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"Come back, Eve. You can't leave."
"Am I a prisoner?"
"Prisoner, no. Unsafe outside of warehouse, yes. Didn't Luke teach you that? Come back with me now before Julien finds out. He will punish you for this."
"I'm not coming. You'll have to drag me."
"I will."
"I'll kick you."
He leans over and grabs one foot and pulls but only succeeds in removing my shoe.
"Eve," he says, throwing the shoe down. "Enough foolishness. If you wait too long, he will come himself and then I will pay Hell. And now, I am getting mad."
"I won't come back. I'm not letting Julien claim me like some spoil of war."
Vasily takes out his cell phone and dials a number. He speaks in Russian to someone on the other line, his voice angered. It's quite a long conversation. Finally, Vasily rubs his forehead and looks at his watch. Then he hangs up, and dials another number, listens, presses buttons, and listens some more – as if he's listening to voice mail.
"You come now," he says, waving his hand at me. "Julien is out of town for the rest of week. He left message. He knows nothing – left straight from meeting. Come."
I close my eyes. I can't stay on the roof forever and Vasily's getting angrier but I can't go back willingly.
"I'm not leaving."
"Ebanatyi pidaraz!"Vasily says, stomping his foot. "That means fucking motherfucker. That means I'm getting very mad. Do I have to call Ivan and get him to bring Taser? Maybe tranquillizer gun? He was with Russian Secret Police before Vory. Do you want him to use his techniques on you? This is no game, Eve."
I wrap my coat around myself more tightly.
"I won't go willingly." I turn my face away from Vasily. "I'm not cooperating any longer. If you take me back, it will be by force."
He throws his hands up. "So be it."
Vasily dials a number on his cell phone. He speaks once more in Russian and gesticulates in an angry fashion. He snaps the phone shut and climbs down the ladder, closing the skylight behind him.
After about ten minutes, I hear a car drive up and I climb to the edge that looks over the side of the building and glance down. A large black SUV – two men get out. As I watch, Vasily points up at the roof and the men follow his hand.
Vasily shades his eyes.
I stand up and walk along the edge, looking down at them.
"Eve," Vasily shouts up. "Stay away from edge!"
I raise my arms up, feeling the wind blowing around me. The two other men run into the building.
"Eve, no!" Vasily waves his hands. "Don't!"
They think I'm going to jump. It almost makes me laugh. Good. Let them worry. I've been put through a wringer in the past few weeks. The man I'm in love with is a lying vampire who thinks I'm a possession he can just give to his brother, who's a first-class jerk. I can't leave the warehouse without Vasily in escort. I'm not to ask questions, complain or expect anything. By all rights, I should jump.
The skylight opens and a man climbs out. He has a shaved head and ice blue eyes and is wearing a leather trench that looks like something out of Nazi Germany. Ivan perhaps.
"Come, Eve. Move away from the edge," he says, his accent not quite as thick as Vasily's, more cultured. "You don't want to do that."
I shrug. "Why not?"
I cover my eyes and try not to cry, but finally, my emotions overwhelm me. Then the man grabs my arm roughly, and despite everything, I fall into fight mode, and I have him down and on his stomach, in a second. I'm just about to pull his gun away from his hand when I feel something press in the back of my neck. I realize the one who holds the gun must be an adept as well, to be able to beat me. I have a lot to learn about fighting.
"I wouldn't try, Eve," the voice says and the speaker has a Russian accent. I turn to look at him. He's got dark hair slicked back and a goatee. He has a gun to my head and so I put my hands up and he grabs one and twists it behind my back, keeping the gun at my neck.
