He laughed although it sounded a little bit forced. “My daughter got kidnapped and she is asking me if I am okay.” There was a deep sigh on his end, and I wished he wouldn’t have to worry so much.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I know you asked me to get back home. I should have listened but you should have also told me what was going on. I’m not a kid anymore, you know.”
“I know, although you’ll always be my kid,” his reply had my chest swelling with warmth. I loved my dad, grandad, and uncle. Our family has always been very close. “Anyhow, it’s in the past now. The main thing is that you are safe.”
“Yes, thanks to you. If you wouldn’t have sent Dimitry and Nikolai, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead by now or very close to it.”
“Are they making sure you are safe?”
“Yes, they are,” I assured him. “Where did you meet Dimitry, anyhow?”
“You are on a first name basis with him?” he asked instead and it felt like he was dodging a question.
“If I recall correctly, you are on the first name basis with him too,” I remarked back. “Let me refresh your memory, your exact words were, ‘You will remain with Dimitry. He will keep you safe.’You didn’t say Mr. Alexeyev will keep you safe.”
“What is going on, Anja?” Father’s voice sounded frustrated. Why would we even be discussing whether I should call Dimitry by his first name?
“Nothing, Dad. Is Grandad holding up okay?” If we were going to be dodging, I could play that game too.
“What do you think?” he retorted. “He was imagining the worst.”
“Tell him I’m fine. Not a scratch on me,” I lied. It could have been so much worse so the bruises that would quickly fade, were really nothing. “And when I get back, I’ll stay with him for a whole month.”
Dad laughed, clearly not believing me. “Guess what? I just made pancakes.” I quickly added, “Edible ones.”
“Sweetheart, are you sure they were edible?”
“A bunch of people ate them, so yes, they were edible.” I defended my pancakes with passion and it felt so good to hear him laugh. For a few seconds, I soaked up the sound, everything and everyone around me forgotten. The light wind breezed through the leaves on the ground, shuffling them into a whirlwind dance. There were trees all around, leaves covering the ground in colorful display. It looked like fall weather was almost, if not already, here. I guess fall came sooner here than back home.
“Hey Dad,” I continued, “I wanted to ask if you heard from Olivia and Scarlett.”
The line got quiet and dread came over me. “Dad?”
“Yes, I heard,” his reply felt stiff. “All is good.”
“Why do I get the sense you are not telling me something?”
“Anastasia, we have to focus on you staying safe and making it through this alive.” Now I was certain there was something he wasn’t telling me.
“Agreed but I want to know they made it home safely. That should be the focus too. Did they make it home safely?”
The silence stretched on and the worst images played through my mind.
“Dad-” He cut me off and finally answered.
“Olivia is due to get married in three weeks.”
“What?” Olivia’s father owed money and favors to one of the most powerful men in our circles. Her father pretty much buried himself in so much debt and used Olivia to settle it. Malcome Schmidt, one of the most narcissistic, cruelest men I had come to known, set his sights on Olivia and would help get her father out of his financial troubles only if she became his. Unless she married him, he’d ruin her family. “Dad, you can’t let that happen.”
“Anja, that is not our business.”
“But he is cruel.” Each time Olivia came back from seeing that sick old man, she changed a little. It was like pieces of her died with each visit. “Dad, he… he hurts her. He shouldn’t be allowed around another human being.”
“Anastasia, enough.”
“You are always about putting bad guys away,” I knew it wasn’t fair to put more worries on my dad. “So why is it that you are turning a blind eye to this one?”
I heard him take a deep breath, as if he was holding on to his temper. He rarely lost his cool. “Do you have evidence of his abuse?”