Protective

Sleuth

Lana

Yeremy is a liar.

That was the only thing that ran through my head in the entire eight weeks that I had been stuck in this prison. He lied. I know he did.

I knew he loved me.

I considered that maybe I was being delusional, it was possible, but the thought always brought me back to his touches, to his words.

He loved me.

But he lied when I told him and that was unforgivable. We could've worked something out if he had tried, that night didn't have to be the end of us.

He made it that way and I chose to respect that decision.

"Lana!" Dmitri called, "Open the goddamn door!"

"No!" I called back from my bed, "Leave me alone."

I think the only benefit of being taken prisoner by my father and brother is that they don't realize that I am sulking over a broken heart. They still think this whole thing is about what they did.

They aren't entirely wrong but the truth was that my heart was broken. Shattered, really.

So I spent my days in bed sulking and never leaving my room unless being checked up on by my brother or the servants. They wanted to make sure I wouldn't escape again.

When Dmitri picked me up from Moscow he chewed me out the second he laid eyes on me. Could you imagine getting your heart shattered and hours later your brother is laying into you like that?

I almost started to cry on the spot, but Petrov's didn't show vulnerability. I had learned my lesson with Yeremy.

"Open this door Svetlana or God help me I'll break it down," Dmitri said, much more seriously.

I sighed, dragging myself out of bed and walking over to unlock the door, "What do you want?"

Dmitri was standing there, much better dressed than I had been in the last couple of months, with a big smile just for me, "I don't think I've seen you in days, little sister."

I rolled my eyes, sitting back on the bed as he shut my door behind him, "Don't you think you're being a little over dramatic."

"I'm entitled to my feelings and however long it takes me to process this loss," I said immediately.

Jesus Christ, I sounded just like Yeremy.

Dmitri shrugged, "Alright, fine. I can accept that, but I can't accept you closing yourself off from everyone, so I invited your Rosie over. She'll be here in an hour."

I could swear to you that my ears perked up like a dog hearing the word 'treat' and I immediately jumped into my brothers arms, "Really?"

He kissed the top of my head, "Just because you're a prisoner it doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have friends. Even inmates get visitation."

I laughed, probably for the first time in a while as I melted into my brothers arms. I had always felt safest right here and after losing Yeremy, it was one of the few safe places I had left.

Even being with Yeremy, this one right here with Dmitri, would always be my favorite.

Rose spent three hours with me before she had to go home. I told her about everything that went down with Yeremy and she insisted that there was something more we could do.

When I told her what he said, she immediately changed her tune cursing his name forever.

She tried to tell me what was going on at school but I told her the disappointment would be too great to bear if I had to hear about that.

Could you imagine it?

I came, I conquered, and I had to flee before I could rule.

How embarrassing for me. I bet Roman's friends were eating this up. Praising the day that I left that godforsaken school.

I told this to Rose but she assured me that they hadn't uttered a word about it. She heard that they were all laying low after Kai had come to school with a bruised face and a broken nose.

I suspected Yeremy had something to do with that but I didn't share my opinions of that to Rose.

Instead we spent the the rest of the time talking about everything but also nothing at all.

It was late when she left and I had decided to get ready for bed after Dmitri and my father left too. Some kind of business that I currently had no interest in.

The only thing I knew right now was that they had kidnapped that Aileen girl in order to twist Seamus Callahan's arm.

From what I could tell it was working, but who knows how long that was going to last.

The balance of power was always shifting in this world and currently it was the De León family that were the most powerful and they are allied with the Callahan's.

One of two things could happen now: Seamus would ask his oldest and dearest friend for help with exterminating the big bad Petrov's and Manuel would come with the full force of the Spanish families or he'd refuse and distance himself from Seamus.

Either possibility was likely. From what my father has told me, Manuel De León is selfish and very goal oriented which means he's might not want to risk an all out war with his organization knowing he is on top.

But, he also knows that the one of the reasons he is on top is because my father chooses not to engage in silly things like that.

There were once Russian families as well, but my grandfather Feliks had them all executed well before my father was born.

He didn't want the competition and instead became the most dangerous and wealthy man in Russia before choosing to bring his business to the states and involve five different organizations in one business that proved to be lucrative until RICO charges were brought against them.

The history was long and extensive but that was when the bad blood between the organizations truly began which—is why we're here today.

With Aileen Callahan stuck in a dungeon somewhere.

I rolled my eyes as I found my way to my fathers office. If we weren't careful that would come back to haunt us one day.

Ever since I had discovered the secret passage in my father's fireplace and because I have so much time on my hands, I frequented it, discovering rooms I hadn't even known existed before.

There were more than ten but my favorite was filled with paintings of my mother.

When I first happened upon it, I thought they were paintings of me but once I got a closer look, I saw her.

Even in my earliest memories, I had long forgotten her face, her voice, her smile.

My father must've had a similar experience which was why this room existed.

Here I could see her face, her eyes, her nose, her lips. Everything.

I promised myself I would tell Dmitri about this room, I'd share it with him so he could see too.

But I found myself being selfish with it. I wanted to keep her for myself, at least for a little while. I'd tell him eventually.

Once I turned on the lights, I began to work on the same chest I had been picking though for days. It was probably like a thousand years old and it was right in the back of the room.

There were lots of things in it but the one thing I came for the most was to read my fathers journals. He had filled dozens of them and they were all neatly stacked in the journal along with keepsakes and photos all belonging to my mother.

The first time I found this, I thought the idea of reading my father's innermost thoughts was appalling, but then again, if I found the right one I could read about her.

I could know things about her that I could've never known and I knew she was in them because he was in love with her.

Knowing him, he wrote down every detail about her down to the last pore on her skin and I wanted to read it all.

- - End of Chapter - -