Chapter 22 22

Chapter 22 22


The car screeched to a halt at the dock. Derrick, an IT guy was already waiting outside, a laptop bag slung over his shoulder. As soon as the car stopped, Ivan pushed the door open. Derrick climbed into the back seat, without wasting a second, he unzipped his bag and pulled out his laptop, cables, and a small external antenna.

“There's a GPS on her phone, I want you to trace it” Ivan said sharply.

He flipped the screen open, fingers dancing across the keyboard as his tracking software came to life.



Katerina sat in the dimly lit room, stared at man right in front of her, wondering why he had brought her here.

“Sasha, finally you and I have a private time together. I didn’t think this day would come”. Slavik said with sly in his voice.

She frowned, raising her eyebrow. She wriggled her hands off the loosely tied up rope and got up.

“Slavik, why did you bring me here?”

“Oh come on! We have unfinished business”

“Unfinished business?” She repeated softly “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Slavik took a few steps forward, before stopping. “Quit the pretense Sasha. It worked at the dinner party, not here.”

He moved closer until his breath brushed her cheek.

“I missed you, Sasha. What happened? you disappeared on us…on me. When you got back, you didn’t care to find me”

Katerina shrugged his hands off her shoulders. Before she could speak, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, it was Ivan.

“Do not pick up that call” Slavik ordered.
She didn’t.

“Slavik “ Katerin started “ This might sound crazy, but… I don’t recall anything about you. The very first time I saw you was at the dinner”

Slavik chuckled.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Did something happen to you all those years you disappeared on us” Slavik asked with concern in his voice.

“Yes. Five years ago. I got into an accident. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember a single thing, not even my name. The doctor said I had developed amnesia. So I started a new life. Five years later, Ivan appeared, telling me I am his wife. You needed to see the shock on my face. I never knew I was married, let alone to a mafia lord…” Katerina paused, scanning Slavik's face for a reaction.

Slavik scratched his head, the news sounding strange in his ear.
“Ivan never said anything about this” he said softly.
“ I guess Ivan never wanted anybody to know.” She said quietly. “But tell me, Slavik…why do you appear in one of my flashbacks?

Slavik’s eye softened “Sasha, I can’t believe all these happened to you. Ivan never said a word. I mean, I thought you just ran away and decided not to keep in contact with me. I was so angry. I kept asking myself. what I had done wrong. That’s why I wanted to see you again. Why do you think I wanted you abducted?

Katerina folded her arms, her voice sharp.
“That wasn’t smart of you though, I mean, couldn’t think of any other way to reach out to me besides abduction?

“A man that hasn’t seen you for five years doesn’t think straight” Ivan said softly. “ Sasha,,, oh sorry… Katerina, do you have any memory on what we were discussing before the accident?”

“That’s is why I came here Slavik. To find out. I feel like a ghost living in another woman’s body. From being an insurance adjuster. to being a traitor in my own husband‘s house. My life is a mess.”

“A traitor , what do you mean?” Slavik asked.

“It’s Ivan, he thinks I have a connection with his father‘s death. I've tried to get him to understand, but he just won’t listen. He keeps me in the house. doesn’t let me go out. doesn’t even let me breathe. It’s like I’m in a sort of cage. No freedom, no understanding, no comfort.”

“I'm so sorry Katerina, I can’t believe you have been throug all of this. Ivan should be confronted…”

“Oh no” She cut in. “ I don’t know what is going on between you both, I don’t want to make it worse than it already is.” She paused. “What is really going on between you both?”

“You know Ivan, he’s pretty stubborn. He always likes to win arguments, never wants to be confronted”

Katerina nodded.
“Oh yes… I know Ivan. Enough small talks. Tell me why did you bring me here?”

“To see you” Ivan replied, meeting her gaze. “Most importantly to find out what happened…Why you ghosted me?”

“ Well now you know… What next? I need answers Slavik, I need to know how I got involved in all of these. Ivan says I probably must have killed his father but my flashbacks tell me otherwise.”

Slavik turned away and sank into his wooden chair just at the corner of the room “How come you’re comfortable being with me? Don't you think I’m one of the bad guys that’s after you?”

“ I know a bad guy when I see one”

“Don’t be too sure” He muttered.

Katerina stepped closer “Tell me something Slavik. I'm very sure Ivan is on my radar and I can bet that he’ll be here any minute from now.

“What do you want to know?”

Katerina found a chair next to Slavik “In my last flashback, I saw you and I during Ivan‘s father's sixty eighth birthday, I remember telling you that I suspected that there’s an insider sabotaging all of our shipment and you agreed to work with me to find out who that person was.”

“That was a long time ago. We got our hands way too dirty and somehow you got yourself almost killed.”

“How do you know that’s what almost got me killed?”

He leaned forward, “What are the odds Katerina? I am guessing whoever did what they did wanted you dead. You bdimvy alive today, God knows it’s only a miracle. So I advise that you should let this go”

Katerina got up, abruptly. “ No! I can’t let this go down just like that, I have to find a way to prove that Sasha is innocent. I am being accused of murder and I could go to prison for a crime I didn’t remember committing. Help me out Slavik, help me save my name. Do you know what’s confusing? I don’t even know, if I actually committed Murder.”

Slavik got up from his chair, “You’re a lot of things, but definitely not a murder.”

“You don’t know that Slavik, you don’t know that.”
“I know you enough to say this, you’d go to any length to protect others. That’s not the heart of a killer.”
“What if I was on a mission? What if someone sent me?”

Slavik gave a short laugh.
“Come on, this is not a movie.”

“That is why I need your help Slavik,” She insisted.
“Help me out, help me find this traitor, so that I don’t go down for a crime that I didn’t commit.”

Slavik shook his head, “I am sorry, Katerina. I would have loved to, but I can’t get my hands dirty anymore. Can't get back to that life. I just want to stay out of trouble, unnecessary trouble.”

“Please Slavik, don’t do this” Katerina said softly. “I just need some information, past information, or anything. Something that can point me in the right direction. I need to know what to do from here. I can’t keep leaving as a prisoner in my own house. I also need to get back to my former life.”

Slavik looked at her with compassion in his eyes.

“I am sorry Katerina, but even if I wanted to help you, I no longer have access to that information. It’s been five years since I gave up and so I think you should too. Find another way to convince Ivan that you’re not a traitor without having to dig old graves. I could help you talk to Ivan.”

“Like that would work” Katerina scoffed. Slavik walked up close to her, resting his hands on her shoulders.

“There has got to be another way to prove him wrong, you just have to think harder.”

“You think that I haven’t? I came here, searching for answers. Maybe I shouldn’t have come at all, since you’re no good use”
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud thud. Two men stormed in, guns raised. Ivan followed, his face twisted in rage.
Katerina’s heart pounded. This isn’t good. She instinctively pulled away from Slavik’s grip.
Ivan charged forward, slamming his fist into Slavik’s jaw.
“You bastard! How dare you?” Ivan shouted as Slavik staggered to the floor.

“It’s not what you think Ivan, I promise you, we were just having a harmless meeting”

“Oh so he’s the friend you wanted to meet, so this wasn’t an abduction after all?”

“Well technically it was, just not a harmful one”

“Get in the car Katerina, we will have this conversation at home”

“But… what about,..”

“Get in the car!” Ivan reiterated sharply.

She looked back at Slavik, motionless on the floor and wondered, Would Ivan kill him?