Page 100 of No Longer Safe

Rich people loved to toast. There was a toast for everything. A toast for future riches and opportunities, a toast for continued wealth, a toast for prosperity, a toast for lots of babies. It went on and on. Finally, there was dancing, but I found really quickly that it wasn’t the kind of dancing I was used to at weddings back home. Everything seemed to be choreographed. It was boring, but Ace and Carina looked to be in heaven and that was all that mattered. At three PM, their flight was to take off to take them to the other side of the world, straight to paradise. Carina and Ace disappeared upstairs while everyone mingled and waited for their exit to the decorated Bentley, thanks to yours truly and Dimitri. He’d insisted on tying cans to the back of it. I doodled all over the windows and for once in the past few months, things felt normal and good.

I skipped up the steps two at a time and Carina pulled me into my room. “Aren’t you supposed to be changing and possibly getting in a closet fuck before you leave?”

Carina threw her head back and laughed. She held up a short little white dress. “I’m going to change in just a minute. I wanted to make sure you were okay and you won’t have any problems being alone in that big penthouse without us.”

I nodded. “I texted Georgie. I plan to pay her extra to cook for me this weekend when she should have had the time off.”

“I hate that we didn’t invite her to the wedding.” Carina pouted and I agreed. Georgie could out-cook all these fancy fucks any day.

“She wouldn’t have come anyway.”

Carina nodded. “I know. The Grannies want you to stop avoiding them too. Be sure to see them before you leave tonight.”

“I’m so happy for you.” The tears came surprisingly quick and I couldn’t wipe them away fast enough. My nose burned as I blinked rapidly but it didn’t matter, the damage was done.

I’d triedto fix my makeup to the best of my ability but it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was getting out of this place as quickly as possible. The send-off for Carina and Ace was cute with rose petals and rice thrown. It was like something out of a magazine. Carina blew me a kiss as Ace chuckled at my art and Dimitri’s cans. Thanks to Ivan, fireworks went off as they were driving away. People lingered but I grabbed my parents’ hands in mine and hauled them up the stairs. I packed my back while they sat on my bed and talked about their recent travels. It reminded me of high school. They’d done the same thing then and I found myself missing it even more.

“Please let Emeline wait on you both this whole weekend. She just wants to be the best hostess.” I said as I zipped up my bag. I’d changed into a cute but comfortable pantsuit for the ride back to the city. Ace’s driver was waiting for me downstairs. I was sure I would run into the Grannies before I left too.

“Please be careful,” Dad pulled me in for a tight hug and I took another deep breath of his scent, trying to save it forever.

Mom hugged me next and then they both followed me down the stairs and out the side door. Sure enough, the Grannieswere waiting for me. I shooed my parents off and faced the two badasses with what I hoped to be a stoic expression.

It wasn’t needed as they both pulled me in for a tight embrace. “We wanted you and Alexei to be together. We are sorry that things took on such a turn.” Nana was the first to speak.

Grandmother handed me her cane, standing up straight for the first time since I’d met her. Did she actually need it? Obviously, not. “You might need this one day.”

I frowned down at the thing. “So I can wack people’s ankles too?”

“The handle twists off and there’s a knife inside. I don’t like you being in the big city all by yourself.”

“Thank you both so much,” I found myself fighting tears all over again. Nana smacked my behind as I walked through the door and into the snow. Ace’s driver was waiting for me with the back door open.

“Good evening, Ms. Wilde. Ace’s penthouse?”

“Yes, please.”

Chapter Sixty-Five

Audrey

At some point,I’d fallen asleep in the backseat on the way home. My eyes were gritty and my head ached from all the ways my hair was twisted around my head. But I was excited. I didn’t have to see Alexei again until Carina and Ace got pregnant and that could be years down the road. I didn’t have to pretend anymore. I could climb into my bed and be thankful that I got to be alone in my misery.

Ace’s driver tipped his hat to me as he took all of my bags out of the trunk and onto a luggage cart for me to bring upstairs. The bellhop helped me with all of my belongings and then I was finally in the elevator alone. I weighed Grandmother’s cane between my hands and laughed. I couldn’t believe she’d given it to me. Maybe I would need it someday. The elevator doors dinged open and I pushed the cart to the penthouse’s front door. I fumbled with the lock for a moment before the door swung open. I shoved the cart into the entryway and just left it there. I didn’t care about anything else, but getting into my bed. I didn’t even have the energy to undo my hair.

I rolled my shoulders back as I walked to the stairs. Pain lit up in the back of my head and I was falling to the floor. Pain blossomed in my side as I registered that someone waskicking me. I still, thankfully, gripped the cane tightly in one of my hands. I swung it blindly before I remembered there was a hidden knife in the handle. I fought with the little button Grandmother revealed to me but wasn’t quick enough. Burning hot pain pierced my side just as a softpoprang out. Was that a gun? Had I been shot? I unlocked the little knife. I swung out, desperate to save myself, unsure of what was happening. I would die here alone if I didn’t fight.

“You bitch,” the man hissed as the knife stopped swinging and made contact with my attacker. Everything hurt so badly and spots were dancing across my vision but I wouldn’t be the victim. I would prevail. On shaking hands and knees I pulled myself up and blinked at the man with a ski mask covering his face. I wasted no time and threw myself at him. The knife clipped the side of his face and he fell to the floor. My fingers fought for purchase on the fabric mask but it was no use, even though I managed to land a good few blows, the man was still quicker than I was. He lifted his booted foot and planted it in the center of my chest before he kicked me across the hall. My head knocked against something hard and everything went dark.

Screaming momentarily broughtme out of the darkness. All I wanted to do was reassure Georgie that I was going to be okay. There was other shouting happening but I couldn’t make out what it was. My consciousness left me again.

Chapter Sixty-Six

Alexei

I was walkingdown the stairs when I heard my mother’s frantic voice. “What do you mean she’s hurt? Did someone break-in? What did everything look like?”

My heart stopped beating. My body stopped moving. Everything in me ceased to exist because I knew. I knew something bad happened and it wasn’t to Carina. It was Audrey. I was moving, even though my mind was a whirl of panic. I made it to my mother in a few seconds though I didn’t remember how. My hands gripped her shoulders as I mentally willed her to look at me.

---