Chapter 6
1016 Words
“Help!” I scream, the sound tearing out of me desperately. It startles him enough that he lets go. Heads turn. They really don’t want attention.
I bolt, feet pounding against the metal floor, sprinting for the earlier train. The doors are closing, the engine rumbling forward. I won’t make it. It’s over.
A hand snatches me from behind, and drags me with him into the train just as the doors seal shut. I struggle, panicked, ready to break free.
“Jenna, it’s me.”
That gruff voice, robotic in firmness. My head snaps toward him, and when I see his face, relief floods me so violently I nearly collapse. I throw my arms around him and sob into his shoulder like a child finally found.
“Jenna,” he says, trying to pry me off. “You’re causing a scene.” His hand grabs my arm, trying to pull me off. I cling harder and cry until my chest aches.
“What happened?” he asks over my head, letting me hold on.
“They came after me,” I hiccup between words. “They were going to take me somewhere.”
“Who are they?”
I pull back, meeting his eyes. “I don’t know. They spoke Russian. You think Craff’s men know Russian?”
Niko’s expression shifts, troubled, but he doesn’t push me away. “Maybe they’re not Craff’s men.”
“I was so scared,” I whisper, pressing into him again. Just feeling him there sets my mind at ease. I don’t ever want to feel that helpless again, but helplessness seems to be all I know.
“Jenna,” he murmurs, one hand settling carefully on the back of my head, “let’s sit down first. You need to calm down.”
“Can I hold your hand?” I ask. I need something to hang on to, and nothing feels more solid than Niko right now.
“Okay.”
When I finally pull away, he lets me take his hand. We sit, and he scans the train, measuring faces, exits, threats. Then he looks back at me.
Hesitating, he pulls out a white handkerchief and offers it.
I stare at it, still gripping his hand like a lifeline.
“Your face… and nose,” he explains, and I take the handkerchief with my free hand.
“Thanks.” I start wiping, awkward with my left hand, still clutching his with the other. He takes the handkerchief from me and gently wipes away the mess himself, tears, snot, the last traces of panic. When he’s done, I manage a small smile. “You’re nicer than you look.”
He grunts something in Russian, then asks, “And why did you run away from the house?”
My smile falters. I look away. “I don’t belong there.”
“Where do you belong?”
“Nowhere.” I lift my head again, forcing a brittle smile. “Where do you belong, Niko? Don’t tell me it’s with Claire and Aleksei. You know you won’t get what you want there.”
My heart skips. I expect anger, but he only studies me, head tilted. I look anywhere but at him.
“Let’s get back first,” he says, glancing up at the LED map above.
“This train goes pretty far,” he adds, and I follow his gaze. The names are in Russian. “We’ll take the return train as soon as we get there.”
“I don’t want to return,” I tell him.
Instead of asking why, he says, “What do you want to do?”
I blink, unsure. He adjusts his grip on my hand. “Do you have a plan, Jenna?”
“The plan was to go to Freya’s place. I don’t know how Craff’s men found me, how they even knew. You didn’t.” I frown. “How did you know where to find me?”
“CCTV. Convenient thing,” he replies. “And tracking people is part of my job.”
Right. I had nothing but a cheap train ticket; it wouldn’t take a genius. “Still doesn’t explain how he knows.”
“We don’t know for sure it’s the drug lord,” he says. “You said they spoke Russian. Did they look Russian too?”
I nod. He exhales, almost weary.
“There isn’t a single criminal in Moscow who doesn’t know where Aleksei Drognov lives. Some of them hang around, trying to catch a glimpse, maybe gather information. They know they can’t get in, but they lurk. Seeing you, they probably thought you were an easy mark.”
“So… they weren’t Craff’s men?”
“Not likely. Probably small-time crooks trying to impress Aleksei.”
I stare at him, incredulous. “By kidnapping me?”
He gestures to his temple. “They’re not very smart. And these groups could be different people, with different motives. We’ll wait and see.”
He’s calm, intentional, like nothing ever shakes him. Sitting beside him feels like the weight comes off my back. I start to relax but my shoulders stay tense. He feels like a shield, but shields don’t stay forever.
Soon, he’ll leave me behind. Return to the place where he came from. I shouldn't get used to him.
If I could make him want me, if I could seduce him, maybe I’d have a fighting chance. But that’s a fool’s dream. He won’t leave Aleksei. He won’t leave Claire. I am alone in this and I always will.
I look down at our joined hands and try to pull away, but he tightens his grip, holding me still. My lips lift despite myself, a faint smile curling through the exhaustion.
I’ve never had anything truly mine, and Niko is certainly not. But pretending doesn’t hurt. And if it does… well, pain’s an old friend.
I close my eyes and lean against his shoulder, letting my body go slack. Trusting him. Trusting myself into the hands of another man. Like an i***t who never learns.
- Writer
