Page 28 of Brutal Promise

When we reach the parking garage at the condo building, I unbuckle my seatbelt. Kirill walks to the trunk and retrieves a black duffle bag. Dmitry and Kirill visually sweep the cars parked in the oversized garage under the condos. Satisfied we have not been followed, they tell us to get out of the vehicle, and we follow them into the building.

Security here is tight as we pass through doors one by one, and I hear the click as it locks behind us. We pile into the elevator immediately in front of us, and Dmitry uses his card to make it work. None of us speaks. The tension inside the steel box is so thick that my body fills with a dull, painful ache.

When we get off the elevator, we are in a lighted hallway. I walk by Alena’s side, thinking it would be cool if we were on a double date instead of running from people trying to kidnap or kill me.

“Make yourselves at home,” Dmitry says as we enter a modern condo of black and white. I never paid much attention to it, as Dmitry had my full attention when I was here the last time. It’s furnished and sterile looking. “There’s a TV in the living room. Kirill and I will be working at the table.”

He heads into the kitchen and takes a pill from a plastic vial. It must be an antibiotic or a pain pill the doctor at the vet clinic gave him.

Kirill pulls two laptops from his bag and places them on the dining room table. He enters the kitchen and retrieves a bottle of vodka I’ve never seen on a store shelf. He retrieves two chilled shot glasses from the freezer, puts them on the table, and fills them halfway with vodka.

“What are we supposed to do?” I whisper to Alena.

She shrugs. “I guess we’re supposed to entertain ourselves.”

I walk to the kitchen to grab a chilled water bottle from the refrigerator. Walking past the table, I overhear Dmitry saying, “She’s only safe with me. My name is known by all the dons and top mafia families. I can protect her. Besides, your organization might have a leak.”

Kirill seems to contemplate this as they both toss back the alcohol like it’s nothing.

Leak? What? I share what I heard with Alena as I plop onto the leather couch beside her. She pensively takes my hands in hers.

“It might seem weird, but Dmitry is from a huge Russian family in Europe. If he says he can protect you, he can. They own the highest-rated hotel chain in Europe. Rumor has it they are expanding. His name is well-known in the right circles. The circles who govern laws and help officials get elected if you know what I mean.” She takes a breath. “I don’t know anything about a leak, and I don’t want to know. We’re all safer not knowing the day-to-day operations of the mafia.”

“Right, I get that.”

“Let’s get our minds off it. We don’t have jobs to go to, and I’m sure my father has the building surrounded. You need a minute to process today. Trust me on this. I’ve heard plenty of men being baptized with waterboarding, and well, let’s say we don’t want to make waves.”

I’ve seen what one gun can do, and the fact that it takes several men to safeguard Alena doesn’t make me feel any better. The only one I can count on to keep me safe is Dmitry. He might not talk much, but he’s a man who thinks quickly and acts with precision. Plus, he speaks the language of the criminal underworld, and I’m not referring to Russian.

I doubt this antiseptic condo is Dmitry’s. He doesn’t strike me as a man who cares where he lives. The lack of creature comforts here makes me believe this place is a secret hideout or short-term flop house.

I noticed none of that this morning because I was too fixated on Dmitry’s six-pack abs and the scratches I left on his back. This makes me smile. It’s as if I’ve marked him, too.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I say to Alena, not knowing what I would do without her.

“Me too.” She reaches over and hugs me to her before she gets up to look for the remote. I lift the water bottle to my parched lips, and as I gulp water, my hand quivers. I hope it’s a one-time occurrence. I’m still rattled by today’s events and wonder when life will return to normal.

I snap out of my reverie when Dmitry calls me back to the table. He asks a million questions: Where I was born, my aunt’s name, her address, and my parents’ names. I don’t know my dad’s name, explaining that he died, too. When I tell him I have no other relatives, he drops his head into his hands like I’m the biggest inconvenience in his life.

“What?” I snap, thinking the worst, like, if he drops me, I have no one to go to for protection.

“You’re killing me.” He looks to Kirill. “Am I right?” Dmitry leans back in his chair and smiles like a dog sneaking a T-Bone steak off the counter.

“I get it, I do.” He nods and cracks a toothy grin. “She’s someone, all right,” he says to Dmitry.

Then, Dmitry turns and gives me a look. And by look, I mean, he like really looks into my eyeballs as if they’re a crystal ball and will tell him what he needs to know. “It’s too convenient,” he says before he sits straighter in his chair.

Kirill stands and begins to pace. “You’re like a gift that’s wrapped with the world’s largest bow, and someone is willing to do anything to get you. But why?” He spreads his arms to the side like he’s parting the Red Sea.

“You’re all so fucking dramatic!” I scoff.

“Maybe, but no one is chasing us with such gusto. Well, maybe a few girls at the club, but…” He shrugs. “That’s an everyday occurrence.”

Is Kirill that popular? He does wear expensive sneakers and drives a fancy car. Maybe this place is his, and he has serious cash. I can see why women would find that attractive. He’s not my type, but he’s easy on the eye. I saw him flash a wad of cash at the club, and the gold chain around his neck is a bit hinky, but it’s not uncommon. I assume theSis for his last name, which is unoriginal if you ask me.

“So, if your analogy is correct, who am I a gift for?” I half laugh. “I’ve never had a huge Christmas or birthday party. My mom scraped by working at a diner.”

“And you say she was killed in a car accident here in New York?” Dmitry questions me with his scrutinizing eyes. “That’s rather convenient, don’t you think?”

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