“Hello,” a plump woman with red cheeks and a broad smile said from behind the display of rolls and muffins and cakes. “What can I help you with?”
“I have no idea,” I said with a giggle. “The smell of your bread attracted us. What’s freshly baked?”
“Cheese rolls,” she announced happily.
“Perfect! We’ll take a dozen.” I turned to Viktor. “That’s okay, right?”
He nodded. “Whatever you want, Malen kiy.”
Whatever I wanted? It was hard to keep my mind from wandering.
“Terrible weather we’re having,” the baker asked as she bagged the rolls. “Most of Owl Creek Road washed away, I heard. And Brush Creek is flooded, too.”
My heart sank when I heard the route to Grizzly Falls was closed. I wasn’t going home any time soon, apparently. What an incredibly unfortunate series of events. It was almost impossible to believe - no phones, the roads were inaccessible… it was as if Mother Nature herself was trying to keep me here.
“Are you new in town?” the baker asked, handing me the brown paper bag with our rolls
“Just passing through,” I said, taking it.
“Oh, well, then you’ve come to the right place for a tourist experience. I’m Kathy, the owner. I bake most of this myself every morning.”
“It smells incredible,” I gushed, sucking in another deep breath.
Kathy offered me a bread board with different pieces to try, and I took one. Viktor did the same, although he looked like he was just doing it to be polite.
I bit into the delicious bread and nearly moaned. “Oh, it's amazing!” I exclaimed with my mouth full.
Kathy practically glowed. “If you spread the word, that would be wonderful.”
“Of course,” I said, swallowing. “I’ll tell everyone I see how delicious your goods are.”
Viktor paid with cash, just like at the doctor’s office. I wondered if a man who lived secluded in the mountains had no use for a bank.
When we left the store, I opened the bag and breathed in the heavenly scent of fresh bread. “This is why I will never look like a Hollywood model,” I said. “I love bread too much.”
Viktor put his hand on my hip and spun me around to face him so quickly I yelped, nearly losing my balance. “I won’t hear any more of it,” he growled. “You’re fucking stunning, Angel. Do you understand? You don’t need to change a thing.”
He was so fierce, so serious. And the vehemence with which he’d said it, the power rippled over my skin. I swallowed hard, trying not to wonder what it would be like if he took control in the bedroom, and nodded.
No man had ever made me feel as good about myself as he did. It was incredible how he could scold me and at the same time compliment me.
“Let’s get back to the cabin,” Viktor said hotly and marched away from me.
I didn’t understand his moods and stared after him for a moment, frowning. He never slowed, and I didn’t want to get left behind. I followed at a jog to catch up with the pace he set with his long legs.
Viktor
I lay on the roof, the sniper rifle set up. It was dark. I had chosen one of the roofs where the lights didn’t reach. St. Petersburg was a bright city, a beautiful city, but it had a dark side all the same. You didn’t fuck around in the alleyways unless you could handle yourself.
Lebedev couldn’t handle himself. For one, he couldn’t handle his booze to save his life. He was like a frat boy who’d just turned twenty-one, stumbling all over the place with the hooker he’d picked up to take home. Or rather, to a hotel room. I didn’t get the feeling his wife would condone this behavior.
“Come, darling,” I heard the hooker say to Lebedev. “We should get out of the dark. This area is not a good one.”
“Fuck it,” Lebedev slurred. “I’ll protect you.” He pulled a gun from his pocket and swung it around in the air. The hooker jumped back, fear in her expression. I didn’t blame her. Most men were idiots with guns. Give an idiot alcohol, and the equation turned into a shit show.
“Anton, please, put the gun away,” the hooker pleaded.
Lebedev laughed and fired two shots into the air. One of them whistled past my ear, and I ducked behind the edge of the roof. Fuck, that had been close.
“I didn’t sign up for this shit,” the hooker said and walked away.
“Hey, where you going?” Lebedev’s slurring made him almost incoherent.
“You’re playing with the wrong gun, honey,” the hooker said. “When you get your shit together, we can try again.”
I was glad she was gone. I preferred when no one saw the body go down. No traumatized witnesses.
A car pulled up in front of Lebedev, and he staggered a little.
“Masha?” he asked, incredulous, when a woman stepped out. She wore a fur coat, and her blonde hair glinted in the streetlight just above them.
Dammit, his wife had found him. He wasn’t alone.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Anton?” Masha asked. She didn’t sound angry. She sounded exasperated. “I thought we talked about this.”
Anton had tucked away his gun when he’d recognized his wife. Had she seen it? It was difficult to say.
“You told me you would be home by eleven.”
I glanced at my wristwatch. It was almost one in the morning.
“I don’t have to answer to you,” Lebedev shouted.
“Hush, Anton,” Masha scolded. “The children.” She pointed to the car, and I saw two white faces, wrapped in fur hats, peeking out.
For fuck’s sake! How the hell was I supposed to shoot the man now? No fucking way I was doing it with the kids watching. The women were bad enough – I hated seeing them wail in terror and anguish when their men went down. I’d given up on killing people in public a long time ago.
But kids? That was a whole different puddle of piss. I wasn’t in the business of causing irreparable damage to a child. Hell, if I’d been treated right when I was a little tyke, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up the bastard I was.
I put the gun away. My phone rang, vibrating against my leg. I pulled out the phone.
“Is it done?” Maksim asked.
“No,” I said. “There is a complication.”
“Don’t do this to me.”
I killed the call. I wasn’t arguing about this. I lifted my rifle and pointed it at Anton Lebedev. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the trigger.
The world turned red around me. I shattered into a million pieces that blew away, scattered on the wind.
“No!” I shouted, sitting up in my bed, breathing hard. My breath rasped in and out of my throat as I gasped for air. My skin was slick with sweat as I ran my hands through my wet hair.
“Hey,” Angela whispered next to me.
I jerked around, grabbing the thin neck and squeezing. Only when Angela cried out did I realize I wasn’t dreaming anymore. I was hurting her. I let go of her, jerking back, horrified at what I had done.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered fiercely.
“What the hell?” Angela whispered. Her hand was clutched to her throat, her eyes wide.