1
Solange
Huddled on the floor of the broom closet above my family’s café, I listened to the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood, my hands shaking as I clutched my phone. There was no one to call. No one that could help us. My brother might already be dead, and who knew what they were doing to my father. My mother had snuck out to try to get help, but I doubted anyone was coming. That’s just how it was here in this small rural town. We’d survived a dictator-style monarchy for more than a decade, but our new and benevolent king had no idea what was happening in the small towns, the places far from the capital city where he resided. He was doing the best he could, but change wasn’t happening fast enough for some of us.
If only there was someone to help get the word out. Even if it was too late for my family, maybe there was a way to get news to the capital city so this wouldn’t happen to anyone else.
Call him.
The tiny voice in my head was as desperate as I was, and though it was probably a terrible idea, I wasn’t sure I could live with myself if I did nothing while my father and brother were murdered. Even if he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—help, at least I’d be able to say I’d done everything I possibly could.
Making an impulsive decision, I scrolled through the saved numbers on my phone and found it.
Xander.
I’d only known him for a couple of hours, and though I hadn’t known it then, I’d since seen him on TV so I now knew he was important. Connected. Maybe the only person in the world who could save my family tonight.
My hands were shaking so badly it took two tries before I hit the number on the screen, and then it rang four times before someone picked up. The voice was gruff, annoyed. I’d obviously woken them.
“Who is this?” the voice on the other end demanded.
“I… My name is Solange.” I spoke English, though I suspected whoever this was spoke my language, Limaji, too. “I-I need to speak with—” I let out an involuntary shriek as a crash from downstairs was so strong it shook the floor beneath me.
“Who is this?!” the man demanded again.
“Please. I need Xander. My name is Solange and I helped him when he was hurt—oh, please help us!” I burst into tears as another crash shook the whole building.
“Hold the line.”
I sobbed silently as I waited, terrified for my family, terrified for myself. There were rumors about what they did to the young, attractive members of the families who couldn’t pay. I didn’t know how attractive I was in general, but I almost definitely fit the bill for these monsters who terrorized our town.
“Hello?” I recognized his American accent immediately and nearly wilted with unexpected relief.
“Xander, it’s S-solange. F-from the café in V-vinake.” I was shaking even harder now, trying to talk in whispers through my tears. “Please…”
“Okay, calm down. What’s happening?”
“The men… who collect taxes… They’re here. We’re short this week and I think they’ve already beaten my brother to death. They’re tearing up the café, looking for money… They’ve tied up my father… Please help us, we have no one else!”
“Taxes…” He sounded confused. “Solange, I don’t understand.”
“They’re like…the mafia, like you see in American movies—oh my god!” This crash was loud enough for him to hear on the other end and I heard his intake of breath.
“Okay, where are you exactly?”
“In the closet on the second floor of the building.”
“We have a man not far from there. I’ll try to reach him. Stay where you are. I’ll call you back.” He disconnected and I covered my face with my hands, trying to mask the sound of my sobs.
There couldn’t be anything left of the café after an attack that had lasted this long, and if my father and brother were still alive, it would be a miracle.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but the violence continued and I was on the verge of vomiting. I wanted to help, but what could I do and how would it help anyone if they raped or killed me too?
My phone buzzed in my lap and I snatched it up. “Yes? Hello?”
“His name is Axel and he’ll be there in a minute or two. Stay on the line with me.”
“O-okay.” I could barely speak now, my heart slamming against my ribs, my breath short and choppy.
“How did you know how to reach me?” he asked softly, most likely trying to distract me.
“You used my phone to call someone. I thought you were handsome and I was supposed to go to the U.S. this summer on holiday…so I saved the number you called, thinking maybe I could reach you, see you while I was in the U.S. If you were interested.” I sniffled. “Then I saw you on television, with Princess Elen, and realized who you were, that you weren’t really an American tourist who’d been mugged. So of course I didn’t call, but… but I saved the number because…I was afraid I might need a favor someday. Not for myself, but for my family.”
“Okay, Axel is there, outside. You just sit tight and wait until I tell you it’s okay to move.”
“M-my mother went to get help, but the police are as afraid of them as we are.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
There was another crash and this time some yelling. Then there were gunshots that made me jump just as everything went quiet. I heard footsteps on the stairs and started to shake again.
“Solange?” A deep male voice—distinctly American—was calling my name.
“It’s okay,” Xander said in my ear. “That’s Axel. You can trust him.”
I got to my feet and slowly opened the door, stepping out into the hallway just as the biggest man I’d ever seen came around the corner with a gun in his hand. I shrieked and threw myself back inside the closet.
“Solange, it’s okay.” His voice was deep but somehow soothing. “Xander sent me.” He stood in the doorway of the closet, peering at me with a look so gentle I burst into tears all over again.
“You’re in safe hands with Axel,” Xander said quietly, “and I’m on the way. We’ve called for the helicopter and I’ll be there in less than an hour. Axel is handling everything, I promise.”
“Th-thank you.”
“I owed you one.” Xander disconnected.
“You’re going to need to call for an ambulance,” Axel said as I joined him in the hallway. “Your brother’s in rough shape and your father has some bruises.”
“Oh no.” I ran down the stairs before he could stop me and the scene before me made my knees give out. What had been a functioning, busy café just two hours ago was now…akin to the wreckage of a plane crash. There was nothing left except the furniture built into the foundation. Every table, chair, dish, and glass had been destroyed. Countertops smashed. Cash register demolished into nothing but pieces of plastic on the floor. Even the glass windows shattered. And in the middle of it all was my brother. Covered in blood.
“Kostya.” I whispered his name but couldn’t move. Axel had caught me when I nearly dropped to my knees, and now he gently guided me to my unconscious brother. “Oh, god, is he alive?”