Chapter Five: Stephan
There is something that’s drawing me to her, something that makes me want to help. I can’t remember the last time I wanted to do something genuinely nice for someone, but it’s different when I’m around Annika. She seems so calm, so different from anyone that I’ve ever met in my line of work. I could see how scared she was when everything happened, and while she may be trusting of me now, I don’t think she’s going to like me very much after she figures out that the break-in occurred because of me.
I’m the one that stole the painting those men were looking for, and I still have yet to figure out what I’m going to do with it. For now, I have to keep a low profile, especially when it comes to the guys because if they were to ever learn about what I was up to behind their backs, we’re going to have a much bigger problem on our hands.
The way she had looked at me after we’d finished cleaning up had told me that she didn’t want to be afraid, and I could see she tried to keep from breaking down. I still had a lot of questions about what her background was in relation to crime because she didn’t seem to bat an eyelid when it came to us cleaning up the mess in her kitchen. She was scared, but she wasn’t so scared that she couldn’t lend a hand, and that told me that she was probably part of a crime family.
I still didn’t know her last name, but I don’t think it’s the kind of thing I can blurt out in the middle of this awkward silence.
Whoever her family is, they have a lot of money, and an exceptional taste in artwork. There had to be millions of dollars in the living room alone, but what surprised me was the fact that there wasn’t any security present tonight. Surely, a place like that would be under constant watch.
“Annika, I have to ask, but is there a reason you decided to stay with us instead of going to Natalia’s house? Or does she not stay with her parents?” I asked, out of genuine curiosity.
“Like me, she does still stay with her parents, but she can’t stand them. My parents can’t seem to stand them either, but that hasn’t kept us from being friends. They also cannot know about what happened at my home tonight, because they’d probably react just as terribly as mine would,” Annika said, looking rather glum.
“Well, my parents have hated the Novikovas for generations. It’s a miracle that we get along at all. Though, we try not to meddle in their business,” Natalia chimed in, answering the question that had been on my mind for quite some time.
Her name is Annika Novikova, and that means her family is heavily involved in the crime world. I’ve heard that name thrown around from the time I was a little boy, and this certainly makes things a whole lot more interesting.
The restof the ride had been silent because I didn’t want to let on that my family had been aware of hers for a very long time. It seemed to me that Annika wasn’t aware of what her father has accomplished over the years, or how many people he’d taken down to fund his growing empire.
Now the riches make sense, all of the art that hung proudly on the wall of his house make sense.
I pulled into the driveway of the house, helping the girls out with their things, and opening up the front door. I let Eduard and Feliks know that I’d be staying with them while they took care of Adrian, because I didn’t want to scare them anymore than they already were. They nodded at me, still looking rather glum, but I had to remind them that this was a risk we were all taking whenever we decided to do another job. There was no telling when we’d be caught off-guard, or when someone would be vengeful enough to take us out before we could get the upper hand. That was exactly what happened to Adrian, and I still felt guilty for letting him die knowing that I could’ve just given up the painting.
It’s a price we all have to pay when we want to chase the dream, and I’ve been given a rather unique opportunity to let it pass me by now.
“Where are they going?” asked Annika, looking behind me to see that Eduard had taken the driver’s seat, and that they were backing out.
“They’re going to bury Adrian.”
“Shouldn’t you be going with them?” she asked.
“If I went with them, there’d be no one here to watch over the two of you. I’ll pay my respects once I know that you two are out of harm’s way. Please, make yourselves at home,” I said, trying to keep the conversation rather short because the truth was I didn’t want Annika to catch on to how guilty I was feeling.
“Thank you, Stephan. I don’t know how to tell you how grateful I am for you letting us stay with you for the time being. Everything happened so fast, and you have to be quite the sincere guy to let two strangers into your home,” she said, and I could tell that she was fishing for information.
“I suppose we’re all cut from the same cloth, Annika. I’m just doing what I can to help,” I said, watching her inch closer to me, and for a moment I wasn’t sure what she was going to do. I felt her arms wrap around me, embracing me tightly, to thank me for everything I’ve done. I brushed against her back softly, and the mere touch of her skin sent shock waves through me like I’d never felt before. I knew that I was attracted to her from the moment I laid eyes on her in the coffee shop, but at the time, I never thought I’d ever see her again. Now, standing in front of her, I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly beautiful she was.
I led them both up to the single guest room, helping them set down their things, while Annika led Natalia to the bed. She tucked her in, brushed the hair out of her eyes, while she curled up to fall asleep right there. It wasn’t long before Annika and I finally had some time alone, so I could pick her brain a bit more about how she was feeling.
I led her down to the kitchen, eyeing the kettle on the stove, and she nodded, following my gaze.
“Tea?” I asked.
“That would be lovely. Thank you, Stephan,” she said, and I filled it up with water, placing it over the burner to heat up.
“How are you doing, Annika? I know I haven’t gotten the chance to ask with everything that happened.”
“I’m doing alright, I suppose. It could just be that I’m in total shock, and that it’s all going to hit me sometime later, but I feel okay. I just wanted to thank you again for being so kind, and opening your home up to us when you don’t even know who we are,” she said, and I debated telling her right then that I knew exactly who she was, but I decided to let the conversation play out naturally.
“You seemed to deal with it much better than I thought you would. Any girl in your position probably would’ve run the other way screaming,” I said.
“Much like Natalia would’ve if she got the chance. My family comes from a long line of people doing very unsavory things, and I’ve been trying to distance myself from it for a long time, but I guess it always catches up with me. I don’t mean to pry, Stephan but I have to say that you were very quick to jump into action back there. You had a gun on you, and I just want to be sure that you’re not going to hurt us,” she said, glancing up at me to read the expression on my face.
“My family has come from a long line of people doing terrible things too, Annika. To be quite honest with you, I’ve done a lot of things that may send you running, but I want you to know that I’m never going to hurt you,” I said, and no matter how far-fetched it may have sounded, it was the truth.
“Why is that? If you’re even the slightest bit involved in this world, this life of crime, then why are you so adamant on protecting me?” she asked, just as the kettle began to whistle. I reached over, pulling it off of the heat, to pour it over the teabag before handing her a cup.
