Bogdan places his hand on my shoulder again, staring right into my eyes. “You’re safe. But right now, you need to get into the van.”
I don’t move at first. My fingernails are digging into my palm. My brain refuses to catch up. I’m still in a daze, as a small crowd forms around us. I glance over at the street, noticing the little river formed by my latte that I dropped. Angie’s is still on her car.
“Who the hell would…”
Bogdan shakes his head, letting me know this isn’t the time for questions like that. “Come on.”
He slips his arm around my waist, leading me through the parked cars. Angie follows us. The lamppost on the other side of the street has a nasty gouge and is bent a little. Glass from the car glitters under the late-morning sun.
“This is insane,” I whisper to myself.
“We’re leaving,” Bogdan says, as if to keep me focused. “Almost there. Just keep moving.”
“I need to go home,” I say. “Right now.” I can feel how ridiculous it sounds, but my apartment is the only safe place I can think of.
“Not a chance. You’ll be safer at the office until Sasha decides what he wants to do next.”
“I don’t want to go to the office. I want to stay here. I want to stay home.”
He shakes his head. “As of right now, you don’t have a home. Forget this place even exists.”
The way he says it stops me cold. It’s like my life’s been rerouted without my permission.
Angie grabs my arm, her voice trembling. “Gabby, I can stay with you at his place. I’ll follow you there.”
I shake my head and swallow the lump in my throat. “No. Just… go home. Please. I’ll call you tonight. Andpleasedon’t tell anyone what happened.”
For a moment, she looks like she wants to argue, but a hard look from Bogdan silences her on the spot. Then he secures the back doors of the van, gives them a slap for good measure, and turns to me.
“Van. Now.”
Angie pulls me into a quick hug. “I’m working from home today. Give me a call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Bogdan leads me around the van, opening the passenger side door and helping me in. As much as I want to be home, Idofeel better as soon as the doors are shut.
Bogdan starts the engine, and we’re soon on our way. As we turn the corner, I catch the sight of police lights in the rearview mirror, pulling up to my apartment just as we’re leaving.
The ride is silent, except for the quiet din of the city outside. I dig my fingers into my knees to stop them from shaking.
“That was because of him, right?”
“Yes.”
“No chance that was some drunk driver or random accident or something?
“No chance.”
The simplicity of it makes me dizzy. “Jesus Christ,” I whisper.
He changes lanes smoothly. “Being near Sasha… it’s like being near a storm. Only a matter of time before you get a little rain on you.”
I snap my head toward him. “You mean, only a matter of time before someone tries to kill me? What’s going on here? This isn’t normal!”
“Normal is relative. But you’ll be fine. We’ll make sure of it.”
His words hold little emotion, little reassurance. Just a quiet truth that I’m starting to realize I can’t ignore for much longer.
