Chapter 32 THIRTY TWO

Chapter 32 THIRTY TWO
"Draw out a travel plan for me."

"What places would you like on the plan?"

"I don't know..." Sergei's voice was tense in response. "Anywhere, Ova. Anywhere but Oklahoma... Remove it off the plan. I'm done with this shit city..."

"Boss—"

"DONE," he repeated.

"Boss—"

"Ova..." He sighed. I could almost imagine his eyes pressed shut tightly as he heaved through the rest of the words. "I have a woman now. If this city is..."

He paused.

My heart thudded. Had he figured I was listening in on his conversation? I was currently pressing too close to the wooden door, the left side of my face pressed flat against it as I eavesdropped on the conversation happening right outside of it. But now, Sergei had just stopped talking. He wasn't moving yet, though. There were no footsteps padding back down the hallway like I'd heard after he'd gotten out of his shower and slammed the door shut behind him earlier while I pretended to be asleep on the bed. As if. As if anyone could sleep with the wound on my belly. Worse now than it had felt this morning.

He wasn't coming, I told myself. If he was, the door would have been flung open by now and I would be getting my ass smashed against the floor. Yet, my heart was in my throat, knowing how risky this was for me. After he’d stepped inside earlier soaked in blood that was still on the tiles below my feet, that filled the room with a soggy metallic smell, I’d wanted to know what the fuck had happened out there so bad.

But I knew what asking would earn me. Punishment. Him blowing up in my face again.

If I needed to find out, one way or the other, what the heck was going on, I needed to do it myself. So, here I was, sticking flat to the door like a second skin.

"I do not want to be here anymore..." Sergei sounded drained. I’d caught it in his voice earlier when he had me backed up against the door, but now, he sounded much more exhausted than before. "Anywhere but here."

"Boss—"

"I already gave my order."

"We have most—"

"Yes. We have our base here, but now, the situation demands we move it, no?"

"Boss... have you forgotten?"

"I never forget."

"Maybe—"

"OVA." Sergei sounded impatient. "There’s no trying to talk me out of this. I MADE UP MY MIND. I’m leaving here… I’M LEAVING EVERYTHING BEHIND—"

"Talking to you as a brother now... Not a friend..." My brows tugged at how persistent this Ova was, his thick accented voice dropping an octave as he added, "...I’ve watched you toil so hard for this. We’re so close to a breakthrough. I can feel it… and you know it’s just one attack, Sergei. The Morozov I knew would have never backed down that fast. The Morozov I knew would have—"

This time, when Sergei responded, his voice was hushed. Deadly quiet. "I was a lone man then…"

"And now?"

There was another pause. It was almost like he was contemplating. Almost like he was thinking through the words in his head. Seconds ticked. My heart thudded. My ear pressed harder. I heard the shuffle of movement; I imagined Sergei’s dead eyes piercing into the man’s soul as he, eventually, dropped the answer.

"I have a wife now," he said. "I have to think for her too. Close the project... Sell the properties we have here… tell the search team to give up the search. We’re done in Oklahoma."

"Forever?"

There was a long pause. I could literally feel my chest tightening as I waited for his response. The entire conversation was in pieces and cut-off strings. I'd started eavesdropping exactly twenty minutes after he left, and I'd been spun right into the center of him ordering his men about travelling. About... leaving Oklahoma. Now, as I waited for his response to this one question, I could feel my pulse beating against the wood I was pressed into. Please say no. Please say no. Please no. NO. NO. NO. I hated this city, because it reminded me how horrible growing up had been... but this city still had my mother in it. Every single hour being with Morozov seemed like I would never get a shot at seeing her again.

I held my breath as I awaited his next word, praying it was in my favour. But the moment he said it, the hope shattered like broken glass.

"Yes. Forever. Close all projects we have here… we’re done, Ova. I’M DONE."

My breath hitched.

I obviously wasn't the only one who thought this was a very stupid decision to make.

"Boss..." Ova pushed back again. "Are you really thinking about this..."

"I’ve had a long time to think about this, Ova—"

"But…"

"No buts. I thought about this in the shower. I thought about how... if one of my men could betray me and give off my location in THIS CITY... How many more weeks, days, hours do I have before I—no—before SHE gets blown to bits?"

There was a pause.

I was still holding my breath.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing made sense. I felt like I was digging down a rabbit hole like Alice, and this was a lucid dream, and nothing... nothing added up. The only thing I knew was that we were leaving. Sergei had gotten betrayed. He was being careful. Or... paranoid. I couldn't exactly wrap my fingers around which one it was.

"Just do as I say. The cities I chose. The private islands I want. The jets we'll be using for each and every travel. And..." there was a pause. "No guards."

I swallowed.

Okay, it was starting to feel like we were running from someone.

Running off. The saliva gliding down my throat as I gulped sounded like a bomb dropping. Alone. Sergei and I were going to be completely alone. The realization hit my stomach like a lead weight. My palms went clammy against the wood. No matter how confused I might be, no matter how bad I wanted in on what the fuck was going on, I dared not ask to know. If he was running from someone, he was dragging me into the dark with him.

I didn't move away.

The gruff accented voice was speaking again. "Okay, boss. I'll arrange the private jets and transport for the travels."

"No guards," Sergei repeated.

"No guards..."

"And also... none of you will—"

His voice drifted farther into the house. He was moving. Away from the hallway. Footsteps padded away from me. Not just him. He, and his men.
I pressed my ear harder against the door, my breathing harsh, a bead of sweat rolling down the nape of my neck and down my spine. I just needed to hear some more. Some more words to grasp something, at least. I needed to know.

I wanted to know.

But then, the harder I squished my breasts against the wood into the door, the farther his voice went. I knew—for a fucking fact—that if he caught me here, I was as good as dead. But, yet, stubbornly, I didn't back away. Even though all I could catch now were fragmented words. The travel. Island. More orders. Blah. Blah. Nothing I hadn't caught before.

Until.

"...Boss... and what about you?"

They were walking back here again.

"What about me?"

The man was reluctant, as if this was a forbidden topic, but he said it anyway.

"You remember what the doctor said the last visit?"

My brows shot up. What visit? What doctor? I waited. I strained hard to hear Sergei's response, but instead—because I'd been so stupidly and heavily carried away—the knob twisted, and someone pushed—hard—against the door I was leaning on.