Butterfly and Flame - Alina and Evan

"Where to Now?"

Michael closed his eyes and savored the drink in his hand. He had been so close to having a second chance with Alina and Kyle had once again ruined everything. Every cell in his body reverberated with pent up anger and resentment. He believed now more than ever that it had been Kyle who had either arranged for his parents boating accident or had done it himself. His father was an experienced sailor and he would not have made the mistakes that had capsized their boat. The more he thought about it, along with the cryptic message left on his phone; he was sure of it. It was too late to rehabilitate his brother and by the sound of all he had done to get to Turkey to find Alina he was sure that he would be captured sooner than later or killed by one of his men or Evans. He wasn't sure which was worse. When he had learned from Christian that Kyle had indeed landed in Turkey he was furious. When Alina had called him out of the blue he was so excited it was as if he was euphoric. He hadn't felt that surge of happiness in such a long time. He had booked a flight for her and taken care of all the arrangements but then he decided he would fly out to her and fly back with her. Keep her safe and give her company. He arranged for his second in command to handle his affairs for a few weeks and explained that he would be out of reach for anyone except Alina Salvatierra, her brother and the Maleks. Kyle was out there and knew how to reach him, but he wouldn't unless something happened. When he arrived in Turkey, Saturday afternoon he had been surprised to deplane only to have a dozen messages on his phone. He really didn't want to deal with anyone and ruin his mood but the first number that showed up was that of Christian Maleks and the second was his attorney. He listened to Christians message and a flood of anger rolled through him making him nearly blind with rage. Kyle. He listened to the message again and starred off into the distance of the airport lounge he had walked into. He walked over to the bar and asked for a double vodka on the rocks. Once he had settled a bit he listened to his attorneys call. Once again Kyle had hacked his accounts and this time a considerable amount of money had been withdrawn but along with that he had used his own passport identification, no doubt a copy; to book a flight and enter the country, now he had to present himself to airport security and prove his identity. His attorney would not be able to reach Istanbul until early morning on Sunday to help him out of the mess his brother had put him into. At the moment he didn't care one way or the other. Alina was gone and he would probably never have the chance again. This had been a wasted effort and now he would be most likely sleeping in a jail cell until his attorney could prove who he was. He ordered another drink and downed it just as quickly. His head was throbbing but he still needed to make a few more calls. As he picked up the phone a beautiful blond sat next to him and turned to smile in his direction. He looked her up and down and smiled back. The bartender asked what her preference was and she responded that she would have the same as him. "I just had a double vodka, are you sure your up to that?" He said with an air of confidence  but she smiled and nodded "perfeto....just what I need". He turned the phone off, ordered another for himself and turned in her direction once more. "Hello, pleasure to meet you.......?" The clear intelligent eyes and perfectly attired woman looked him up and down while taking a sip of her drink before answering .... "Claudia. You look a little different than your picture Signore Michael".

A week and a half had gone by since they had first arrived. Alina was improving everyday and gaining back some of her weight loss with the help of a nurse and proper diet. She seemed to have settled into the idea that they needed to remain at the compound and her daily therapy sessions via zoom were allowing her to express her fears and talk through her memories. He wasn't present when she had her sessions, he would leave and take a walk down to the beach making sure that she was heavily protected when he did so. He trusted his men implicitly but he still felt that he was the best man for the job. There had been no sighting of Kyle. Christian had kept in constant contact and had gone to Ash to take care of the Salvatierras and to also deal with Miranda's family as well. His brother seemed to have made a decision regarding Miranda and he hoped that it was the right one. Christian explained that Michael had left him a message telling him that he was in search of Kyle personally and had even travelled to Turkey. Evan was surprised, especially knowing that Michael had been expecting Alina to come to him as he had planned to sneak her out of Turkey without so much as a world to either of them. He told Christian that he didnt trust Michael to keep his word regarding Kyle. Perhaps he would find him, but would he give up his own brother? Would he do it in order to get Alina back?. He told Christian in no uncertain terms that he would see Kyle dead before this was all over even if it meant walking over Michaels dead body to do it. Christian agreed with him saying that he found Michaels behavior somewhat odd as well. He had dug around enough to learn that Michael had always covered up for Kyles offenses and that only recently, after Alinas ordeal; distanced himself from his brother. Either he feared him or he needed to protect him. In either case Michael could not be trusted with sharing all the details regarding Kyle and so they decided then and there to no longer share any details with him, or if anything send him down the wrong path. As he made his way up to the house he saw Alina standing on the balcony of her room in a black bikini. She looked good from where he stood. A little heavier and tan from her days lounging in the sun. Perhaps today was the day that they spoke about more than just the weather. He needed to find out just how much she remembered.