11: Anya

KATHY

"Fuck" I cursed, nearly jumping out of my own skin.

I gripped my chest, heart pounding. I thought I was dead or going to be killed.

I quickly spun around to look at the person that nearly gave me a heart attack.

It was a tiny person, a little girl.

She stood in the doorway, clutching a teddy bear. Stitch, from Lilo and Stitch.

Blonde hair, blue eyes.

She stared back at me totally unimpressed.

Like I just got here and I'm already snooping around, worse I got caught.

"What?" I asked.

The little girl sighed dramatically.

"Dyadya Vik ne lyubit, kogda lyudi zakhodyat v ego kabinet."

I blinked.

"I don't speak Russian" I said softly.

Another dramatic sigh.

"Uncle Vik" she started, pointing at the room then putting a finger on her neck and dragging it to the other side.

She was trying to tell me he would kill me if he found me in here.

I slowly backed away from the shelf.

She raised a brow.

She probably learnt that that from her "Uncle Vik"

"Spy" she suddenly said and I ran out of the room shutting the door behind me.

"I was not spying" I said, defending myself.

"Yes"

"No" I said again. "I was exploring"

She looked confused, so I tried to use my hands, myself and the house to describe "exploring"

This was going to be hard.

She got what I was saying but she didn't believe me anyways.

I wanted to defend myself further but I stopped. She was right. I was indeed spying.

"I'm Kathy" I said gesturing with my hand.

"Anya" she replied.

If she didn't have her uncle's character in so many ways, she would have been so cute. Not that she isn't, but way cuter.

She was too smart to be an 8 year old.

A normal kid that age wouldn't know what spying was.

"Nam pora idti," she said finally. "Prezhde chem on proverit kamery"

I could tell she wanted us to leave.

"Kamery?" I asked confused.

She rolled her eyes.

"Ka-me-ry" she said again.

"Camera?" I asked.

She nodded, pleased with herself.

I felt my stomach drop straight through the floor.

"Cameras," I repeated carefully.

Anya smiled then pointed to her eyes and to the surrounding.

She was trying to tell me he had eyes everywhere.

Fuck.

The first thing I did after escaping the study and Anya's judgemental stare was run back to my room. My pulse was still not entirely settled from the whole camera thing.

How did I not notice them?

In fact, I still couldn't find them.

I groaned into my pillow. How did I end up here?

A month ago my biggest problem was catching criminals and trying not to strangle Iris.

Now I was inside this... place. A Mafia's house.

A Mafia who knew where I lived, my Nana and possibly Gabby.

A Mafia boss I had slept with.

I have to focus. I came here for one thing and one thing only. To put the people who killed my parents behind bars. To completely bring down the Russian Mafia.

My phone buzzed.

Gabriella.

Finally.

I answered immediately.

"You're alive"

"Disappointed?"

I smiled.

"There she is"

Gabby laughed heartily.

The sound of her laughter eased some of the tension in my chest.

"I need a favour" I kept my voice low. "Can you check on Nana for me? Just a few days, I'm... away. For work"

"What happened to Nana?" She asked shocked.

"She had a heart attack" I breathed out.

"What? How?"

"Long story. We'll catch up soon. So can you?"

"Define "away"" she said like she didn't trust me.

"Gabriella"

"Fine, fine, mysterious as always" she said and I could hear her moving around. "Yes of course, you know I'd do anything for Nana, you didn't have to ask twice"

"Thank you" I said with relief.

"Where exactly are you though..."

"Work thing" I said too quickly, cutting her off. "Where have you been by the way?"

"Nowhere. Just busy" she said easily.

"Gabby"

"It's nothing Katherine, I promise"

I let it go, like always.

I just hoped whatever this was wasn't bigger than both of us. Because if push comes to shove, I'd kill for her. I'd die for her.

She was my other half.

Viktor's face came into my head for a moment and my heart skipped. I shrugged it off immediately.

"Okay... Keep me updated on Nana"

"Will do"

__________

The next morning I got up, took a shower, got dressed and wandered downstairs.

The mansion was beginning to feel less intimidating.

It was still big though.

There were dozens of staffs and security guards everywhere.

Still... the house felt empty.

'Did Viktor come home last night?' I thought.

A small frown creeped into my face.

Why would I be upset if he wasn't here?

I kept on moving around the house, no one was really paying any attention to me, besides the guards. Their eyes were following me like a hawk.

I ignored them and pretended like I wasn't in the house for bad reasons. Reasons enough for them to kill me.

A few moments later, I found myself thinking about how I used to live in something like this.

Not this big, but something close.

Before they both disappeared.

By afternoon it was finally time for Anya's lesson. To my surprise, the girl was already waiting for me in the study room.

She sat with a book in front of her. When she noticed my presence she looked up.

"Late" she said.

She was a feisty little kid.

"Good afternoon to you too"

She shrugged, probably not understanding what I had just said.

I started the lesson and thankfully she was quicker than most people her age.

The problem was her attitude. Needs a little work.

She followed everything I said and tried to repeat them... In English. Her accent was thick but she would be better with time.

We were going through a paragraph when the door suddenly opened.

A woman walked in and before I could even process anything she asked with disgust in her tone and face.

"Who are you?"