Mommy,” she whispered, and I broke down in sobs.
“I’m here, baby. I’m here,” I said as exhaustion overtook me.
I jerked awake as we came to a stop. Looking around, I realized we were in the hangar.
“Let’s move. We have a small window to take off before the storm gets worse,” Dimitri ordered.
Chaos was the best way to describe what was happening. Doors opened, people were talking and yelling back and forth, and the plane idled in the background. I reached for the handle, but the door was jerked open, and Vlad was there. He lifted me out and carried me to the plane.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I can never repay you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Oh, I plan on ordering the biggest steak meal on your tab, don’t worry,” he teased. I gave a little laugh that broke into tears. “It’s going to be okay, Yuli.”
“Thank God, I was so worried,” Frida said as Vlad sat me down beside her, and she pulled me into a hug. I was still shivering, and she ran her arms up and down mine. Mylo sat down on my other side, still holding Lilya and a bit of relief washed over me as she opened her eyes and smiled.
“I need everyone to buckle up,” the captain yelled from the cockpit as he fired up the engines.
“Uncle Dimitri?” He walked over and kneeled in front of me. “We can’t go to Italy.”
“Where do you want to go?”
I shook my head, not having any idea.
“Somewhere, Father won’t look for us. Somewhere, Lilya can grow up in a safe environment,” I said.
He nodded. “Alright. Good thing I planned for an emergency.” Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a handful of passports. “Each of these has a new identity, background check, family history, and school or work experience to go with them. Memorize who you are now. There is no going back.”
Dimitri stood and handed out the new names to each of us.
“Frida, you’re now Nadia Smith. You can be a friend or sister to Yulianna,” he said.
“Vlad and Mylo, you’re now Shaun and Mitchell Conway. Figured that way you could stay together as family.”
He handed me and Lev our passports at the same time.
“Yulianna, you’re now Ilianna Davies. Lev, you’re Neal Davies. From this moment on, you will pose as a married couple so he can live in the same home and look out for you. I couldn’t use Vlad or Mylo because your father knows their faces. They will be friends or neighbors. Lilya is now Kayleigh Ren Davies,” he said and looked at us.
“Make sure you’re ready for this, it won’t be easy if you’re not using the Genovese wealth and power as protection. You all must remain off the radar. You can never call or return home. I’ll fund you all for the first year until you’re on your feet.”
“You can’t tell anyone where I am. Not even Edmundo. Please,” I begged.
“I won’t. I wish you’d just come to California, but I understand why you want to hide. Your secret is safe with me as long as I’m breathing.”
Standing, I hugged my uncle. “Thank you. I can never repay you for your generosity and support.”
“Don’t worry, sticking it to your father is one of my favorite pastimes. He took something from me, and I’ll never forgive him. Just thinking about the look on his face when he finds out that you’re gone makes me warm all over.” I smiled as he pulled back and grabbed my shoulders. “I’ll arrange for a doctor to see you and Lilya when we land. Now, get some rest. You’ll need it.”
I sat back down, and Frida handed me another blanket. Wrapping it around my shoulders, I took Lilya from Mylo and held her tight. I closed my eyes, and my heart sang when she snuggled me. That was too close. I knew that the memory of her blue lips and chilled little body would haunt me forever.
There was no telling what she might remember of this when she got older, but I was determined to make the rest of her childhood a happy one and leave Christov in the past.
I bit my lip as I thought of Eddie, but it didn’t stop the silent tears rolling down my cheeks.
I’ll see you again, my love. Your heart keeps mine beating.