“Sorry, angel.” I smile, then direct my stare at Ogla. “Tell your boss that he can’t stop me from tending to a patient.”
And with that, I take the food and tell Jeremy to come with me.
We go into the guest house. Unlike the other guards, Kolya and Yan apparently live here. As usual, there are two soldiers with drawn weapons in front of the building. I’m prepared to give them a piece of my mind if they try to stop me, but they don’t.
When we go into Yan’s room, we find him sleeping. He woke up a few days ago, but the doctor put him on pain medication that causes him to sleep more.
He’s covered by a gray duvet that’s been pulled up to his chin, a slight stubble growing on his jaw, but he’s not as pale as those first few days.
Kolya sits by his side, tapping on his laptop. I’m surprised to find him here, because he’s usually Adrian’s shadow, and since Ogla told me Adrian has outside business today, I thought Kolya would be with him.
But then again, there’s been simmering tension between the two of them since Yan’s injury. They barely address each other, even in Russian. Adrian has been going out a lot during the day with the other men, and Kolya has hardly left Yan’s side
When we enter, he closes his laptop and stands up.
“Is he better?” I offer Kolya food.
He takes it and places it on the nightstand. “Yes. I believe so.”
Jeremy sits on the floor running his figurine over the sheet, but it’s far enough from Yan so that it doesn’t cause him discomfort.
“Mrs. Volkov.”
My attention slides from Jeremy to Kolya. “Yes?”
“Please leave. Boss gave clear instructions about not welcoming you here anymore.”
I grit my teeth. That fucking asshole.
“I’m not leaving.” I cross my arms. “And if Adrian says anything, tell him I insisted.”
Kolya’s face remains stoic as he murmurs, “You’re making Yan’s case worse, not better, Mrs. Volkov.”
“Surely he wouldn’t hurt his injured man because I want to visit him.”
“No, but he’ll suspect him more.”
I frown. “Suspect him?”
“Boss thinks Yan could’ve been behind your kidnapping.”
“What the hell? He got shot. Twice.”
Kolya’s jaw tightens. “He thinks Yan could’ve done that on purpose to get away with it.”
“Holy shit. Your boss is a fucking dictator.”
I can tell Kolya wants to defend Adrian, but something stops him. Or someone. Yan’s inert body. So that’s the reason behind the tension between them. Adrian suspects Yan, and the senior guard doesn’t like it.
“Did you tell him your version of events, Mrs. Volkov?”
“Of course.” The bastard made me repeat it again and again as if to make sure I wasn’t making things up and that I was retelling it as it happened.
I didn’t mention the man shadow and what he said. I screwed some details up to make it seem like the kidnappers threw us out of the car and left. I heard Adrian talk to one of his men, who said that they found a disfigured corpse with the car that fell down the cliff. It must’ve been Rifle Man.
No one mentioned anything about the other man. The shadow, who said that I have a mission and called me Duchess. I doubted that would help Adrian in any way, and it would’ve been bad for me.
Because even I still don’t understand what his words mean.
But I didn’t think Adrian would believe Yan had betrayed him. He’s such a bastard for suspecting his closest people.
“Mommy.” Jeremy tugs on my dress.
“Yes, angel?”
“I want to bring my war zone here.”
“Okay.” I pause before complying. “Can you do it, Kolya?”
“I’m taking care of Yan.”
“I’ll do it.”
“It’s better if you don’t. Boss doesn’t like it.”
“I told you, I don’t care what he does or doesn’t like.”
Kolya remains there for a few seconds and when it’s clear that I won’t budge, he releases a small sigh. “Very well.”
“I wanna come too! I wanna come too!” Jeremy releases me and goes to his father’s closest guard. “Take me, Kolya.”
“Keep an eye on him.” Kolya tips his head in Yan’s direction and I nod.
After the door closes behind them, I pull the covers up a little over his body. “I’m sorry your boss is a major fucking jerk, Yan.”
His lips move in what resembles a smile before his eyes open. When he speaks, his voice is hoarse. “He always was. Are you only seeing it now?”
“Yan! Do you need anything? Should I get you water or food or—”
My words cut off when he lifts his hand and wraps it around mine. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Sure…”
The look in his eyes coupled with his touch is throwing me off. There’s something behind them, but what?
As if sensing my reaction, he pulls his hand from mine. “To show my gratitude, I want you to go somewhere.”
“Somewhere?”
“Kolya is the only guard inside. So you won’t have anyone to stop you now that he’s not here.”
“Stop me from what?”
“The second story, Mrs. Volkov. The one you’ve been looking at for weeks.”
My heart leaps to my throat as his words register. He noticed.
I have contemplated going up there ever since I had the chance to come here and visit Yan, but Kolya always, without doubt, escorts me out after every visit.
And I haven’t had the courage to come back during the night, especially with how often I pass out due to Adrian’s thorough fucking.
“Kolya is Adrian’s number one man and confidant,” Yan says. “His loyalty lies with him and always will, no matter what the boss does. Make no mistake, if he finds you, he won’t hesitate to sell you out, so you better hurry up.”
“What about you, Yan? Wouldn’t this get you in trouble?”
“I’m just a patient asleep. I’ll pretend I know nothing.” He winks, and my heart thunders.
Holy shit. I saw that wink before, but where? Where?
“Go,” he whispers.
A part of me doesn’t want to, a part of me wants to bury my head under the sand like little Miss Ostrich.
But that part doesn’t win.
Because the biggest part of me wants to go up there and see what’s going on. Maybe if I do, I can find a solution to the situation I’m in. Maybe I can finally get rid of the nightmares.
I squeeze Yan’s arm as a message of thanks, then leave the room. I go up the stairs two at a time because I know Kolya won’t take long to return. As soon as I’m on the second floor, a gloomy sensation crawls up my skin.
Marionette strings snap in my neck as I take mechanical steps down the hall. I shouldn’t know where I’m going and yet, it feels like I do.
I don’t open the first or the second door and, instead, stop in front of the last one to the right. The one with the window I saw that day.
My fingers tremble as I turn the doorknob. I expect it to snap shut and lock me out, but a soft click echoes in the air.