Aras

“Do I have you to thank for that little gift from Greece?” Ezekiel asked several hours later.

“You can thank Vlad,” I responded.

“He never struck me as the generous type.”

“Well, some people still have the capacity to surprise us,” I said.

“Indeed,” Ezekiel responded.

He looked at me for a moment, knowing this kind of back-and-forth was out of character.

But I was in a celebratory mood.

Vlad had lost a shipment, a huge setback for his business. He’d also set himself on a path that would not end well for him.

And most importantly, he had gone back to the townhouse and found Lake gone.

I hadn’t bothered to watch when he went inside, but I did look at the camera in the garage.

When Vlad got back into the limo, the expression on his face was one that I savored.

He looked confused, like he couldn’t believe she wasn’t there, like his mind couldn’t accept what his eyes had seen.

He looked angry, nothing new or even unusual.

What was unusual was the pain.

I had almost missed it, but I’d eventually seen it, that distant, far-off hurt in his eyes.

Before, I’d wondered if he even had the capacity to be hurt.

I had considered taking his wife, son, dismissed both, having watched him enough to know that neither of them really mattered.

But she did.

I’d known that before, had definitive proof of it now.

I also knew that Vlad would be forced to react.

Against whom?

I had left no trace, and no matter how hard he might search, he wouldn’t find her.

Which would make him frustrated, reckless, something that would only hasten his demise.

It had been a very good day indeed.

“You look like you almost want to smile,” Ezekiel said.

“You must be seeing things,” I responded absently.

“Must be.”

“You should put the word out to be on the watch for Vlad,” I said.

“Why is that?”

“He needs to make an example of someone for the missing shipment.”

“You think he would come after Yuri’s men?” Ezekiel asked, sounding surprised.

“No, but he won’t be thinking clearly right now. So keep your eyes peeled,” I said.

“Will do,” Ezekiel responded.

Ezekiel and I both worked for Yuri Ivanov, a man of varied business interests, most of which were illegal, many of which we were a part of. Being a member of Yuri’s organization gave me access to his network, which had tentacles that went everywhere.

Vlad would be a fool to try to move against Ezekiel, but I would never count on Vlad not being a fool.

“Call me if anything comes up,” I said.

“Okay,” Ezekiel responded.

I left, and though I could see he wanted to say something else, he didn’t.

Which was good, because I had things to do today, and yet another conversation with Ezekiel was not one of them.

I came up from the basement and made a beeline for Lake’s room.

I opened the door without knocking, my eyes immediately drawn to her.

She was sitting in a carved wooden chair, flipping through a book.

When she finally became aware of me, she jumped to her feet, dropping the book to the floor.

I saw her pained expression when she looked at me, hated the fear in her eyes.

“Sorry about that,” she said, leaning over to pick up the book and then standing tall again. “Guess I got distracted. Gulliver’s Travels has always been one of my favorites.”

“Where did you find it?” I asked.

“On the small bookcase. I didn’t think to ask. I hope it’s okay,” she said.

“It’s fine.”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her nerves apparent.

I stared at her, noticed that while she was nervous, her fear was gone. That made me happy, but left me with questions.

“Why are you nervous?” I asked.

“What possible reason could I have to be nervous?” she responded.

“That’s a question,” I shot back.

She smiled quickly. “Indeed it is. Sorry. I’m fine.”

She spat out the last two sentences in rapid succession, and I wasn’t sure if they were designed to convince me or convince her.

I went silent, watched her, and then it finally occurred to me.

“You’re embarrassed,” I said.

“I’m not embarrassed,” she responded.

“You are,” I said.

She didn’t bother to argue, which was as good as a confession, not that I needed one.

I hadn’t thought about it, but as I did now, it became clear.

I was learning her, starting to figure out what her different expressions meant. That knowledge was both scary and exciting, though I wouldn’t allow myself to think about either.

I stared at her a moment longer, noticing that she couldn’t maintain eye contact and appeared to be somewhere between laughing out loud and hiding her face.

I couldn’t shake how sweet I found that expression, how seeing it set off a spark of warmth in my chest.

I wanted to shake that feeling loose, not that I knew how.

Sweet?

What did I know about that?

Nothing.

I had momentarily lost track of who she was and how she had come to be in my presence, but I reminded myself why and then went ahead with the reason that I had come in the first place.

“He knows you’re gone,” I said.

Something in her seemed to deflate, and she sat back down in the chair, her movements leaden, heavy, like all the energy had drained out of her.

“That’s…not good,” she finally whispered. “I had—it doesn’t matter.”

“Finish,” I responded.

“I’d hoped he would stay away longer. And that this would be over before he got back,” she said.

Her words immediately set me on edge.

“You think this is going to be over?” I said.

Even to my own ears, my voice was harsh, but Lake gave no reaction.

“No. Not really. But I hoped,” she said on a deep sigh that was filled with resignation.

I decided I didn’t like that sound in her voice, sought to help.

“Just do as you’re told. Like I said, no promises, but that will help,” I said.

She didn’t say anything, just nibbled on her lip, looking furtively around the room.

For reasons I didn’t understand, I wanted to comfort her. She was afraid, very, if my calculation was right, which I was certain it was.

And she wasn’t afraid of me.

She was worried about Vlad, what he might do now that she was gone.

I wanted to tell her that he would do nothing, that he could no longer do anything to her at all.

That I wouldn’t let him.

The thought come from nowhere, but had a ring of truth I couldn’t deny.

A truth I couldn’t indulge.

I left the room without looking back.