LOGINShare
Eleven
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56He thought he’d been too late.
He didn’t know how long Dani had been unconscious when he found her, and it took him and Maksim at least another half-hour before they finally found shelter in the middle of the woods.
Related chapters
The Russian Twelve
Alexei awoke to a vacant bedside the following morning.It shook all grogginess from his body as he looked around the empty cabin. The white shirt
The Russian Thirteen
Summer was particularly warmer this year.Even under her parasol, Dani could feel the thick, heavy heat seeping through to her skin. Lethargy kept her glued to her chair, even as the sound of flowing water beckoned her to the pool before her.
The Russian Fourteen
It was impossible to concentrate.Even with headphones on, sitting on her study desk with a bright lamp in her dim bedroom, Dani could not bring herself to focus on her reading.
The Russian Fifteen
Dani awoke to a pounding headache.She kept her eyes shut, knowing as soon as sunlight hit her irises, her head would explode. She tossed and turned restlessly, finding at least some degree of comfort in the thick sheets and soft bed she was currently
The Russian Sixteen
Dani paced restlessly in her bedroom.She had half a mind to pack up her things and leave. To where she had no idea, even though there was probably no escaping Alexei and his stupid men.
The Russian Seventeen
There was nothing quite like a city skyline at night.Alexei stood by the window of his hotel room, admiring New York City from thirty two floors above. It was not his first time here—hell, he’d been through all five boroughs several times
The Russian Eighteen
“The Battle of Tannenberg in 1914 took a massive blow on the Russian Empire. Over 30,000 Russian troops were killed or wounded while 90,000 had been captured. Germany’s forces, on the other hand…”Dani took down notes as her E
The Russian Nineteen
Alexei walked into the hospital cafeteria and found Dani seated on one of the tables with her best friend Georgia.Dani did not seem to notice his arrival immediately. She was nursing a cup of coffee with both hands, looking tired and distraught as sh
Latest chapter
The Russian Epilogue
“Don’t forget: Paper on Rousseau’s Social Contract is due Friday. At least five hundred words, okay people? The appendix doesn’t count—and yes, Mr. Morello—I’m looking at you!” Laughter and the shuffling of books filled the room. Students rose from their seats on their way out of the auditorium, while Dani picked up her things and headed for the door with everyone else. Something in her pocket vibrated, and she pulled out her phone from her jeans at the new text. Lunch at Central in 20? She replied with a smile before slipping her books inside her sling bag. She squeezed into a crowded elevator and headed seven floors down to the main exit doors of the SIPA building, where she was met with the full throng of Columbia’s students scattered across camp
The Russian Thirty
Despite the gun aimed at his face, Andrei Nikolin laughed. If there was anything Alexei remotely admired about his father, it was that the man never seemed to fear his own mortality. “You come back from the dead only to face me in the dark like a coward?” Andrei cast a sideways glance at the other man standing at the foot of his bed. “What a shame, Viktor, but I’m not surprised.” Viktor used the tip of his pistol to scratch his head. “It was either my boss or my best mate, and the answer’s obvious. No hard feelings, Mr. Nikolin.” Andrei scoffed. “I hold out this long and for what? For you two idiots to burn everything I’ve worked so hard for to the ground?” “It was us ‘idiots’ who’ve been keeping everything afloat.” Alexei shook his head. “You bark incoherent orders
The Russian Twenty Nine
Dani awoke with a jolt.The floor was cold and hard beneath her, and in the dark it was difficult to make sense of her surroundings.The back of her head throbbed with pain. She winced at the sore, damp spot on her head when she touched it, and blood came away at her fingertips.The sound of a gunshot echoed in her mind, and with it the flashback of Alexei bleeding on the ground. Dani sat up, eyes stinging with fresh tears at the reminder. No, no, no. All of this had to be one bad dream. Alexei couldn’t possibly be dead—A thin sliver of moonlight entered the window in a far corner of the room. Dani’s vision adjusted, where she found herself in an empty bedroom. It ha
The Russian Twenty Eight
The Nikolin estate was an hour’s drive from the city.Buildings from the bustling capital became sparser the farther they drove from the Kremlin, entering suburbia until more greenery dominated the landscape. Well, it was more white than green,
The Russian Twenty Seven
Dani remained wide awake past midnight.Perhaps it was the time difference, but even as fatigue from the jet lag left a heaviness in her body, she couldn’t fall asleep.
The Russian Twenty Six
Not once in a million years did Dani think she would be on a plane back to Russia.It would’ve been over her dead body, and yet here she was now on a business class flight to Moscow, with Alexei quietly sleeping in the seat next to her.
The Russian Twenty Five
Dani stepped out of the elevator doors and down the hallway towards her father’s room. Save for the nurses’ station at the center, most lights were already dim at half past ten in the evening. The nurses immediately recognized her, waiving the visiting hours rule with a nod. Her father had just woken up from a long coma. They could look the other way just this once.
The Russian Twenty Four
It was still snowing when Dani woke up the following morning.Being nestled in the warm, thick sheets of a soft bed on a cold winter day, it was difficult to get up. It wasn’t until the smell of something delicious—pancakes—wafted to
The Russian Twenty Three
When Dani moved in to Alexei’s apartment, he was already back in Moscow.It was a relief not having to deal with the awkwardness of moving her things in, which Marta was happy to help her with. In truth, she didn’t have much to bring with
