Page 15 of Russian Daddy

“Get over yourself,” I mumble. “Are you going to let one scary experience upset you forever?”

I turn the lock on the door, and the cold night air rushes in on my face when I open the door. I lift the collar on my coat, burying my face inside it and stepping out into the darkness. I pass the place where the men tried to assault me and remember the first time I saw Torin. He came to my rescue then, but he isn’t here now so I quicken my pace and round the corner to the parking lot.

I skid to a halt when I see the black sedan still parked in my parking space.

Why has it been here all day? Why is it still here when school let out hours ago? I try to see through the windshield, but I can’t see anything but darkness. The hairs are standing up on the back of my neck, and I have no real reason for reacting this way until a flame flickers inside the car.

The light from the flame illuminates the face of a man who’s lighting a cigarette. He looks down at the lighter and then straight into my eyes. I want to run, but I can’t seem to make myself move. It’s like my eyes are locked on the man and just won’t let go. My trance is broken when I hear the car door open, and I speed away toward my car. It’s just a few feet, but it feels like miles.

“Hey, stop. I want to talk to you about Torin Tasios,” the man calls out to me but I keep moving. “I said stop. Don’t make me chase you. Alright bitch, you win.”

“Oh god.” Panicked, I fumble with my keys, trying to use my gloved hands to unlock my car door. Why is this happening to me? What does he want? More importantly, what is he planning to do to me to get it?

The lock clicks, and I hop inside. When I reach to close the door, a hand comes out of the darkness and holds it open.

“Get the fuck out of the car, now,” the man snarls with a heavy Russian accent.

“No. Let go of my door or I’ll call 911.”

“Reach for the phone, and I’ll rip you out of the car.”

“Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything to you. Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

“Do you know that you’re fucking a killer?”

My eyes grow wide, and I stare at the man’s mouth, wondering if he really said what I think I heard.

“Oh, you didn’t know. He hasn’t told you what kind of animal he is? He kills my brother and what happens to him? He gets a bump up. How is that justice?”

“I don’t know anything about that. I don’t know anything about any of this. Please, just let me go home.”

“Your man took something from me, so I’m gonna take something from him now. It’s either you or the mother. You want me to let you go and get her instead?”

“No, I want you to leave us both alone. We have nothing to do with this.”

“Yeah, you do. It doesn’t matter that you won’t make a choice though because I’m gonna take you both from him.”

He reaches into the car and grabs my arm.

I’m sure that this is the end for me. I close my eyes and wait for him to drag me into the parking lot, but it doesn’t happen. His hand is ripped from my arm, and I hear a fight break out beside the car. I open my eyes and see nothing more than two figures wrestling in the darkness. I’m sure that one of them is Torin, but how? He said he wouldn’t be back until late.

“Drive away, Tess,” Torin yells to me but I don’t want to leave him.

“No, not without you,” I protest.

“I said go. Now, go!” he yells as he throws the other man to the ground.

I don’t want to go but I don’t want to disobey him either, so I put the key in the ignition and take off for home. I pull into the driveway and leap out of the car, making a run for my front door.

Once inside, I turn on all the lights and check every room and closet in case someone is hiding inside. Certain that I’m alone, I sit down beside the locked door and wait for Torin, praying he hasn’t been injured during his altercation with the angry man.

This is the second time he’s shown up just in time to rescue me. The first was just a random stroke of luck, but how did he know I needed him this time?

An hour passes before I see headlights turning into my driveway. I hold my breath until I hear Torin say, “Tess, open the door. It’s me.”

I unlock the door, and he storms inside pumped with adrenaline. He grabs me by the arms and examines me from head to toe.

“Did he touch you? Are you hurt?”

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