*Sephie*
Armando had kept one safe completely filled with cash. The other also had cash in it, but had even more files. He kept detailed files on everyone. Disturbingly detailed files.
Ivan put down one file in front of Adrik when they came back upstairs. “There’s hundreds more files just like that one in that safe,” he said.
Adrik flipped through the file, his jaw clenching as he turned each page. I could feel him trying to keep his anger in check with each page he turned. My curiosity got the best of me. I walked to his side, looking at the information. It was a file on me. There were pictures of me outside the restaurant I used to work at, outside my apartment, taking Ms. Jackson to the grocery store. He had all the details of my life before I met Adrik.
It didn’t make sense. Adrik got frustrated and closed the file. I stepped to the side and looked at it once more. “It looks like he hired a private investigator to find out what he could on me. No idea why he would need to know anything about me, but here we are.” I kept flipping through the information. “There’s nothing in here about me before I started working at the restaurant. If they were trying to find something they could blackmail me or control me with, they didn’t look hard enough. I can’t think of another reason why they would need that information.” We all stood in silence for a few moments, trying to come up with reasons.
It was Vitaliy that broke the silence. “You said he wanted to sell you when they took you?” I nodded. “He was seeing how easy it would be to make you disappear. It’s what they commonly do, especially for girls they think they can get substantial money for. They take the girls with no families. No one comes looking. He must’ve been planning to sell you for a lot longer than anyone realized.”
“Yep, I’m gonna need a minute,” I said, walking quickly to the nearest bathroom. I could feel the bile rising in my throat as my need to vomit grew stronger. I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet, groaning after several minutes of retching.
Adrik’s warm hand was on my back. “You’re okay, solnishko,” he said, handing me a towel after I washed my mouth out and splashed water on my face. He kept his arms around me, standing behind me. My emotions were completely out of control.
“That means that if you hadn’t come to the meeting that night, I would’ve been kidnapped and sold,” I said, realizing the full gravity of the situation. I thought my stomach was empty. It was not. I leaned over the toilet, once again ridding my stomach of all of its contents. This time, when I stood up and looked at Adrik, I could see the look of surprise that meant my eyes had done something unexpected.
“You don’t feel scared right now,” he said, looking at my eyes. He looked closer, inhaling sharply. He said, “they’re not the normal white anymore. This one is different.” He pointed to the mirror to get me to look. “What were you thinking about? Only that they could’ve gotten to you if I hadn’t been at that meeting?” he asked as I looked at my eyes in the mirror.
He was right. It was different. Before, anytime they went white, there was still a hint of blue around my pupils and the outside of my iris. This time, the areas that were blue were now closer to black, making the white stand out even more.
I looked at Adrik, who was behind me, in the mirror. “It wasn’t just what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come to that meeting. It was also about how much I wanted to make Sal pay for even considering he could do that to me.”
Adrik smirked at me, taking my hand. “Keep thinking about that for a minute more,” he said, leading me back to the kitchen. The guys were confused at Adrik’s expression when we came back out. “New color. Look,” he said, pulling me in front of him so the guys could see.
“Whoa. That’s slightly easier to take than the normal white though,” Misha said.
“What were you thinking about to make this one happen, spider monkey?” Andrei asked.
Adrik chuckled. “Revenge.”
The guys couldn’t hide their smiles when Adrik told them. Misha looked at me, his wide smile across his face. “Gazelle, I keep thinking I couldn’t possibly love you any more and you prove me wrong each time. I love you so much right now,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and picking me up in a bear hug. I couldn’t help but laugh.
As he set me down, I said, “if you guys hadn’t shown up to that meeting, I would’ve been kidnapped and sold. I’m gonna make Sal pay for thinking he could do that to me.”
Vitaliy laughed. “You were made for my son, sladkaya. You couldn’t be any more perfect. Truly.”
“Who else does Armando have files on? Who wants to bet that Sal has the same thing in his house? Has anybody checked that place since he left?” I asked.
“Nobody went to his house. He still has his security there. We all know Armando never took his security seriously,” Viktor said.
“How could he? He was too busy spending money on private investigators to follow me around,” I said, my anger clearly coming out, causing everyone to laugh.
“See, Ilya? The black eyes aren’t always intimidating. Sometimes they make her extra funny,” Stephen said. Ilya laughed quietly, still not completely convinced there was nothing to worry about.
“We didn’t take the time to look through all the files. Yours was near the top,” Ivan said.
“At least I won’t have to fund his time in the home. He can fund himself. The cash that’s in those safes should be plenty to cover the expenses. We can find him a very chatty roommate to keep him company,” Adrik said.
“I think Vitaliy should take pictures at his house and send them to him. Give him something to look at,” I said. “Do you like Naples, Vitaliy? He has another house there. Lots of artwork in that one, too. Unless a certain someone has taken it all by now, in which case, good for her.”
“You’re taking Armando’s house, Vitaliy?” Ivan asked.
“Da. I’ve decided to stay in the city a little longer. I need a place. You guys make it too easy for my men. They’re all getting soft staying here,” he said.
“If you need someone to help you furnish it, take Sephie. She LOVES shopping,” Misha said, laughing.
“Do not listen to him, Vitaliy. He for some reason hates me right now,” I said, glaring at Misha.
Vitaliy laughed. “Don’t worry, sladkaya. I know you better than you might think,” he said, winking at me.
--
The following morning, we were all in the gym. Stephen still felt insanely good. He walked up to both me and Misha as everyone was finishing up, asking, “I know you guys haven’t run in the city since you two were attacked, but what if we both go with her?”
Misha looked at me. “Do you think your lung is up to trying that now? We can go really short the first time.”
“Yes, please go really short. I know I’m going to regret bringing this up,” Stephen said.
I thought for a minute. Ivan and Adrik had both been listening to the conversation. I wasn’t going if they weren’t okay with it. *“If I take both of them, do you two feel okay with me going?”* I asked both Adrik and Ivan.
They were both quiet for a moment, contemplating. Viktor had also been watching and listening. He walked up with Ilya, after having a quick conversation with him. “Take Ilya, too. He likes to run. He can keep up.”
I looked back at Adrik and Ivan. They both conceded. *“Keep it short and stay close to the building. I’m more worried about your lung than I am anything else,”* Adrik told me.
*“I know. Me too,”* I responded.
I looked at Stephen and Ilya. “I feel like you guys are going to grow to hate me if this becomes a regular thing, but let’s go.”
Adrik caught Misha before we left, quietly telling him to keep an eye on my breathing. “She hasn’t done it in a while, but she starts to panic if she can’t catch her breath. Get her back here immediately if that happens,” he said.
“Don’t worry, Boss. I’m only letting her go around the block this time,” Misha said. He jogged toward the elevator to catch up to the rest of us.
*“You’re very bossy. But I love you for it,”* I told Adrik before we left. I could feel him trying not to worry about me as the doors to the elevator closed.