Chapter 34

Mikhail.

"So right here, I'll input the business plan and the budget the company is willing to go for. Mr. Jones wouldn't have any issue with the supervisors who would represent you at the site. And also, Mrs. Diana has sent you the revenue for Project Beta, so that should be out of the-"

"Are you sure this is the right place?" I cut off Zach, who was working on the reports I didn't do. He glanced at me curiously and then at the window to overlook the outskirts of the city we drove into.

The roads were bad, and the shops were run-down. Paintings peeled off buildings, and they appeared like uncompleted ones, but because of the curtains in windows, I knew people lived there.

The streets were crooked with bumps we fell into. It was littered with dirt, and I looked away from the disgust.

"This is a pigsty!" I said, grateful my windows were up, and I didn't have to breathe in the same air as the ones in the area.

A group of thugs hung around, smoking and playing cards. They saw my car and they stopped, gawking so obviously. Even a few people had stopped to look at my car.

It was probably weird seeing such an expensive limo in their streets, and I basked in the admiration before facing Zach.

"This place is disgusting. How can anyone ever live here?" I said, shifting away from the glass when a small child passed by, trying to peep inside my car.

"It's disgusting to you. But this is where people live. It's not the city where you have expensive apartments and hotels," Zach replied, tapping furiously at his iPad. He was mad at me for not paying attention to him.

But who could blame me? I grew up with master bedrooms and golden chairs and tables, estates and five-star hotels. I had never been to such areas of the world in my life, the closest I had seen was on TV.

"I'm sure the people here are flea-infected. Come on! That drainage is bad, and it's dirty water running down the walls," I bleghed, feeling irritated as I looked up at a two-story building on the left.

Zach sighed. "That's mean. I'm sure no one here has fleas. Things aren't gold and silver here, Mikhail. Just be happy for the life you lived."

I relaxed against the chair. "There's nothing to be happy about the life I had," I muttered, gulping down a glass of whiskey on the small table in the limo.

"So should I continue the report?"

"I don't want to hear any business talks right now." I closed my eyes tiredly. "I'm tired. I couldn't sleep," I rubbed my closed eyelids.

"What the hell happened to your knuckles?" Zach said suddenly, getting closer to me as he grabbed my hand.

I groaned, opening my eyes to my blood-stained knuckles. Most of the blood was gone, but a few drops stayed, and it was getting bruised. I shrugged Zach off, placing my hand on my lap, and closing my eyes once more.

"Nothing. Tell the driver to play soothing music," I ordered, but Zach wasn't letting this one slide.

"You need to go to the hospital," he said, and I ignored him. When he was tired, he would be quiet. But it wasn't anytime soon 'cause he spoke again.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"So why? Was it because of the bad dreams again? Was that why you couldn't sleep? Did you take your medications?" Zach asked at once, and I groaned angrily.

"Driver. Are we there yet?" I suddenly asked, ignoring Zach once more.

"Mikhail! This is serious. Did you take your medications last night? You shouldn't be slacking off them, and you know why! Your father-"

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, grabbing onto Zach's shirt, and he gasped, staring up at me fearfully.

"Mind your fucking business, or I'll fire you," I blurted out, pushing him backward and resting against the chair, closing my eyes, trying to fight the guilt that clawed at my heart.

"Mikhail?" Zach whispered after some time.

I didn't respond, and I heard him sniff. I peeked at him from under my lashes in case he was crying because Zach was emotional. But his head was lowered, and his eyes sad. I closed mine, ignoring him again.

"Remember that time I couldn't sleep when we had that sleepover in grade eight? And you played the piano that night for me. That was the first time I actually slept well after my dad died. Seeing you struggle with insomnia is tearing me apart. The bad dreams are just another one, and it's not all that you've been experiencing the past few days. I've noticed you zoning out during meetings, and I know you aren't thinking of Ava. I've seen you stagger in the office, and your hands trembling like it is now."

I grabbed onto my right hand, squeezing it and clenched it angrily.

"It might not bother you as much as it does me. But if you care once about me, then you'll take your pills. They are there to help you, Mikhail, and the longer you go without them, the more your past catches up with you," Zach finished, and I felt his gaze on me, but I said nothing to that as the car pulled to a stop, and the driver said we had gotten to Ava's place.

"Grab my phone," I ordered, opening the door and stepping into the bright sun. Standing in front of us was a three-story building with what was once a white wall painting now turned grey. There was a small door with no security as the entrance.

How the hell could someone live here?

I sighed, remembering Ava's face, and headed into the building, eyes darting around for anything that could be a danger to my health.

I heard Zach following behind me. "Apartment thirty-six. Last floor," he said, and I glanced around.

"Where's the elevator?" I asked, not noticing any around.

"I don't think there's any," Zach responded, heading for the staircase just beside an apartment door.

I dusted off my suit and followed behind him. "Do you think she'll be home?" I suddenly asked, bending a little to avoid the spiderwebs on the walls.

"She should be. I checked, and she has no other job. And the club doesn't open till seven." A rat scurried past Zach, pulling along with it a dirty slice of pizza, and he jerked in fear before sighing and continuing.

"I should have just invited her out rather than come over here," I said.

"And you honestly think she'll come after the humiliation from yesterday?"

"Yes."

"You're really so full of yourself, Mikhail." Zach laughed, and for a second, I was happy he was no longer mad at me.

When we reached the last floor, we were blasted with the loud bang of metal music coming from the first apartment.

"The police should be called for noise pollution," I groaned, passing the apartment as we continued down the messy hallway, with our one bulb shining bright above us.

A door opened, and a short, fat woman with a lot of makeup walked into the hallway, her eyes fixed on us as they opened wide in recognition.

"Mi-Mikhail Ivanshov?" she stammered, brushing off her apron as if to make it less messy than it already was.

"Hello?" Zach stepped forward while I rolled my eyes, peeping into one of the apartments whose door was halfway open.

A small girl came to the door with bright blue eyes and blonde hair, watching me with curious eyes.

"What?" I asked her, and she screamed before slamming the door shut. I fixed my gaze back on Zach, who was speaking to the woman.

"She's the landlady of the house, and she confirms that Ava lives here," Zach said to me, and the woman smiled up at me. It was creepy.

"Where's Ava's apartment?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

"Ha! Yes! This way, sir," she said hurriedly, leading the way to the next apartment on the left.

And just when I thought I had seen it all, I was shocked that this apartment had no door.

The door had been completely ripped out from the frame, leaving pieces of wood at the edges. And as I stepped closer, I really noticed that the whole place was in shambles. Like someone had literally broken in and destroyed everything in sight.

"Are you sure you got the right Ava? Ava Delaney?" Zach started to ask, just as confused as I was.

"Yes. Brown hair, hazel eyes, probably 5'7", works at night?" the landlady asked, and Zach nodded before glancing at me.

"I don't think she's here. I mean, no one can live here," Zach said.

"No. No. This wasn't how the apartment was. Just yesterday, an unknown person broke into her apartment and destroyed it to the ground. No one had been around, so-"

"Someone broke in?!" I yelled angrily. "Don't you have security cameras or security to watch the place?" I asked, and the woman staggered backward fearfully.

"We can't afford that right now. But Ava must have pissed off someone because they only broke into her apartment. It was planned and targeted at her," the woman answered.

"So where's she now? She couldn't have possibly spent the night here?"

"No. Immediately she got back yesterday, it wasn't until five minutes later she got a call and had to leave immediately," the old woman explained, and I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

"Fuck!"

"Boss, her number is not reachable now. And Mr. Jones is calling. We have to head back to the company now," Zach said, and I glared hatefully at him before stomping to the woman. She stepped back until she hit her back against the wall.

I pulled out my card and handed it to her. "If she comes back, call me," I said.

"Sorry, sir, we don't disclose tenants' info-" she started to say, and I stepped away from her, turning back to Zach, giving him a knowing nod as he stepped forward, bringing out a wad of cash from his pocket and handing it to the landlady, who gasped in shock.

"Call me," I said again, and she nodded vigorously, smiling so hard I thought her cheeks would hurt before I left for the stairs, with Zach following behind me.

Glancing at the apartment once more, a thousand thoughts flashed across my mind.

Was Ava safe?

Where did she go?

Who could have broken into her apartment? It clearly wasn't to steal anything because she was nowhere near owning any valuable properties.

No! The landlady was right. It was someone who had Ava in mind, someone who wanted to hurt her, and I was only glad she hadn't been there to experience the psycho who did that.

As I got back to the car, and it started to leave back to the city, I totally ignored Zach, who filled me in on the meeting from last week with Mr. Jones. My mind was filled with Ava. Thoughts of her getting hurt flashed across my face as I tried to think of anyone who could hurt her.

That was when everything clicked. The incident that had happened at the club a few days ago between Ava and the Russian Mafia, Adrik. I remembered him being so adamant about having Ava dance for him in front of everyone.

He had to be the one. I clenched my fist angrily.

"Put a call through to Adrik, the Russian Mafia. Tell him we need to talk."