Chapter 10 Episode 10
1639 Words
As soon as the door is open, I prop it with my foot and dragthe rest of my stuff inside. “Sweet of you to help your sisterout. What did you do all day? Did you ever go to the bodega toget—”
I stand up and turn around.
Like, not just of people. But of everything.
The suitcases I set on the bed, the cash I placed on the TVstand, and the sister I left on the dingy chair by the window…all gone.
“Elise?” I call out even though I know she won’t answer.
Panic thrums through me, vibrating until I’m sure I’ll fallapart.
She ran away. I was afraid of it in Oklahoma City, but wherewas she going to go? She’d be easy to spot. But a fourteen-year-old loose in New York City?
“God, I’ll never find her.”
My stomach is bottoming out. I’ve only felt like this oncebefore: the night I left Elise five years ago.
I can still see her small face in the front window, peekingthrough the blinds at me. She was supposed to be asleep, butshe woke up when she heard the front door slam. When sheheard Mom screeching at me to never come back.
I waved to her, and she just ducked back into the dark roomand out of sight.
And now, she’s gone again.
“Don’t panic,” I tell myself. Then an idea hits me all at once.“The front desk.”
The man at the check-in desk was intently watching anime onhis phone when we checked in this morning, but maybe hesaw something. Maybe he’ll know where she went.
I spin on my heel and reach for the door handle. But a glimmercatches my eye.
I drop my hand and stare straight ahead.
Wedged behind the plating of the peephole is a rectangularbusiness card with gold embossing around the edges. It’sblank.
Well, no, not quite blank.
Printed in the middle are two words that make my jaw clenchtight enough to shatter teeth—the name of the devil himself.
“This is not a lizard-people-in-Congress, alien-abduction kindof conspiracy theory,” I yell, frustrated tears burning the backs
of my eyes. “Officers, you just have to trust me. NikolaiZhukova kidnapped my sister.”
The larger of the two cops, Officer Sweeney, smooths a handdown his beard. “Do you have proof your sister waskidnapped?”
“She’s missing from our hotel room.”
“She could have run away,” Officer Hedger suggests. He’syoung and doing his best to keep me calm. It almost makes mehate him more.
“She didn’t run away,” I snap, even though I thought the samething at first. “Nikolai left his business card in our hotelroom.”
“But you said you are working for Mr. Zhukova, right?”Officer Sweeney says. “You were in his office just before youdiscovered your sister was missing? You could haveaccidentally brought it back with you.”
“We’ve already been through all of this.”
“Answer the question, please, ma’am,” he says.
I sigh. “Yes. I came here to do work for his company, and Iwas in his office. He wanted me to cover up whatever crimeshe is committing and I refused. So he took my sister.”
Officer Hedger shakes his head. “I just don’t understand howhe could have kidnapped your sister while you were withhim.”
The two officers share a glance, and I know I chose the wrongword. It makes me sound deranged.
Hell, maybe I am deranged. Standing on the sidewalk in frontof Zhukova Incorporated, I feel crazy.
But I know one thing for sure: these cops aren’t going to do adamn thing unless I force them.
Before they can ask me any more questions, I turn around andmarch into the building. I hear them hustling after me, barking
orders. But I keep going into the main lobby… where I’mimmediately stopped by a security guard.
“The building is closed to all non-personnel for the evening,”he grumbles. “Do you have permission to be here?”
“No, she does not,” Officer Hedger says behind me. “Ma’am, Imust ask you to step outside and—”
“I need to see Nikolai Zhukova,” I tell the security guard.“Now.”
The man’s eyes bulge. I know he knows exactly who I’mtalking about. This building is massive, filled top to bottomwith dozens of companies and the people who work for them.But Nikolai is in with all the right contacts. And the guard whomonitors the front doors is an important person to know.
“Call him,” I continue. “Tell him I’m here. With the police.He’ll let me up.”
I don’t actually know if this is true, but blind confidence is allI have right now. Nikolai has billions of dollars at his disposal.I have two police officers who think I’m insane and aboutseventy-five bucks in Chipotle gift cards. It isn’t exactly a fairfight.
The guard looks to the cops for permission, and OfficerSweeney shrugs. “We’ve got nothing else going on, anyway.”
New York City’s finest, everyone.
The guard ducks behind his desk and grabs the phone. Then Ihear him talking. “A woman is here to see you.” He glances upat me. “Yeah, short little thing with reddish hair. Okay. Thankyou, sir.”
He gives me a thumbs up. “You’re good to go. Mr. Zhukovawill be waiting for you in his office.”
My heart lurches, and I practically sprint to the elevators. Thecops plod along behind me.
“You’ll see,” I say as the doors close and the elevator rises.“He did this. I’m not crazy.”
Neither officer says anything. I keep my eyes straight ahead. Ihave to focus on what I’ll say when I see Nikolai again. Thelast time, he caught me off guard. He ruffled my feathers tooeasily.
This time around, I have to be in control.
The moment the elevator opens, I step through, ready to marchdown the hallway like a Viking on a warpath—only to slide toa stop when I find Nikolai standing in the way.
“Good to see you again,” he greets, an easy smile on his face.
God, he’s handsome. Brooding or grinning ear to ear, itdoesn’t matter. The man is perfectly proportioned andperfectly gorgeous.
He’s also a perfect f*****g psychopath.
“Where’s my sister?” I snap. The way I see it, we’re well pastpleasantries.
“Don’t play games with me. I know you know where she is.”
He shakes his head and looks past me. “Evening, officers. Ididn’t expect you to be here.”
“Did you really think I’d let you take my sister and wouldn’tcall the police?”
“I’m sorry. Your sister? I didn’t even know you had a sister,”he says.
I snort. “You know everything. You’re like God in this city,remember? So where is she?”
Officer Sweeney steps forward, angling himself slightly infront of me. “We’re sorry to bother you, Mr. Zhukova, but thiswoman seems to think you have her sister.”
“Against her will?” Nikolai asks, doing a marvelous job oflooking shocked. “We’re talking about kidnapping? Do youreally think I kidnapped someone, Frank?”
I spin towards Officer Sweeney. “Frank?”
He ignores me and gives Nikolai a small smile. “Of coursenot, Mr. Zhukova. We tried to escort this woman away fromthe building, actually, but she’s throwing a fit.”
“My name is Belle Dowan,” I remind him. “Not ‘this woman.’And I’m not ‘throwing a fit,’ I’m trying to rescue my littlesister!”
“We figured we’d come with her and ensure you knew aboutthe threat,” Officer Hedger adds as if I’d never spoken.
My jaw nearly hits the floor. “Threat? You think I’m the threathere? Are you insane?”
“Thank you both,” Nikolai says sincerely. “We’ve been outtogether a few times, but I ended things recently. I take it MissDowan was unhappy with that choice.”
“Hey, Miss,” Officer Hedger interrupts. “There’s no need for—”
“He’s lying to you! Right to your faces!” I’m shaking all over.“He threatened me and he followed through. He kidnapped mysister!”
“You’re not even from New York City. Why would your sisterbe here with you?” Nikolai asks.
“Because I couldn’t leave her home alone,” I say. “I broughther with me on the trip.”
Nikolai rolls his eyes. “You know, gentlemen, I wouldn’t besurprised if she doesn’t even have a sister.”
“I do! And I’ll prove it!” I reach for my phone before I realizeI don’t have any recent photos of Elise and myself. Grouchyfourteen-year-olds aren’t especially photogenic. So I pivot.“I’ll call the front desk at the hotel. They saw me check in. Isaid there would be two people in my room.”
I dial the number while Nikolai leans in to talk to the officers.“I’m sorry to waste your time. I know you are very busy.”
I try to drown him out. The second the front desk picks up, Iput my phone on speaker. “Hello, this is Belle Dowan fromRoom 307,” I say.
“Ms. Dowan, yes,” the man says, sounding oddly formalconsidering I watched him blow his nose in a receipt when wewere checking in this morning. “How can I help you?”
“I’m calling to confirm that you saw me check in with anothergirl this morning? That my room is reserved for two people?”
I’m already smirking at Nikolai, so confident my story wasabout to be verified.
- Writer
