Page 108 of Thorns of Lust
Istood outside Moscow, in the same parking lot Adrian brought me to when we eloped. It seemed like a different lifetime. A different girl. Yet, it was a mere few years ago.
Somewhere in the distance I could hear the squeaking noise of an iron gate.
Squeak. Clank. Squeak. Clank.
My eyes traveled over the vast landscape. I couldn’t see the home or establishment that it belonged to. Only the same deserted gravel parking lot that looked just as depressing in the summer as it did in winter.
The soft breeze traveled through the air. Summer in Russia could be pleasant. But it was Russia. The first thought that came with Russia was oppression. Medieval methods. Beautiful people, but I was an American girl through and through. When I thought of home, New Orleans came to mind.
Exiting the car, I slipped my duffle bag over my shoulder, cringing at the idea of someone seeing me with a duffle bag. But I had no choice but to pack in a rush using Sasha’s duffle bag.
Jet lag and lack of sleep pulled on my muscles. Memories plagued my brain. Adrian’s words from that night echoing, over and over again.
There is blood here. It’s a clue.
“A clue,” I muttered, the cool summer breeze sweeping through. “What clue, Adrian?”
I was too tired, my brain not sharp enough to see what Adrian wanted me to see. I dug my cell phone out of my duffle bag and turned it on for the first time since I landed. I had twenty missed calls from Vasili, five messages from him, and two missed calls from Konstantin.
“Only two,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “No matter. Just a hookup,” I mumbled under my breath, then checked my brother’s messages. I couldn’t help but let out a sardonic breath. It would seem the entire Nikolaev clan was enroute, if not already, in our Russian home, crashing Sasha’s pre-honeymoon. I shook my head. I wondered if Konstantin slipped them a tip or if Vasili figured it out on his own.
No matter. They were on the same continent as me. Maybe that was for the best anyhow. If I learned of something critical, I might need Vasili’s help. My brows furrowed. Maybe I should continue to keep him out of this.
I’d hate for the Yakuza to go after him and his family too. Yeah, maybe it was best I keep this to myself.
I slid my phone into my pocket.
Then, looking around, I tried to eye the spot where Adrian and I danced. The sun was setting, and I didn’t have much time left. As I turned in a slow circle, I eyed the area, my Coach flats crunching against the gravel.
The shadows grew darker and so did my memories. That dance. The words to our song. A crawling sensation pricked at my mind and anxiety slid down my spine.
Step. Step. Step.
I paused on my third one. The gravel sounded different under my feet. I took a step to the left and the sound didn’t repeat. Back to the right…thud.
Uncaring of my jeans, I lowered onto my knees and started shifting the gravel as tiny stones dug under my nails. I didn’t care. I kept digging, until I felt it.
A box.
“Oh my gosh, he left a box,” I muttered. It could mean only one thing. Adrian knew he was about to die. He was certain of it. He had been gone a lot before his death, traveling all over the world in secrecy. When I suggested coming along, he denied me. He claimed it was a project he was working on and couldn’t risk anyone knowing about it.
By the time I finally had the box in my hands, my fingers were filthy and bleeding, but I was too focused on the box. I needed to know what was in it. I kept pushing the button but the box wouldn’t open.
“Goddamn it,” I grunted in frustration. I kept shaking the box, a lone thud back and forth. There was only one item in there. “How in the hell do I open this?” I groaned in a whisper.
Then I spotted it. A tiny keyhole. I groaned. Of course, I needed a key. It couldn’t be as simple as finding a box and opening it to find out what the fuck was going on.
“Oh my gosh,” I murmured. “The key!”
I reached for my necklace where the key hung right next to the rose thorned pendant. Taking it off my necklace, I attempted to put it into the keyhole. It didn’t work. I tried again, pushing left and right, up and down. Nothing.
“Goddamn it,” I hissed. With a sigh, I put the key back on my necklace and hooked it around my neck. It was all connected, I knew it. Why in the fuck couldn’t have Adrian left steps one through ten, instead of this game of hide-and-seek?
A gust of wind swept through and Adrian’s words came along with it. Or maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.There is blood here, Tatiana.
“Whose blood?” I muttered. My eyes roamed the area. He said his father died here. Maybe he wanted me to find his body. Or maybe he wanted me to avenge his death. Jesus, how many years ago was that?
Adrian never revealed who killed his father. He never even told me his father’s name. He never really explained what had happened that night in this parking lot.
