Satin Princess(106)

“Not one?”

“Not one,” Lev says. “These are men who bear the mark and live or die by it. They’d never go against their own don. Especially not for that mad bitch.”

“Alright then, question the staff,” I say. “But be discreet. If anyone throws up suspicious vibes, bring them to me.”

“Understood,” Lev says, getting to his feet. “I’ll get started now.”

“Check on our spies first,” I instruct him. “I want to see if anyone has heard anything from her.”

Yulian shakes his head. “Doubtful. Everyone still thinks she’s dead.”

“Well, it’s time to disabuse them of that notion.”

Yulian looks surprised. “You want to out her?”

“Why not? We have nothing to lose.”

Yulian nods. “I’ll make sure it’s done.”

“Good.”

Lev heads out, but Yulian lingers for a moment. He sits opposite me, his shoulders squared and his body language tense. “This may get a lot messier,” he says, as though he needs to prepare me.

“I’m counting on it.”

He nods solemnly. “Leave it to me, sobrat.”

“Leave it to you?”

“I’m only thinking of Jessa,” he says. “If you die, her world ends. If I die, no one will mourn me.”

I shake my head. “You’re wrong about that.”

Yulian looks sad for a moment. He puts his hand on my shoulder and nods. “Thank you, brother.”

“Go now,” I say. “Be my right hand.”

“I will. Always.”





36





JESSA





There’s a swell.

It’s small but indisputable. I run my hand over my tiny baby bump, imagining the life growing inside me. Is it a boy or a girl? Both are equally strange and awe-inspiring. It makes my head hurt to think about it, so I just imagine a sweet little creature that is part me and part him.

Anton was already gone when I woke up this morning. I took an extra-long bath and slipped on black leggings, but before I could pull on my cashmere sweater, I paused in front of the mirror to examine myself from the side.

The door opens as I’m caressing my belly. I try to pull on my sweater fast but I know he’s already seen me. His eyes go wide. I’ve never seen Anton look awestruck before.

“It’s really happening,” he murmurs.

I laugh. “Doesn’t feel real, does it?”

“Not until just now.”

He moves forward and I notice the files he’s carrying under one arm.

“Is that about Chris? Is he okay? Have you heard anything?”

“We’re following a couple of leads as we speak,” he assures me. “We’re closing in.”

“On Marina or Chris?”

“We find one, we find the other,” Anton says confidently.

“It’s been two days, Anton,” I remind him. “His parents must be worried sick.”

“They haven’t filed a missing persons report,” Anton says. “We’ve been keeping tabs on the situation. They seem to be going about with their lives as usual.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that Marina doesn’t want the publicity from an abduction report. So she’s explained away his absence to his parents.”

“How?”

“The same way I got your location in England,” he says.

And that’s when it strikes me. “You mean she’s using his phone to send them messages.”

“That’s my best guess.”

I shake my head. “Okay. Okay. Well, do you think that means he’s alive or dead?”

I don’t actually want to know his answer. There is a peace in not knowing. A real benefit to existing in the liminal space.

“Alive,” Anton says decisively.

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“No. She took him as leverage, Jessa. She’s not going to fuck with him before he can be of use to her.”

I nod, feeling lightheaded all of the sudden. He takes my hand and leads me to the sofa.

“Sit,” he commands. I do what he says without a second thought.

“Here.” He hands me a file.

“Do I want to see what’s in here?”

“I think it might be a nice distraction,” he says.

I frown. “A distraction?”

“Go on.”

So I open the file, expecting yet another devastating blow. Planning for a new fracture to appear throughout my life, an earthquake threatening to submerge the little island of safety I’ve scrabbled together for myself.

Instead, I found myself looking at a house listing. “House” doesn’t really do it justice, though. These are mansions. Castles. The dossier contains five in total, each with huge glossy panoramas of gorgeous rooms and endless gardens.

Slowly, I look up at Anton. “What is this?”

“A change,” he says simply.

I try to understand it for a few more seconds and then give up. “You’re gonna have to walk me through this.”