Page 41 of Hunted By the Bratva
I moved to my chair and sat down. “I was hoping we could spend some time together today. That is, if you have nothing planned and if you’re up for it?” I added before putting my waffle and taking a bite.
“Maybe,” Clara replied. “Let’s see how the day goes.”
I watched her as she ate her food. I only had a couple of bites as I usually don’t have breakfast. Once we were done, I led her outside for a stroll in the garden. “It’s going to be a hot day today,” I said.
Clara stopped and looked up at the sky. “Yes, I believe it is going to be,” she replied softly. Smiling at her, I started walking again.
We didn’t even reach the end when Clara stopped again. “I’m sorry, she huffed.
She looked slightly pale and sweaty. I took her hand, concerned that I had overdone it. “What’s the matter?” I asked.
Clara shook her head before replying. “I think I’m still not completely well. I think I must lie down for a bit more. But I want to thank you for taking so good care of me.”
“No problem,” I said, turning and heading back with her. “And you’re welcome, I just hope you will start feeling better soon. Plus, I enjoy taking care of you.”
Clara smiled at me, but she didn’t look too good. I wish I knew what was going on. Once we reached her room, I walked with her to the bed. She sat down and smiled at me before lying down.
I covered her with the throw and then went to my office. I worked through my emails and made some calls. I spent most of the day handling what I needed to handle. It was almost suppertime when I was done. I headed back to her room, but she was still sleeping.
This wasn’t right. I entered and walked to the side of the bed. Gently, I placed my hand on her forehead to see if she had a temperature. But she didn’t, in fact, she felt slightly cool.
“Clara,” I said softly, kneeling next to the bed.
Her eyes flickered a bit before opening. “Hi, there,” I added.
She smiled weakly. “Hi,” she said.
“Would you like to have supper with me?” I asked.
“No, I might have some soup later, but I don’t feel very hungry. I am still tired, though,” she replied.
“I think you should see a doctor. Can I get one?” I inquired, not wanting to push, but I was worried.
Clara smiled warmly as she spoke. “No, thank you. I’m fine. I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow. For now, I just want to sleep.”
“Okay,” I said, raising my hands. “But please let me know if anything changes. I’m right down the hall.”
“I will, thanks,” Clara said.
Walking to the door, I stopped and turned, giving her one more look before leaving. I barely slept a wink as I spent most of the night moving around the house, worrying. I checked in on her three times between brief periods of nodding off.
At two, I got into bed, knowing I had to try and get some sleep. I lay rolling around for a bit before sleep took me. It didn’t last long, as I was up at four again. As I sat up, I felt my stomach turning and my supper pushing up in my throat. Something was very wrong.
I jumped up and ran to Clara’s room. Trepidation filled me as I moved. Something was off. I pushed the door open and rushed in. The bed was empty. I ran to the bathroom, but it was also void of any life.
“Clara, Clara,” I called out as I moved from room to room, searching the entire mansion. There was no sight of Clara anywhere. I started to panic as thoughts of her being abducted entered my mind.
I knew that was impossible. But, still, I had doubts. I called the head guard and asked about any movement. “Nothing to report, boss,” he answered without blinking.
How was this possible? This wasn’t making any sense. I mean, she couldn’t just vanish. Frustrated and down, I went back to her room again. I sat down on her side of the bed, trying to figure out what could have happened.
The windows were still closed. All the mansion doors were locked. Hell, everything was locked, even the gates. Lowering my head to my hands, I felt my chest tighten. I tried breathing in deeply, but it hurt.
The guards didn’t see any movement. But maybe the camera’s picked something up. As I stood to go to my office to check, I noticed the folded paper on the bedside table. Picking it up, I felt my heart sinking to my feet.
I opened it carefully and started reading.
Dear Iosif,
