The Island

Chapter 1-1

Chapter One

The atmosphere was somber, and I didn’t even try to maintain a brittle smile as I greeted people arriving in our home. I didn’t care if they thought I was rude, especially since many of them probably came to elicit juicy tidbits to gossip about later.

It was a small gathering, which made sense. My father had lost contact with a lot of his friends after Mom’s death, followed by his decline into alcoholism and worse. Of the faces around me, I recognized a few as true friends or family who’d earned the right to be there, but there were several strangers too. I couldn’t help thinking they were just there to gawk and be on the fringes of our family drama.

I moved through woodenly, occasionally exchanging words with those who offered sympathy or a kind word about my father. Carrie was in the corner, her face buried in her iPad. Those around us probably found it disrespectful, but I understood. She needed to escape and disconnect from the reality.

Who could blame her? I wouldn’t have chastised her for going upstairs and hiding in my room like our younger sister Sasha was at the moment. At fifteen, no one expected her to cope like they did Carrie, who was seventeen, or me. I was just twenty, but suddenly I was head of the family playing hostess at my father’s memorial service.

Tears threatened to break me again, and I hurried down the hall. Somehow, I managed to avoid stopping to talk to anyone as I closed myself in Dad’s study for a moment. I moved across the room and sat down in his broken-down leather chair. I once asked him about replacing it, but he’d claimed he had it just the way he wanted it. I wasn’t certain if he held onto it because it was broken-in, or sentiment prompted him to keep it since it had been a gift from Mom.

The chair creaked as I sat down and leaned forward to put my head on the desk on top of my arms. I just needed a few minutes alone to try to gather my composure before dealing with those people still waiting for me. Most of them probably meant well, but I just wanted them all to go away.

If they were here looking for answers as to why my father had put a g*n in his mouth and blown out his brains, I couldn’t give it to them. I had no clue. He’d spent the last year getting sober and seemingly turning things around, so his backslide made no sense. There hadn’t been any alcohol in the house, and when I saw him the night before I found him the next morning, he seemed perfectly sober.

He was certainly upset about something, but refused to discuss it. I wish now I had pressed him on it, and perhaps we could’ve come to a solution together. Even if I just stayed up with him that night, I could have kept him from killing himself. At least that night.

I looked up as the door opened quietly, hoping it would be Carrie or Sasha, but braced myself to face friends or family members. Perhaps someone had seen me slip away and wanted to ensure I was all right. I was pretty far from all right, but was mustering every effort to give an appearance to the contrary when three strangers stepped into the office.

I had no idea who any of them were, but each sent a shiver down my spine. There was something in the way they carried themselves that suggested they were dangerous. Two of the men were hulking monoliths of muscle and aggression, and they stood shoulder to shoulder behind the shorter, fatter, older man. He wasn’t as physically intimidating, but when I looked at him, I found him the most frightening of all.

Perhaps it was because his eyes were cold and flat, bordering on reptilian. They reminded me of the eyes of Carrie’s corn snake she had a few years ago. I trembled as he stepped closer to the desk, clenching the edge and wondering if I should give in to the urge to scream for help.

“Hello, Anya.”

The sound of my name on his lips was a shock, since I was positive I’d never met him. Eyeing him warily, I didn’t return the greeting. I just sat in silence for a moment as I wondered what to say.

He sat down at the desk, taking the hardback chair that Dad kept there. I remembered sitting in there a few times as I got lectured about my grades and knew for a fact it was uncomfortable. He seemed unbothered by it though, and his beady gaze never wavered from me.

I licked my lips. “Who are you?”

“I’m an…associate of your father’s. My name is Dmitri Ivanov.” He paused for a moment as though he expected his name to mean something to me. Then he continued speaking. “Your father was a regular client of mine.”

I frowned as I sat further upright, hands clenched together on my lap. “I’m not sure what business you’re in, Mr. Ivanov, but my dad owned pawnshops. What kind of service did you provide him?” It was a perfectly reasonable question, but my stomach still tightened with dread as I awaited the answer.

“Money.” The word sounded cold and loathsome on his tongue. “Your father went through a very rough patch following your mother’s death, da?”

He’d spoken without an accent until he said the Russian word, and I could hear it bleeding through. I shrugged. “I’m sure anyone who knows him knows that.”

“Did you know he risked losing the business, Anya?”

I shook my head, having no clue it was that dire. “I can see how it might’ve happened, but he spent the last year pulling everything back from the brink.”

Ivanov surprised me by nodding. “He did, but not without my generosity and continued extensions of credit. The economy is what it is, and though your father did an admirable thing by giving up his addictions, it was too little too late, I’m afraid. It became obvious he was never going to be able to repay us, so I seized his assets. I fear that might’ve been what drove him to such a desperate act.” He said the words with sympathy, but his gaze never wavered, and no hint of any emotion flickered across his face.

I let out a harsh breath. “Which assets?”

“Everything. All four of his shops, the deed to this house, and even the titles for your vehicles. I’m afraid you and your sisters are driving around in your cars and living in this house simply by my generosity now, dear Anya.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to remain impassive. His skin was pale, his dark hair was oily where it remained in carefully groomed tufts clinging to his skull, and he had far more scalp than hair visible. Still, I couldn’t find a more repulsive feature than his eyes. “I assume you’re here to evict us?”

He tutted his tongue. “Such a delicate matter, and with him exiting the world so unexpectedly, I wish I could afford to give you time to process. As it is, he still owes me five hundred thousand dollars.”

My mouth dropped open, and I swallowed audibly. “On top of the value of the businesses and all the property?” I shook my head, unable to fathom such a thing. “I’m sorry he left you in the lurch like that.”

Dmitri clicked his tongue again in that annoying fashion. “But I’m afraid he’s left you in the lurch, my dear. His debt has transferred to you.”

I collapsed against the chair, staring at him in disbelief for a moment. “I don’t see how. I had nothing to do with loans, and I didn’t sign any paperwork. Perhaps there will be something left from life insurance to settle part of the debt, but you’ll understand why I have to ensure my sisters and I have living expenses first, especially since I now know we have to move out of our house.” It was a modest house by most standards, with only three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

His voice lost any hint of feigned sympathy, going cold and hard. “You will pay the debt. I’m not a bank, and there are rules. Your father was a fool if he thought he could escape his debt by killing himself. All he did was dump it on your lovely lap.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to sue me.” I wasn’t sure from where I summoned the brave words.

Dmitri turned to nod at one of the goons, who pulled back his jacket to show a g*n. I gasped at the sight of it and clung to the arms of the old chair. “Who are you?”

“I’m what some would call a bad man, but I wish to allow you to avoid the unpleasantness of dealing with that side. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement that satisfies your debt.”

“It’s not my debt.” I said the words again, but with far less conviction. I had an inkling of exactly what kind of person Dmitri Ivanov was. He was either a loan shark, or something even worse, and my father somehow found his way to him.

I was blisteringly angry with my father for a moment, but had no time to indulge in that emotion. “I don’t have a way to pay that kind of money, Mr. Ivanov. I’m a college student, and my sisters are both in high school. It sounds like we’re all going to have to find somewhere cheaper and smaller. I don’t enough to keep a roof over our heads, let alone pay back a debt I had no responsibility for.”

His expression softened, but his eyes remained dead. “Truly, I do understand the position you’re in, young lady. I find it admirable that you’re willing to look after your sisters and sacrifice for their future. I suggest a simple trade.”

I nodded once. My mouth was too dry to verbalize any response.

“You’re a lovely woman, and I’m certain you could earn a great deal of goodwill by sharing your body with me and my friends. Enough of that, and you’ll be paid off. Perhaps in ten years, the debt would be fulfilled.”

I stared at him, mouth open in shock. “You expect me to w***e myself out for the next ten years to pay off my father’s debt?”

He nodded just once. “Da.”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not. There are no circumstances where I agree to that.”

He stiffened and sat up straight before getting to his feet to lean across the desk. He loomed over me, and I leaned back in my chair further, though I didn’t want to show that weakness.

“You have two weeks, kotyonok. In that time, you need to vacate this house, leave behind the vehicles and all your expensive possessions, and come up with five hundred thousand dollars to satisfy the debt. In two weeks and one day, you owe six hundred thousand dollars if you haven’t paid. At that time, I’ll seize the remaining assets.”

My eyes burned with tears, but I didn’t let them fall. “What remaining assets? It sounds like you’ve taken everything already.”

His smile was nothing less than evil. “Lev Russo left three valuable assets behind, and I intend to fully exploit them. You and your sisters will be taken in two weeks to pay the debt if you don’t have the money I require.”

Anger surged, and I leaned forward. “Stay away from my sisters.”

He didn’t back down. Instead he laughed in my face. “Or what, kotyonok? You’ll perhaps kill me? Will you rip me apart with your bare hands while my guards with guns stand by silently and watch?”

I was vibrating with rage, but also impotent with it. I couldn’t do anything, and there was no point making a threat I couldn’t back up. “You can’t do this.”

He shrugged. “I can do what I wish.”

“I’ll go to the police. This is America, and you can’t do this.”

Once more, Ivanov laughed at me. “I own the police, and none of them will lift a hand to help you. You’ll spend the next two weeks scrambling to find a way to pay the debt, but we both know you won’t. In two weeks’ time, we’ll be exactly back at this place, but the difference is you and your sisters will become my property.

“I’ll send you and Carrie to work in the brothels. Some of the clientele will be rough, and you’ll wish you’d accepted my offer to serve myself and my associates instead. However, I will keep Miss Sasha for myself. She’s a tasty little morsel, and I’ll be sure to let her know her older sister could’ve spared her that by accepting my offer.”

I glared at him. “She’s only fifteen. Carrie’s just seventeen. You can’t do this.”