Chapter 55

She had to pause to compose herself before she could continue. Shudders wracked her frame and I almost felt sorry for her. But she was bringing me in a decades old silent war she was waging on the Alexandrovich’s for the pain Mikhail caused her. Vlad wasn’t even to blame but she had already made up her mind to rid the world of the Alexandrovich line. And that included him…and Irena.

“My baby was taken from me that night and sent…I don’t know where. Then an announcement was made. The young heir had died. I went through the motions of preparing for the funeral wondering what happened to my child. All the while he just kept telling me to call Nicholai my son! Why was he pretending his son was dead? I couldn’t say but why didn’t he bring my son back I was afraid to ask. Then the funeral came, and something kept asking me. What was he burying if his son wasn’t dead? So, when the household was asleep, I went and opened the casket and saw my baby lying still in the coffin dressed in royal robes!

I opened my mouth to scream but somehow Mikhail knew I would be there. He covered my mouth and dragged me to the den. ‘Don’t cry my love,’ he told me. ‘I have kept my promise to you. Your son recognized as my heir.’ I didn’t know what to make of it but by the deadly gleam in his eyes, I knew if I didn’t keep the secret, he would find a way to fit me in that box. But as a mother I needed to know so I asked him ‘How did he die?’ then he smiled as if I should be proud ‘Like a true Alexandrovich.’

That night I went to bed and from then his visits stopped as well. I was glad of that because I didn’t know how I’d feel taking him to bed knowing what he did. Three weeks after the funeral, the first one arrived.”

“First what?”

“The first one like you.” She clarified. “I remember them all. I doubt he did. She was a red headed Irish girl. I still hear her screams. He was younger then. Lustier too. She didn’t last a week. The next one came a month later, an Italian beauty or at least she was in the beginning, after a month in that cellar, she no longer looked nor smelt pretty. She soiled herself every chance she got. Thought to make him lose interest. It did, and he just hosed her down then left the door open. Fool ran outside soaking wet in the middle of winter. She was a popsicle before made it past the gardens.”

I felt sick as the tale brought back memories of my brief time in that cellar. I made a mental note to properly thank Vlad for saving me.

“Then the years passed, and Nicholai joined him in his sick perverted games.” She added wistfully.

I felt the movement stop and she remarked dryly. “Border check point. Nora should be joining us now.”

The reminder of Nora made me remember Irena. “You want to use me to make Vlad pay? Fine, but please leave Irena out of this!”

“You are a curious creature you know that right.” Kateya remarked tiredly. “I’m doing you a favour! Trust me, you don’t want any of them around you for too long. They’re like a virus. Eating away at you, piece by piece. You were forced to have her, you didn’t even want her. Now you want me to spare her life.”

“She’s a child!”

“So was my son!” Kateya shot back. Leaning back, she added softly. “So were you, so were all of them.”

“I don’t want revenge on Vlad. I just want to keep my baby safe and I just want to be free!”, “There is no freedom from them.” She muttered tiredly, and the doors opened, and Nora hopped into the makeshift living room with Irena in her arms.

Without acknowledging my presence, she walked up to Kateya “I have a bad feeling about this, Auntie. Supposed he put a tracker in one of them.”

“Relax Darling, besides we want him to come, remember?”

“Still…I don’t think we can trust the American either.”

“You can’t trust the French either!” I retorted from my tied-up position on the chair.

She finally turned to face me and said sadly “I warned you there’s no leaving…”

“You should have warned me you were a lying snake but what else should I expect for woman who sold her body for a business deal!”

“I told you he made me do that!”

“Did he make you blow him too!”

“That’s enough! Kateya cut in. “Get some rest Nora, it will be sometime till we reach our host.” She faced me and sighed “Still defending him. I wonder if I show you the recordings of all his little playthings, you’d be so quick to defend him ….and believe me…they were plenty!”

“Recordings? He records them?”

“Of course, he does …for ‘security issues’ he says.” Kateya chuckles.

Vlad was no saint. I already knew this but now I was wondering just how much I didn’t know about him and more pressing…was there a recording of me too? I took a wary glance at Kateya and bit my tongue. I definitely won’t be asking her that!

Nora returned five minutes later without Irena and answered before I spoke “She’s safe.”

“That’s debateable.” I muttered but she ignored me and turned to Kateya.

“How long till we get there?”

“I waited almost thirty years,” Kateya remarked tiredly. “You can wait a few hours.”

“He should’ve met us at the border instead of us coming all the way to him.” Nora pointed out. “Fool thinks he will be safe from Vlad in America, no doubt.”

“Why do you keep thinking we’ll get caught?” Kateya asked.

“Because I’ve seen the way he is with them.” Nora whispered. “He will not let us live…”

“You worry too much.” Kateya shrugged off.

“We could’ve blackmailed him with what we know…”

“And who will believe us?” Kateya hissed. “To speak of his business is breaking the law! Then he would only send his pet Eon…”

“That’s another thing,” Nora put in. “Eon. He set up the Czarina’s security detail. By now they know I have not taken Irena to see her mother.”

“Technically you did.”

“Eon is almost as bad as Vlad!”

“Nora…SHUT UP!” Kateya ordered then sighed. “If you are having cold feet…”

“I want to help you Auntie, but I don’t think this is the way.”

“…and you have grown too fond of the Czarina.” Kateya pointed out.

Nora was silent for a moment then she admitted “She is a victim like you. She doesn’t deserve this…”

“I knew it!” Kateya huffed. “You aren’t blood anyway.” She stated as she pulled out a gun and shot a shocked Nora in her chest. As Nora collapsed to the ground eyes wide, clutching her wound, Kateya complained. “You couldn’t even be loyal to his memory. Anyway, you’ve done your part.”

I was hyperventilating and whimpering as watched Nora go still. My own eyes were round like saucers as I saw Kateya put the gun back in the folds of her skirt. Catching me she remarked “America, so easy to get a gun, huh.”

She was crazy! Of course, I didn’t say this out loud, but she had gone mental! As I recalled my own experiences…honestly, I shouldn’t be surprized. If things had continued the way they were, I would be just like Kateya in another decade or…maybe less than that. In a way I couldn’t argue with her, I felt so in the beginning, the people in that castle were monsters. Now a monster they created was coming, I couldn’t even find it funny.

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I fell asleep at some point which seems to be my go-to state when I’m kidnapped and awoke to see Kateya asleep as well. Then I heard why I woke up, Irena was crying. I wanted to cry too. Kateya didn’t even bother to move Nora’s body and her blood had flowed across the floor and was now touching my pumps.

“Kateya! Kateya!” I called, and she came awake stretching as though she had a good night sleep. Wait a minute, how the hell could that bitch sleep with the body of her niece, who she shot right there? And secondly, what sort of kidnapper rests on the job? “Irena’s awake.” I told her, and she made a shushing motion before shuffling to the back between the boxes.

I pulled my feet of the floor the best I could, trying to avoid getting more of Nora’s blood anywhere on me. There was a foul smell as well. Was Kateya changing Irena? New problem: I was now nauseous, hungry and wanted to go to the bathroom all at once.

Kateya returned with Irena smiling at the child she was going to kill. “We will be arriving in a few moments.” She informed me happily.

“I need to use the bathroom…”

“You’re a big girl, you can hold it.” She put in.

“…and I feel sick. Can you…just…you know…move her…a bit?”

“The smell offends you, Princess!” She gritted out. “It’s the smell of death. Get used to it!”