Chapter 21 - Alyssa

We arrived home late from our mission. Even though it was a bust, I learned a lot. Mila and Piotr were angry at each other, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. When I woke this morning, Piotr had already left.

My mind wandered as I changed into my light pink summer dress. Smoothing out the sides, I glance at my reflection in the mirror. The dress was a perfect fit, just like we were.

Our relationship makes me feel secure, but I wasn’t sure how Piotr truly felt about me. He was the gift that never stopped. Nearly every day, Piotr would bring me a gift better than the previous one. But he didn’t talk to me about his feelings.

I couldn’t pinpoint what he felt. I knew he cared and enjoyed my company. But I wasn’t sure if he loved me. This thought scared me. What would become of me if he lost interest?

I hated the way the uncertainty made me feel. Heading down, I was determined to get him off my mind for a while. I found Mila on the front porch, staring out into the openness. Walking up behind her, I gently touched her shoulder as I spoke. “Mila,”

She flipped around, startled, throwing out half her coffee. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I added.

“No, it’s okay,” she replied, smiling. “How can I help you?”

“I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me to the mall. I thought of doing some shopping?”

Mila grinned, stepping forward. She placed her hand on my shoulder, swung me around, and walked back in with me. “I would love to,” she replied, placing the cup down. As we moved to the garage, she grabbed Konstantin’s car keys.

We heard him calling from somewhere in the kitchen as Mila opened the door. “Mila, you know you can ask. You need to learn how to ask. You can’t just take other people’s things.” He was still rambling on as we pulled out and headed to town.

“Isn’t Konstantin going to be angry at you for leaving while he was still talking?” I ask, looking back at the mansion.

Mila grinned as she spoke. “Naw, he is used to me doing such things.” After a couple of minutes, she spoke again, sounding excited. “Hey, I know a great place to shop, or do you have a specific place in mind?”

“No, not really; I just wanted to get out of the house for a bit,” I replied, looking out the window. I didn’t want her to see I was lying. I couldn’t tell her why I actually wanted to go out.

As we drove, we sang along to the songs playing on the radio. Mila and I laughed when we sang incorrectly or off-tune. It was relaxing, and I had forgotten my worries by the time we got to the mall.

The mall Mila took me to was much smaller than the others I had been to. The shops were specialized and only held the best of everything. We moved from shop to shop, inspecting all the merchandise.

I bought a white blouse that sensually complimented my curves. In another, Mila bought herself a tight leather dress. I loved the way it looked on her, but wasn’t something I would wear. We also purchased three pairs of boots, each with varying heels and length.

Once lunchtime rolled by, we stopped at an ice cream parlor and had milkshakes. I felt like I was back in high school, hanging out with my friends. Not that I had ever done something like this or had many friends. But I’d seen it in the movies.

After our milkshakes, we moved on. A shop close to the entrance sold a range of tight-fitting clothes. Mila saw some dresses she wanted to try on. She had the build for such things, but not me. Next to it, was a jewelry store.

I’m just going to browse the window,” I said as she entered the shop.

“Sure,” Mila replied, glancing at me as she disappeared into the shop.

Leaning against the window, I held my hands next to my face so I could see clearly. There was a lovely set of earrings I considered getting. As I stood back contemplating, I felt a hand tighten around my upper arm. It was a stronghold that quickly became a painful one.

Turning, I was stunned. I inhaled deeply as I felt the blood draining from my face. Before me stood Jones. As he spoke, I could hear the malice dripping from his voice. “You have been avoiding me, dear daughter.”

Pulling back, I tried to break free from his grasp. “I’m married, remember? I owe you nothing.” I replied angrily.

His grip tightened around my arm as he pulled me closer. “You are hurting me, let me go,” I said, hearing my voice starting to disappear. His breath reeked of tobacco and scotch.

I tried to turn my head away as he spoke. “You still owe me your loyalty. Without me, you wouldn’t be here.” Twisting my head, I tried to breathe without gagging. His foul odor was unbearable. “At the very least, you owe me money for the years I fed and cared for you. If you don’t pay me, I’ll drag you back and make you earn your keep as I should have done.”

“No,” I spat back. “You gave me away. I didn’t ask you to raise me.”

Jones shook me as he continued. I could hear he was more than merely angry at me. You will come work as a whore in my business. It is all you are good at, and you will pay me every sent.” He shoved me forward as he let go of my arm.

“If you don’t,” he said, pointing his fat finger at me. I will make that man of yours pay. Do you understand?”

Fear spread through me as he spoke. Once again, I was the little girl hiding in the closet as he screamed. I didn’t even consider the fact that Piotr may be able to help. My mind went blank, and I only wanted him to leave.

“Yes, yes, I promise I will pay you. As soon as I get the money, I will bring it to you. Please just leave us alone.”

Jones smirked and nodded. “You better not be lying. I will come to collect!” he added angrily. The smirk made me worry. I didn’t want him to hurt the people I now called friends. I sat on the floor for a bit, watching him leave. Once he was out of sight, I got up, shook my dress, and went looking for Mila.

She was still trying on dresses when I entered the shop. “Mila,” I said, taking a deep breath.

“You okay?” she asked, looking concerned.

Checking around, I nodded as I replied. “Yes, fine, but I would like to go home now.”

“Right,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

I didn’t reply as I had nothing more to say.

“Okay, let me just pay these, and we can go,” she added.

Nodding, I headed to the door and waited for her. Our trip home was done in silence. I had to think. I needed to formulate a plan to pay Jones. As we pulled into the garage, I turned to her. “Mila,” I said. “Are there some of the jobs I could assist with, you know, to make my own money? If you don’t mind?”

Mila studied me before answering. “Yes, sure, I’ll put you in contact with a client you could assist. There are smaller jobs I rarely take that you could dive into to get used to the trade.”

“Thank you,” I replied, smiling. Grabbing my bags, I headed up to the room. Hopefully, I could make enough to pay off Jones in one go. He didn’t state the amount, but I was sure I could estimate.