Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“Maybe we should get him an American tutor,” I say in English, walking over to sit on a loveseat across from the couch. “He might respond better to someone who doesn’t actually speak his native tongue.”
Nikolai stops pacing and gives me a cool look. “We don’t need a stranger coming and going at all times.”
“What if it were a live-in person?”
He snorts. “Even worse.”
“Why?” Wait, why am I pushing for this? I don’t care if Slava learns English or not. That’s important to my brother, not to me. “Never mind. Forget it.”
Perversely, that seems to convince Nikolai of the merit of my idea. “Actually…” He glances at his son, who’s now regarding him warily. “We could place an ad in a local paper, see if any teachers from the town bite. If we keep it offline and low key, it should be safe enough.”
I shrug. “If you want.” It’s his call either way. I just want Slava to settle in and accept us as his new family, and if learning English from a tutor facilitates that, I’m all for it.
Catching Slava’s gaze, I give him a warm smile and mouth, “Privet.” Hi in Russian.
Slava doesn’t smile back—he never does when Nikolai is around—but I can feel him relax a little. In many ways, we’re still strangers to him, and the artificial language barrier doesn’t help. We made sure his abduction was as trauma-free as possible—he was stolen in the middle of the night with the help of a little child-safe tranquilizer, so from his perspective, he just woke up here—but that doesn’t negate the fact that he’s been ripped away from everything and everyone he knows. I wish I could get Nikolai to understand that and just be kind and patient, but whenever my brother is around his son, he’s stiff and harsh, seemingly lacking in all empathy.
It’s like our father’s ghost has inhabited his body, ruining whatever chance Nikolai had at building rapport with his own son. Maybe as punishment for his murder.
I shiver as the dark memories press in, and it takes everything I have to maintain my warm, friendly smile. It’s not Slava’s fault his new family is nearly as messed up as his old. He’s better off with us than with the Leonovs—I have to believe that—but I was hoping Nikolai’s son would genuinely be happy here. So far, that’s not the case.
I stand, approach the couch, and extend a hand to my nephew. “Come, Slavochka,” I say in Russian, ignoring my brother’s scowl. “I have a new game I want to show you.”
And as Slava eagerly jumps off the couch and wraps his small palm around mine, my heart squeezes with a strange, piercing ache… one that, for some reason, makes me think of a man who’s nowhere near here.
A man I have escaped.
Chapter 25
Present Day, Location Unknown
No escape.
The words drum in my mind as Alexei leads me down the stairs to our cabin, his hand wrapped securely around my elbow—ostensibly to keep me from falling as the ever-growing waves rock the yacht. But in reality, it’s to make sure I don’t do something as foolish as running. I know he can sense the panic-driven urge within me, hear my fast, shallow breaths.
This is it.
After more than a decade, our cat-and-mouse game is coming to an end.
As we reach the bottom of the stairs, a clap of thunder makes me jump, and he glances at me, eyebrows raised. “Are you afraid of thunderstorms, Alinyonok?”
I’m afraid of you and what you’re going to do to me. The words dance on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them down. I don’t want him to know how much of a coward I am, how I am selfishly wishing that despite everything, my brothers would come and find me.
But Alexei knows, of course. His eyes shine black as he stops in front of the cabin door. “Are you regretting our bargain?” His tone is soft, mocking as he stares down at me. He knows the answer—the only answer I can give.
“No.” How can I, when it was the only way? When the alternative meant that Nikolai would lose his son and, most likely, his life? Not to mention what could’ve happened to Chloe, Pavel, and Lyudmila.
My only regret is that I hadn’t stepped forward and made the trade sooner, before the bloodbath that took the lives of so many of my brother’s men.
Chapter 26
1 Day Earlier, Idaho
I advance on horseback to the next boss and jab it with my sword. The creature shrieks and falls, but instead of blood spurting from its chest wound, its head falls off.
Oops. That isn’t supposed to happen.
I jot down the error, so I can review my code tomorrow, when my mind is fresh. I’m still trying to master C++, but thanks to the latest development tools, the graphics of the video game I’m creating look amazing, and I’ve got one boss battle down so far. I’m sure my former Computer Science classmates would laugh at my pitiful efforts, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come in the past few months.