Page 139 of Ivory Ashes

My knees wobble. Everything in me wants to collapse into a heap on the floor and sob, but I can’t. Not when I have Dante to think about.

I need to figure out what is going on.

The hallway is empty. I don’t know where Mikhail went, but I take the stairs down to the first floor. All I can think about is getting to the front door.

I’m crossing the entryway when I hear footsteps behind me.

“Everything is okay, Viv,” Anatoly says in a way that makes it sound like everything is absolutely not okay and he knows it as well as I do.

I ignore him and reach for the handle. It holds fast and the wooden door thuds against the frame. I instinctively reach to turn the bolt, but it isn’t there. Instead, there’s a keyhole.

“He just wants to keep the two of you safe,” Anatoly continues. “He’s doing this to?—”

“He changed the locks.” I run my fingers over the smooth metal. Then I spin around, facing my brother-in-law. “He changed the fucking locks, Nat.”

Anatoly winces. “It’s not safe for you or Dante right now.”

My chest feels tight. I focus on filling my lungs with air and blowing it out as I walk to the window.

Part of me expects to find bars installed over the glass.

Somehow, the reality is worse.

Armed guards stand on the porch. I can see two men just outside the front door and two more stationed at the corner of the house. I don’t need to run to the sliding doors out to the patio to know there are more guards there.

We’re surrounded.

My breathing picks up. I inhale and exhale so fast that I can’t tell the difference between them anymore. My lungs burn from the effort of working so hard.

“Viv, it’s okay.” Anatoly lays a hand on my back. “This is temporary. Mikhail wants to take every precaution. He wants to keep you safe.”

“This isn’t about me,” I rasp before a sob steals my ability to speak.

He doesn’t want to worry about two more funerals.

He just doesn’t want to be distracted.

Tears soak the collar of my pajama shirt and I don’t bother wiping them away. Finally, I drop to my knees the way I wanted to in my bedroom. Why not? It’s not like there’s anywhere else to go but down.

I look around at the huge entryway and the high ceilings, but I might as well be back in that trunk. I can feel the walls closing in. Early morning sunlight streams through the windows, but my vision is going dark.

“Viviana!”

Anatoly’s voice is far away. I can barely hear him over my wracking sobs. I press my forehead to the cool tile floor. My heart is racing and my lungs are closed in a tight fist.

“I’m right here, Viv.” Anatoly pats my back and tries to lift me up. “It’s okay. I’m right here.”

I know he is, but it doesn’t matter.

The problem is that he isn’t.

The only person I want to be here with me is the same person who trapped me here.

So I squeeze my eyes closed and let the darkness wash over me.

50

MIKHAIL

---