Chapter 27 - Tatiana
I looked down at the collection of pins, wires, and other implements I had gathered and carefully began jiggling a wire into the lock.
Now that I was welcome in Kon’s bedroom, he kept his laptop and anything else he deemed unnecessary for my eyes in this spare room.
If I could get in, I’d hit the motherlode of secrets, but all I was focused on was finding my phone.
Casting back to the lessons my nanny gave me long ago, I switched out the wire and began wedging the thin metal edge of a spatula in between the door frame.
It was probably a lesson most children didn’t learn, but while Papa kept me far from his business dealings, there were basics he thought I should know.
I had to make him proud. The lock finally clicked, and I was able to turn the handle, but I was frozen in place.
Once I crossed that threshold, I might find out things I didn’t want to know.
Things there would be no coming back from.
No matter how hard I tried to work up the same hatred and fury I felt when I realized it was Kon who had kidnapped me, it just wasn’t there anymore.
He was infuriating, but some part of me believed he wanted to find my father and would keep his word about listening to him.
But what if he didn’t? What if my faith was misplaced?
It was easier to trust Kon than to do things I’d never done before.
Was I just being a coward by not immediately going into that off-limits room?
As I began to turn the handle and ease the door open, I heard a loud thump from the entry hall, then two of the guard’s voices, raised as if they were arguing with one another.
They were coming into the apartment, and it would only be a few seconds until they had a view straight down the hallway I was standing in.
My only option was to hurry into the office and risk being found in there if they came looking for me, or leave it for later, risking Kon coming home to find it unlocked.
With a hiss of frustration, I shoved the door open just enough to turn the lock again, then slid it shut and hurried down the hall to see what the commotion was about.
I could pick the lock again if no one suspected me of wrongdoing. The alternative was to be back under constant surveillance with those damn guards breathing down my neck when Kon wasn’t around.
They weren’t arguing; they were struggling to bring in a huge package.
I asked if I could help, and they impatiently shooed me back to my room.
Curiosity about what was in the box that was almost as big as me kept me from being too upset about my missed opportunity, and after I heard them continue to swear and crash around for another half an hour, I peeked my head out again.
“What are you doing?” I asked sharply, hurrying forward, my jaw just about on the floor.
The thing in the box was a massive table loom. An expensive one, made of shiny wood and sleek metal parts. And those two oafs were killing it!
“That doesn’t go there no matter how much you bang on it,” I said, grabbing the guard’s arm before he could crack the frame. “What is this?” I asked once the beauty was safe, standing back to admire it.
“You seem to know,” he said. “But we don’t have a clue. The instructions are in Swedish.”
“Go, get. You’ve done enough to this poor baby. I’ll put it together.”
They were happy to be done with it, and I was thrilled to run my hands over the wood.
My heart was singing when it was completed.
It was a work of art already, and I only slumped because I had nothing to start a project.
Until I looked in the box and found a bag full of sumptuous nubby cotton and wool yarns, bolts of handpainted silk I could cut or tear to my own specifications.
Fighting the urge to drool, I sat down to start stringing the warp threads, then chose a colored ball of wool at random.
My mind went pleasantly numb as I ran the shuttle back and forth.
The guards stuck their heads in a few times to make sure I hadn’t hurt myself while constructing the loom, and even stood behind me for a few minutes to watch my fingers fly.
I had lost my shot at searching the office, but I hardly cared as an inch of fabric appeared as if by magic, and then another and another. I was lost in my craft, forgetting everything else for a few glorious moments.
Actually, it had to be hours, because the light pouring in through the windows had waned, and I was leaning close and squinting when I heard Kon clear his throat behind me. He snapped on the overhead light and shook his head as I turned around, leaving my own small world to rejoin his.
He looked at me for a long moment, then moved closer to inspect my work.
“I’m just playing around,” I said. “There was no plan.”
He ran his finger over the riotous jumble of colors. There was no way I could pick only a few when so many different yarns were included.
“You’re talented,” he said. “This looks like it will be amazing when it’s finished.”
Thanks to this gift, my soul felt quiet for the first time in weeks. I was able to forget Kon’s tyranny for a little while. I tossed myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Thank you,” I breathed. “Thank you so much for this.”
His hands rose to grip my waist, and he tugged me closer. “If I knew—”
We both stiffened when the main guard burst in. Kon turned away from me with a muttered curse. There was no way the guard would have interrupted him if it wasn’t something important.
“It’s been confirmed that you were followed,” he said.
“Did they stop?” Kon asked, all business. He turned to give me a brief glance I couldn’t quite read.
“Not in the perimeter we have set up. We’re widening it now.”
He nodded and dismissed the guard, then turned to me with a sigh. Whatever we were starting was finished. His eyes were dark, and his jaw was set. All the tranquility of working with my hands poofed away, and the tension returned to my shoulders.
As if sensing it, or seeing me flinch, he reached out to massage them. “My nephew owns this property,” he said. “We’re completely safe. But there are other tenants who might be in danger now that the Yakuza are getting bolder again.”
I nodded. His kneading fingers couldn’t erase the fear of whatever he was leading up to. “It’s time to move?” I asked.
He nodded, and was on his phone a second later, waving for me to return to my loom if I wanted.
I was too distracted and pulled out the prepared meal the cook had left at some point, putting it in the oven to reheat. I wasn’t hungry, but it was something to do. Kon came into the kitchen as I was pulling it out, looking less grim, but nowhere near happy.
“I arranged a new location. Everything is fine. We’ll have to be sneaky about leaving, though.”
It should have been the least of my worries, but I glanced over his shoulder to the living area where my giant loom sat with a new project on it. “I guess I won’t be able to finish that. It was a nice gift, though. I enjoyed it while it lasted.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll have it transported. The guys already told me about your little fit when they were putting it together. It will be treated with the utmost care.” He was back to grinning, as carefree as if this were a vacation he was planning and not an escape.
When I set out the plates on the table, he pulled me onto his lap. “Now that you’ve learned how to break into my office, I’ll have to make sure this new place has better locks.”
His tone was teasing, but I also knew he was deadly serious about increasing security.
“The cameras,” I said, going stiff in his arms as embarrassment flooded me. I forgot about the damn cameras.
He pulled me closer and kissed my nose, then tried to feed me a bite from his plate. He didn’t seem to care at all about how close I came to breaching his inner sanctuary, which only made me all the more determined to ramp up my efforts in the new location.
Everything moved at lightning speed once Kon made his decision to leave.
He and his guards huddled together to put the final plan together while I packed up the things I’d need for the next day or two.
Kon promised everything would join us eventually, but they had to make sure no one was staking out the apartment to be able to follow us.
I came out with an overnight bag to find Kon and the guards looking like they had some bad news for me.
“You’re not going to like this,” Kon said while the guards refused to make eye contact.
That was how I ended up being carried out of the apartment in the container the loom came in, jostled down the elevator, and into a van in the middle of the night.
Kon was going to head in another direction to throw them off, only meeting us at the final destination when he was sure no one was tailing him.
I had been given strict instructions to stay in the box until one of the guards opened it, no matter what happened. That and the long, winding drive that seemed to never end should have terrified me, but somehow I was no longer scared.
How could I be after Kon held me tight, his lips brushing my hairline, before he helped me into the box.
“You’re going to be fine. I swear nothing bad will happen to you.”
“Besides getting stuffed into a crate?” I asked, mostly teasing. But I would have much preferred going with him instead of the guards.
“They’re after me,” he said. “It’s me they’ll follow. I want you with me, too, but not if it means you could be in danger.”
“What about you being in danger?” I asked, and he finally smiled.
“It’s sweet that you care. I like it too much.”
“Well, you’re not going to like how pissed off I am if you get hurt. Or…”
“Nope,” he said, leaning back to tip up my chin. “Not going to happen. I’ve got to take care of you, remember?”
“Hmph,” I said.
Any other argument was stolen by his kiss.
Firm and soft at the same time, assuring me in a way that words never could.
It was over too soon, but I could still feel the heat and pressure of his lips on mine as the van bumped over the roads.
The only fear that registered was for Kon, and that set off a small war in my mind, cramped and curled up in the box that had just tipped over.
“Sorry,” the guard shouted from his seat up front.
I shoved the guilt from worrying about Kon aside. I knew what was important; I wasn’t forgetting my true goal. But when we finally got to the rendezvous point after hours of making sure no one was on our trail, my heart soared to see Kon waiting for us there, safe and sound.
He stayed alive so he could continue protecting me. He kept his promise. This time, anyway.