Deceitful Vows by Brook Wilder
Chapter 60
Paige
I rush into the ER, past the nurses’ station, desperate to find my father. A young nurse stops my frantic search and calmly diverts my pending meltdown. As she escorts me to his room, she tells me what has happened, some of which I already know.
“We messaged Dr. Kraft.” She pauses, debating what to say next. “I don’t think your father will be leaving here. You may need to talk to a social worker.”
I nod. I already knew the outcome, but it’s different when someone says it aloud.
She continues. “Visiting hours don’t apply to the ER. But we’re working on having him admitted to palliative care.”
A lump sticks in my throat, and I can’t answer her. This is it, but I’m not ready to accept it. I have to face the fact that my father won’t be coming home again. The overhead light is dim in his small hospital room, and he sleeps in a bed, a blanket tucked around his frail body, surrounded by flashing equipment.
Tubes are connected to his arms, and oxygen is in his nose. Dad’s mouth hangs slack while he sleeps. Tears fill my eyes, and I choke back a sob. It’s coming. I knew it. But I didn’t want to face it. He doesn’t know I’m here, but I sit by his bed and take his hand in mine. It’s so cold. I sit there alone and wait.
I decide to call Emma. She better come now.
I rummage through my purse to discover that my phone is gone. Damn, I left it on the bed before I snuck out. Fuck. My head is only with me because it’s attached to my neck. Dad’s phone sits on the table beside his bed. I need a phone, so I’ll use his until I can get mine. I shove it into my jeans pocket as his eyes gradually open.
“Paige?” He looks at me. “Sweetie, you’re here.”
I nod, proud that nothing could keep me away. Not even Andrei. “Yes, Daddy. I’m going to stay with you. The nurse says you’ll be admitted, and we’ll see what they recommend.”
He tries to smile but winces in pain. “I’m not going to make it. Paige, I’m glad you’re here. I have something I must tell you.”
I place my hand on his arm to soothe him. “Daddy, why don’t you try and rest?”
“I stole,” he says.
My hand freezes on his arm. “What?”
“I stole from my employer.” He pauses to catch his breath. “I have to tell you before it’s too late.”
I hold my purse against my stomach. I have a terrible feeling that I don’t want to hear this. “You should rest, Daddy.”
“When I worked as an accountant, I stole. The Bratvas. I stole money from them.”
What?
My body turns to ice.
“The Bratvas?”
Dad turns his head on his pillow to look at me. “I did their books. They’d come in with plastic bags filled with money, and it was my job to count it. I had to make sure the math was right before everyone got their cut. But it was bags of money, sweetheart. Sometimes they’d bring in trash bags crammed with bills. Sometimes the numbers weren’t even. I just evened it out and put the extra in my pocket.”
The ringing in my head competes with his words. “The Bratvas, Daddy?”
A tear springs from his eye and trails slowly down his saggy cheek, but I don’t touch him. I can’t wipe it away because I’m slowly going into shock.
“I was a fool.” His voice cracks. “I got greedy. A few hundred goes missing, and nobody cares. But a few million … somebody was going to start looking … Someone was always going to start looking.”
“A few million?” I gawk, my head spinning at his confession.
“I got found out by an enforcer,” he continues. “He figured it out, and he shook me down. He threatened me—he’d let me live, but he would hurt my family if I didn’t pay him off. I gave him a few thousand, but he knew I had more.”
I stare out the door at an orderly walking by. “Who is this man?”
“He’s dead now. Died of natural causes.” Dad laughs at the irony, and then his tone changes. “I should’ve died, not your mother. Your mother put up with so much. She tried to help, but what could she do? All those men… All because of me.”
Questions I didn’t know existed are starting to be answered. Jesus, was my mother killed because of my dad? And what was he talking about? And all those men…
No… Bile creeps up my throat at the thought. For ten years, I thought my mother was cheating on him. But if what he’s telling me is true…
Oh God. I’m sorry, Mom. I’m so sorry.
Andrei wasn’t making it up. There are worse people in the world than him, and I’m sitting next to one that raised me.
I stare at my father, my mind filled with reproach, but my heart won’t let me hate him.
Instantly, I find excuses for my dad. He looks so frail. Maybe he’s confused and doesn’t know what’s going on. Maybe he thinks he’s a character on Breaking Bad. But things are falling into place. Things I’ve noticed but never questioned.
Just then, another thought enters my head.
Wait, we were broke all our lives.
“Dad, where is the money? Is it gone?”
He shakes his head. “You’ll get what’s left when I die.”
The chair screeches across the floor as I jump up, trying to get away from this chaos crashing down on me. Panting, I step away from the bed. I feel trapped, and people can’t be trusted.
Every person I loved has told me horrible lies. There is no one to trust. I feel exposed, and anyone can walk through the door and shoot me because of something my father did. All I want is to go back to the mansion.
I want Andrei to hold me tight and tell me I’m safe. I was wrong, so wrong about him … but maybe I wasn’t.
But then, another thought hits me.
Bratva.
“Dad,” I ask slowly, fear permeating my voice despite my best attempts. “What Bratva did you steal from?”
He sighs softly. “I stole from all of them.”
“Including the Barinovs?”
In an instant, Dad is lucid, and his sharp eyes pierce into me. He looks like an entirely different person as he asks harshly, “How do you know that name?”
I’m not even aware that I’m rubbing my stomach until it growls. I need a break from my shitstorm life. I need to think. I need to get out of here.
“Paige.” He looks at me. “Answer me.”
“Do not mention this again.” Leaning close to him, I speak in a whisper, but my words are harsh. “Do not say another word to anybody. I have to get something to eat before I faint. We’ll talk about this when I get back, but say nothing. Especially not to Emma.”
He stares at me blankly, and for a moment, I wonder if he even understands. Then Dad nods before his eyes slowly close. I freeze in place, but soon his breathing is low and regular. I glance up at the machine. He’s still alive, but for how much longer? Will I have a plan before he dies?
With blinders on, I hurry in the direction of the cafeteria. The sunlight streams through the lobby windows, and the clock says it’s only 1:00 p.m. I pull his phone out of my pocket and stare at the image on the lock screen. It’s me with a goofy smile, taken only last year. Things were hard then, but I could laugh about it. Not anymore.
I tap in his password, which is always the same. Either my birthday or Emma’s. The welcome screen is a smiling Emma dressed in her softball uniform. I scroll through his contacts, looking for her name. My finger freezes when I stare at a name I don’t recognize but that somehow sounds familiar.
Sava Khodemchuk.
Wait, I’ve heard it before. He’s the one who told Eva to be brave and she will end up with what she wants. What the hell is his name doing in my dad’s phone?
I tap on the contact, and its number is one I don’t recognize. The only contacts between him and my dad are texts of number sequences, each one too short to be a phone number or bank account.
I have a vague idea of what the numbers mean, and I feel nauseous.
The hospital cafeteria is as large as a city block, with food on the left and seating on the right. I head toward the food, thinking I may be able to tolerate a salad and tea.
And that’s when I see her.
Not Emma.
That crazy woman. Andrei’s ex, Talia.
She sits alone at a table toward the wall, staring at me as if we’re the only people in the room. Then she gets up from the table and starts walking toward me. I don’t back away, but my mind races. If I can get to the car, I’m sure I can speed away in a Lamborghini. But from the corner of my eye, I notice a man in dark glasses also watching me.
Bratva never travel alone, except me.
End of the line, Little Ms. Lucky.
The phone in my hand chimes, and a text appears from Emma. She’s ditched class, but nobody is picking up the phone for her. I type a quick message.
Emma, it’s Paige. I can’t explain, but we’re in trouble.
Dad is safe. Trust no one, not even Dad.
Please be brave.
Hide.
Running away from her would be a mistake. Talia will follow and hurt anyone in her way, including the people I love. Andrei flashes into my mind, and I wonder if he knows about the money.
I don’t want to think anymore. I switch off the phone and slip it back into my pocket. Talia stands before me, beaming as if I should be happy to see her.
“Hello, Paige Geraldovna. Are you visiting someone?”
“Not your business,” I reply coldly. “What do you want?”
“I want you to come with me. Your husband keeps you under lock and key. I’m surprised to find you alone.” She puts her hands on her hips, and I fold my arms.
“I have a life.”
“No, you don’t,” she sneers. “But you have your usefulness.”
The man steps behind me, blocking my way. I may want to hate my father, but I don’t want to lead them to him. I conceal my troubling thoughts behind a fake yawn. She feeds on fear, and I won’t hand her mine. Talia’s eyes narrow as if she wants to pounce on me and not bother to do it in private.
“You like drama,” I reply, feigning indifference. “Is this another petty attempt to get my husband’s attention?”
She flinches when I say husband, and though it’s a small attempt, I hit her sore spot. She grabs my hand, squeezing it in hers, stabbing her nails into my flesh once again to remind me of what she’s capable of.
“Let’s go for a ride,” she says as she drags me to the exit. “In your husband’s expensive Lamborghini.”
We walk outside to the parking lot. Lost in my thoughts, I hardly notice the pain. I may never see my father again.
And only then do I realize that in the confusion, I never told my father that I’m pregnant.
