Chapter Eleven
Anastasia tried notto be nervous, but that was next to impossible.She felt like the guards were staring at her a little more closely.They were certainly talking to her more, questioning about it being a miserable day.They never talked to her and were never friendly.
Jack had said he would be watching, and now as she stepped through and got changed into a uniform, she had to wonder if they could trust Jack.If the Gambino family could get to her family and clearly offer them something no one else ever could, they could get to anyone.
She was so nervous.Every little noise and snap made her feel like she was being watched, and she couldn’t even get lost in her work.By lunchtime, she felt like she was going to throw up.The guards were there, rounding up the staff, and Anastasia followed them, but as they got to the door, she asked if she could use the bathroom.
The guard looked like he wanted to refuse, but she quickly bowed her head and said it was women’s troubles, and she even made reference to a leak.Yeah, this was perfect, embarrassing a man about a woman’s menstrual cycle.This is what she had seen on television a thousand times, and much to her surprise, it actually worked.The guard let her go to the bathroom, and he had such a disgusted look on his face, he didn’t even follow her.His Italian accent was thick, but he told her to come straight out, or he would hunt her down.
Anastasia went in the direction of the bathroom, but the moment she heard the door close, she also felt how still the house was.She was right, the guards went on their dinner break as well.Holy shit.This might actually work.
She kept hold of her lunch, because she was going to give it to Nikolai when she found him.Dmitriy was worried about the food he wasn’t getting, and she didn’t want him to be upset.Also, talking about her menstrual cycle, and even though this was not the ideal time to think about it, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was pregnant.She and Dmitriy were not wearing any protection.
This was not the time nor the place, and she might not even make it to be able to worry about what was going to happen to her, if anything was going to happen.This was all crazy.
She found the access to the basement, and she didn’t like how easy this was going.It made her doubt Jack a little more.
Dmitriy would be coming in soon.His plan of attack was to come full force.He had loaded up his weapons, and they needed to trust that Jack was about to take out the cameras.He was only going to do that once she had gotten to Nikolai.
She found the basement, and there was no guard, no bolt, nothing.Pulling on the door, she was a little taken aback by how easy this was.This was not good.
With each step she took, and the plan seemed to be going without a hitch, she knew it was going to get worse.She would rather things go to shit right now, than later on.
She quickly rushed down the steps, and there was a small beam of light coming from the ceiling.
“Mr.Gnesin?”she asked.
She attempted to whisper the word.“Nikolai.”
And then, Nikolai Gnesin was at the bars of the cage.
“Who are you?”he asked.
The anger in his eyes was clear to see, along with the growth of his beard.He looked a little gaunt, as he had lost a considerable amount of weight.Nikolai Gnesin had been full of muscle, and had a little belly as he did like his food.At least, that is what she remembered, but that was gone.
“Dmitriy is going to try and get you out,” she said.
She didn’t know if she should tell him her name.What if it angered him?
“So, Dmitriy finally figured it out.”He smiled.“And they didn’t kill him.”There was a smile on his face.
She saw he had fading bruises.The clothes he wore looked dirty.He had nothing on his feet, and there was a chain around his ankle that tied him to the bed.Anastasia looked toward the cage, and of course it was held with a key.
“The guard keeps the key on him at all times,” Gnesin said.“You’re committing a fool’s errand.”
“No, this is not foolish.”
“They killed all my men,” Gnesin said.“No one knows I’ve been gone.Even Dmitriy didn’t realize I was gone.”
She looked at the bars of the cage, and then toward Gnesin.“But he did figure it out, and trust me on this, he is coming for you.Did you order the ...death of my parents?”
Gnesin looked at her.“I should have known you were the Babkin girl.”
“Why should you have known?”
