Chapter 23
The next week was filled with laughter, love and a sense of desperation. Rune didn’t say anything but she could feel it in both men since the afternoon in the atrium. One or both of them were always with her. She had put her foot down when they insisted on being with her even when she needed to use the privy. She had come close to violence and had even threatened it before they finally gave in to her demands of privacy. There were times she went in the bathroom just so she wouldn’t give into the urge to strangle one or both of them when they tried to boss her around. She definitely appreciated the fact that she needed to be strong to deal with two stubborn, opinionated males who believed they knew better than she did what she needed.
It was Christmas Eve and they had been invited to a huge party to celebrate the night. Rune stood before the mirror in a beautiful white gown that clung to her figure. The dress had long sleeves and a scoop neck with a collar that reached up to show off her long neck. The front had some crystals that caused it to glitter when she turned and the light hit them. The skirt of the gown flowed outward in waves of silky material as she moved. She had braided the front her hair around her head but left the back to hang in a long curtain down her back.
Her hand trembled a little as a sense of expectation swept through her. She knew that tonight was her last night with Dimitri and Sergei and she wanted to make the most of it. She wanted none of them to have any regrets.
“I am so excited about tonight,” Rune said, drawing in a deep steadying breath as she stood in front of the mirror. “How many people are going to be at tonight’s party?”
“Too many,” Sergei muttered as he adjusted the bow tie of his tuxedo. “Simone and Petre Danshov host one every year.”
“Don’t you like to go?” Rune asked as she looked at him in the mirror.
Sergei shrugged. “I do not mind going. Simone and Petre are good friends of Dimitri and I. We have just enjoyed having you to ourselves.”
“How did you meet them?” Rune asked curiously. “I’ve heard the name before but don’t remember who they are.”
Dimitri smiled as he walked into the room. Rune’s eyes darkened at how handsome he looked in the black tuxedo. Her eyes roamed over him hungrily before lifting to meet his knowing look.
“We met Petre when he was eighteen,” he said. “He came from a wealthy family here in Moscow and had been kidnapped.”
“That is terrible,” she whispered. “What happened?”
“Dimitri heard about it,” Sergei said. “Word gets around on the streets. I had developed a software program that allowed me to hack into his father’s corporate system. I discovered the kidnapping was an inside job.”
Dimitri nodded as he stepped up behind Rune. “Using the information Sergei discovered, we were able to locate where Petre had been taken by tapping into the computers the men who kidnapped him were using.”
“Did you get him out?” She asked gazing at Dimitri in the mirror as he slid his hands around her waist.
“Yes,” Dimitri murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck. “It was a surprisingly easy task as his kidnappers were not expecting it. We became friends and Petre’s father, out of gratitude, backed Sergei and me in our first business.”
Sergei grimaced when his cell phone vibrated showing their driver was ready for them. Looking at it, he sighed. He hadn’t been kidding when he said that both he and Dimitri were feeling very possessive at the moment. The idea of sharing Rune with anyone was stretching their limits at the moment. Both of them were still terrified to let her out of their sight after the atrium incident. He drew in a deep breath and adjusted his tie once more before nodding to Dimitri and Rune.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “I would like to get tonight over with so we can enjoy a party of our own.”
“I know what I want for dessert,” Rune said with a cheeky grin as she smacked Dimitri on the ass and licked her lips seductively at Sergei as she walked toward the door. “Want to guess what it is?”
“Ah, little one,” Sergei said with fire in his eyes. “You might get dessert early if you are not careful.”
Rune giggled and swept through the door as both men reached out for her. She loved it when their eyes held the promise of a night filled with fire. She had to stop quickly when an elderly servant stepped away from the door leading into the bedroom.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you,” she said, smiling warmly at the maid.
“Min unnskyldninger, ma’am,” My apologies, ma’am, the woman said softly.
Rune smiled uneasily at the woman again as she turned away. A shiver went down her spine as Sergei slid his hand around her waist and guided her down the long corridor. She glanced over her shoulder once more but the woman had disappeared. There had been something familiar about her, yet not. Shrugging her shoulders, she listened as the men joked about how Petre and Simone had met. Simone had been living in an abandoned warehouse that Petre had recently purchased and was not too happy about having to find a new home to live in.
Rune listened in wonder as they related the story of how frustrated Petre had been with Simone’s attitude when they first met. Her total disregard for his station in life had driven their friend to threaten to strangle Simone on more than one occasion. Simone still considered Petre’s wealth more of a burden than a blessing.
“She resents having to have bodyguards with her all the time,” Dimitri said as he helped Rune into the limousine. “She is fiercely independent.”
*.*.*
The ride to Petre and Simone’s went smoothly. Both men talked about different developments going on around the world. They were both relieved to have the situation in Los Angeles finally resolved.
“Pierre has finished his investigation and I’ve done a damage assessment,” Dimitri said flicking through a small notebook he had pulled from the inside pocket of his jacket. “It is minimal. The information Stanburg Industry received was from the files I had leaked so we would know who was involved. The new software made tracking the information a piece of cake.”
“I want Stanburg’s companies,” Sergei said looking at the tablet in his hands. “Break him first before we take over. I want to send a message that anyone who fucks with us will be taken out.”
“Are you going to kill him?” Rune asked curiously. “My father said some of the traders used to do that if one of their competitors tried to short them or steal their merchandise from them.”
Dimitri chuckled as he looked up from his notes. “Unfortunately, the law frowns upon us killing anyone for such an offense.”
“But isn’t that what ‘taken out’ means,” Rune asked in confusion. “Someone is always killed on the wall glass when they say that.”
“In this case, we break them where it hurts,” Sergei explained. “For these types of men money is everything. It gives them a sense of power and a feeling of being above the law.”
“But, isn’t what you are doing considered the same thing?” She asked, trying to understand the power plays of the modern world.
“Almost,” Dimitri chuckled. “We work within the law and only use our wealth or power to break those that would try to steal from us. We are very careful, Rune. We know what it is like to be at the mercy of those who do not care how they use either.”
Rune thought for several minutes before she finally nodded. She didn’t understand all of it but at least she understood a little. Her father had said the same thing when he came back from his trips. That was another reason that he had not liked Leifsson. He said the man used his power and the wealth of his clan for his own selfish purposes.
“Have you heard anything else from Pierre about the boy who shot at us?” Sergei inquired as he scanned another report.
“He was following up on a lead and said he would let me know his findings as soon as he could confirm a few things,” Dimitri said. “Did you see the report from Ontario? It looks like they have made sufficient advances on the new medical imagining software.”
&nbs
p; Rune let her mind drift as the two men continued to talk about the different programs and such. She still didn’t understand how this ‘Internet’ thing worked much less the rest of what they were talking about. She leaned forward and watched as the city came into view. It was a beautiful place in many ways and yet there were many places that were just as tired and depressed as there had been during all her other lives.
It did not matter when in history you lived, she thought as she saw a young couple with their two children walk by. The man scooped up the little boy when he fell and started tickling him until the boy squealed with delight, families and the division between wealth were all the same.
*.*.*
“Sergei! Dimitri!” Simone cried out. “Two of my most favorite supporters!”
Dimitri shook his head. “Oh no you don’t, Simone,” he said with a rueful smile. “The last time I left Sergei alone it cost me a million dollars. What are you supporting now?”
Simone Danshov was a short brunette with an infectious smile. Rune watched as she reached up and gave both Sergei and Dimitri a quick kiss. A low growl drew a giggle from Simone when a tall handsome man in his early thirties came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He brushed a kiss over her lips as she tilted her head to look up at him before reaching out and shaking Sergei and Dimitri’s hand in greeting.
“She is determined to send every child that has ever lived at St. Agnes to college,” Petre laughed. “I have already pledged two million dollars to start the scholarship foundation.”
“I remember you,” Rune said, staring at Simone. “You used to come out to the garden and read to me.”
Simone looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Where you at St. Agnes, too?” She asked with a frown. “What is your name?”
“You were always so quiet. Sister Carmen said you never spoke to anyone but me,” Rune whispered. “But, you loved to read to me and tell me about your family. My favorite story was The Secret Garden. You cried when Colin’s father came back to the garden and found them. I was so worried about you when you didn’t come back out to the garden for so long. Sister Theresa said you had surgery to heal the wounds from the accident that had taken your parents. She would wheel you outside after you were well enough so you could read to me again. You knew I enjoyed it.”
“How did you know about that? I never read to anyone but…” Simone asked in a hushed voice. “Who are you?”
“Rune,” Sergei said quietly in warning.
“Rune? I don’t remember anyone by that name except...” Simone’s eyes widened for a moment before they filled with confusion.
“Simone, дорогая,” Petre said. “We are being rude. Some of our other guests wish to speak with Sergei. Sergei, I have someone I’d like to introduce you to,” Petre said moving them further into the elegant room filled with people.
“I believe I will dance with Rune,” Dimitri said as he slid his arm around her. “If you will excuse us.”
“Petre,” Simone whispered, gripping her husband’s hand tightly as she watched Dimitri and Rune walked away. “It is impossible.” Her eyes moved to Sergei before narrowing in concentration. “Who is she?” Simone demanded in a strained voice.
“She is the woman Dimitri and I love,” Sergei murmured quietly before turning away to nod to the man Petre was introducing to him.
Simone’s eyes followed Dimitri and Rune as they began to dance. Suspicion darkened her green eyes as she watched Dimitri slowly turn Rune who was trying to follow his steps. It was obvious she had never danced before. Simone let her eyes scan over the figure of the unusual woman who could capture both Dimitri and Sergei’s attention.
“дорогая, I have seen that look in your eyes before and it usually means trouble,” Petre murmured in her ear. “Dimitri and Sergei would never let a woman take advantage of them.”
“I know her from somewhere, Petre,” Simone muttered. “I know her.”
“She said she was at the orphanage with you,” Petre said, brushing a stray strand of dark hair back before letting his hand slide along her bare shoulder. “She was one of the other children, yes? Now, enjoy the party you have worked so hard on. There is much funding to be had this night.”
Simone absently nodded her head. Her eyes slid over the couple again as they swept by. There had only been six other girls at the orphanage for the short time she had been there. Four had been in their teens and two had been infants that had been adopted just a month after she came there. She had lived at the orphanage for almost a year before her paternal grandmother had been found and agreed to take her. During that time, she had not spoken a word except to the…
“Rune,” she whispered in confusion and disbelief.
She turned away when someone touched her arm. She was soon pulled into conversations with her other guests. Her eyes continuously sought the couple throughout the evening but she soon lost track of them as her and Petre’s other guests arrive.
*.*.*
Rune laughed as Dimitri led her off the dance floor several hours later. “You are enjoying yourself,” Sergei commented as he brushed his fingers over Rune’s flushed cheek. “You are glowing,” he teased with an uneasy laugh.
“I’m sweating!” Rune said with a grin. “I love this dancing.”
“You are glowing,” Dimitri laughed. He had shed his jacket and tie once the lighted floor and heavy beat had pulled Rune out time and time again. “She is about to wear me out.”
“That just means Sergei will have to ‘cut a rug’ with me,” Rune announced with a huge grin. “I heard an older couple say that. Henry is a great dancer. He showed me the Getter Bug.”
Neither man corrected Rune’s mispronunciation of Jitterbug. Sergei wasn’t lying when he said Rune was glowing. It was more than just the way her skin glistened. There was a light golden glow about her that had him worried. The feelings of desperation that he had been feeling over the past week rushed through him like a tidal wave.
“Rune,” he whispered reaching out to touch her cheek again. “You are glowing.”
Dimitri’s eyes narrowed as he noticed what Sergei was talking about. He had thought the faint shimmer around her had been an illusion of the lights from the dance floor. He took a step forward in concern.
“We need to leave,” Dimitri said urgently. “I’ll get my coat. Sergei, call our driver.”
Rune looked down at her skin and saw the faint glow. She looked up at Sergei with frightened eyes. This had never happened to her before.
“Sergei,” she whispered unsteadily. “It’s time for me to go.”
“Yes, Sergei, it is time for her to go,” a cold voice said from behind her. “Why don’t you introduce me to your new little toy before I help her on her way.”
Rune turned, startled. Behind her stood the beautiful blonde from the magazine. She was staring at them with cold, calculating eyes that held a glint of insanity in them.
“Eloise,” Sergei grounded out in a cold voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I know who…,” Simone’s voice died as she came to stand next to Sergei and Rune. She froze when she saw the small handgun in Eloise’s hand. “Sergei?”
“You were mine!” Eloise hissed at Sergei before she coldly looked Rune up and down. “Before this little bitch came along.”
“Eloise,” Sergei said in a low dangerous voice. “Put the handgun down. You do not want to do this.”
“You think I don’t know what is going on? I’ve been in your home for the past week watching as that little bitch took what should have been mine,” Eloise said waving the gun at Rune. “I’ve seen how you and that bastard you call a bodyguard have screwed her. I was meant to be your wife!”
“You were the old servant,” Rune said as she recognized the narrowed eyes.
“Min unnskyldninger, ma’am” Eloise sneered. “Even Dimitri couldn’t tell who I was. You ruined everything. Your stupid investigator finally figured out it was me who paid the drugged up brat to shoot you
. I even gave him extra drugs but he missed. He remembered me from one of the movies I had been in once he sobered up,” she choked out. “I had to leave. I was ruined. All because you left me,” she whispered, ignoring the crowd that she was beginning to attract. “I did everything to make you love me, Sergei.”
“You need help, Eloise,” Sergei said, reaching out slowly to pull Rune behind him.
“Don’t touch her!” Eloise bit out in a wild voice. “You’ve touched her enough. Now, now it is time for you both to understand you shouldn’t have dumped me for her. I’m going to kill her first then you. You should have wanted me, Sergei.”
*,*,*
Dimitri knew something was wrong the moment he reached for his jacket. His cell phone was vibrating violently before it would stop, only to start again. He pulled it free and pressed the connect call to Pierre. He had to hold his other hand over his ear so he could hear what the other man was saying.
“What?” Dimitri demanded again.
“The old woman is Eloise Ferguson. She booked a flight to Moscow the night after the shooting. She hasn’t returned,” Pierre said. “The kid remembered seeing her in a movie. I found out that she bought the gun from a pawn shop the day of the shooting.”
“Do you know where she might be now?” Dimitri asked before turning around and seeing the face of the woman he was asking about. “Never mind,” he said, disconnecting the call.
He walked slowly forward at the same time as he heard a scream and several loud shots. His blood froze as the world around him seemed to stop. His eyes widened in fear before tears filled them as he realized he was witnessing something he never believed in… an act of undying love and sacrifice.
Chapter 24
Micha sat in his small office and listened as the clock struck the first sound of midnight. He poured himself a shot glass of vodka and raised it to his lips. His old hand trembled as he looked at the picture of his lovely wife and young son who were killed in the war over fifty years ago on Christmas Day. Tears filled his eyes as he lifted them from the picture to the window of his office. His eyes froze on the Christmas rose.