"Zip ties," Yuri barks, nodding toward the pocket in the door. "Bind her hands before she claws someone's eyes out."
I grab the plastic ties from where they're stashed and loop one around her wrists, pulling it tight enough to hold but not so tight that it cuts off circulation. She stares up at me, but those green eyes that look so much like Ana's hold none of Ana's arrogance.
Ana would never beg or cry. She'd sit silently obsessing and planning and wait for her moment to strike, confident that whoever dared to touch her would pay with their lives. And Ana Veche would've had half a dozen men armed to the teeth around her protecting her.
This woman is genuinely terrified, trembling as sobs rack her chest. She has no idea why she's here or who we are. And she has no clue that she's a doppelganger for one of the most notorious Donnas in existence.
"You got her?" Yuri asks, slowly releasing his grip on her legs now that she's stopped kicking.
"Yeah, I got her…" I use the back of my wrist to mop my forehead that's damp with perspiration after that wrestling match.
He pulls back and scoots back to his seat while I drape my leg over hers to prevent her from kicking out at us again, but it appears she knows she's been bested. The fight has gone out of her now.
The woman whimpers against the handkerchief, bound hands coming up to press against her chest as she curls into herself on the seat between us. Her eyes still dart around frantically, but the screaming has stopped too. I almost feel bad for her, and maybe if I sit and think about it too long, I will. But when lightning strikes, you don't question it. Whoever she is, she presents the perfect opportunity to gain leverage over Yaros and his crooked schemes.
"Are you Ana Veche?"
She shakes her head no in a jerky motion that makes fresh tears spill down her cheeks. Then the muffled shouting starts again as she lashes out with her words. It doesn't matter what she's saying. With that gag in place, no one can understand her words. But I get the point. She's not Ana, and she probably doesn’t even know who Ana is.
"Do you know who Ana Veche is? Nod if you understand me."
This time, her head shakes like she's trying to make sense of the name.
"Have you ever heard of the Veche family?"
She shakes her head again, and the confusion in her eyes is too raw to be faked. If the way she's shaking from fear continues, she'll never pass as Ana and my plan goes down the shitter. But with a little training and coaxing, maybe it can still work.
Yuri glowers at her and then turns to me and says, "You think this woman is going to pass for a Donna?" When he chuckles darkly, it reminds me how easily things like this can fail and how failure is not an option in this case.
"I think we have our work cut out for us, but I believe I can make it work." My uncle's a little older, a little wiser, but he's also not a risk taker like me. And I believe in my powers of persuasion. I look over our captive and scowl at her, already assessing how I’m going to get to her and make her cooperate with us.
He's right. If she fights me, it could take a while to mold her, but the best art comes from raw clay.
I reach for her purse, tangled around her jacket and arm from the struggle, and I pull out her wallet and ID.Vivika Rozhkovastares back at me with wide eyes and a beautiful smile, not at all the mess seated in front of me with mascara streaks and red-rimmed eyes. But I marvel at how God created her with such intense beauty. She'll do fine.
"You… not we. I'm not a part of this. You'll make it work on your own or you'll fail on your own, and I'll keep working on finding another way through to Romania." Yuri reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, signifying the end of our conversation,and I stare at Ms. Vivika Rozhkova, wondering where to start with her.
By the time we've arrived at Yuri's estate, Vivika's calmer. Her tears have stopped, likely because I stopped questioning her and she understands I'm not here to kill her. The car rolls to a stop by the front door, and I swing the door open without waiting for the driver to open for us. Before I'm two steps out the door, Vivika is gone, racing down the driveway and sliding around in the slush.
Chasing a frantic woman down is the last thing I thought I'd be doing today, but I have to. She's our meal ticket and she's seen our faces. I bolt after her and snag her by the elbow, and she keeps fighting me until I heft her over my shoulder and pin her knees to my chest with one arm.
She kicks a shoe loose and I leave it, but the driver scurries to pick it up as I march toward the front door where Yuri has already disappeared into his home. Vivika is pounding my back, screaming against the gag until I set her down and glare at her, but I don’t let her go for a single second.
"Inside," I growl, and I guide her toward the door with a hand gripping her elbow.
Vivika whimpers, but she does as I say while we walk past Yuri's office on the left, his living room on the right, and down the hall to the room set aside for moments just like this. It isn’t the first time we've had to do something so extreme.
I guide her into the room and notice how awkwardly she's walking with one heel on and one off. Never in my life have I felt something scrape across my conscience so painfully. Vivika did nothing to deserve this. When we take drastic actions like this,it's always because the target is a threat to us in some way. But she's innocent and has no clue what she's been dragged into.
"You'll stay here," I tell her softly, not enjoying the sting of guilt I feel. "I'll bring you food and water. If you need something, knock on the door."
I reach up and untie the handkerchief from behind her head and she gasps at the relief. Her mouth is red and dry from the silk and she opens it to speak, but I hold up a hand.
"Don't scream. There's no one to hear you, and it'll only make your throat sore."
She stares at me for a long moment with her chest heaving, but then she asks the question I've been waiting for. "Why am I here?"
"That's not for me to answer right now."
