*DOMINIK
I pace on the dock, with my hands in my pockets, shielding them from the cold wind. I make sure my men are transporting the goods properly. Some of my guys were in Michigan, trading drugs with the NYC Russian mafia. Boat was the easiest way to avoid officers at this time.
The guy moving the forklift with a crate full of cocaine starts reversing too close to the edge of the dock. I snap at the guy, "HEY! Watch where you're going! I could always replace you if you drown, but that shit that you're carrying- it dissolves! Slow the fuck down."
The guy listens, keeping his head down and doing what I say. I don't like being the bad guy but people don't know how to listen otherwise.
Vasyl and Daniil haul their own smaller crates in their arms, heading to the semi-truck. Maksim comes the opposite way, staring lasers at me.
"Is there a problem?" I worry for some reason my own people betrayed me and made parcels with baby powder.
"Katarina Ira is my problem," Maksim shows me his phone with her yearbook photo on the screen, "Not only is she my problem, but yours."
"She has nothing to do with you," I defend.
"Oh really? The past three months she's been pulling you away from work and distracting you from what's important. I would say that has a lot to do with me."
"You've got it wrong. She's done nothing but help me focus on my job."
Maksim stops defending his thoughts, instead threatens, "Get rid of her, or I will."
I stare at him in utter shock. Maksim has never lied to me. Which is why I can't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
He starts walking away when I ask, "You gonna kill her?"
"What do you think?" He stops and laughs.
"I think," I rip my gun out from my pants and aim it at him, "You're not gonna lay a finger on her."
All of my men have stopped what they were doing to witness the event. Maksim's face contorts, not so much scared but confused, "You've got to be joking. She's a fucking stranger! A teenage girl!"
"You don't know anything about her."
"You're gonna kill me? Me? I was always there for you. When did she show up? In September? Use your brain, Dominik."
"Boss," I correct him, pulling off the safety.
Maksim's hands start shaking at the action. He's not weak. He's been trained to be unafraid. But when I aim my gun at one of my own men, I intend to shoot. And I shoot to kill.
"...Boss," Maksim gulps, "I can tell she really means something to you."
I don't respond.
"Too bad she's already dead."
The world goes quiet. The sound of my gun firing is replaced by ringing in my ears. By the time Maksim's body falls to the ground, I'm already off the dock and getting into my car.
2:34 p.m. on a Saturday. The only place Katarina could be is home. I hurry there, almost running a few red lights. I get there and don't see her mom or sister's car, so I climb through the window and search the apartment. No trace of her anywhere. I take out my phone and call her. Straight to voicemail. I text her:
angel :)
Where are you
Answer please
It's an emergency
Tell me you're okay
Kacha
Kacha answer
Say something!!!!!
Not a word. No message, no call, not even speech bubbles. She can't be dead. I wouldn't let that happen. I would feel it. I know when something's wrong even before I see her. I would know if she's hurt.
Where could she be? She doesn't have auditions for anything which is the only thing she has for a schedule. Why does she have to be so spontaneous? How the hell am I gonna find her?
Wait! Stella! She knows everything about Katarina. The last thing I want to do is speak to her but she must know where she is or what she's doing.
I climb back out of the window and head to my car only to find Katarina peeking through the tinted glass.
"Kacha!" I run up to her and squeeze her tight.
"What the hell?" She warily hugs me back.
"Where the fuck were you?!" I shout at her.
She gives me attitude, "You have to stop treating me like I'm your fucking child," She walks into the apartment building, muttering to herself, "Where was I? You want to chip me now? Like I'm your fucking dog? Weirdo."
Despite her aversion to me making sure she's alive, I'm just happy she is. She could be mad at me her whole life for all I care, I just want her to be happy.
...What is wrong with me?
YOU ARE READING
Paranoid. Insomniac.
RomanceHow can one person cure the biggest mental challenge you've ever had to face? Especially someone so vastly different from you? And what are the odds that you cure them the same way they cure you?
