“Yes. I’m going home,” I tell him.
“No you’re not. You’re staying here.”
“I want my things, and I need to pick up Gran’s ashes from the funeral home. Oh yeah—that’s another bone I have to pick with you,” I say as I stab my finger into his infuriatingly hard chest.
“Nyet. No. Drive my car back to the house,” Ivan demands.
“Make me,” I huff, but after we stare each other down, I eventually do as he says. When we get back to the house, I park behind the other cars this time and Ivan takes the keys from me. We walk in the front door, and I go to the guest room, slamming the door behind me.
I’m mad and have never felt so helpless in my life.
A couple of hours later, there’s a knock at my door.
“What?” I ask. I don’t feel much like talking to anyone right now.
“It’s Ivan. Open the door.” That accent does things to me that it shouldn’t.
“No. What do you want?” I ask through the door.
“For you to open the door,” Ivan responds.
“No thank you,” I tell him. He opens the door and comes in anyway. I sit up quickly and throw a pillow at him. “Get out!”
“You’re mad that I won’t let you leave, and I don’t care. At least you’re alive.”
“Why are you doing this, Ivan?” I ask him, tears forming at the corners of my eyes.
“I’m doing this because someone needs to make sure you’re safe,” he replies, grabbing me by the shoulders to get my attention.
“What about Gran’s ashes? What about my own things? How will I get any of that if I’m stuck here?” I ask him.
“I sent some men to your apartment to pack up your things. Your stuff will be delivered later this afternoon,” Ivan explains, releasing his grip on my shoulders and settling into a chair near the bed.
“Fine,” I say, the fight and sass leaving me. “What happened to Yuri?”
“He was punished for his failures yesterday.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“It means that he won’t be guarding you for a while, if ever again.”
“What did you do?” I continue to question.
“Nothing he didn’t deserve. Actually, that’s not true—he deserved to die for letting you get taken and failing my instructions. Instead he was beaten, by me, within an inch of his life, and will be under careful watch until further notice,” Ivan answers. I can hear the anger behind his words.
My eyes grow large and my hand covers my mouth in shock. I look down and notice that Ivan’s knuckles are red on both hands. I’m utterly speechless at what Ivan has told me. It seems harsh that Yuri was beaten so badly. I really hope he’s okay. I turn away from Ivan because I can barely stand to look at him.
“One more thing, Emma,” Ivan says as he turns toward the door.
“What?” I ask him over my shoulder, still annoyed we’re having this conversation.
“Next time you want to take a joyride, just ask. You don’t have to steal my car.” Ivan winks at me as he leaves the room.
“Arrogant asshole,” I huff as I cross my arms across my chest. Who does Ivan think he is? He can’t just boss me around and expect me to be happy about it.
As promised, my stuff arrived before the afternoon was over. Everything was packed into boxes and placed in the guest room where I’m staying. I search for my clothes and pull out my favorite pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, then search another box for my blanket from the couch. Whoever was on this crew also took the time to gently pad and pack my laptop.
I shower again, hoping to shake the awful feeling in my stomach at Yuri’s punishment, then crawl into bed to do some digital journaling. If Ivan wants me, he knows where to find me.
