She has the gall to come closer to me.
“Get the hell away from me.” I push my hands on her shoulders and shove her away. I don’t even feel guilty when she stumbles, barely catching herself on the bench, but she’s laughing as if it’s the funniest thing in the world. I turn around quickly, thinking I hear someone behind me, but when I turn there’s no one there.
“Aw, handsome,” she says, rising to her feet on wobbly heels. “No need to get all worked up.”
I want to hurt her so badly I’m shaking with rage. I pick up my phone to make a call, but it won’t dial out. I bend down, grab her by the arm, and yank her to her feet. It pleases me when her eyes widen in fear and she slaps at my hand.
“Let me go or I’ll scream!”
“Scream all you fucking want,” I tell her. “You’re trespassing, and I don’t know who the hell you are, but you do not belong here. Get the fuck out of my residence.”
Ilya’s by my side.
“What the hell?” he asks.
“Trespasser,” I tell him. “Get her the fuck out of here and make it fucking clear that she’s not welcome to ever come back here.” I shove her toward him, but the second I release her grip, she kicks off her shoes, eludes his grip, and runs.
Ilya takes off after her, but I stop him. “No. Let her go.”
Neither of us needs assault on our records.
He obeys, shaking his head while she runs. “What the hell was she doing here?”
“No idea, but the entire area before the gate is still private property.”
Ilya looks at me sheepishly. “She um… she left some red lipstick on you, sir.”
I curse under my breath and rub a hand over my cheek.
“You got it,” he says, shaking his head.
My phone rings. Yakov.
“Hello?”
“Tomas, I heard you were trying to reach me?”
“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “Just making sure all was good. Phone signals weren’t working.”
“All fine here, brother.”
I think about telling him what just happened, but I’m weary and shaken by it.
“Alright. I’m sorry. Get some sleep.”
I hang up the phone with him and dial Nicolai as well.
“Tomas? Everything okay?”
I shake my head. “Was just checking on you.” I do decide to tell him what happened, nonetheless.
“What the fuck is that about? You haul her ass back into the compound for questioning?”
“No,” I tell him. “Can’t exactly question a woman the way I can a man. And anyway, she got away.”
He’s silent for a moment. “I don’t like this,” he says. “Was anyone else with her?”
“No.”
“Ilya saw nothing?”
“Nothing. But what could it mean?”
“I don’t know, brother. Let’s debrief in the morning.”
I hang up the call with him and finally reach Ilya’s replacement. When all is settled, I head back to my room. Weary. On edge. Shaken. I haven’t been married for long at all, and even though I was attacked by that woman, it feels like I did something wrong. I hate that another woman’s lips touched mine. I think about telling Caroline, but don’t want to upset her.
“Everything alright, Tomas?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” But I bend down to give her a kiss and tuck the blanket back around her. I’m grateful for her simple beauty and gentle spirit after what happened. “Go to sleep now.”
I go to use the bathroom and notice red lipstick smeared on my t-shirt.
I yank the shirt of furiously and shove it in the bottom of the laundry basket.
Christ.
I return to Caroline.
I need her. I reach for her face and cradle it in my hands, lowering my mouth to hers and capturing her lips with mine, as if kissing my wife will erase the memory of the other woman from my mind and body.
Can she smell the other? Taste her? I pull away too soon, not wanting even the slightest memory of the other woman to taint what I have with Caroline.
She looks at me in concern, her hand coming to my cheek. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Go to sleep, little detka.”
Everything is not okay. But if I have anything to do with it, it will be.
Tomorrow, I find Andros.Chapter 18CarolineThe days go on, and I gradually take my place in the kitchen staff. Tomas is concerned about their showing respect for me, so though we’re friendly and I get along well with them, I have to maintain my distance out of respect for him. I understand that the wife of the pakhan has to keep her place. I’m learning.
He’s giving me freedom, now. I have my own cell phone, though I have no one to call. And I’m given leave to explore the estate at will. Yvonne sometimes joins me. Our favorite place to go is behind the house to the back, where there’s a gazebo, a flower bed, and a little doorway that leads to the cellar. Yvonne told me it’s an old root cellar from centuries ago, when new settlers owned this land. It creeps me out a little, though, so I rarely go. But I do love to sit outside by the gazebo and read. It’s late fall now, so it’s often chilly, and the leaves are falling in droves. Soon, the trees will be barren, and winter will come, but I’m soaking up every last day of autumn I can.