the fat tabby cat stretched and slinked out from under the bed. She made her way to Konstantin.
“For something so big, she sneaks very well,” I noted. Babushka leaped past Boris, giving him a hiss as she did, and rubbed herself against Konstantin’s legs. Boris threw his hands up in the air.
“Ah, no, you don’t.” Konstantin scooped her up with one hand and gently moved her to the side. To me, he said, “She is very good at sneaking when she wants to be.”
The cat perched herself on the desk, licking her paws.
“Where did you get her?”
“Back in Moscow,” he said. “She tried to kill one of the dogs.”
I thought about the huge bear killers outside. “Was she successful?”
“Not quite. She allowed Roksana to clean out her cuts and has been with us ever since. Danika believes she is our patron saint.”
I huffed. “And Tatiana believes she is queen.”
Konstantin laughed. The sound bounced off the walls, bright and charming.
I crossed my arms over my chest, my heart strangely speeding up. “Do you need anything more from me?”
“No, that is all.” His eyes danced over me, catching onto the scrawls on my forearms and hands.
I tried to tuck them further into my chest. “Are you trying to read my words?” I demanded.
“How else would I know what’s going on in your head?”
Mortification flushed through me and I took a hurried step back, almost backing into the wall. Konstantin watched me with an intense expression.
“Don’t hit—”
“I’m not going to hit the wall,” I snapped, turning on my heel. “I have things to do. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Elena,” he called after me.
Stupid fucking man! I thought as I stormed down the hallway. How dare he try and step into my brain? Try and understand what I’m thinking? What fucking business is it of his anyway–
“Oh, shit!”
I ran straight into someone, both of us falling to the side. I caught myself before hitting the ground, but the other person fell with a splat, telling me who it was before I even registered her.
“Danika?” I looked down. “Are you okay?”
She picked herself up quickly, rubbing her forehead. “God, your head is hard, Elena. I think I dented my skull.”
I bit back a smile. “Your skull is fine.”
Danika rubbed it a few more times for good measure, before eyeing me critically. “You’re really red. Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
Her eyes darted behind me, noting the hallway I was coming from. Realization took a hold of her face. “Ohhh.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Danika feigned innocence. “Nothing.”
“I don’t butt into your relationship with Roman; I would like the same consideration.”
Her expression froze. “You can be a bit of a bitch sometimes, Elena.”
I could. It was unfair to be cruel to Danika, after all that she had been very welcoming to me. But I wasn’t stupid; Danika wasn’t kind to me out of the goodness of her heart.
She shrugged. “But can’t we all? I’m going to go and see Rifat Denisyuk. Do you want to come?”
“Rifat Denisyuk?”
“Konstantin’s bookkeeper. Derzhatel obschaka.” At my doubtful expression, Danika insisted, “He’s very eccentric. He lives in the old gardening shed on the edge of the estate.”
That caught my attention. Going outside was the remedy I needed to cure my flushed cheeks and racing heart. “Lead the way.”
Rifat Denisyuk lived in a rundown shed among the overgrown trees and shrubs. The manor could still be seen over the tops of the trees, but it was isolated out here, quiet.
I breathed easier.
Until a voice rang out, “WHO GOES THERE!”
“It’s me, Rifat,” called Danika. “And I brought Elena Falcone with me.”
The chipped front door rattled, and an old man poked his head out, his long gray beard the first thing I focused on. It dripped to the ground, catching dirt and leaves. “Danika Baltacha…and Elena Falcone. Ladies of the manor.” He disappeared back inside and the sound of locks clicking sounded throughout the woods.
Danika seemed unconcerned as she neared.
The door swung open, nearly flinging off its hinges, and a short old wrinkly man stood in the doorway. He reminded me of an elusive wizard from a fairy tale, but instead of creating spells and fighting off dragons, this wizard kept the books of a Pakhan.
“I told Tyoma I was not to be disturbed,” Rifat grumbled.
It took me a second to understand Tyoma was a nickname for Artyom.
“I’m just here to check on you,” Danika cooed, the sweetness of her tone making her words very easy to believe. “And I bought Elena to meet you.”