28: A Rat

KATHY

"Call the doctor."

Viktor's voice was calm, but everyone moved immediately.

Romanov gave a short nod before disappearing down the hallway.

I looked down at my arm. The adrenaline had worn off, and the burning pain was becoming harder to ignore. Blood had soaked through my sleeve, staining my shirt.

About 15 minutes later, the doctor arrived.

He cleaned the wound, stitched the cut, and wrapped my forearm in a neat white bandage.

"It isn't deep," he said. "You'll be sore for a few days, but you'll be fine. I'll give you some painkillers"

As soon as he finished, Viktor looked at me.

"Go get your things."

I frowned.

"My things?"

"We're leaving."

I stood up to leave but Anya wouldn't let go. So we both went into my room together and I packed my bags. I didn't leave anything behind.

We also went to Anya's room and picked some of her clothes and stuffed toys inside her school bag and we both went downstairs.

Viktor took one look at my bag and back at my face.

I shrugged. There was no way I was leaving any of my things behind.

Within an hour, that same night, we relocated to another hotel several miles away because the villa was no longer safe.

The security was tighter.

More guards.

More checkpoints.

More guns.

Viktor barely stayed long enough to make sure we were settled.

Then he left.

I knew where he was going.

He was hunting the people responsible for the attack.

He returned the next morning. His clothes were different but his expression wasn't.

But I couldn't forget what I'd seen the previous night.

I stood by the window of my hotel room, staring at the lights reflecting across the lake, while Anya was still asleep.

No matter how beautiful Italy was... all I could think about was the blood.

The screams.

The gunfire.

And Viktor.

I'd seen him kill people.

Not in photographs.

Not in police reports.

With my own eyes.

He hadn't hesitated.

Not even once.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

'You should be scared of him'

I repeated the thought over and over.

But every time I did, I couldn't stop thinking about how none of this would have happened if there hadn't been a traitor.

Someone had told the attackers exactly where Viktor would be. Because there was no way they would have known exactly where to attack us if they didn't have some kind of information.

It couldn't have been one of the house staff.

Viktor's people vetted everyone thoroughly before they worked for him.

Whoever betrayed him had to be someone closer.

Someone he trusted. Someone that has worked here for years.

The day passed quietly.

Since Viktor and most of the guards were dealing with the aftermath of the attack, I spent almost the entire day with Anya.

We played board games.

She beat me twice.

We watched cartoons until she laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bed.

For a few hours everything almost felt normal... except for the fact that I hadn't seen Natalia. She didn't even bother to come check on her daughter.

'how would she? When the daughter chose her tutor over her'

I quickly removed the thought from my head, not trying to sympathize with her. It was completely understandable what Anya did and I don't blame her for it at all.

By evening, she had finally fallen asleep beside me.

I carefully tucked the blanket around her before quietly stepping into the hallway.

Viktor was standing there.

"We need to go back to the villa," I said.

He looked at me.

"Why?"

"I need everyone there."

His brows furrowed.

"Everyone?"

"All of your guards."

For a long moment, he simply studied my face wondering where I was going with this.

Then he nodded.

Less than an hour later, every guard stood in the main hall of the villa.

Romanov had stayed behind at the hotel to watch over Anya.

The room was silent.

Most of the guards looked confused.

I slowly walked past each of them.

Their faces.

Their posture.

Their reactions.

I stopped in front of one man.

Him.

"I think it was you."

The guard frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

I folded my arms carefully, trying not to disturb the bandage.

"Yesterday, everyone ran toward the explosion."

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"Except you."

His face remained blank.

"You went in the opposite direction."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said.

"I also noticed something else."

I took another step closer.

"When everyone was shouting into their radios because communication had gone dead..."

"You weren't."

"You already knew they wouldn't work."

A few guards exchanged uneasy glances.

"You disappeared for several minutes before the attack."

"You claimed you were checking the perimeter."

I shook my head.

"But when the shooting started..."

"You already knew exactly where they were coming from."

The man's breathing became uneven.

"You knew because you told them."

Silence.

No one moved.

Then the guard suddenly dropped to his knees.

"I'm sorry!"

He looked at Viktor.

"Please... please give me another chance."

"I needed the money."

"They threatened my family."

"I had no choice."

Viktor's expression never changed.

He slowly pulled his pistol from beneath his jacket.

The guard's eyes widened.

"Boss... please!"

"I've served you for years!"

"I'll never do it again!"

The gun rose.

One shot echoed through the hall.

The man collapsed instantly.

I flinched.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

Nobody else moved.

It was as though this was simply another day.

Viktor slipped the gun back into his jacket.

"Let's go."

The drive back to the hotel was painfully quiet.

Neither of us spoke.

The city lights blurred past the window.

"Are you scared of me?" He finally spoke, breaking the silence.

I turned toward him.

"No."

The lie came too quickly.

"I know that's a lie."

He kept his eyes on the road ahead.

"You've been different since yesterday."

"It's not like that."

"No?"

I looked down at my hands.

"I've just... never seen someone..."

I couldn't finish the sentence.

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he asked,

"If someone tried to kill Nana..."

I looked at him.

"Or Gabriella."

His voice remained calm.

"Would you kill them to save the people you love?"

The answer left my mouth before I could think.

"Yes."

Silence filled the car.

Then Viktor finally looked at me.

"So what gave you the right to judge me when we're exactly alike?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.