CHAPTER EIGHT:
VIKTOR
Viktor was enraged, but also confused. He stomped down the hallway away from the bedroom to get away from Alexandra before she could further jar his thoughts. Each heavy footfall caused the glass on the light fixtures to jingle. Still in the hall, he turned back to his friend. “Roman, watch her. She is your responsibility now. I’m going out.” He moved to walk away without waiting for a response or confirmation. If he lingered here, he might just lose his temper.
He was trying to figure out Alexandra’s motives, but struggling. She was the enemy, logically. She’d been too eager to marry him after his father’s death. Given what they now knew of her father, she couldn’t be trusted. Her family was responsible for his father’s murder, and Boris’s bloodshed called for more bloodshed. He could not allow any interference with his vengeance.
Still, as Viktor continued down the stairs and toward the front door, he felt regret tugging at him. Alexandra was attractive, fierce in bed, and there was a genuine softness to her.
Softness… and also persistence. It was a dangerous combination. Many women in her shoes would have crumbled, but Alexandra still held strong. Viktor hated to admit to himself that he respected her for that.
The events of the past twenty-four hours weighed heavily on his mind and soul, though. He needed to get away to clear his head. When he returned, he would be refocused and better able to handle Alexandra and an investigation into her family.
I won’t let you down, Father, Viktor thought. I just need to get away for a little bit so I can think.
He sighed heavily, slipped on a coat, and disappeared through the front door.
His mind settled on the children’s home where he had donated his time and money for the past few years. Perhaps helping others would soothe him now as it had before, and he could think of no one in more need than the poor kids at Pathways Children’s Home.
* * *
At Pathways, Viktor made his way to the front desk, casting glances down the long hallways under flickering fluorescent lighting; with the floor’s dingy linoleum and decorations, the place was reminiscent of a school. The walls and bulletin boards displayed drawings and poems from the children, and posters featuring animals and inspirational messages lined the tops of the walls like a decorative border. The smell of industrial disinfectant mingled with lemon air freshener.
Earlier that year, Viktor’s financial contributions had ensured the building had been repainted, the heating and cooling fixed up for comfort, and he had replaced much of the furniture. Pathways was coming together again, slowly but surely.
Once at the front desk, Viktor signed in and made small talk with the apple-cheeked older woman behind the counter. As they discussed the kids’ latest drawings on nearby display, his eyes were drawn to the bowl of candy sitting next to the sign-in sheet. He pocketed a few suckers while she was distracted. Then, he followed the woman to the activity room.
When he came through the doors, several of the kids looked up and smiled at him in recognition. The plastic tables and benches were strewn with tiny, colorful rubber bands. Two adult workers were seated in the far corner with some of the younger kids, helping them place the bands on handheld, white plastic looms with a small stick. They looked up in acknowledgement, then continued with the kids.
“Viktor!” A girl with dark braids came up to him. Excitement flashed across her face as the rest of the kids either called out to him, waved sheepishly, or remained too busy with their crafts.
“How are you doing, Addison?” He tried to push away the darkness swirling in his mind and offered her a smile that he imagined came out looking more pained than pleasant. The girl didn’t seem to notice or care that he wasn’t at his best, though.
“It’s great! Look. We’re making bracelets.” She tugged on his sleeve and pointed to a table. Viktor’s heart warmed at how delighted she was by something so simple. If only his life could be so easy.
“Bracelets… out of rubber bands? That’s cool,” he said.
“Yeah, but Derek is having a really hard time.” The girl pointed to a boy at a table who looked to be about five. He was sitting with his arms crossed, facing the wall, visibly sulking. “He’s new. He just lost his parents and it’s his first day.”
Viktor looked the boy over and felt his heart sink.
I just lost my parent, too, little one.
Viktor smiled at Addison and gave her a wink. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to cheer him up then.” With Addison focused again on her bracelet, Viktor approached the boy and sat at the table next to him.
Derek’s eyes were puffy, and he sat hunched over. When Viktor leaned in, the boy didn’t react. He just kept staring at the wall.
“Hi. My name is Viktor. That’s Addison.” Viktor pointed to the girl at the table nearby, who waved in return. Derek slowly turned to look at him.
“Addison tells me it’s your first day. I know it can be scary sometimes,” Viktor added.
Derek nodded slowly. He looked Viktor over, his eyes showing how nervous he was. “I’m Derek,” he said quietly. “I miss my parents.”
The pain in Derek’s voice tore at Viktor, but he tried to keep a calmness to his face.
Derek added, “I miss them and I don’t want to be here.”
“I understand,” Viktor said slowly, wondering what could be said to give this boy any comfort at all. The enthusiasm Viktor had mustered to greet Addison was gone, replaced by sadness and empathy. “I lost my father yesterday,” he finally said. “I know how you feel.” He reached over and squeezed Derek’s shoulder. The boy had sat up a bit and turned to Viktor upon mention of Boris, his posture getting a little less heavy.
“Really? You’re an orphan, too?” Derek looked Viktor over once again, apparently less anxious now that they shared something in common.
“Well… yes. I guess you could say that. It’s very hard, isn’t it?” Viktor took a steadying inhale. Raw emotion had begun to bubble underneath the surface of his words, despite his best efforts to put on a brave face; he’d come here to forget about his own problems, and instead been confronted with their pain anew. “It’s like the bottom falls out of your world. The people you knew your whole life, who were there for you through everything… they’re gone. They’re gone, they were taken from you, and you just have to accept that even though it is cruel and unfair. They’re gone and they’re never coming back.” Viktor stared at the brightly colored squares of carpet on the floor and felt his chest aching.
When Derek began to sniffle, Viktor realized he’d been too harsh, too adult. The sniffling picked up into wailing as the boy cried.
Shit, Viktor thought. Shit.
“It’s okay, Derek. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you…” He fumbled for something more to say, but had nothing to offer.
“They’re never coming back!” Derek screeched out. This seemed to catch the attention of the workers in the corner in a way that the boy’s crying hadn’t, and one of them looked about to rise. The two adults looked to Derek, then to Viktor, and Viktor waved his hand as though to say ‘I’ve got this,’ but the workers didn’t seem impressed.
“Shhhh. Shhhh. You’re going to be okay.” Viktor remembered the suckers in his pocket and pulled one out. He offered it to Derek, at a loss for what else to do.
The boy’s crying quieted. Tears spilled down his cheeks in silence as he stared at the candy.
“It’s blue,” Derek said in a hoarse voice. He sounded amazed, as though Viktor had shown him a magic trick. “Blue… blue’s my favorite.” The kid slowly took the sucker and looked it over, then looked to Viktor. “How did you know?”
“Blue is everyone’s favorite.” Viktor forced a smile and hoped it looked genuine. Derek unwrapped the candy and popped the sucker into his mouth. The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve and turned toward the table. He picked up a rubber band and pulled at it.
Was that all it took? Viktor was waiting for Derek to start crying again, but the kid seemed to be okay now, closer to how he’d been before Viktor had approached. He resisted the urge to snort—one sucker, and the pain of the boy’s parents was forgotten, at least temporarily. Before he had a chance to envy Derek, an idea struck Viktor.
Alexandra had stood strong against him thus far while he had used anger and fear to try and control her. But what about candy? There must be other ways to get what he wanted. Candy worked for kids. He needed the adult equivalent.
Viktor watched Derek’s lips turn blue from the artificial sugar. He considered his options, and came up with a plan while he helped Derek and Addison with some bracelets.