Page 42 of The Darkness is Calling

“He isn’t alone. Dima is with him.”

“But where...?”

“Enough, Sasha,” Yaroslav says, a little harsher, throwing him a meaningful look.

In short, I am not supposed to know.

And that is my sign to get up from the table, after my appetite disappears, even though I managed to eat half of my omelet.

“I’ll be in the piano room for now, but at noon I need to be in the city,” I announce, because Dima, the one who is supposed to be with me at all times, seems to be gone for the moment.

Strange organization...

“That won’t be a problem,” Yaroslav tells me with the same serious tone. “If Dimitri doesn’t return by then, one of us will take his place until he is free. Him or us, you will always be guarded.”

I really don’t want to bother anyone...”

“No inconvenience. We promised to take care of you, and we will do it without hesitation.”

He doesn’t leave me much room to argument, especially since his severe manner reminds me of the Pakhan’s threat, the one demanding that I be respectful and behave myself, or else he will extend my... punishment.

“We’ll see by then. Maybe I can postpone the meeting another hour.”

He gives me a silent nod, then returns to his tablet while Sasha makes sure to add loudly. “You know, I really like the way you play. You’re truly talented. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

He winks playfully at me, but I hear his brother saying his name sharply, clearly wanting to stop whatever else he might have said.

Or perhaps because he has already said too much.

Who else was he referring to?

“Thank you, Sasha,” I say with a sincere smile.

As I head toward the relaxing room, I cannot stop wondering whether he was referring to someone in this house or speaking generally, thinking of all the critics and press articles that praise my talent.

Either way, I should not think about it more than necessary.

The day passes without any unpleasant events.

Artem returns before noon, but I do not get the chance to see him, because he retreats straight into his office, and from that moment on, Dima becomes my shadow.

At lunch, I meet with a loyal client of the gallery, a woman I had promised to have a coffee with, so we could speak casually about art.

After that, I make my way to the gallery to spend some time with Oksana.

With Dimitri nearby, we try to be as subtle as possible regarding the great change in my life, meaning the new house where I live and its occupants.

I haven’t even told her I sleep in Pakhan’s room, and I think I still prefer to keep that detail to myself. It’s not that I don’t trust her, but I am too embarrassed by the whole thing to tell anyone else, especially someone who might misunderstand it completely or draw the wrong conclusions.

There is nothing romantic about any of this.

“Hey, sexy. Don’t you want to have tea with us?”

Since we arrived, my friend has been throwing seductive glances at the soldier dressed in his usual full black suit, reminding me of a Grim Reaper always ready to carry your soul into the next world. Except he completely ignores her, despite her model-like body, blond hair, and full lips.

To be honest, he has all my respect for managing to maintain his professionalism in front of a professional seductress like my Russian girl.

“No, thank you,” he refuses in a dry tone, without taking his eyes off the entrance and the windows.