Damned: Chapter 17) Sick

I walked back into the apartment to find my mother eating quietly at the table.

“Mom,” I breathed slowly feeling my heart contract as I sat on the sofa.

I didn’t know why I was feeling like this. All that happened so far, it was catching up to me. The worst part about all this was that I couldn’t tell anyone about it. I couldn’t be comforted by anyone about it without putting their lives at risk. I don’t want that. They deserved their happiness. I was deprived of mine, ever since my real mother died. Now that I think about it again, my family broke apart when that happened. My father’s main focus was on his business. Maybe that was a way to forget about his wife’s death. He only remarried for the sake of his children. I know he loves us but it’s just that it’s different from how it used to be.

Thank God for Sara. Thank God that she came into our lives, she was the one that kept the family together. She loved us like her own.

“Sweetheart, are you alright?” she asked quickly getting up and sitting with me.

“I just-”

“Kathy, what’s wrong?”

She pulled me into her embrace as I hugged her back. This was the closest I got to comfort.

“Did you have a disagreement?” she suddenly asked.

“What?”

“With Vitaly?”

 “No, I just- I well…”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t tell her the truth.

“Things like this happen with couples, Katherine.”

I bit my lip and looked at her, “Do- do you like him?”

It was a question that I was curious about. Sara Donovan was an intelligent woman, her opinion mattered to me. She was akin to God to me.

With a smiled she held my hands in hers, “I think the better question to ask is; do you like him?”

I stopped for a second and thought about that.

Do I?

There were a lot of things I felt for that man but ‘like’ wasn’t the word I would use towards him.

“Mom,” I said with a frown- changing the topic, “Did Becca tell you where she was going?”

“No. She didn’t. Why?”

“Oh, no. I was just wondering.”

For the rest of the day, I went out with my mother. We shopped and did all that other fun stuff until our legs practically ached from all the walking. After a while, I gave her a ride back at her hotel as she had to meet a few clients for a function she was offering service to.

On my way back to the apartment, I heard soft laughter coming from inside. Who would be here at this time? I mean, we normally didn’t get many visits at night. Quietly opening the door, I saw Rebecca sitting at the table with a man. I’d never seen him before. His features were sharp and almost on point. He looked around twenty-seven or so, probably the same age as Becca herself. His brown hair and deep grey eyes seemed to give him this striking look and he arched his neat perfect lips upwards as he looked at Rebecca.

“Becca?”

With a sigh, she turned her head away but turned back to me tiredly.

“Dmitri, this is Katherine. She’s an acquaintance.”

Acquaintance?

Okay, that hurt.

The man stood and walked towards me. With a smile, he shook my hand “Miss Katherine, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

There was something about him.

When he touched me I felt a sudden chill run across my body.

“The pleasure’s mine.” I tried to smile politely.

There was an awkward silence between us but I shrugged it off as I walked to the kitchen.

“Rebecca, should I order a pizza?”

“The phone’s not working.” She replied dryly as she continued speaking to the man at the table.

“Oh,” I frowned. Well, that was odd. It was working in the morning.

Gosh, I was tired but at the same time I was really hungry so I attempted to make some pasta.

Pasta is always fasta’ right?

Before no time, I was finished. I really didn’t want to go and sit at the table with those two so I sat at the sofa quietly eating. I hadn’t paid much attention to what the man was saying before as it was none of my business but being bored and completely rude, I decided to eavesdrop. He was telling her about some trip he went to in Venice.

Sure, butter the girl up.

I was about to put my headphone on and listen to music when I suddenly heard it.

An accent.

It was growing thinker as he spoke but faded between sentences.

Not just any accent, he was Russian.

I spent way too much time with Vitaly’s family to not recognize it.

After finishing the pasta, I noted that the man went into the bathroom while Rebecca sat at the table alone.

“Rebecca,” I quickly went up to her and sat on the chair, “That man, who is he?

“He’s none of your concern, Katherine.” She frowned.

“Please Becca, it’s just a question. Is he Russian?”

“Not every man in the world is Russian Katherine. Dmitri isn’t. If you want to talk to a Russian, call your lover.”

“I think Dmitri is Russian.”

“So what? Do you have a problem with that, Katherine?”

“Why are you being so rude to me? I’m trying to tell you that I don’t have a good feeling about this guy, Becca.”

“Oh really?” she scoffed with a bitter laugh, “Like what I was trying to tell you about that Rostov guy? Well, guess what, I don’t need your advice alright Kat. It’s better if you stay out of my life now.”

I didn’t like the way in which she was speaking to me.

Maybe I was just over-reacting though. I shouldn’t worry too much. All I needed was a nice bath and a nap. That sounded wonderful. Walking into my room, I flopped myself on the bed and took a deep breath. It felt nice being on my own bed again. It almost felt as if I was back to normal. Slowly, I drifted into a consuming sleep.

The sound of someone muffing my mouth startled me up.

I was about to kick the person off when I saw who it was.

“Rebecca?” I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, as I sat up and noted her attire.

Her hair was tousled, makeup smudged and she wore a long white shirt.

 Dmitri’s shirt.

“Call the police, Katherine.” Her voice wavered.

“What?”

“You were right. That man. He’s different.”

“You need to breathe first.” I tried to calm her.

“I can’t calm down, Kat!” she scolded softly, “He has a gun in his jacket. At first I thought he was an officer or maybe he just was had a license for the gun but then I saw something really strange. Kat- I- I just don’t understand-”

“Understand what?”

“He has a picture of you in his wallet.” Rebecca trembled.

Fear perfumed poisonously within me. No, why would a man I don’t even know have that?

Unless…

Oh my God.

Another Russian with a gun who might potentially want to kill me?

I breathed painfully and swallowed the lump in my throat, “He’s in the Mafia.”

“What?”

“Vitaly,” I breathlessly grabbed my phone but there was no service, “Give me your phone Becca.”

Within a second, she gave it to me.

No signal.

“We have to get out of here.” I panicked, getting off the bed.

“We can’t.” she suddenly pulled me back.

“What do you mean we can’t?”

“There are men outside the door, Kat.”

Somehow I figured that this was all planned out. From meeting Rebecca to the disconnected phone line, it was all plotted. No matter what, we had to get out. Quietly, we snuck into the bathroom and I climbed on the toilet to see if we could have escaped from there.

As soon as I looked out the window, I pulled myself back in shock that there were even men out there.

“What are we going to do Katherine?”

For the first time ever, Rebecca Banks looked broken and scared. I honestly didn’t like it.

“I have to talk to Vitaly.” I frowned, combing my fingers through my hair in frustration.

“I don’t mean to sound rude but I don’t think now’s the time to talk to your boyfriend.”

“No Rebecca,” I sighed tiredly, “Vitaly isn’t my boyfriend. He’s in the Mafia as well.”

“What? Kat! I’ve only been gone for such a short time and you got involved with the Mafia? Were you insane?”  

“It’s a long story.” I frowned.

I couldn’t explain this to her right now. It wasn’t the time. I had to think of something. Quickly opening the door back out the living room, we were confronted by the deep sculpted Russian sexy horror.

Urgh, why were they all handsome?

“Ladies.” He wickedly grinned.

I took a deep breath and tried not to be fazed by him. One wrong move and it’s game over for us.

“Dmitri.” I smiled politely, “I was just helping Rebecca with something.”

“In the washroom?” he arched an eyebrow.

“Yes, you know…girl stuff.”

Wow, I was the worst liar in the history of liars.

“I see.”

“Are you hungry?” I abruptly asked in a loud voice which startled him a bit.

“Beg pardon?”

“I asked if you were hungry. I’m starving!” I exaggerated and turned to Rebecca, “Aren’t you hungry, Becca?”

“We had our dinner.” He smirked towards her, “Right sweetheart?”

That son of a bastard was trying to pop some corn with me.

Who the hell does he think he is? Vitaly?

I noticed how pale Rebecca’s face was turning. Good God, this girl was going to get us caught and killed.

“Actually, Dmitri,” she began slowly, “I was beginning to feel a little hungry.”

Within a second I burst out in a fit of laughter and playfully placed a hand in his shoulder, “Don’t mind her, it’s just that we do a lot of late-night snacking.”

Dmitri suddenly glazed his eyes over my body in such a way that almost crawled my blood. He smiled and placed his hand over mine on his shoulder.

Okay, this was getting a little too intimate now.

 With a subtle smirk, he replied, “So do I.”

Quickly pulling away, I frowned. Something iced with me and a warning perfumed that this man was more dangerous than I thought he was. He was ‘Vitaly level’.

“Well let’s make some pizza.” I smiled and walked casually towards the kitchen.

Thankfully, Rebecca caught my drift and sat at the counter stool opposite.

“No olives.” She suggested.

“When do I ever put olives?” I laughed and slowly slid the knife closer to me, “Pineapples. You know I love it.”

Dmitri walked next to Rebecca and placed a hand on her waist, “Maybe I should help?”

“Oh no, it’s fine. You’re the guest.” I stated sweetly.

“No, I insist.” He replied and neared me.

“Becca, why don’t you go and freshen up. I’ll handle things here. Besides, I’m sure Dmitri wants his shirt back.”

“Kat are you sure? I-”

“Yes. I’m positive.”

Hesitantly, she walked into her room and I suddenly felt Dmitri’s hand at the small of my back.

In a low chuckle, he leaned closer towards me and whispered into my ears seductively, “Admit it.”

“Admit what?” I replied trying to be oblivious to his change while opening the canned mushrooms.

“You wanted to get rid of her.” He stated and I suddenly felt his arm snake around my waist while he pressed his naked chest on my back.

I didn’t like this feeling. His intimacy was different from…

“You smell divine, Katherine.” He chuckled into my neck.

Alright. This was enough.

With a scowl, I shrugged away from him.

“Sorry, Dmitri. I have a boyfriend.”

Shaking his head with a wicked smile, he neared me as I edged away from him. I bumped into the refrigerator at the back. In a quick fluid movement, he caged me in.

“Rostov doesn’t need to know a thing sweetheart.”

My eyes widen at the mention of his name.

This was far worse than I had imagined.

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