He’s talking business again, and thank God. Pavel is the one thing that I can handle with no problem. “I will speak with him today about setting something up.”
“Good,” he says with a smile. “Now. I have other business to attend to, so…”
I take my cue and leave. Once I’m outside in the hallway of my father’s home, my mind is suddenly clouded with thoughts that Isabella might give Anya the slip as her sister had done to her.
I hope she didn’t. There’s a reason I don’t know what happened to my mother and an even bigger reason it’s never felt like the correct action to find out why she’s gone in the first place. I would hate for Isabella to disappear the way she did. It would be torture to never know what happened to her.
11
ISABELLA
The air feels really good on the back of my neck. I’m more and more in love with this look every time I see myself in the mirror. Right now, I’m standing in the bathroom, looking it over under the bright bathroom lighting. I never realized how my ends made the rest of my hair look more dark brown than the ebony that I always thought it was. Now, the black of my hair brings out the blue in my eyes more. I lookstunning.
To hell with what Alexei will think when he sees me. It’s not like any of this is real, anyway.
I walk out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and suddenly, I’m alone again. Anya and I did a little shopping after going to the salon, but then after that, she had to go to work. Turns out she’s a bartender in one of the strip clubs that Alexei manages. There goes my ever paying her a visit at work.
But that being said, I like Anya. Honestly, she’s really the only good thing that’s come out of my being in this situation so far. She’s smart and really fearless. The way she walks down thestreet with me almost gives off a masculine energy, head held high and every single step in her brand new Louboutins a sure one. Like she’s not afraid of anybody who might try anything with her.
And in the few moments that we did talk about my unsavory reputation, she wasn’t all judgey about it. She understood who everyone thought I was, but it seemed like she was more interested in finding out who I actually am outside of those rumors. If we had met under different circumstances, I think maybe we might be the best of friends.
Just the same… I can’t stay here. I flirted with the idea this morning, but now that I’m back in this penthouse that’s not even my home, I realize that I’m going to have to make good on those earlier thoughts and skip town as soon as I can.
I look at the bed where I lost my virginity the night before. The bed has been made, the old, dirty sheets have been replaced with new, clean ones. Funny, I don’t know why I didn’t expect that someone would be around to clean the penthouse at some point. Alexei doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who has time to make his bed in the mornings.
It was nice last night. Better than anything I’ve ever fantasized about. If I let myself, I can still feel his rough hands holding my hips as he penetrated me over and over again. I always thought of the act of getting fucked as a way of being submissive to the will of someone else. Or at best, something that was only for men to enjoy. Imagine my surprise when my eyes were rolling up in my head with ecstasy last night.
It’s almost enough for me to reconsider. If Alexei were another man in another time… if I’d met him another way, maybe. If Iknow anything about anything after all this, I know that the life of a Bratva wife isn’t for me.
I look at my closet full of clothes that I never had the chance to arrange myself and decide that trying to run with a heavy suitcase probably isn’t the right choice. I rummage through the bottom of the closet and find an old backpack. That’ll have to do until I can get to a hotel or something somewhere beyond the city limits. I don’t have any cash, but I still have my credit cards. That’ll be fine until I can find some other means to make money.
I start packing. Casual clothing only. A couple of pairs of jeans, a couple of pairs of shorts and some T-shirts. Underwear and socks. It’s warm out right now, but one never knows. If it rains, I’m not gonna want to be in sandals.
My toiletries are next. Toothbrush, deodorant, lotions, perfumes, makeup bag… Just the necessities. No room for too many frivolous things.
My sister is heavy on my mind as I pack. It’s been weeks since she disappeared without a trace. I can’t help but wonder how it is that my father hasn’t found her yet. Maybe since he had a spare daughter, he didn’t bother to look for her?
Ugh, that’s a grim thought. I really don’t want to go there. It’s much more comforting to think that Annie is just much better at skipping town than any of us ever thought.
With everything packed, I sling the bag over my shoulder and leave the penthouse. On the way down in the elevator, I start thinking about the logistics of this particular jailbreak. When I get outside, I’ll hail a taxi, but then after that…
The airport is closer and when I get there, I can decide where I want to go. There are flights leaving out of New York State all thetime. Wherever I land, that’s where I’ll stay for a while until I can get my bearings. Freedom,realfreedom, is a scary thought. I’ve never had a job. I’ve never even had my own money. My father’s dollar is paying for this jailbreak, in fact.
The doors open and I’m in the lobby. I walk quickly across the dark marble floors, my gym shoes squeaking lightly against the hard surface. There’s no one here at the moment. No one at the small front desk, no one wandering around the mailroom down the hall to the right. I couldn’t have picked a better time to do this.
I’m halfway across the lobby when I see a figure walk into view from beyond the glass doors and I recognize them immediately. Tall and muscular, blond hair that looks golden in the sunlight. It’s Alexei.
I turn my eyes to the ground and pray that with my new haircut, he doesn’t notice me. He walks through the doors and to my relief, his eyes glaze over me without any recognition. I knew cutting my hair would be a great idea.
I get about two steps from the door when I hear from behind me, “What the hell did you do to your hair?”
Shit.I’m only a couple of steps away. If I can just get outside…
I run to the door and just as I put my hands on the glass and push, I feel him next to me. He grabs the handle and pulls it closed, holding it there while I push futilely.
I let go and step back from him. “Move,” I say to him.
He steps in front of the door, completely blocking my path. His eyes move to my hair for a few seconds before staring back at me. “I thought we discussed this, Isabella.”
