Nothing like Russia

[Katia Baryshnikov Romanov]

"Ciao. Senorina Anastasia Baryshnikov I presume?" One of the many thing you learn when you get the best education money can buy, is how to speak many differerent languages. "Ciao, and yes I am Anastasia Baryshnikov." I was using my middle name and my maiden name. It wasn't exactly original, but Mikhail would be looking for his dearest Katia, not Anastasia. "Welcome to your new home, Senorina Baryshnikov." He said to me as he handed me a key and pointed to a door. "Grazie Senor. Buona sera."

I shifted the weight of my bag on my shoulder and unlocked my new door. The villa was quaint but beautiful. It was small, but that was all that I needed right now. Small and out of the way was rarely noticed. I tossed my bag down on the couch and looked around. The bedroom was nice, everything was very bright, so different from Russia. I turned to leave the bedroom when I caught my reflection in the mirror over the dresser.

I put my hand up on my cheek, seeing the still very purple bruise that surrounded my eye. My new land lord must have thought I looked awful. The mirror was rather long and when I turned to the side and lifted my shirt, I could see the still new stitches that lined down my back. "Bastard." I said in Russian, my accent thick with my anger. I put my shirt back down and sat down on the end of the bed. All I'd ever wanted to do in life was dance and now I was hiding from a man that tried to kill me. So much for my dreams.

[Angelo Giovanelli]

“Angelo,” I heard behind me as I stepped off my bike. “What?” I turned, facing the guard behind me. Milo, was one of the best in the business. He never did screw up, but nobody really did in this business, because if you screwed up you ended up dead. “I heard about Mrs. Romanvo. Nikolai is unavailable, I tried calling him and there was no answer. He wanted to know the second we heard anything.” I sighed, nodding.

“Give me the address, Ill check it out.” He wrote it down, handing it to me and I stuffed it in my pocket. “Keep trying to get a hold of Nikolai. Tell him that if it is in fact her, Ill keep her there till he can get to her.” He nodded, disappearing inside his black SUV and driving away. I started my bike up, checking the address again before heading off toward the address.

I pulled up to the villa, turning my bike off, kicking the bike stand down and sliding my helmet off. I set it on the back of my bike. I walked around the back, pulling my gun out of my back. God only knew if she was alone and if she wasn’t I had to be prepared. I opened the window slowly, quiet as a mouse, I stepped inside, stopping dead when I saw her looking in the mirror. I lowered my gun, smiling slightly, I knew how much Nikolai wanted to find her and here she was. Our search was over. “Katia,” I blurted out, sliding my gun in the back of my jeans. “Why did you run? You knew you’d be found sooner or later, didn’t you?”

[Katia Baryshnikov Romanov]

I hadn't heard the door open, but then again, he hadn't come through the door. “Katia,” My head turned quick and it shot pain down through my neck. Angelo Giovanelli was standing in my living room, oh God. I spotted his gun immediately and wished like hell that I hadn't put mine in my dresser drawer. I thought I wouldn't have needed it yet. Stupid. “Why did you run? You knew you’d be found sooner or later, didn’t you?” I stood up off the bed and backed away from him until my injured back hit the wall behind me. I put my hand out to him, "No, no. NO! Leave Angelo, PLEASE!" I cried out to him in Russian. I knew he wouldn't. It was more likely that he'd already alerted Nikolai and I'd be on a flight back to Moscow before I knew what had happened.

I held my hand out in front of me, as if that would actually stop him from grabbing me. Angelo was one of the smaller guards but I was smaller still. I was only 5'1 on a good day and about 120 pounds soaking wet. He could throw me over his shoulder and carry me back to Mikhail and there would be nothing I could do about it. I took in a deep breath and spoke the words I'd only thought until now. "I won't go back alive, Angelo. Because if I do, he'll only kill me when I get there. I'd rather die by my own hand thank you. So, go back to Nikolai, tell him that you've found me and he can come for my body." I'd said it in perfect Russian, my voice no longer shaking with fear. I'd decided, I would kill myself before I go willingly back to the man that would no doubt kill me.

[Angelo Giovanelli]

She stood up, almost as if her ass was on fire and backed up till she made a hard thump against the wall. I shook my head slightly, wondering why she was acting like this. I wasn’t her enemy. I wasn’t here to hurt her, I was here to take her to a man who’d do anything to protect. Sure, he hadn’t told her yet, but Nikolai was in love with her. He confided this in me, sure most bosses didn’t include this sort of information to their guards, but I was more then a guard and hit man to him, I was his friend and he told me things most didn’t know. He trusted me and I trusted him.

"No, no. NO! Leave Angelo, PLEASE!" She cried out, in Russian. Sure, I normally spoke Italian, but I could understand her. I knew most languages for reasons like this alone.  I shook my head, after all this searching I couldn’t leave without her. Nikolai would be pissed at me, its not as if I think he’d kill me, but I knew he’d be angry and I didn’t want him to be, especially when she was sitting right in front of me.

"I won't go back alive, Angelo. Because if I do, he'll only kill me when I get there. I'd rather die by my own hand thank you. So, go back to Nikolai, tell him that you've found me and he can come for my body." I raised my eyebrow, truly shocked by her statement. Nikolai would never kill her and he surely would never send her back to her husband. I took a step forward, not a big one, but I did, putting my hands out in front of me. “Katia, please, calm down.” I spoke in Russian, knowing it was easier for her to understand me. I was fluent in most languages and Russian was no exception.

“Listen, you have nothing I repeat nothing to fear. Nikolai would NEVER send you back to Mikhail. Never, not after what he did to you. I promise. Now, please, calm down. You probably hurt yourself moving around like that. Just sit on the bed.” I pointed with one hand, the other still raised, showing her I meant no harm whatsoever.

[Katia Baryshnikov Romanov]

He took a step forward, not a big one, but enough to have me pressing my back harder against the wall behind me. He held his hands out to me, mimicking my own hands and showing me that he was not going to hurt me. Or at least thats what he wanted me to think. “Katia, please, calm down.” He spoke in Russian for me and it still sounded weird with his Italian accent. “Listen, you have nothing I repeat nothing to fear. Nikolai would NEVER send you back to Mikhail. Never, not after what he did to you. I promise. Now, please, calm down. You probably hurt yourself moving around like that. Just sit on the bed.”

I was breathing heavy and that wasn't helping any. He was right, I'd torn out my stitches and I could feel the blood pouring down my back and soaking in to my jeans. I inched across the wall and as I did, I glanced at the spot where I'd just been standing. There was a fresh crimson line on the bright white wall that had my eyes going wide. "Ok. I'll sit. But, I want my gun." I said to him as I slid along the wall until I reached the dresser. I opened the top drawer and pulled out the 9mm that Mikhail had given me for my own protection. Little did I know that I'd one day want to use it on him.

I sat down on the edge of the bed furthest from him and held the gun in my lap. "What does Nikolai want then? If he's not here to bring me back to his brother, why didn't he just let me be?" I asked him as I turned to face him. There was anger in my eyes, I could feel it seething inside me. I wanted to be left alone, to hide for the rest of my life. I didn't care anymore. The Romanov's didn't do anything without a reason so if Nikolai wasn't here to bring me back to Russia, he was here for something else and I wasn't so sure I wanted to know what it was.

[Angelo Giovanelli]

"Ok. I'll sit. But, I want my gun." She slid across the wall, reaching into the dresser, I didn’t mind her getting her gun. She wouldn’t shoot me, well, at least I hoped she wouldn’t, but even if she tried, she was injured, which meant she was slower then me and I could easily get away before she could do anything. I wouldn’t hurt, because that would hurt Nikolai. She walked over, sitting down, I turned my eyes to her, stopping when I saw blood on the wall where she had just been standing. She did hurt herself, I knew she would. She tore open her stitches.

"What does Nikolai want then? If he's not here to bring me back to his brother, why didn't he just let me be?" She was mad, that was understandable. I mean really the poor girl was stabbed, she runs and she’s caught. She didn’t deserve it. “Katia, you know why im here. Or at least you should. He cares about you. He wanted to make sure your ok. He’s going to protect you. Because lets face it, Mikhail, isn’t going to give up till he finds you. And when he does, you will be dead.”

I shrugged, why sugarcoat the truth. She wasn’t a weak girl and I wouldn’t treat her like one. She wasn’t fine china, she wouldn’t break when faced with the truth. “So, im here to protect you till he gets here then he’ll do it. Ok?” I moved a step closer, my hands at my sides. “Now, can I help you with that wound? Cause I bet it probably hurts and your bleeding everywhere.”