Page 80 of Emerald Vices
“And Nikolai listened?”
“Nikolai didn’t just listen. They talked for ages, and afterwards, Nikolai shook the man’s hand. Then he had one of his lieutenants show the man to an empty shed. And…” He scratches and tugs at a loose thread in the upholstery for a while before continuing. “… my mother was sent to entertain him.”
Natalia rubs his shoulder, but we’re so fucking close to something. I can’t let it stop here. “Do you know what kind of agreement they came to?”
“Andrey.” Natalia rises to her feet. “It’s late and we’re all tired. I think that’s enough for one night.”
The boy looks emotionally wrung out. Exhausted in a way a fourteen-year-old has no right to be.
“You’re right,” I concede reluctantly. “Let’s call it a night.”
Natalia hugs Misha tight. “You’re the bravest kid I know.”
Fighting back tears, Misha nods. Natalia presses a kiss to his forehead and gives Remi a pat on the head. “Stay with Misha tonight, okay, boy?”
Remi gives her an agreeable bark and jumps onto Misha’s bed. Only then does Natalia follow me out of the room.
The door clicks shut and we walk towards the patio, each of us lost in our thoughts. The moon is hiding behind dark clouds, so we have to rely on the dull garden lights to illuminate one another.
Natalia breaks the silence first. “He’s not a tool to use, Andrey.”
Despite myself, I stiffen. “I never said he was.”
“No, but you did think about it. Didn’t you?”
Her green eyes are shrouded in shadow, but I can still see the worry in them. I consider lying for a moment, if only to preserve her opinion of me. But lying now would be a slippery slope.
“Yes, I did. And I fucking hate myself for it.” I reach up and stroke the smooth plane of her cheek. “I won’t let Nikolai hurt either one of you, Natalia.”
She gazes up at the invisible moon. It’s out there, somewhere. Just hidden for now.
Then, with a sigh, her fingers lace through mine. “I know.”
33
NATALIA
We sit out on the patio for a while. It’s nice to be in the warm, dark silence. It makes my thoughts seem less sharp around the edges. But when my eyelids start to droop, I stand.
Andrey stands with me and takes my hand. We’re walking back to our room when I notice that Misha’s light is still on.
I pause, staring at the sliver of light coming through the crack at the bottom of the door. Remy’s whine is faint but steady.
I glance helplessly at Andrey.
“Go,” he says, releasing my hand.
I push myself up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. Andrey disappears upstairs while I knock gently on Misha’s door.
I’m met with a few seconds of silence. Then: “I’m fine, Natalia.”
But his shaky voice says otherwise.
“Then open the door.”
“No.”
“I can break it down,” I warn him. “I punched a man in the face with brass knuckles today, so I’m tough now.”