30

Eva.
I have no more lessons for the rest of the day, so I head to the library to meet with Natalya.
“Hey, over here?” She whispers.
I smile when I see her surrounded by books. “Hey.” I take a seat next to her. “What are you studying?” I ask quietly.
“Interrogation,” she replies.
I raise a brow at the response.
She shrug. “It’s a useful skill in the Bratva.”
I nod in reply, twiddling my fingers anxiously as I need to ask her a question. “Can you keep a secret?”
Her eyes shoot up to meet mine, and she smiles wickedly. “What kind of secret?”
I shake my head. “A very important one. Can you keep one?”
She nods. “Of course. You have my word.”
I swallow hard. “I don’t want to be a part of my parents’ business or lives.”
Her brow furrows. “Really? What do you want to do then?”
“I want to become a vet, but I’m not naive enough to believe running from them would be easy.”
She contemplates. “No, it wouldn’t be easy.” Natalya puts down her book, looking at me seriously. “Your parents are renowned for having global connections, not just national.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem.” I meet her gaze. “How could I get away with it?”
Natalya drums her fingers on the table. “I know you want to keep it a secret, but Azira might be the only one who can help.” She shakes her head. “She has the means for someone to disappear. After all, her family specializes in trafficking.'”
My stomach churns at the way Natalya talks of it so easily. “Trafficking?” I confirm.
Natalya nods. “Yeah, the Sidorov crime family has been in charge of the biggest women trafficking ring in North America for years.”
“Don’t you find it hard to accept that women like you and me are being taken from their homes and sold?”
Natalya tilts her head slightly, considering the question. “Yes, in all honesty, but thankfully my family doesn’t trade in people.”
“What do they trade?”
She purses her lips together before saying, “Everything else.”
I shake my head. “I can’t stand it, Natalya. The injustice of the world that my parents are forcing me to be a part of. If my brother were still alive…”
“Then what?” Natalya pushes.
“I’d hope my parents might have allowed me to live how I wanted.”
Natalya looks skeptical. “Doubtful, you still would have been useful to marry off and strengthen the family’s relations with some kind of criminal organization.”
“True.” I sigh heavily, knowing that she’s right. My parents are too heartless and self-centered to consider letting me live my life the way I wanted.
“Seriously, though. Azira is the woman to ask.” She shrugs. “You may hate what her family does, but she’s the only person I know who has the means to make sure you disappear so that your family can’t trace you.” Her brow furrows. “You’re going to wait until the end of the school year, though, right?”
I nod in response, knowing that the money I’ve saved is more than enough to pay my college tuition to become a vet, but I hadn’t factored the heavy cost of having someone else help me flee my parents. By the time I’ve finished school here, I should have enough for both.
Although my parents have never cared for me much, they have always given me money, and a lot. “How much do you reckon something like that would cost?” I ask Natalya.
She raises a brow. “I’m sure for a friend that Azira will do it as a favor, as long as she can convince her father.” She shrugs. “If not, she won’t charge much.”
I let out a breath I was holding, wondering if my new plan would be enough to escape their clutches. “Do you reckon I’ll need to leave the country?”
Natalya grabs my hand and squeezes. “Don’t worry about it right now. I’d say probably, because your parents have a lot of influence, and I don’t know how easy it is to disappear from them in America, but we’ll deal with it when we come to it.” She smiles. “And, of course, me, Adrianna, and Azira will visit no matter where you end up.”
I laugh at that. “I thought I was supposed to be untraceable?”
Natalya rolls her eyes. “Not to your friends.”
It defeats the object in my eyes, as if people from school know where I am, then that means my parents can try to extract that information. Although Azira, Adrianna, and Natalya are all from equally powerful crime families, I doubt they could interrogate them.
“Are you sure about this, though, Eva?” Natalya asks.
I nod in response. “I’ve been sure about it since I can remember.” I sigh heavily, running a hand through the ends of my hair. “I’m not cut out for the life my parents want for me.”
She shakes her head. “Few are.”
I raise a brow. “What about you?”
“I feel a duty to my family and my brother.” She shrugs. “Whether I can live up to the expectations remains to be seen. I’m a brilliant student, but I have put nothing into practice.” Her brow furrows. “I don’t think I have to worry about taking over for a long while, though. After all, my brother is only Thirty-one years old.”
“That’s young to be in charge.”
“He was twenty-one when our father died.”
“And he’s been in charge ever since?” I ask.
Natalya nods, a sad look in her eyes. “It forced him to grow up fast. Few twenty-one years olds have that much responsibility thrust onto them.” She sighs. “I’ve always felt bad for Mikhail. His life isn’t his own.”
“Won’t he have an heir, anyway?” I ask. “Someone who can take over?”
“I always said that to him, but he’s adamant marriage and children aren’t what he wants.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Although I hope he finds a girl to make him happy. He deserves some happiness in his life.”
It’s hard for me to think that men like her brother or my parents deserve anything but suffering. They hurt, kill and maim daily, so how can someone like that deserve anything? They’re criminals.
Instead of voicing my disgust, I nod in response. Natalya may be a good friend, but I know we’ll never see the world the same way. I’m thankful that she can understand why I want to leave, and she’s willing to help me. It’s more than I’ve ever had before.