“Wow,” Josh says. “This is nice.”
“Wait until you get on the airplane, kiddo,” Lev says.
Lev turns and closes the door, then walks me the few steps backward to the Jeep.
“You’re not taking him. You can’t take him!”
He takes my right wrist, turns my hand palm up, and drops my keys in them. At that moment, I realize how powerless I am. How stupid. If he wants Josh, I’ve just made it that much easier for him to kidnap my son.
I look up to find his dark eyes on me.
He wouldn’t take my son, would he? Is this my punishment for running away when I was pregnant with his baby? Does he still blame me for that?
“Please don’t take my son from me.” Tears burn my eyes.
“Katya.” He cups my face, wiping the tears from my cheeks, and something about the way he says my name tugs at my heart. “Josh is my family.”
I feel my knees buckle, and it takes all I have to keep upright. “You can’t. Please—”
“You’re my family.” He pulls me to him and puts his lips to my forehead. He holds me there for a long minute, and I feel myself go soft. When he draws back, I look up at him. “Do you think I would take our son away from his mother? Didn’t you hear me when I told you that you belong to me? I take care of what’s mine, Katya. You and the boy are mine. Now get yourself together. Your passport is in your bag. You need to check in for your flight to Florida.”
“Florida? You said…you said…” I’m hyperventilating. I try to push him away and go to Josh.
“Look at me,” he says, taking my arms and giving me a little shake. “Get yourself together and look at me.”
I look up at him.
“You need to drive to the airport and park your car. Leave the keys inside and check in for your flight to Florida. I’ve sent you the ticket on your phone. Once you check in, you’ll bypass security and walk to Terminal B. You’ll exit the airport there. Josh and I will be waiting for you, and from there, we’ll get to our real flight to Philly. This way, if anyone is looking for you, they’ll think you’ve gone to Florida.”
“But—”
“We’re pressed for time now.” He reaches into his back pocket and takes out an envelope. From inside it, he hands me a new phone. “After you check in, take the SIM card out of your old phone and flush it, then throw your phone away. You’ll call me with this once you’re on your way to Terminal B, and I’ll come get you. Understand?”
“I want to take Josh with me.”
He shakes his head. “Can’t do that. I have your new passport, and I’ll hold on to his until you meet us.”
There’s a knock on the window, and I see Josh’s bright face as he waves to us.
“Pull yourself together for him. You don’t want him upset.”
“Can I at least kiss him and explain what’s happening?” I ask, turning away from the window and wiping the last of my tears.
Lev nods, tucks my hair behind my ears, and opens the back door.
“It’s a nice car, Mommy. We should get one like this.”
I try to smile, but it falters. “Let’s get to Philly first. Lev’s going to drive you to the airport, okay? I have to drop off the Jeep, but I’ll see you there, okay? I’ll see you at the airport, and we’ll get on the airplane together, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
I lean in to kiss him. “I love you, baby,” I say, hugging him as best I can while he’s still strapped into his seat.
“I love you, Mommy.”
21
Lev
Kat’s voice is tense when I answer her call, and it’s clear she’s still uncertain whether I’ll actually be waiting for her outside.
“I’m on my way,” she says. “Just about to walk through the doors.”
“We’re pulling up to the curb now,” I assure her. “We’ll be right outside.”
She’s quiet but doesn’t hang up, and when she finally walks through the doors and spots us waiting for her, the tension melts from her body. She hurries over to the SUV and climbs inside, glancing back at Josh.
“Hey, buddy, are you okay?”
“Yeah, Mommy.” He gives her a sleepy nod.
She glances at me too, and I squeeze her thigh beneath my palm before steering us back out into traffic. “It’s called trust, Kat. We’ll get there.”
“Where are we going now?” She stares out the window as I drive.
“Now we’re going to another airport.”
She nods as if she’s numb to the fact that I’ve uprooted her life like this. A small part of me feels guilty for that, but if keeping her safe causes her some discomfort, I’ll deal with that any day of the week so long as she’s still alive.
“You were right, you know.” Her wavering voice distracts me from the road, and when I look over at her, I can’t identify the source of concern on her face.
“Right about what?” I reach over and turn her face toward me. “What is it?”
Her lip trembles, and her eyes are glassy as she shakes her head. She peeks over her shoulder to make sure Josh isn’t listening before she speaks.
“One of the teachers from school called me on my way to the airport,” she tells me. “She said two men showed up there today, Lev. They were looking for me, and they spoke another language. She thought maybe Russian.”
Acid fills my gut as I process her words. This is the manifestation of my worst fears. Vasily doesn’t trust me anymore, and now he’s coming after her himself. But what’s even worse is the fact that he tracked her down here. Something that took me four years to do myself. The question is how.
“They were in my classroom,” Kat continues. “Nobody knows how they’d even got into the building since it wasn’t a school day. The teachers had meetings all day. So, it must be them, right? It must be Vasily’s men?”
“Probably.” I squeeze her thigh again, opting for a neutral tone. She doesn’t need to doubt my abilities to keep her safe. That’s the last thing I want. “But it’s going to be okay. You’re with me now.”
“I just keep thinking about it.” She shakes her head, silent tears splashing against her cheeks. “What if we were there, Lev? What would they have done to us?”
“You weren’t there.” My fingers tighten on the steering wheel. “And they aren’t going to do anything to you. I will keep you safe, sweetheart. Even if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
My ominous words don’t seem to bring her any comfort. Kat curls into herself, wiping away her tears and distracting herself with the passing scenery.
“I just can’t believe this is my life,” she murmurs, so quietly I almost don’t hear her.
I know what she means. If she hadn’t gotten mixed up with me, this wouldn’t be happening right now. And a part of me wishes she hadn’t. But yet another part of me selfishly doesn’t give a fuck. Because she’s mine now, and regardless of the impending storm ahead, I intend to keep it that way.