A whimper escapes my throat. I hate that sound. Hate how small it makes me feel. Tears blur my vision as the old fear claws its way up my chest.
Voices blur around me, getting closer.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
Fast footsteps, David cursing, then tires screeching as he speeds off into the night.
Someone drops beside me with a hand hovering near my face.
“You all right, man? I saw what he did. I called an ambulance, okay? Just hold on.”
Chapter 20
Alexei
Kelly never came home last night.
Not at midnight. Not at two. Not at four. He’s still not here.
I pace his tiny living room, rubbing my hands through my hair with my chest tight and my head completely fucked. I’ve looked everywhere for him. I broke into Camilla’s building around six in the morning. Found her passed out on her couch, alone, empty wine bottles everywhere. Kelly’s jacket was there, so he’d definitely been there, but he was gone.
If Kelly left her place and never made it home, someone grabbed him. He never even sent the text saying he was heading home like he promised.
I even drove by his clinic. There was some other guy working the night shift who might not ever be coming back to work again. He didn’t have the answers I needed.
Something’s wrong and I can feel it, this slow sick burn in my chest that won’t go away.
I knew I shouldn’t have taken him out to that restaurant. I fucking knew it.
I did it anyway. I wanted it, wanted him to feel normal for five minutes. And now someone saw us and they took him from me.
I called Mikhail and Daniil out of pure desperation, told them to meet me here. I trust them because they wouldn’t care about this the way our father would. They’d keep it secret and help me fix it.
A knock on the door and I’m already moving, yanking it open.
“About time. Get in here,” I snap.
They glance at each other, then walk inside. Daniil’s carrying his laptop bag. Both of them look around the tiny space.
Mikhail clears his throat. “Whose place is this? What happened?”
I wipe both hands over my face, trying to calm down but failing completely.
“It’s my boyfriend’s place.”
Both of them open their mouths, then close them, then just stare at me like I grew a second head.
“Very funny. Now whose place is this really?” Mikhail repeats.
I clench my jaw and start pacing again.
Daniil tucks on Mikhail’s sleeve and shakes his head.
“Do you know something I don’t, Danya?” Mikhail asks.
I stop mid-step and look at Daniil. He’s already watching me with that expression that says he’s figured something out. There’s something bordering on apology in his eyes.
Of course he put it together. I’ve basically been using him like a personal data stalker since I met Kelly.
