Page 31 of The Agreement

“You’re not listening to me. You need to have something to show when you meet him. Do you understand? If you’ve not made any money here this month, you better have something else to show instead.”

Roman emptied the remainder of the vodka down his throat, relishing the way it spread a warmth in the pit of his stomach. “Or fucking what?”

At first, it seemed that Josef was going to just stay silent, but he really didn’t seem like the type to play the mysterious angle. Straight to the point was more his style. It was one of the few things he did like about the man. He proved Roman right when he stared hard at him, and said frankly, “The last time a guy showed up empty-handed when the boss was expecting something—he left without his right hand.”

Roman clenched his jaw until his molars ached. “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“The boss had it cut off—made him bring it to the following meetings just because, no? Fucking thing even started to stink. It means, you arrogant little shit, that you should be thankful you still have two hands to hold your cash in. Mind your manners, and you still will at the end of the month, too.”

Well, then.

Fair enough.

SIX

Karine Yazov’s eyelids fluttered, her body’s way of threatening to pull her from sleep, but she refused to open them yet. A silly part of her had always believed that if she just kept her eyes shut, pretended that she hadn’t woken, then she would quickly fall back asleep. It never worked—she also didn't stop trying.

It was only the warmth of the sunlight on her face that made her decide maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to wake up. The brightness shining in through one of her bedroom windows kept her from turning her face directly into the light, but that was okay, too. With her eyelids still shut tight, she kept her dreams to herself.

Somehow, she’d managed to convince herself that if she didn’t open her eyes, then those wonderful dreams she was seeing wouldn't leave. She would then belong to that world where she had both hands grazing the thick, sturdy trunk of a tree as she swung around it.

But it was good there.

In the dream.

Warm, soft moss at her feet. Shrill, but sweet, laughter curling into a summer day.

There was another girl there—a kid, actually. She had the same chestnut hair as Karine, long, pin-straight, and brushed neatly to spread around her shoulders. The little girl continued to watch her in silence while Karine swung and swung around the tree trunk. The laughter she heard was her own childish giggle—that very feeling of joy and exhilaration was something she had never quite known before. A feeling that she knew would disappear if she opened her eyes.

She had decided already—she was never going to open her eyes again.

Simple as that.

“Get up, get up. Stop playing foolish in your bed sheets because you don’t want to deal with a hangover.”

Masha’s voice broke through the scene in her head—the sharp tone of her nanny ripping Karine back to reality before she was ready. She could still feel the twisted bark of the tree’s trunk under her fingertips. The little girl watched on as Karine was yanked further away, but Masha’s voice continued on like a loud echo in her brain that came from somewhere else entirely.

Somewhere that the place she dreamed of—with warm moss under the trunk of a tree a little girl who never talked—didn’t exist. No matter how hard she tried to hold on to the false reality in her dreams, she couldn’t. A life, one still cloaked in make-believe, waited for her.

Her eyelids fluttered again, and this time opened, just enough to let the sunlight filter in.

Too bright.

So bright.

“Don’t be lazy, Karine,” Masha scolded. “Must we do this every day?”

She still refused to crack her eyes open beyond what she already did as Masha walked around the bedroom, pulling curtains open and brightening the room further. Another day, Karine might have demanded to be allowed to sleep more, but she didn’t have the energy to make those protests. The easiest route to a decent morning was for her to do as Masha said.

When she did finally open her eyes to the full blast of sunlight coming in through the window, the room was ablaze. And so was her fucking head. She whimpered, and turned her face away immediately, losing hope that she’d be able to get herself out of bed today. Especially with the deep throbbing that started somewhere in the back of her head and reached all the way to her temples.

A hangover?

Right.

This felt like death.

“Here, have some water—you need it,” Masha said.