Down the hallway, we see one of my guards laying facedown on the carpet... is that blood?!
"What the fuck," I whisper. Shane walks out and grabs my arm, pulling me close.
A noise comes from down the hall, in my father's office. Where all of the illegal shit is kept. Fuck.
"Was that your mother?" Shane asks hopefully.
"She stays in her room all night, there's no way that's her," I whisper back. I look up at Shane's face and I can tell he's uncomfortable with not having his gun on him. I take a step towards where the noise came from, but Shane holds me back.
"Don't," he says. I walk back into my room and open a drawer, grabbing a small pistol out. Shane looks at me with wide eyes.
"I'll explain later," I reply to his gaze.
He watches me, bewildered, as I insert a magazine and cock the slide back, getting it ready to fire. I round the corner of my room and walk back into the hallway with my weapon pointed towards the office door. My footsteps are quiet as I walk slowly to the door. I can hear someone rummaging around.
I push my back against the wall and call out, "Kto zdes'? Who's there?"
There's no answer. The sound of rustling paper stops. I hear a footstep come towards the door so I spin around the corner and aim the gun at the moving body.
"Fuck, Venera! Drop the fucking gun!"
"Are you fucking kidding me, Svokar?! Chto vy delayete?"
"What I'm doing is trying to save your father's business! It's going down the fucking drain," Shane comes around the corner to see the commotion, "Kto, chert voz'mi, eto?"
"This is Shane," I say somewhat dismissively, putting my gun down.
Svokar
(sv-oh-car)
and I used to date. My father loved Svokar because he's Russian and has the same outlook on life as my father. We didn't work out because of his mother wanting him to marry someone else.
"Well, hello. Nice to meet you, please leave."
"Svokar!" I yell. He shrugs.
"I'm not going to sugar coat it, Shane. You should go because Venera and I should talk these things out... privately," he says the last word as a proposition towards me. I roll my eyes.
"Shane, he's right. I'll walk you to the door," I turn to face Shane and he gives me a cautious look.
When we get to the door, Shane looks at me seriously, "Venera, I don't want to leave you alone with that guy. And why the fuck do you have a gun if you have guards?"
"Shane, you should go. My family is... different. We're wealthy and a lot of people in my dad's circle don't like it. I keep it to protect myself and my mother," I feel a presence behind me and know that it's Svokar standing on the stairs. I could always tell when he was in the room.
Shane nods and looks behind me one last time before turning around. He picks up his phone and requests an Uber. I shut the door and turn to see Svokar standing on the top stair.
I say nothing as he walks closer to me, his intentions unclear. And without any guards around to help me...
He pushes me against the front door and holds my hands above my head. He smiles down at me with his perfect white teeth.
Svokar is a very attractive man. He has short and dark brown hair, blue-green eyes, and a slight tan. His smile could break any lady's heart and from his height, he could watch it happen with a bird's eye view.
"Venera... I've missed you," he whispers.
"Svokar, you know we shouldn't," I whisper back.
He leans his face down to kiss me, but I turn my head.
"No kiss?" he giggles.
"Why are you here?" I ask, trying to get out of his grip.
"To help your father's business," he replies after a small hesitation.
"You dirty lzhets! That's not what you came for," I say, getting sick of his lies already. He knows I can tell when he's lying.
"What do you want me to say, Venera? That I came here for you? That I heard you with that mudak and I couldn't bear it?" he thunders. My mouth droops open slightly... I don't know how to respond properly.
"Why were you in my father's office? Why did you hurt my guards? How did you get in?" I ask, thinking out loud.
"I knew they'd try to keep me out. I wouldn't be able to see you if I didn't come sneaking through a window. I used to be on the forces, remember. I was in your father's office because... because I was going to use the spare key for your bedroom door and... I don't know what I would've done from there. I just miss you so much," he says, leaning his forehead against my own.
"Then why did you let your mother tear us apart Svokar? Why didn't you fight like I asked you to?"
"Because I couldn't. Vinnie, you don't understand. By the time I told you about why I couldn't see you anymore, I was already forcibly on my way to marry a woman named Ingrid in Russia."
"And you did? Marry her?" I ask.
"In Russia, we're married. Here, we're nothing but strangers. I left so I could come back to you. We aren't teenagers anymore, I can do what I want. And what I want is you," he lets go of my wrists.
"Do you love her?"
"No," he says without hesitation, "I never have. We had one kid because it was expected of us to start a family. He died a year ago because his heart was ill."
"Kar... I'm so sorry," I move my hands up to cup his face. Less than two minutes ago, I was afraid of this man. Now I feel the feelings from age 16 coming back just as strong as when they left.
"Vinnie, it's alright. I've mourned and now I'm okay. But I can't be great without you."
"I just slept with someone else for the first time-"
"The first time?"
"Yeah, I've never gone 'all the way' until then," I giggle lightly. Why am I suddenly feeling like a 16 year old again? "This is ridiculous, we aren't in some stupid romance movie. We don't 'end up' together and we don't get back together just because you came back for me. Leave me alone and let me get on with my life."
"Vinnie..." he says as I push past him.
"Let yourself out," I say back. I can't believe I almost fell for that.
I can hear him breathe in like he's going to protest, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, he grabs my arm and spins me around.
"Hey!" I almost yell. Before I can get another word in, he kisses my lips sweetly and urgently.
