“It doesn’t matter because we’re going to find Ivan and we’re going to get the painting back,” I said.
“Annika, I don’t think that I want to put you in any more danger right now. We just got our lives back, and I wanted to give you the start of a normal life that you deserve before we jumped headfirst back into criminal activity,” he said, caressing both of my cheeks, but I knew that we had to get the painting back no matter what.
“We’ve been through far too much to keep that painting safe, so we’re going to get it back no matter what happens. You once said that you were giving me the opportunity to choose whether I wanted to be a part of this life, and I chose to stick by you. That means that there will always be times like this where we have to make difficult decisions, but at least now we’re going to have a lot more support on our side,” I said, referring to both of our families who I knew would offer up some help.
“How do you know they’re even going to want to get involved after the situation with the Chadov Family? It’s quite possible that they’re going to tell us to give it a rest, and move on with our lives,” he said, but he and I both knew that wasn’t true. Our families had been there for us ever since we were reunited and we were able to bridge the gap and get rid of the animosity between them. I knew no amount of money or merchandise was going to change that fact.
“They’re going to help us because they love us and they know how much that painting means. We’re going to call a little family meeting as soon as we get back, but right now, our best bet is to break into there and see what clues we can find. It’s best we don’t head home without any leads, don’t you think?” I asked, and he smiled.
“You’re always thinking on your feet, aren’t you? Give me a few moments, I’ll fiddle with the lock,” he said, and I smiled.
I watched while Stephan expertly fiddled with the lock, using a pin that he found on the ground that was small enough to fit directly into the hole. It took him longer than usual, and I could tell that he was frustrated that Ivan had managed to snag the painting when he thought he could trust him, and I was even more surprised that Ivan would be capable of such things. He had seemed like such a genuinely nice guy, and he saved my life the first time that I was attacked by Natalia, so it was hard for me to see him as someone who was just looking to make quick cash.
Stephan had already made and sent the money down to the pharmacy when he was still healing, asking that it be delivered so that Ivan would be paid back in full for everything that he did for us, and that was part of the reason this had come as such a shock. Judging from the reaction we had received, Ivan seemed to be happy, or that was what we were told. It seemed that he had bigger plans all along, and he was just waiting for the right moment to strike.
“I can’t believe that Ivan would do something like this. I did everything I could think of to apologize for what I put him through in the past, and I gave him back everything that he was owed. I don’t understand why he would double-cross me like this,” Stephan said.
“We’re just going to have to find him and figure that out for ourselves. Do you know what kind of car he drives?” I asked, wondering if there was a way we’d be able to get information on his vehicle unless he was smart enough to already have abandoned it.
He seemed like the type to be incredibly skilled when it came to flying under the radar, especially because he was running an illegal medical practice out of the back of his pharmacy. He was treating criminals all over the country, but even he had spoken so highly about how loyal he always was, and how he never got involved in anyone’s business.
I suppose he saw an opportunity that he just couldn’t refuse. I don’t even have to wonder what any of us would’ve done in that situation because we never would’ve thought about double-crossing someone that we developed a professional relationship with.
Stephan and I looked around the entire office space in the back of the pharmacy, even heading into the room where he had treated me, but everything had been fully cleared out. He knew very well what he was doing when he left to start running, but I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before we were chasing him down ourselves.
I fumbled through the papers on his desk, looking through his letters for any addresses that might be useful to us, and I found a few possible hits. Stephan immediately got on the phone with Viktor to let him know what had happened, and he told me that Viktor was already getting a few of his men on the job to see if they could check out any of the addresses that we were able to find.
“He couldn’t have gotten very far. The coffee on this desk is still warm, Stephan. We just missed him,” I said, feeling the ceramic cup, realizing that if we had just left a bit earlier we probably would’ve had the painting back in our possession by now.
“Fuck. It’s okay, you’re right.” Stephan said. “We’re gonna find him, we’re gonna get that painting back, and we’re gonna figure out why he would even want to take it in the first place. Ivan knew guns, he knew medicine but didn’t know the first thing about flipping a piece like that. Chances are he made a deal with someone much more powerful than he is, and that’s where he’s going to take our lovely piece of art.”
It was the only thing that made the most sense, and I was ready to fight yet again to get this painting back for the both of our sakes. It meant too much to us to just let it go, to just move on knowing that someone snagged it right from under us. I wasn’t about to let that happen.
I could already tell that Stephan and I wouldn’t be able to rest easy again until it was safely in our possession because I knew how badly he wanted me to decide what I wanted to do with it. It was a symbol of our future, of everything we fought through to get back to each other even when our future had looked incredibly bleak. I wasn’t going to let it get pawned off on someone that didn’t deserve it, that didn’t risk their lives to protect it the way we did.
We were in the abandoned pharmacy for hours, trying to find a lead, and I heard Stephan’s phone buzz again, already knowing that it was Viktor on the other end of the line, hopefully, ready with some news for us. Stephan had given him a description of the car, and if he had just fled, it was quite possible that we would be able to catch up if he planned on doing a drop-off somewhere nearby.
I listened attentively while Stephan nodded his head on the phone with his brother, taking in every detail he said, while he motioned for me to head back outside, and just like that we heard the unfortunate sounds of sirens begin to ring high in the air.
“The bastard called the cops on us. He knows we’re here, and he knows that we’re in search of the painting, but he has no idea that Viktor’s tech staff just managed to get a hit on his vehicle. If we go now we can catch up with him, but we might have to deal with the cops first,” Stephan said.
“Lead the way.”
