Damned: Chapter 21) Strangers

It happened so quickly that I had no time to even scream. My throat ached and my heart felt like it was suddenly punctured. Fear shot throughout my body in a flash of agony.

I turned around to be suddenly calmed by Vitaly.

“Relax, I’m not hurt.” He said as he cupped my frightened face.

His eyes drifted to the man who aimed and he gave a smirk.

What the hell was happening? I thought he was shot. Trying to calm myself, I noticed a man lying in a pool of blood behind Vitaly.

“I have to admit that was a damn good shot, Devereux.”

“We aren’t strangers, Rostov. It’s the least I could do.” He chuckled.

“What?” I panicked almost embarrassingly as I turned back around to see the fine stranger with his icy blue eyes towards us.

“Archer Devereux,” he stated with a gentle smile. It was the kind of smile I longed to see. I was tired of all the smirks and grins I was getting these days. It was nice to see something genuine for once. Or at least, I hope it was. There was something about this man that I couldn’t put my finger on. It seemed as if I had met him before.

“Katherine,” Vitaly’s cold voice awoke me from my thought, “Bank’s not here.”

Hearing that, I felt as if my heart stopped.

“We- no. No no no. Please no. We have to find her. Vit-” I begged tugging onto his arms.

“Lost a friend in this crowd?” Archer asked with a soft laugh.

“She’ll catch up with you later, Devereux. We’re a bit busy at the moment.” Vitaly frowned and walked ahead as I quickly followed, leaving Archer behind.

“What are we going to do now?” I asked as we reached the car.

“I’ll take you home, I need to try and understand this. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Vitaly,” I sighed.

“Come on.” He ordered softly as he got in the car and started the engine.

A look of frustration seemed to blanket across his face. He seemed confused yet angry that he could not figure out what had happened. According to him, the only place that Rebecca could have been was there.

“You look like you just ate shit and puked.” He chuckled as he slightly turned to me while driving.

“You say the sweetest things.” I frowned, “My friend is missing, Rostov. What do you expect?”

“If it makes you feel any better, Angel, I never give up when I want something. And right now, I want to find Banks.”

“Why? You don’t seem like the most helpful person around.”

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for me. It’s an ego thing.” He scoffed.

“Ego thing.”

“Tell me, did she knowingly have any connections with anyone in the mafia?”

“Not that I know of,” I scowled as I thought about it for some time. That was near to impossible. She couldn’t have known anyone.

“What are her parents like?”

“They’re quite normal actually. They aren’t the type of people to be in your sort of business. Well, I never had any suspicions of them.”

“That’s because you’re oblivious to everything, love.”

The sudden topic piqued my interest, “Vitaly, what about your parents?”

From the question, I noticed how tightly his hand clenched the steering wheel and his lips formed a thin serious line, with sharp eyes straight ahead.

“You don’t ask the questions here, Donovan.” He stated in a cold, harsh voice.

“I was just curious, about your father and mother.”

“You have no place to ask that.”

“Then who else will?”

He frowned.

“Are you going to stop?”

“No,” I replied.

He didn’t answer and I don’t blame him. It was not in my place to ask anyway. It’s just that the more time I spend with him, the more I need to know. He’s such a curious man. He must have a story. Just when I gave up, he hoarsely spoke,

“Yes and no questions only. I’m not in the mood for you.”

The fact that he actually agreed tugged a little smile at the corner of my lips. Now I needed to pick my questions carefully. I pondered and started,

“Is your father alive?”

“No.”

“Mother?” I continued.

He hesitated and gave a short soft sigh, “Yes.”

“Really?” I asked quite surprised.

“Yes.”

“Wait no, that wasn’t a question!” I defended.

“Idiot.”

“Moving on,” I stated harshly, “Do you… visit her?”

“Yes.”

Honestly, that wasn’t the answer I expected from him.

“You do? Wow.”

“You’re wasting your questions, sweetheart.”

“Vitaly, does she love you?”

“What sort of dumb question is that?” he frowned.

“I mean being the person you are.”

“You think I’m incapable of being loved?”

“I never said that,” I stated quickly, regretting what I just said.

“It doesn’t matter to me. Your opinion for that matter doesn’t anyway.”

“You’re being very rude to me.”

“It’s nothing new.” He answered dryly and fixed all his attention back on the road.

“We’re here.” Vitaly’s voice shot through me as the car stopped and brought me back to reality. Recently I found myself getting lost in my thoughts and worries and losing myself quite easily.

Looking ahead, I saw my apartment building.

“Why are we here? I thought you meant home as in your home.”

“I need to search the apartment.” He replied as he got out of the car.

As we walked to my place, I felt so faint and exhausted that I couldn’t keep up with his pace. He opened the unlocked door to my apartment and stood still as he looked at the image before him.

What on earth was he looking at?

Walking up to him, I turned to face what he was staring at.

I felt numb.

“Rebecca?” I breathed as I saw the unconscious girl on the sofa.

Vitaly muttered something in Russian and I rushed up to her side.

She was alive, just asleep.

Relief washed over me as I held her hand. I was about to wake her but Vitaly stopped me.

“Let her rest yet.”

He was right.

“I don’t understand, this doesn’t make any sense.” I sighed in frustration.

“Dmitri seemed confident in having Banks so I assume that he’s under the impression that she’s in his possession.”

“I don’t understand.” I frowned.

“To understand what I’m saying, you have to understand him.”

“Huh?”

“He’s the type of person who’s only confident when he is one hundred percent sure of something. I know how he is.”

“And he was confident that he took Becca.”

“It means that he doesn’t know she’s here. Something else happened.” Vitaly stated.

“Well, what do you think could happen?”

“She doesn’t look like someone to put up a fight, to be honest.”

“She isn’t.” I agreed.

“Someone had to help her. Someone had to bring her back here.” he said as he took up a glass filled with water from the small table on the side, “Besides, she looks too neatly placed here. Don’t you think, Donovan?”

“You’re right but if what you’re saying is true then wouldn’t the person have locked the front door? And why bring her back here- to the apartment?”

Vitaly’s eyes scanned the room.

“Unless,” I spoke as I looked at him, “That person didn’t have time.”

“Smart girl.” He chuckled, “I’m finally rubbing off on you.”

“Asshole.” I rolled my eyes and walked away looking around the room as he did the same.

“What I don’t understand is, who. If you said Banks had no affiliation knowingly of anyone involved with this business, then who the fuck could have brought her here?”

I trailed my hand along the wall where all our memories hung. It’s funny how time flies by. And it’s frightening how much things can change. There was so much I don’t know of. There was this one picture that I always loved. It was for this Christmas party I had back home a few years ago. It was so perfect, so lovely. I closed my eyes and thought to myself, my life is like a dandelion, it was so beautiful but now it seems to be too fragile. The past, the memories, it hurt. Everyone was there; my parents, Rebecca’s family, Cara, my uncles and aunts, and to the side of the picture stood one person that I loved too much. The person that I used to look up to. The person who I’m in this mess for. That’s when it hit me like a train at full speed.

The person who brought Becca here.

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