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Twenty One
On a cold, gray afternoon, Dani stood in front of a coffin.
The funeral of Alfie Moretti, the bodyguard shot protecting Dani’s father, was a small event attended by only close family and friends. Dani fondly knew Alfie as a child and sat on his
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The Russian Twenty Two
Mariella was checked into a rehabilitation center upstate. It didn’t take much convincing to prove her lack of sobriety, since Mariella faced the doctor standing barely upright, either from the alcohol or her grogginess from oversleeping.Dani p
The Russian Twenty Three
When Dani moved in to Alexei’s apartment, he was already back in Moscow.It was a relief not having to deal with the awkwardness of moving her things in, which Marta was happy to help her with. In truth, she didn’t have much to bring with
The Russian Twenty Four
It was still snowing when Dani woke up the following morning.Being nestled in the warm, thick sheets of a soft bed on a cold winter day, it was difficult to get up. It wasn’t until the smell of something delicious—pancakes—wafted to
The Russian Twenty Five
Dani stepped out of the elevator doors and down the hallway towards her father’s room. Save for the nurses’ station at the center, most lights were already dim at half past ten in the evening. The nurses immediately recognized her, waiving the visiting hours rule with a nod. Her father had just woken up from a long coma. They could look the other way just this once.
The Russian Twenty Six
Not once in a million years did Dani think she would be on a plane back to Russia.It would’ve been over her dead body, and yet here she was now on a business class flight to Moscow, with Alexei quietly sleeping in the seat next to her.
The Russian Twenty Seven
Dani remained wide awake past midnight.Perhaps it was the time difference, but even as fatigue from the jet lag left a heaviness in her body, she couldn’t fall asleep.
The Russian Twenty Eight
The Nikolin estate was an hour’s drive from the city.Buildings from the bustling capital became sparser the farther they drove from the Kremlin, entering suburbia until more greenery dominated the landscape. Well, it was more white than green,
The Russian Twenty Nine
Dani awoke with a jolt.The floor was cold and hard beneath her, and in the dark it was difficult to make sense of her surroundings.The back of her head throbbed with pain. She winced at the sore, damp spot on her head when she touched it, and blood came away at her fingertips.The sound of a gunshot echoed in her mind, and with it the flashback of Alexei bleeding on the ground. Dani sat up, eyes stinging with fresh tears at the reminder. No, no, no. All of this had to be one bad dream. Alexei couldn’t possibly be dead—A thin sliver of moonlight entered the window in a far corner of the room. Dani’s vision adjusted, where she found herself in an empty bedroom. It ha
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