Chapter 24: Natalia

I glance at the clock on the wall for the millionth time, and my lungs constrict when I realize it’s close to ten o’clock and Mikhail still isn’t back yet.

I haven’t seen him since last night. Another two hours will make it a whole day since he’s been gone.

I’m not certain about his usual habits, but with the exception of the one night I didn’t see him, he’s been home well before this time every night this week.

That call Mikhail got at minutes before midnight broke the spell I was under and placed me in a different one.

One that had me wondering how I changed from being the terrified woman who was looking for a way out, to the woman who was worried about her captor’s safety.

No one has said anything to me, and they’ve all gone about their day-to-day activities like normal. Maybe everything is normal, but I don’t think it is.

It’s bad enough I gave myself to him over and over again and the lines between us have blurred so much I can hardly see them. Last night, I forgot who he was, and I allowed him to take me in ways I never imagined.

I’ve spent the day flitting between thinking about how I lost control of myself and my thoughts when I was with him to worrying about where he is.

It’s clear something is going on.

Something bad that’s a continuation from Mexico. I don’t think it all ended with Raul’s death or taking me.

I have a feeling it’s either to do with the cartel or the repercussions of taking it.

Or it could be something bigger. Something Bratva related.

I have no idea because I have no details other than what I’ve seen and heard so far.

Whatever is going on has me on edge.

I told myself I was obviously worried about what’s going on because now that I’m Adriana Alvarez, I’ve set a bait on myself. Anybody could claim me and do the same thing Mikhail is doing to me. Maybe I’d just prefer the devil I know until I have a plan to escape him.

That’s what I told myself, although I knew deep down it wasn’t entirely true.

There was a moment when he opened up and didn’t seem like the beast anymore. It was as he spoke about his sister and what he did to go to prison. I’ve had people who’ve loved me, but they were taken away from me in a way to show me they could never protect me. Mikhail seems to be a man who would die protecting the people he loved, and if he could, he would have died trying to save his mother and sister.

The only good thing to come of last night was talking to him about things that were true. I knew I was dancing close to danger, but it gave me an ounce of myself back.

He knew the marks on my back were whip marks, and things are playing out to look like Raul was the cruel father. A sort of blessing in disguise.

I don’t know how long I can keep this up, but if he believes things like that, it will help me, especially during times when I can’t act like the pampered princess I’m supposed to be.

“These shoes would look great with the dress, dear,” Sophia says as she walks into the kitchen. I almost forgot she was here.

We were sitting in the sunroom looking through wedding shoe brochures when I came in here to get some water.

I needed a break. I got the water and got lost in my worries.

She gives me a smile as she sets the brochure on the counter top and points to a pair of delicate-looking embroidered three-inch heels. They look like an elaborate version of Cinderella’s glass slippers.

I agree. The shoes would look amazing with the dress I’ve chosen, but so would all the others she picked.

“I like those, too.”

“We have too many to choose from.” She gives me an exasperated sigh. “Here, have a look at the ones I circled, just to make sure you’ve seen everything that might be suitable.”

“Thanks for doing this.”

I take the brochure to humor her. Looking at wedding shoes is the last thing I want to be doing right now, although it’s giving me something to do.

She’s been here since lunchtime. She came with the seamstress for the final fitting on the dress and to discuss accessories like my veil and shoes. I picked the veil. The shoes were the last thing left.

The seamstress left several hours ago, but I think Sophia detected my worry and decided to stay a little longer to keep me company.

“I’m going to pack up and head out,” she says. “I’ve asked Aleksander to come back and sit with you for an hour.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll be fine.” I really don’t want him sitting with me.

“It’s totally fine. I’ve asked him to come and make you a late supper. Mikhail might be back by then.”

Although I really shouldn’t I think of asking her what might be going on, she’s the only one here so far who’s talked to me like a person.

“Sophia, do you know if something is still going on in relation to my father?” It’s so hard to call that devil my father. “I don’t know anything. I apologize for asking. I know I shouldn’t, but it’s hard to be kept in the dark.”

Her face softens, and a look of concern fills her eyes.

“Oh, of course. And no apologies necessary. It’s a messy situation. I don’t know anything myself, but there’s bound to be repercussions in a situation like this.” She drags in a deep breath. “I’m sure Mikhail is just making sure any threat Raul posed and anyone else who was working with him are completely eliminated.”

“Do you think someone else was working with my father?”

She nods. “Yes. It would make sense. But what’s worse is the destruction of trust. It’s hard to accept that an ally you’ve known for over twenty years could switch sides on you and you have no concept of what happened or why.”

Over twenty years?

My God, that’s older than me. I never knew Raul had an alliance with them for so long, or at all. I just thought they were enemies.

Although… I have seen Russians at the house in Mexico and heard them talking. They wouldn’t have seen me. I guess they would have come from Mikhail’s family.

It is very strange Raul would kill the way he did and break a strong alliance with people who are obviously powerful. Unless he had assistance from someone just as powerful.

It would be just like him.

“You don’t know why he did what he did?”

She shakes her head. “We have no clue. He’s just ambushed us.”

“When did it happen?” I chance asking.

“Weeks before Christmas.”

“Christmas?” But it’s now March. “Didn’t you know my father was responsible?”

“We didn’t. This has only come to light since Mikhail got out of hospital. The assassination attempt left him in a coma.”

“Mikhail was in a coma?” I thought the attack was on his mother and sister.

“My dear, the attack was supposed to have been on the whole family. It was chance that half of us weren’t there, and he survived. The goal was to kill us all. That’s what this is about.” She gets tearful. “That awful night of the attack, his sister was taken, and we hoped she’d survived, too, but it was not meant to be. Your father sold her to men who tortured and killed her. God knows what else they did to her.”

A shiver runs down my spine as understanding blooms in my mind. I remember how he sounded when Mikhail spoke about sister last night.

She was sold and tortured. The same plan Raul had for me. To be sold means death. Those men do whatever they want to you and torture you until you beg for death, or they kill you. How do I know this?

I’ve seen it happen.

I’ve seen Raul buy girls for himself and kill them when he’s done with them.

No wonder Mikhail behaved the way he did in Mexico and killed everyone.

No wonder he showed no mercy when he took me.

But what about now?

Nothing has changed all that much. The problem still exists.

Sophia places a hand over mine and taps my knuckles.

“Please don’t worry. I can see I’ve troubled you. Wait in here for Aleksander to come back, then have something to eat and go to sleep, Okay?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“I’ll see you at the dinner tomorrow.” She gives me that heartwarming smile again. The reminder of dinner tomorrow and knowing the whole story just makes me feel like vomiting.

She might be nice, but what is everyone else going to be like? I have a strong feeling they won’t be like her. Maybe that’s another reason why she’s been coming here. She probably feels sorry for me.

“I’ll see you then,” I say, and she dips her head for a curt goodbye.

Five minutes after she leaves, Aleksander walks into the sunroom with a scowl on his face. He’s clearly annoyed he has to do anything for me, and looks more put out than usual when he tells me to come into the kitchen.

We don’t talk as he makes up a plate of cookies and hot chocolate with milk and cream he prepares on the stove.

Before he hands it to me, I notice him put some spices in there, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and something red.

The red bits float on the top and puff out the way marshmallows would, but I don’t think they’re marshmallows.

“Thank you for making this for me,” I tell him.

“I suggest you head to bed when you’re done,” he replies. “If I were you, I would not be worrying myself over Mr. Dmitriyev. It’s not uncommon for him to be away for the whole night. Especially if he has new company.”

New company.

The way he said that, in that obvious way, can only mean he thinks Mikhail is with a woman.

If that’s true, I’m so foolish to worry about him. And even more stupid to make myself look so obvious that a man who can’t stand me was summoned to get me hot chocolate and cookies.

“I wasn’t worried about him,” I lie. “Why worry about him when I have myself to worry about?”

He says something in Russian he knows I won’t understand, then marches away and leaves me.

I look down at the cookies and decide to throw them and the hot chocolate away. I don’t want anything from that man.

I feel like such an idiot. What the hell must he think of me?

I’ve been so engrossed in getting from one day to the next that I haven’t paid as much attention to the staff as I should have. The fact that still none of the maids speak to me suggests they’ve already formed their opinions on me. The fact that Aleksander is rude as fuck is also not good.

It means they see no need to respect me, and the only person who would have given them permission to behave like that is Mikhail.

Which takes me right back to the question I asked him the other night about what would happen after the wedding.

You only treat people the way I’m being treated if they’re temporary.

I make my way upstairs, shower, and change for bed. I climb beneath the sheets and try to summon sleep.

It doesn’t come. More hours pass, and instead of sleeping, I think of everything, and my mind keeps going back to the question of what I’m going to do.

Speaking to José would have eased my mind to some extent. I’ve dared not mention his name for fear of what Mikhail would do.

And where is Mikhail?

Is he really out with some woman?

Do I care?

I roll onto my back when something pulls on my insides, and I realize I do care, and I’m conflicted and confused because I shouldn’t.

I knew I was just a plaything. Something like taking my virginity would mean nothing to him. I’ve become the statistic I knew I would, and he’s probably either chasing another virgin or with one of his women.

I’m so very foolish, because this here is a sneak peak of what it’s going to be like to be married to him.

As soon as the thought races through my mind, the sound of something smashing downstairs has me bolting upright.

It sounded like glass breaking. Like either something fell on the ground and smashed or someone threw it.

Or what if it was someone breaking the glass of the window to break in?

There are guards everywhere on the grounds. I don’t think anyone could just break into this house. Who would be so foolish?

Then again, didn’t Raul try to kill the whole Dmitriyev family? If someone helped him and that someone is still at large, why wouldn’t they do something as simple as break into Mikhail’s house?

The sound of heavy boots coming up the stairs makes my nerves scatter until I realize I recognize the sound pattern of the footfall.

When you’re like me, when every minute of every day is a test of survival, you take note of things like that. Sounds, smells, and that eerie feeling that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand are all signs to pay attention to.

The footsteps move straight past the room, and the sound fades after a few seconds.

He’s back, and he’s not coming in here.

Something has obviously happened.

I slip off the bed and open the door. The automatic hallway light is already on and shows droplets of blood on the marble floors.

I suck in a breath when I realize the blood leads down the whole hallway.

What the hell happened?

My prior thoughts fade and my concerns return telling me to follow the blood trail.

So I do.