Chapter 107 Anya
The taxi drove through Moscow's dark streets while I sat in the back seat crying.
My throat hurt. My heart hurt. Everything hurt.
I could still feel Nikolai's hand on my throat. I could still see the rage in his eyes. I could still hear the desperation in his voice when he begged for forgiveness.
But forgiveness would not change what he had become.
The driver kept glancing at me in the mirror.
"Are you alright, miss?"
"I am fine," I lied.
"Those marks on your neck look bad."
I pulled my scarf higher. "Just take me to the train station."
"The train station is closed until six in the morning."
I had not thought of that. "Then take me to a hotel. Somewhere cheap."
We drove in silence. The hotel was run down but clean.
I checked in under a false name. Room 304. Third floor.
I locked the door behind me, dropped my bag and sat on the bed.
And finally let myself break down completely.
I cried for Nikolai. For the man he used to be. For the dreams we shared. For the life we would never have.
I cried until there were no tears left. Until I was empty.
My phone buzzed. It was an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Koslov," Viktor Sokolov's voice said. "I heard what happened. Are you alright?"
"How did you get this number?"
"I have my sources. Are you safe?"
"Yes. I am at a hotel."
"Good. Stay there. I will send someone to protect you."
"I do not need protection."
"Yes you do," Viktor insisted. "Nikolai knows you called the police. He might come after you."
"He would not hurt me," I said. But even as I said it, I touched my throat.
"He already did," Viktor said gently. "What did he do to you?"
I said nothing.
"That is what I thought. Mrs. Koslov, you made the right choice today."
"I know," I whispered.
"The police have the evidence now. They will arrest Nikolai soon. He will go to prison. And you will finally be free."
"Free," I repeated. The word felt hollow.
"Yes. Free to start over."
"I do not know who that is anymore."
"You will figure it out. And I will help you. The council wants to help you."
"Why do you care what happens to me?"
"Because you are innocent in all this. And because helping you is the right thing to do."
I wanted to believe him.
"Thank you. But I can take care of myself."
"Can you? With what money? Nikolai controls half the city. His men are everywhere. How long can you hide before he finds you?"
He was right. I had maybe a thousand rubles. No job. No friends. Nowhere to go.
"What are you proposing?"
"Let me help you leave Moscow. I can get you a new identity. A new life. Somewhere far away where Nikolai can never find you."
"I need time to think."
"You do not have time. Nikolai is meeting with me tomorrow morning. I am going to offer him a deal. But if he refuses, all hell breaks loose."
"What kind of deal?"
"The kind where he walks away from everything. His territory. His businesses. His power. In exchange for his life and freedom."
"He will never agree to that."
"Maybe not. But I have to try. And while I am trying, you need to decide. Do you stay and hope Nikolai changes? Or do you leave and start fresh?"
"I already left."
"Then let me help you make it permanent. Meet me tomorrow afternoon. I will have everything ready. Passport. Money. A ticket to anywhere you want to go."
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine it. A small apartment in Paris. A quiet life. No violence. No Nikolai.
The image made me sad.
"I will think about it." I said finally.
"Do not think too long. By tomorrow night, Moscow will either be at peace or at war."
He hung up.
I sat there trying to figure out what to do.
A part of me wanted to run. To take Viktor's offer. To disappear.
But another part could not stop thinking about Nikolai. About the look in his eyes when he realized what he had done.
He was still in there somewhere. The real Nikolai. Buried under pain and violence.
But how deep?
A sound outside made me freeze.
Footsteps. Someone in the alley below.
I moved to the window and looked out.
Two men stood in the shadows, watching the hotel.
Nikolai's men. They had already found me.
My heart raced. I grabbed my bag, prepared to run.
But then I noticed something. The men were not trying to come inside. They were just standing.
Nikolai had sent them to keep me safe.
Even after I betrayed him.
That was the Nikolai I remembered. The one who protected people he loved. Maybe he was not completely lost.
Or maybe I was just fooling myself.
I stepped back from the window and drew the curtains.
Tomorrow I would decide. Run or stay. Leave Nikolai forever or give him one more chance.
I lay down fully clothed,closed my eyes and fell asleep without nightmares.
I woke to pounding on my door.
"Mrs. Koslov! Open up! Police!"
I sat up quickly. The clock said six thirty.
"Mrs. Koslov! We need to speak with you about Nikolai Markov!"
I went to the door and looked through the peephole.
There were two men in police uniforms. But something felt wrong. Their uniforms did not quite fit right.
"Show me your identification," I called.
One held up a badge. I could not tell if it was real.
"We just want to ask questions about the call you made to Detective Petrov."
My blood went cold. How did they know about that?
"I am not opening this door. Come back with a warrant."
"Mrs. Koslov, please. Do not make this difficult."
I backed away and grabbed my phone.
The door exploded inward. Someone had kicked it off its hinges.
The two men rushed in. They were not police. They were Nikolai's men.
I screamed and ran for the window.
But one pulled me back and put his hand over my mouth.
"Quiet. We are not here to hurt you. We are here to take you somewhere safe."
I bit his hand hard. He yelped and released me.
I ran for the door but the second man blocked my path.
"Mrs. Koslov, please. Mr. Markov sent us. He wants to talk to you. That is all."
"I have nothing to say to him."
"Then just listen. He needs you to understand something. Something important."
I looked at both of them. Saw that they were not armed.
"If I refuse?"
"Then we leave. But Mr. Markov said to tell you this. He said he is sorry. That he knows he does not deserve forgiveness. But he needs to see you one more time before you disappear forever."
Damn him. Damn Nikolai for still knowing exactly how to reach me.
"Where is he?"
"Gorky Park. By the fountain. He is meeting someone there. He wants you to be there too."
"Take me to him," I said.