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Alek’s voice trails off.
He doesn’t say the words. He doesn’t need to.
“You need to get there to stop it.” A chill licks at the hairs on the back of my neck when those words hit my ears. “If she gets on that plane, you’ll never see her alive again.”
Chapter36
Larysa
“Rysa, I’m doing this for you and your brothers. My job is a very difficult one, and I’ve made a lot of enemies over my life. This will help protect you all when I’m gone.”
“Tato, why are you telling me this?” I grip tightly to the edge of the worn wooden table, my fingertips turning white from the pressure.
The private room at the Royal Bank of Canada in the Bahamas feels like an igloo, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat outside the bank’s main doors. Chills snake through my insides, plunging me into a deep freeze, but I know it’s not just the Arctic temperature in here.
It’s the reason why we’re here in the first place.
I stare at the open metal box and a stack of white envelopes.
“There are people who aren’t happy with what I’ve built back in Kiev. People who want to steal control from me because they feel threatened by my power.”
“Have you done anything wrong?” My temples throb. This was supposed to be a fun, relaxing weekend at the beach after my audition at The Juilliard School. Tato knows how stressed I’ve been, waiting for my acceptance letter, so he suggested a tropical getaway…just the two of us.
He said it would be good for me to take a few days to catch my breath.
And then he unloads all of this, stealing it away from me.
“Rysa,” he says, pushing his glasses to the top of his head and rubbing his eyes. “When people disagree with your direction, they look for others who will agree with them. There is always power in numbers. And without support, everyone is at risk of falling prey to the opposition.”
When he drops his hands, I take a close look at him. Lines in places where they never used to be, faint purplish smudges of color underneath his eyes, slouched posture.
He looks worn down. Beaten to the point of surrender, like he knows what’s coming next, and he’s ready to accept it.
Have I really been that oblivious to not see any of this coming?
“Are you saying…?”
I let my voice trail off. When his eyes meet mine, I know I don’t need to finish my question.
Because his expression tells me the answer.
“At some point in the future, you will need what is in this box.” He hands me a key. “Someone will find you and give you the codes you’ll need to access it. Those codes, along with this key, will unlock everything. In the meantime, don’t tell anyone about this, including your brothers. It is to stay between you and me. Do you understand?”
I nod, grasping the cool metal key between my fingers. “Are you safe, Tato?”
The corners of his lips lift the slightest bit. “Nobody is ever safe, Rysa. For as protected as we think we are, there are always people who can get close.”
“But you have so much security.”
“Betrayal is the most bitter pill. It tears families and organizations apart. Someone always wants more than what they have, and they will do anything to get it.” He shakes his head. “Maybe I’m being overly cautious, but it’s always better to look ahead.”
Tears sting my eyes at the defeat in his voice. “I can’t lose you, too, Tato. Not after Mama…”
He puts his hand over mine, closing my fingers around the key. “You have such a bright future ahead of you, Rysa. I’m so proud of you. And so is Mama. We’ll always be with you, when you take on New York City, when you play your first concert at Carnegie Hall. You’ll never be alone.”
Only a short while later, I missed out on the last time I would have heard his voice and his encouraging words. And weeks after that, I found out I was pregnant.
He was right. I haven’t been alone since.
