Valenci: Never Lose Me

Chapter Six

Rohm

It's already starting to get dark outside when I finally arrive home. I move straight to the window. My eyes find a black Bugatti Divo immediately.

In a street like mine, it sticks out like a sore thumb. The same car had been following me for the past five days, but not once did I manage to catch a glimpse of the driver.

The first time I saw it was Friday morning after my encounter with Valenci. So I kept telling myself that he sent someone to look after me.

If he'd wanted to hurt me, he could have done that back at Sin City Nights. and the only other option wasn't a good one.

A shudder runs down my spine as I close the curtains, blocking whoever's view into my apartment. 

It's funny that I hope it's one of Valenci's men camping outside my apartment. As much as every fiber of my being is convinced that I shouldn't be afraid of him, deep down, I know that he is a much bigger threat to me.

Especially now that Valenci has forced me into being a permanent waitress, as Karill informed me just yesterday.

While I still earn extra money, it will never be enough to repay my mother's debt. I could try my luck and look for another job, but I doubt Valenci spits out empty threats - just like he said, I won't find anything else unless he wants me to.

And somehow, I have a feeling that won't happen anytime soon. As I remain standing at the window, staring at the closed curtains, I feel a sense of panic taking hold of my body.

I need to occupy myself with something, or I'll go crazy. 

When I returned to my tiny kitchen, where I had left my bags and my phone on the counter, I saw my phone lighting up with a new message. Immediately, my pulse quickens and the commencing panic inside of me increases.

With shaking hands, I grab my phone and open the text. A relieved breath escapes my throat when I see the sender - Harlem.

Panic is shoved aside by regret and sadness as I delete her message as soon as I open it. Just like I do every single time she messages me.

Every time, it breaks my heart to ignore the woman who is my cousin. But I simply can't. And I shouldn't. just as much as she shouldn't even try to get in contact with me.

Since she married Valenci's oldest brother, Valko, she is a Vasilyev; she is one of them now. A part of the family with whom I have no place anymore.

That was the only thing, Vitalii Vasilyev, the man who'd known me my whole life, who was my goddamn godfather, who was there for every birthday and every major event of my life, told me when I called him after I was told about my own mother's demise.

Afterward, he hung up on me, and every other call I placed went straight to voicemail. I tried for three days to get ahold of him before I accepted that he blocked my number.

And cut me out of his family and his world, my world. Until now, I still don't know what exactly happened and what my mother did.

I'm not even sure it matters anymore.

What I do know is that for the past months, I have been lonely. Every time Harlem reaches out to me, it makes me feel even more alone.

Spontaneously, I rummage through my bag, pull out the crumpled piece of paper with Cherry's number on it, and call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cherry, it's Rohm"

"Hello love, the timing couldn't be any more perfect; I was just about to go out for a drink. Want to come with?"