Avrora
Lorelai is aware of the intense awkwardness I've experienced with my father since my mom's death. I've told her how he became more overprotective and secretive. But this disaster has driven a wedge in my heart.
"I feel betrayed and disappointed." My voice is so fragile a gentle breeze could shatter it.
"I'm so sorry. This is truly awful."
"I know." I take another gulp of air, hoping it will ease my mind. "I hate feeling so trapped and knowing there's nothing anyone can do."
"Mikhail tried to get you back," she offers with an encouraging smile.
My heart flutters on hearing that. "Did he?"
"Yes. He even came to my father for help, but everything they thought of turned out to be a bust." Her father has connections that can be useful sometimes. It's unfortunate he couldn't help me.
"Thank you for telling me. It means a lot."
"I thought it might. I don't have the best opinion of Mikhail most of the time, but I thought it was sweet he tried to get you back."
"It was. Please thank your father for trying too."
"I will. It's just unreal that no one knew about Anatoli." She bites the inside of her lip. "The news of another Scarfoni son has shocked everyone, but it hit Mira the hardest. Anatoli is only about four months older than Mikhail."
"I didn't even know they were so close in age. And poor Mira."
"Yes, poor Mira."
I've tried to figure out if Evgeni cheated on her or he just didn't know about Anatoli. We can't even ask him. The man is on the verge of death.
"Has anyone said anything about Anatoli's mother?" I bite the inside of my lip.
"No. Nothing at all."
Then where is she?
I assumed she was in the background somewhere pulling strings. Or if no one is talking about her, maybe she's not around anymore. Like mine.
"I heard Anatoli has practically taken everything. The company and all the Scarfoni assets are going to be signed over to him today."
Well at least I know where he is. I didn't see him last night.
When I started wondering if he was with that woman-Gytha-I was completely pissed off at myself. I suppose if he's at work, she's with him. But there's no way she's a real assistant. Maybe she's there to suck him off whenever he snaps his fingers.
"Must be a great day for him. I've never met anyone so obnoxious and cold."
Or... shocking.
I think of his overly masculine naked body and his lewd words about fucking me. An unwanted tingle ripples through me, but I tamp it down, knowing I have to be careful. Anatoli Scarfoni is not the sort of man to get weak-kneed over, no matter how gorgeous he is. The only good thing he's done for me is arrange to get my clothes. They were at Mikhail's house. And it was so much worse because I had my things hanging in the walk-in wardrobe Mikhail had made for me.
"He sounds awful. I hate that you're being forced to marry him."
There's far too much emotion in her tone for me to ignore that she could be talking about the secret she hasn't shared with me, but one I know.
Lorelai is promised to marry Dmitri Konstantin, but she's been seeing Zakh Scarfoni. I saw them kissing in his car after the same meeting where her father made the marriage contract to Dmitri.
Their marriage is supposed to bridge the gap between their families after a hundred-year-long feud. The situation is made worse because Zakh is her brother's best friend.
I keep waiting for her to talk to me, but each time she seems like she might, she doesn't.
"Maybe more will be explained eventually." Lorelai taps my hands and gives me a supportive smile. "Right now everything is vague and weird."
Everything is vague and weird but those words make me think of the crest. Lorelai couldn't be a better person to share my thoughts with because she knows I thought my nightmares were based on real memories.
"There's something else."
"What is it?"
"I saw something here from my nightmare."
"What?" She gasps and then her mouth drops open. "What did you see?"
"The crest." She's as well-versed in my nightmare as I am, so she knows what I mean. "It was engraved on the side of the cliff."
"Are you sure it's the same thing from your dreams?"
I nod. "I am extremely sure. The only difference was the location. The crest I saw was a lot smaller, but the very same design. Ehlga explained that the previous owners of this house were the Butyrskayas and the crest is one of theirs."
"Oh my God. I didn't know this house belonged to them." Her skin flushes like it does when she knows more to a story than everyone else.
"Do you know of them?"
"Not really. But I know the husband, I think his name was Pavel, worked for the previous Pakhan. Dad worked with him once, long before I was born. I heard the family disappeared."
"Disappeared? Ehlga told me they died." Disappearing is way different than just dying.
She bites the inside of her lip. "Well, that's kind of the same thing in our world when it looks like you've been killed and no one can find you. It was also many years ago."
A knot twists my stomach. "Do you know how long?"
"No. I don't think anyone can be specific." She leans in closer and lowers her voice. "I think the man worked on the secret squad."
I widen my eyes. "Really?" I don't know much about the secret squad other than that they're secret and only the Pakhan knows who belongs to it.
"It's just my thought because things don't add up. The guy also worked all over the world and wasn't in touch with anyone apart from the Pakhan. I only know that because of Dad. I heard him talking. It seems to be one of those situations where they could have been gone for years before anyone realized they were missing."
"That's awful."
"And strange that you'd be dreaming about their crest."
"I can only think my father must have taken me somewhere the Butyrskayas owned. Maybe something happened to me there."
Given my situation with Anatoli, there's every chance Dad's position in the Bratva could have exposed me to all sorts of things. Something my parents kept from me.
Every time I brought up my nightmares, they brushed it off like it was nothing but my imagination. Thank goodness Mira helped me work through it until they went away. But now they're back.
They're back, stronger than ever.