I made my way through the French doors into the bar, where I poured myself a drink in one of the crystal glasses that were laid out for the guests. I took a deep breath, enjoying the silence for a moment before I heard footsteps approach me.
“Uh, I didn’t think anyone was in here. All of the party liquor is outside,” she said, and I instantly recognized her voice. I turned around to see Annika’s stunning face staring back at me, and I watched her eyes widen when she recognized who I was.
“Oh my God, what are you doing here?” she asked, and I could tell that she was a bit taken aback by my presence, probably worried that I followed her here or something.
“I was dragged by my friend who is here to meet a lovely woman who he seems to be very taken with. Uh, Natalia I think her name was.” I watched her loosen up, coming down from that moment of stress where she almost looked as though she was going to run in the opposite direction.
“That’s my best friend. I’m hoping that your friend isn’t going to cause any trouble for her, because she has terrible taste in guys,” she said, with a chuckle.
“He’s harmless, and to my surprise, he’s on his best behavior. I’ve never seen him like this with anyone, and I genuinely think he likes her,” I replied.
“That’s good. What about you? Here to see anyone in particular?”
“You know, I had no plans to, but I was hoping I’d run into you again at some point. I didn’t think it would be tonight,” I said, teasingly.
“Neither did I.”
“Whoever owns this house has an incredible taste in artwork. I cannot believe how many lovely pieces of Russian history are hanging on these walls,” I said, gazing up at the framed art.
“You’re into art?” she asked, and I could sense the shock in her voice.
“I don’t collect much, but I’ve always been captivated by it.”
“The house is mine, well it’s my family’s. My father loves to collect artwork, and he has been for decades. He’s been trying to hunt down every last piece he could find to complete each collection.” Annika poured herself a glass so she could join me.
“Isn’t that marvelous? He’s got a great eye, your father,” I said.
“Well, he’s had help. I’ve been studying art all my life, and it’s probably the only thing my father and I have in common. I helped him pick out a few of these pieces, and just today I acquired a little place to open up my own gallery.”
“That’s amazing. I’ll have to swing by there sometime when you open,” I said, inching closer to her.
“I would love that. My father has been generous enough to loan me some of the pieces he doesn’t care too much about, but I’ve been trying to convince him to let me show some of the more notable ones.” She smiled and I could see her blushing skin under the soft, warm lighting over the bar.
“I’ll have to pick your brains sometime about some art work I’ve been quite interested in myself,” I said.
“Anytime,” she responded, but before we had the chance to let our conversation continue, it was interrupted by a sound I didn’t expect to hear tonight.Gunshots?I leaped into action, motioning for Annika to get behind me while I retrieved the gun that was in the holster fastened to my dress pants.
This is the last place I expected to hear anything like that, and I can only hope that it’s a burglary or something, because if those gunshots have anything to do with me, I’m fucked.
“What the fuck was that?” Annika asked, and I could see a sudden look of fear wash over her when she looked down to see the gun in my hand.
“I have no idea, but I want you to stay behind me, and don’t move, okay?”
“Why do you have a gun?” she asked, her body starting to shake.
“I keep it around for times like this. Now, let me help you,” I said, and she nodded at me, ducking behind the bar so she would be out of sight for the intruders. I could hear the screams tumbling in from the living room, and everyone who knew what was best for them started to clear out before they became collateral damage.
I know I was looking for a bit of excitement tonight but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.
I started to inch closer to the double doors separating me from the action taking place right outside. I could hear the soft sound of Annika whimpering, and I found myself wanting to comfort her, even though I was better suited to find out who would break into her home. I needed to know what they were after because it seemed that there were many people watching this place from afar, waiting for the right moment to strike.
The living room erupted into complete chaos with people running for their lives, and a few masked men gathering with their guns, who finally turned their attention to me. A few of them were searching the property, looking for something in particular because they didn’t take any of the valuables that were sitting right under their noses.
“Volkov, I think you have what we’re looking for.” One of the men addressed me directly, his voice muffled underneath the fabric of his full face mask.
“Whatever it is, it’s probably not here. I came here for a night off, and nothing in this place belongs to me, but from the looks of it, you’re better off leaving everything right where it is. Anyone with this much money will hunt you down and take care of you. That much I can say.”
“I can’t find it anywhere,” another one said, stomping down the grand staircase, frustrated and ready to kill.
