I turn around slowly. Alexei is leaning against the wall, casually twirling the GPS bracelet around his finger. I stare at the silver links. “I was just in a rush…”
“Give me your hand,” he says, walking toward me. He pulls my hand toward him and fastens the bracelet until the lock clicks shut. Even when it’s on, he doesn’t let go, keeping his grip tightaround my wrist. He brings my wrist to his mouth and kisses the metal. “You’re a terrible liar,Vedma.”
He takes both bags and heads for the car, pulling the back door open. “Let’s go.”
Sasha gets in the front passenger seat without a word. I slide into the back and settle against the leather seats, already resigned to my fate. Alexei gets behind the wheel and starts the engine. The entire drive to campus is going to take about forty minutes through morning traffic, and I’ve already decided I’m not speaking to him for any of it. He keeps glancing at me in the rearview mirror, trying to catch my eye, but I stare determinedly out the window, watching buildings and people blur past.
I count storefronts to keep myself occupied. Fourteen coffee shops between the house and the university district. Better than counting the minutes until I can take this bracelet off my wrist.
Chapter 39
Zoya
When we arrive at campus, I’m already checked out. I was irritable and just needed to get out of this car.
“Now,Vedma, I expect you to do something mischievous today, so I wouldn’t tell you to behave. But thankfully, I have a lot of faith in Sasha.” He looks towards her. She gives a nod of confirmation.
“Yeah, whatever, Mr. Know-It-All,” I say under my breath.
I open the car door and get out immediately. I see the rush of students coming through the school gate, most of them peering to see who parked the expensive Mercedes at the school entrance. I pay them no mind as I shuffle along with other students, blending into the crowds to get to my classes.
It’s been a hard couple of days for me, especially with how badly my morning sickness has been. But today I made up my mind, and since Alexei agreed that I could go back, I’ve been having less of that. Probably that is what’s stopping the morning sickness from occurring too much.
I look to my left and spot Sasha walking absentmindedly, trying to blend into the crowd. Honestly, she does. She looks like a regular student. Nothing is out of place, including the fact that her hair is also messy, like she just woke up, and her posture is slouched.
“Can I ask you a question, Miss Sasha?”
She turns towards me. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Is it safe to assume that there’s more than one person keeping watch on me today?”
My question doesn’t seem to alarm her. She turns to me with a slight frown. “Mrs. Romanov, I am not at liberty to disclosewho is following you, as per Mr. Romanov’s instructions. He told us not to inform you if there’s anybody else keeping watch.”
“Hmm. Well, a note of warning - since you’ll be shadowing me - the journalism department walks around a lot. We’re not gonna be in one place at a time.” I say with a sly smile. “Just a heads up.”
I walk faster, trying to lose her. But Sasha doesn’t even try, easily keeping up with me. The second I reach the classroom and push the door open, everybody goes silent. They’re all staring at me. I give a nervous chuckle, then begin to walk towards the back.
And then, from somewhere in the distance, I see three people running towards me. The closer they get, the clearer their features get.
Yulia, Larisa, and Yegor.
“Oh, my God! Larisa said you were okay, but I couldn’t believe it myself. We weren’t allowed to see you. How are you?” Yulia pushes in one breath, her eyes frantic. I can see tears brimming in the corners of her eyes.
Immediately, another voice chimes in. “Yeah, what’s up with your husband? Why is he behaving like that? Literally, he couldn’t even send us a picture to know you’re fine. The only thing available to us was your messages, and even that could’ve been fabricated. But I’m so happy you’re back.”
“Hey, how is your health?” The last of them, Yegor, chimes in.
“Guys, guys, guys…I’m doing fine, as you can see. And I’m sorry about what my husband did. He’s kind of overprotective…”
I’m cut off by a snort. “Not kind of. Can you imagine what he did to poor Yulia? She tried to sneak into the estate, and he had people drag her by her neck out of the house. Then he paid for her to go to the hospital in case she was hurt, but still threatenedus not to contact you concerning that day.” Larisa says angrily, her face etched in a snarl.
“I’m really sorry, guys.” I feel myself about to cry. These people care about me, and I made them worry.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I see Sasha sitting down in one of the chairs. Not just any chair - it’s the seat right next to mine. Funny. How the hell did she get a seat next to mine? Who dropped out of this class? I know most of the seats were already taken. What poor, unlucky bastard did Alexei get expelled from this school?
But in that split second, the lecturer comes into the class, halting whatever more questions my friends have.
“Alright, everybody, take a seat. Take a seat,” he beams, positioning himself behind the desk, by the podium. “We are about to start today, and from the commotion, I can see Mrs. Romanov is back in class. Welcome back, dear. I heard what happened. How are you doing?”