Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Tessa
I pushed myself out of bed and walked to the bathroom. My reflection in the mirror looked like someone who hadn’t slept in a year. I splashed cold water on my face, but it didn’t help the hollow feeling in my chest. There was a folded towel on the counter, and that just annoyed me.
He didn’t fold towels. People who knew boundaries folded towels; Kai didn’t know what a boundary was. When I left the bathroom and stepped back into the apartment, I saw the first sign that the day wasn’t mine anymore.
A new phone. Sitting on the kitchen counter. Black. Sleek. Expensive enough to pay rent for someone’s whole year. My stomach dropped. I didn’t touch it. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to breathe near it. But after a few minutes of pacing the kitchen like a trapped raccoon, I finally walked over and picked it up.
It lit up immediately. No password. Just a single text at the top of the screen.
KAI: Eat beauty. Rob will take you upstairs at noon. You have work.
I rolled my eyes so hard my head almost tilted backward. Of course he didn’t ask. He never asked. He just told me what to do and where to be, like my life was a calendar he owned.
I threw the phone onto the couch, grabbed the leftover Chinese from last night, and shoved a few bites into my mouth even though I wasn’t hungry. I needed something in my stomach, or I’d pass out by 10 a.m.
I showered, dressed, and sat by the window watching the street below. People living normal lives. People walking dogs, grabbing coffee, and yelling at taxis. Nobody down there had a clue what it felt like to live like this. Nobody had two monsters with identical faces haunting them. Nobody had a man like Kai pulling their strings from across the city.
At twelve I opened the door, and Rob was standing there; he looked at me and nodded. “Ready?” he asked.
“Do I look ready?” I asked.
He didn’t even blink. “You look like yourself,” he said. Which… rude. But also kind of accurate. Jax wasn’t with him. Usually, they were a pair. But today it was just Rob, silent as ever, arms crossed over his chest like he was carved from cement. We made our way up to the top floor. When the elevator opened, Carlo and Dwayne were standing there.
They looked at Rob, then at me. “Tessa,” Carlo said.
“Carlo,” I replied before making my way over to Anthony’s door. I raised my hand to knock, and the door was thrown open.
When I walked into the apartment, I found her sitting in the living room.
“There you are,” she said, with a smile. She was speaking more clearly now. “Sorry, bestie,” I muttered. “Lost track of time.”
She snorted. I walked into the living room and started the usual organizing her meds, setting up her water, and making her tea. Her presence was warm and grounding. It was one of the few times I felt like myself. Like I wasn’t someone’s possession or problem or target.
“You look tired, Tessa,” she said softly.
“Long night,” I replied.
“The good kind or the bad kind?” she asked.
I looked down at the tea kettle. “Complicated kind.”
She didn’t push. Maybe that’s why I loved her so much; she let me have silence when I needed it, something nobody else in my life bothered doing.
For a few hours, I basked in the normalcy of our day. I listened to her talk about Anthony’s weird obsession with antique clocks. I even laughed. It felt almost normal. But the problem with living under a shadow as big as Kai’s was that normal didn’t last.
Around three in the afternoon, The intercom buzzed, and I frowned. “Who is that?” I asked. I knew Rob was standing outside, and so was Zaiel’s security, and no one could get up to this floor without getting past them. I looked at Christine again. “Did Anthony mention any delivery?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
I walked to the door slowly, every step heavier than the last. I opened it. A delivery man was standing there with a long white box; it looked expensive. With a cream and gold envelope on top.
“Delivery for Christine Bryce,” he said. I pulled aside so he could see her.
“Give it to Tessa for me,” he said. The delivery man handed me the box. I took it and closed the door. Not before making eye contact with Rob. I took the box over to the couch and put it in front of Christine.
“Please be a dear and open it for me, Tessa. “I can’t use my hands, you know that,” she said. I pulled the envelope off; there was no return address.
No name. I opened it and pulled out the thick paper, and I dropped it immediately. I stared at it.
“Tessa, what’s wrong?” Christien asked. The paper had just my initials, and beneath it was written in handwriting I hadn’t seen in years.
A.R.
M.R.
Alex.Ruslan
Mark.Ruslan
My blood went cold. Christine just stared at me, confused. “Tessa?” she asked. I turned it over slowly, and I felt the wind knocked out of me.
You ran so far, little dove.
But you flew right back home.
See you soon.
— A
My vision blurred at the edges, and my heart was beating so hard my ears rang. I lifted the cover off the box with trembling fingers. Inside the box was tucked neatly in paper one single yellow rose. I jumped when Christien touched my shoulder.
“Tessa, sweetheart, you look terrified,” she said with a whisper. I took a moment to answer.
“This is for me; just give me a minute,” I said. I closed the box, placed the card back into the envelope, and stood up slowly. I walked to the door and opened it. Jax took one look at me and knew something happened.
“What is it?” he asked quietly.
I held the box out for him; I didn't say anything. He took it from me and opened it. He lifted the cover, and I heard him curse under his breath.
“Take it to your boss. Carlo and Dwayne are here; I’m safe,” I said, looking at them, and then nodded.
I stepped back into the apartment and closed the door. I stayed with Christine throughout the day, assuring her everything was fine. When I left the apartment and was about to leave. I ran into Zaiel in the hallway. When he saw me, he stopped and looked at me. He leaned against the wall and just looked at me. I walked past him, and he grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“Zaiel, please let me go,” I said quietly. He did something I didn’t expect him to do. He sank to the floor, pulling me down with him, our backs against the wall with three feet of space between us.
“You look tired,” he said quietly. I sighed.
“I am,” I replied.
“I know,” he said.