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Twenty Seven
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Dani 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.
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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,
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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
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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 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 One
Everything was dark and cold when Dani opened her eyes.Pitch black darkness. It was useless thrashing her head about, for only nothingness stared back at her from every corner of this frigid space. Had she gone blind? Everything felt dull and hazy when she tried to recollect her thoughts. Think, Dani. Think. Right, she’d been partying with friends in a club in Melbourne. It had been a warm summer night, far from this dark freezer she was in right now.Unless she was in some kind of freezer. That was ridiculous of course, because that would mean she was either dead, or soon to be.Her next instinct was to wrap her arms around herself. Except she couldn’t.Her hands were bound behind her back, and her fingertips could feel the cable tie around her wrists. Only then did she become fully aware of her position, of how she was seated on some chair—heavy, wooden—and tied down to her ankles.“What the fuck…?” The words left her cracked lips and grated in her dry throat. At least she wasn’t g
The Russian Two
Moscow.Dani felt the breath knocked out from her.She’d never set foot in Russia, nor knew anyone she could run to even if she managed to escape. Alexei had a build that could easily take her down, if one of his god-knows-how-many lackeys didn’t get to her first.Her mind continued to draw a blank. “How the hell did I end up in Moscow?”Alexei rose to his full height once more. He had to be at least six feet tall. “Too easily, actually. You and your friends were already quite inebriated. I mean, you were more than eager to take your sixth shot of tequila from a complete stranger.”“You slipped a roofie in my drink?” Her jaw dropped as her bound hands curled into fists. “What else have you done to me?”Alexei picked the fur off his parka. “I prefer my partners conscious and completely willing, if that’s what you’re implying. You were knocked out for the entire flight. Very cooperative for live cargo, really.”Dani bit back a curse and closed her eyes. “I can’t believe this is fucking
The Russian Three
Dani was given a drab grey dress and black tights for her to wear. She looked like a convent nun but it surprisingly fit her well, and it unnerved her that her abduction may have been planned well ahead of time. Elena brought her a tray of biscuits and tea, but despite not remembering when she had last eaten, Dani left it untouched. She restlessly paced in her bedroom, tempted to find Alexei, but what would she say to him?Ten million dollars in ten days. There was no way her father would be able to cough up that much money so quickly. Dani chose to be oblivious to many things where the family business was concerned, but she knew enough to know her father had to be in dire straits to start dealing with the Russians.Dani chewed on her thumb. She had to come up with a game plan. Perhaps steal a car and drive far enough to get in contact with her father? She didn’t know a single word of Russian, but it was the largest country in the world, wasn’t it? Surely there were plenty of places to
The Russian Four
Everything was white and bright when Dani opened her eyes.Pale sunlight from the windows kissed her face, but its warmth did not seep through in the cold room.She’d desperately wanted everything to be a dream.The thick sheets kept her in a warm cocoon, keeping her drowsy and almost lulling her back to sleep. Still, no matter how many times she woke up, she would not be escaping this nightmare.Groggily, Dani sat up. The reality of her surroundings was like a cold slap in the face. She was stuck in this godforsaken tundra until—if her father managed to conjure ten million dollars in the next nine days. Her father would move mountains for her, but even meeting Alexei’s demand was stretching it.The faint sound of keys jangling reached her ears. Within seconds, a light knock rapped on her door. Elena entered her room, her black dress a stark contrast to the whiteness of everything else around Dani.“Good morning, Miss De Luca.” Elena’s steely grey eyes mirrored the hardness of her tone
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“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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
