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The last thing I wanted was to involve someone else in my mess. And if anyone found out she’d helped me, she’d disappear like so many others before her had.
“No. It’s okay. I need to stay.”
I hadn’t been able to get any information that might help Gabriel. I needed to get into Aleksándr’s safe to access the documents and hard drives I knew were in there. But to do that I would have to stay. No matter how every part of me screamed for me to get out.
“It hasn’t been okay in a long time. And I don’t know why you came back here, but you need to leave.”
If I left now, it would have all been for nothing. And I’d never be able to make up for what I’d done.
After spending another hour in agony, I finally swallowed the pills. My brain went foggy, but it took the sharp edge of the pain off, leaving a throbbing behind. Marina had become skilled at treating all manners of injuries. We had every type of pill in the house, from antibiotics to opiates, so we could avoid doctors and the attention that came with them.
I’d been dozing on the bed, my back now covered in multiple bandages, when Marina came back. “It’s time.” She helped me up to a seated position, then put a thick coat on me, dressing me like she had when I was a child. “Caspar is here.”
The weight of the coat caused a fresh wave of pain to wash over me. Gritting my teeth, I held on to her arm. “I can’t go. Please.”
My whispered plea went unanswered as she grabbed my still-packed suitcase and dragged it out with us. “There is nothing here for you. For once in your life, child, think of yourself.”
My brain refused to work, and I didn’t put up much of a fight when Marina led me outside. The house was quiet, our footsteps echoing through the deserted hallway. There were no guards in the backyard, and I looked around the space in confusion.
“They’ve never been able to say no to my casserole. And the cameras are off. But we don’t have much time. You need to hurry.”
We stumbled over the lawn and to the gate at the back. It was used for deliveries and for anyone who didn’t want to be seen coming in and out of the house.
Before I could plead my case again, we were standing outside in the street. A car was idling on the curb, the steam of the exhaust thick.
As soon as we emerged from the gate, Caspar rushed out to greet us. “Vanna.” His voice came out strangled, and he turned his gaze to Marina, his jaw a hard line.
She handed over the suitcase, then helped me into the car while Caspar put my bag in the trunk.
Once I was in the seat and she’d buckled me in, she kissed my cheek. “I love you as if you were my own flesh and blood. But I hope we never see each other again.”
My silent tears turned into heaving sobs, and I clutched her hands. “I love you. I can’t ever repay you for all you’ve done for me.”
It was hard to put into words what it meant to me that she’d taken care of me all these years. I wouldn’t have survived without her and Caspar.
She squeezed my arm and then stepped back. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
The door slammed shut, and then Caspar was in the car. He took my hand, holding it to his chest. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
His earnest expression and tight hold on my hand caused a fresh wave of tears. He kissed the back of it, then released me. “I have an apartment in the city that nobody knows about. You can stay there.”
“Caspar—”
My head snapped back against the headrest, and the world went blurry. Metal crunched, and agony tore through my body. The car spun, the seat belt cutting into my chest.
We came to a trembling stop in the middle of the road. My vision was blurry, my back rubbed raw again. Something trickled in my eye. My head was fuzzy, my gaze unfocused, and a high-pitched ringing sounded in my ear.
Hands clamped onto my arms, and I yelped in pain. Someone dragged me out of the car, and I landed on the concrete with a painful thud.
Boots appeared in front of my vision. Then Leonid’s hated voice filled the air. “Didn’t think you’d just get away, did you?”
“No, please. Just let me go.”
“You may have had a chance before this little stunt, but now you’re done.”
The pain was all-consuming, making it hard to focus my thoughts. My eyes were heavy, and eventually I gave in to the promise of relief by sinking into oblivion.
19
