Damned: Chapter 47) Dangerous

As the sun gave birth to the sky, I quickly packed my luggage and left the apartment leaving a ‘Be Back Soon’ note to Natalia on the refrigerator. So help me God, let me know what I’m doing. Somehow it just felt right to go there.

Walking into the airport, I went to my flight and sat at my specified seat. Taking a deep breath, shut my eyes ready for the flight to take off when I heard a familiar voice.

“You forgot this.”

Looking up I saw Natalia arching her eyebrows while taking the seat next to me, giving me my phone.

“What are you doing here?” I frowned, shocked at her presence.

Natalia inhaled deeply and tiredly made herself comfortable in the seat, “I honestly don’t know why but somehow this trip seems to be important to you. Also, your company kind of grew on me.”

Smugly I smiled, “Aww, you mean you’d miss me.”

She rolled her eyes and asked, “So where exactly are we going?”

“I have no idea.”

“Katherine, you can’t be serious!” She exclaimed as we walked into the airport, “You didn’t even book a hotel?”

“Listen Miss tall, curvy, gorgeous, Russian accented, half-sister of a so-called dead hot ex-mafian with a crazy grand papi, I can handle this okay? Relax. We just have to go the nearest train station to the nearby town and find a motel, simple.”

“Alright, I trust you.” She said skeptically as we walked.

Making it to the train station, we dropped off at the town. Night was drawing in and the look of worry seemed to plague on Natalia’s face.

“You’re lucky Archer had to leave for a business trip to Europe, you know how protective he is of you. He wouldn’t have allowed this.”

“Urgh, he’s more like my dad than my actual dad. And by actual dad I mean my fake actual dad.” I tried to joke off as we walked along the sidewalk of the bright town towards the hotel when three men began cat-calling us.

 “Ignore them,” I said to Natalia.

“I know how to handle those types of men, Katherine.”

“I don’t mean to shoot them.”

“Where’s the fun in that? I’m better with knives if you must know.” She smiled.

“Oh, I’ve noticed, in the kitchen when-”

 Before I would have continued, one of the men came in front of us grinning.

“I do not wish you hurt you,” Natalia scowled with a thick Russian accent, “Get out of our way.”

“And if I say no?” he chuckled.

In that second, someone grabbed him from behind and punched him in the face as he staggered back.

“How about now?”

Standing in front of us, Moe exhaled in exhaustion. “Honestly, what the fk are you both doing here?”

“Ask your killer fish over here.” Natalia eyed me.

“Piranha, what the flying fk? I followed your crazy a*s here because if Archer found out about this then-”  

“Then what?” I frowned and walked away angrily, “It’s always Archer Archer Archer. God! It’s like he has to keep me on a leash and he hired two babysitters for me.”

“Katherine, he cares about you, that’s all.” Natalia tried to reason causing me to stop and regret it.

She was right, and I felt like an ungrateful brat. The past eight months had been so much for me to adjust to especially with Archer in my life being always there and as much as I appreciated it I felt somewhat like a burden at times and being treated almost as if I didn’t deserve it. I don’t think I ever gave myself time to comprehend this change, I was just going along with everything that was happening.

“I’m sorry,” I said turning back around, “This is just- a lot. Can we find a place to stay now?”

Moe sighed and gave his regular smile, “There’s a place I know, come on.”

He took us to this motel not too far away and frowned at me as I unpacked while Natalia made a sandwich in the kitchen.

“What?” I shrugged.

“Sometimes I question your sanity, Piranha.”

“You’re now starting to?” I scoffed with a short laugh.

“No, I always knew you were crazy but smart crazy, not this kind of crazy crazy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m disappointed in you. What are you even trying to find here?”

When I didn’t answer he gave a tired sigh, “Kid listen, I like you, a lot okay but this isn’t smart.”

“Moe, if I find James maybe we can find Vitaly.”

“Kat, you’re still with this?”

“Yes I am, somehow I just know James is alive. And somehow I just know we’re closer than we know.”  I tried to explain, “Moe, please, you have to help me. Besides, you know you want to meet James again too.”

“Don’t look at me with those eyes.” He scowled but ultimately gave in, “Okay, fine, listen I’ll help but we’re doing things on my rules okay Piranha?”

“Agreed.” I smiled.

“Agreed on what?” Natalia asked arching an eyebrow suspiciously at us as she stood at the door with her sandwich.

“Nothing just- well- I agreed to go back as soon as Moe was finished with his business here.”

“Didn’t know he had business here.”

“Tying up loose ends, had an ex I screwed over here.” He smiled.

“Huh, you didn’t strike me as the closure type Moville, I’m impressed.”

“Oh Moe, he’s a sweetheart sometimes.” I nervously laughed and playfully punched him lightly on the arms.

“Right. Okay. I’m going to bed. Try not to get yourselves killed, please. Goodnight.” She exhaled as she left the room and went to her own.

“Well she didn’t buy that shit one bit,” Moe stated.

After Natalia fell asleep, I met him outside the apartment door, “Okay, so what’s the plan?”

“Well since Alaska is a hella huge place I can start with a laugh and a beer.”

“Moe, seriously.”

“Alright listen, there was a time I met with Jamie here to meet some men, I know a few places he seemed to gravitate towards. Lucky for you it’s around the area.”

“Great.”

We spent hour after hour going place by place in hope that we find the slightest sign of James but it was all futile.

“Maybe you were right,” I took a hopeless breath. “Maybe I’m crazy and stupid and dumb, I don’t even know what to do anymore.”

“There is this one place, well- a person who she was close with. Some blond girl named Lauren who works as a waitress in one of the bars, apparently he saved her family, they used to be really close. I’m guessing if he’s here piranha then he would definitely have met her at least once.”

Nodding we decided to try once more. The bar was lively and full of cheer, almost like one of those old westerns, except in Alaska. I left Moe for a few minutes to use the nearby washroom when I heard a girl scream but her voice seemed muffled afterward. Entering one of the stalls, I stood on the toilet and looked out the tiny window where I saw two men, one holding the girl and the other grabbing her purse which fell on the snowy ground about to run with it. And from a distance, I saw a man who caught notice of them and yelled out at them. He wouldn’t have caught them if he ran. Rushing out the washroom, I found my way out the back door of the bar, grabbed a shovel, and slammed it into one of the burglar’s face as he ran into the impact from the turn.

I turned to pick up the purse when the male stranger also did. That’s when I came face to face with him.

“James?” I breathed.

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