Chapter 10 - Alexei

Clara has been here for almost four days now, and my brothers are beginning to grow suspicious of why I've been off the radar for so long. I haven't been into the warehouse once since I took her, and I've been staying off my phone because I don't want to have to answer their questions.

I haven't even been to my other house, which is pretty out of the norm for me. Although what is normal, anyway? I hate the predictable routine of life.

It's not like me to go quiet like this unless I am up to something.

Last time I flipped off the radar I took the private jet to Miami for a few weeks. I needed a break. A little party. Some time away from the monotonous daily toil of life.

Of course, they were all furious, because apparently, it's irresponsible and impulsive to do something like that. Apparently, I should have told someone or checked in.

To me, it's just living. Why should I have so much money, so much available to me, and not be able to have a little fun here and there?

Life isn't just about work and business and meetings and clients and blah blah blah.

So, between the stress of trying to manage this very feisty female that I now have living with me, and the stress of knowing I am going to have to deal with my brothers at some point, I am feeling a bit edgy.

And today Oleg has messaged me—I have no choice. I have to go into town. He and Yefim need my help. Leon is away on business and can't be there.

I have to go in and do some work. They need me and I have to be there. If I say no, they will not just drop it nor shrug it off. There will be a hundred questions I can't answer.

I climb out of bed carefully to avoid waking her up.

It's really early and I reckon the sooner I leave the sooner I can be back home. I think I should only be gone two or three hours at the most.

I skip the shower, seeing as I showered before bed and I'm in a hurry. Grabbing my clothes from the closet, I carry them to a different room to get dressed without disturbing her.

I don't even make coffee.

Clara is still asleep when I sneak out of the house.

I am hoping I can be back in a few hours and that nothing will happen while I'm gone. It'll be completely fine. It's not like she can get out of the house, anyway.

But when I hear the solid click of the front door as I close it, I have a very uneasy feeling in my stomach.

My phone buzzes again, on silent but vibrating in my pocket.

Oleg: Alex, where have you been? Are you coming in to help us or what?

Me: I'm leaving home now. I'm on my way.

Oleg: Good. We were beginning to think you'd left the country again or something.

My stomach knots.

Talking to my brothers over text is one thing—face to face is another. I am going to have to stay alert and have my story straight. They will have questions. I hope work requires our full attention and they will be distracted by it instead of focused on me today.

It's a long drive back towards town, and by the time I get there, Oleg looks annoyed. I know he thought I was coming from my home near the city, not my new place out in the forest.

"I thought you said you were leaving home when you messaged me," he snaps, agitated.

"I was, sorry man."

"But you live fifteen minutes away."

Shit.

"I got caught up. And I stopped to grab a coffee on the way. I didn't know it was that urgent." I sound defensive. The last thing I want to do is sound defensive.

I look around the warehouse. "Where is Yefim? You're mad at me, and he isn't even here yet?"

Oleg shakes his head and sighs, rubbing his fingers against his eyes. "Yefim had to go help Giorgio. He isn't coming. It's just you and me today."

"Why would he be helping Giorgio?" I ask, angry at the mention of his name because it reminds me of how he treated Clara.

"Clara has gone missing. She was taken by one of the rivals and Giorgio is desperately trying to find her. Yefim went to help look and get his guys to do some digging around to see if he can gather any information on who took her and what they want. No one has even contacted Giorgio to make demands."

I clench my jaw.

Oleg stares at me with narrowed eyes. "Remember, Clara , his niece ?"

"I know who Clara is," I snap.

"Ok, jeez, you didn't even answer me when I said she was kidnapped, so I thought maybe you didn't realize who I was talking about." His lip lifts in a sneer—he's annoyed, and that's not good. "What's your problem today? You get up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"

I run my hand through my hair feeling like my brother can see straight through me. "What are we doing today?" I ask to try and change the subject.

"There's an urgent shipment we have to get out. It got delayed yesterday and we can't risk another day going by without sending it off."

"Fine. Let's get to it, then." I walk towards the offices in the warehouse and I can feel Oleg's eyes burning into my back. I am too jumpy. I need to calm down or he is definitely going to start thinking something is up with me.

So, Yefim is out there looking for her.

Shit, man. I feel bad. I am totally wasting his time. I feel like I should tell them, but it will be a shit show if I do.

My brothers will be furious with me.

Our alliance with Giorgio Vitali is already rocky at best. If I go announcing that I am the one who took his niece, it will completely break apart and all hell will break lose again. All the work we've put in to settle that alliance will be a waste.

All through the day, Oleg is watching me closely. Too closely.

"Why are you so jumpy today?" he asks after we've been organizing the shipment for an hour, packaging the crates and making sure the stock is secured.

"I'm not," I deny, hoping I sound convincing.

"Mm," Oleg huffs.

"Sorry, man, I'm tired. I haven't been sleeping well. I think I got the flu or something this past week." I hate lying to him, but I need to take this pressure of myself.

"You? Sick? You never get sick."

"I know. That's what made it ten times worse."

"I guess the weather has been getting colder lately. Did you make that ginger lemon drink everyone always says works like a bomb?"

I chuckle. "Do I look like the kind of guy to make a ginger lemon drink?"

"Hey—you like cooking. Maybe you like tea." Oleg shrugs, grinning at me.

We chat a bit about other things as we start to finish up our task and slowly I start relaxing, knowing that he isn't suspicious of me anymore. But now all I want to do is hurry home to Clara.

This has taken a lot longer than I'd hoped, and she is alone there, doing heaven only knows what.

I want to get back to her and make sure she's okay and hasn't escaped again. Yeah, I know that place is a fortress, but she is incredibly resourceful.

And, honestly, I miss her.

This time without her has kind of shown me that she has been driving me crazy this week, but I really enjoy it. I love our banter and her feisty little attitude.

I keep glancing at my watch.

Anxious to get back to her.

"Got somewhere you need to be?" Oleg asks.

"No." I shrug. "Just wondering when we will be done."

"We are pretty much done now. Let's just put the remaining product back in the storeroom and then we can lock up."

I start picking up the crates and loading them on the wheeled platform. Oleg's eyes are on me again.

"I'm craving a good stew," I say, randomly, but needing to start him talking about something again.

"I can always get Yefim's lady to make us a stew. She makes a better one than the chef. Jeez, that woman can cook. You want me to call her?"

"No, not tonight. Let's make it another night. I'll pick something up for dinner on the way home. I'd rather wait till the flu is totally gone so I don't make everyone sick. And I need to rest."

"Mm. Okay," Oleg nods slowly.

Finally, we load the last crate back into the storeroom and the shipment is on the truck pulling away from the warehouse. I resist the urge to look at my watch again, trying to act casual and not rush out of here the second we finish.

Oleg comes to stand next to me. He reaches out and grabs my shoulder. "Alright, man. Good to see you. Hope you feeling better soon, hey?"

Inside, I breathe a sigh of relief. "You too, man. I'll call you soon to arrange that dinner."

"Yeah, I think I am going to see if Yefim has had any luck finding Clara."

"Oh, right. Let me know."

Oleg nods and starts walking towards his car.

I wait a few seconds, then turn towards mine.

I fuss around a little, still trying to pretend I don't have this crazy urge to spin out of here back to Clara.

I feel horrible.

I can't believe I just spent half the day with my brother and lied to him so many times. Still, I think they know I was clearly hiding something, and none of my brothers are stupid people—he thought something was going on. I can only hope I did enough to ease his curiosity or concern.

Sighing, I start the car and pull out slowly. Only once I am on the open road and some distance from the warehouse do I press my foot harder against the accelerator.

I didn't need Oleg seeing me racing off as though I was too eager to get somewhere.

I really hope he doesn't think anything of my off behavior today. I tried to hide it, but the tension I feel being away from Clara is difficult to conceal.

The buildings are a blur past my window as I speed through the city.

Clara is waiting for me, and I need to get home to her.

After a while the buildings turn into trees, green and bright, thick forests rushing past my window. I'm almost home.

When I do pull into my driveway I breathe a sigh of relief. I hadn't realized that my shoulders were knotted up and my neck muscles were so tense.

I roll may shoulders back a few times to ease out the knots and my neck clicks as I tilt may head to the left and then the right.

I'm home now.

Walking through the front door, I call out her name, but she is already there, waiting—and very angry.

"Clara—"

"What the fuck is wrong with you how can you just leave like that and not even say anything you just snuck out and left me here without a clue about whether or not you were ever coming back—" She is screaming at me. The words blur into one long sentence and she doesn't even take a breath between them.

Her fists are clenched, and her eyes are swollen and red as though she has been crying for ages.

"Clara, I—"

"You what? Huh? What?" she glares at me with ferocious, untamed rage, but then I notice it—behind that anger, behind all of that frustration and wild temper, is fear.

I reach out to touch her arm and she smacks thy hand away. "Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me," she snaps, taking a step away from me and bumping into the side table near the front entrance.

I reach out to try and grab her arm again. I just want to pull her closer, hug her and try to help her calm down.

I don't even understand what has made her this upset. Or fearful.

"Clara, what is going?" I say when she ducks out of reach a second time.

I'm trying to be patient, but this is starting to upset me as well.

"You left," she says, a heated, harsh whisper.

"I went out for a little while." I reply.

"No, you left—and I thought you got bored with this little game you've been playing and that you were never going to come back. All of the doors are locked and so is every window. I was trapped in here with absolutely no way of ever getting out—no one knows where I am—and you left me to die here."

Shit.

I didn't mean for her to think that.

Why the hell would she think I would do something like that?

"Clara, I would never leave you like that," I say as gently as I can.

She says nothing, her lips pursed together tightly, the sting of betrayal clear in her eyes.

I need to make her understand.