Soon after they fled the gunfire, the young Jakov had already made arrangements for their stay on the phone. He actually seemed quite pleased, he’d be back on home ground and that would be rather comfortable for him. He turned to look at the little girl squished close to Jamie as they struggled to sit on the one seat, and only then did he notice her hand gripping on to her arm, blood leaking out from underneath her small hand. He quickly looked at her face, the pain was visible but she was doing a good job of holding back any tears or whimpering. Jensen immediately pulled off the scarf he was wearing and leaned towards Hilda, “Here, give me your arm,” he said cautiously.
It was only then that everyone noticed Hilda had been injured. Her father stared at her wound, shocked at the thought that it had gone unnoticed. “When did this happen?!” he spoke, horrified by her wound.
“It doesn’t hurt, it’s okay,” she lied.
Jensen tightly wrapped the scarf around her arm, her face twitched from pain at every twist of the fabric. Jamie watched on as he tied the final knot, “There, it shouldn’t bleed too much now,” he smiled at Hilda. Jamie was slightly taken aback by the warmth in his words, it very much confronted her views of the young mafia lord. She then turned to look at Nicholas as he was made some phone calls, his concern for his sister didn’t seem that apparent when compared with Jensen’s, though Jamie knew that Nicholas was probably quite worried only caught up by the situation.
“Thank You,” Hilda said quietly, clearly exhausted.
Meanwhile, the quiet driver of the car looked upon the whole scenario. He felt guilty for letting the young girl hurt herself. He knew that it should’ve been him who tied the bandage around her wound and it should’ve been him who said comforting words to her. He mentally shook himself, what was he thinking? ‘I needa get a few drinks after this,’ he thought to himself.
***
When they finally arrived at their destination, the image they were confronted with puzzled the group, but Hilda was the only one to speak, “You live in a jungle home?” she asked, judging the old and rustic appearance of the house, it did not look very big either, the walls were covered in vines and the house looked as if it had been abandoned for years.
Jensen only smiled at her and led them inside. What they saw inside was quite contrary to what the outside appearance of the building suggested. Inside the house was quite contemporary, black and white rugs covered the shining timber floors. There was a fire place and a large lounge area to their right, the warmth inside the house made Hilda quite sleepy. She yawned loudly and everyone’s attention turned to her.
“She needs to rest,” Zach spoke looking up at Jensen.
It was almost immediately that one of the caretakers, a middle-aged woman with a polite smile and a clean apron appeared from behind a door.
“Ah Ms Petrova,” Jensen took her hand and planted a small kiss on it, “Just in time. I am assuming the rooms have been prepared for our guests.”
The maid blushed a little and Jamie looked on with disgust.
She nodded at Jensen, “Of course.”
“Please kindly show the young miss to her room,” he signalled towards Hilda.
Jamie watched as Nicholas took his younger sister in to his arms and carried her to her room. She saw Hilda slowly fall asleep in his arms and noticed that she admired the man deeply. She herself didn’t know why.
***
“So do you like your room?” Jensen leaned against the door sill, his arms cross and his head tilted as he smiled.
Jamie was busy organising the room to her satisfaction, she didn’t stop to look at the man standing in the door way but thanked him.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
Jensen continued smiling, “Why so formal?”
Jamie abruptly stopped shuffling through the pile of papers on her desk and turned to look at Jensen. Her eyes lingered on him for a bit before she sighed and looked back to her work.
Jensen raised an eyebrow and now curious about her behaviour, he invited himself into the room. He walked over to her desk and stood next to her, his eyes running over her features. She tried to ignore him at first but after seeing his persistence she sighed again and looked up at him.
“Yes?”
“Do you have a problem with me?” he asked, a smirk spread across his face.
“Slightly,” she looked away again.
This time he placed his hand on her chin, tilting her face so their eyes connected, “And what problem might that be?”
She pushed his hand away angrily, “I find you disgusting, you’re immature and you are just another spoilt, women-seeking brat, who’s going to take his father’s place and run his mafia, just killing more people. I find working with you irritating,” she snapped.
Jensen was slightly taken aback but recovered from the accusations in a matter of moments. “Those were some very harsh claims, sweetheart,” he paused and his voice became more playful, “I guess it’s only fair, since there are some things which are not so pleasant about you,” he turned and started to walk away.
“Like what?” she stood there with her arms crossed an eyebrow raised.
He turned and smiled as he once again began walking towards her, “Like perhaps your irrationality in jumping to conclusions about people you barely know,” their faces inches apart now, there was something different in his eyes.
“How would you describe yourself then?” she stuttered a little.
“Curious,” he said, it was a response that further intrigued Jamie.
He continued leaning towards her and Jamie realising that she didn’t have much space between her and the wall, unconsciously put her hands out, to which his chest soon made contact.
He ignored that fact for the moment, “I do not desire to have this power, or the money, I desire to be free, I desire to fiercely explore every inch of the world until I find some sort of a conclusion, some sort of peace,” his intense eyes bore into hers.
“You’re looking for peace?” she questioned, her voice barely a whisper. Her hand had begun to trail down his torso.
“Aren’t we all?”
“How can you claim to look for peace, yet kill so many people?” she questioned, and mentally congratulated herself on her critical inquiry.
“I can’t justify all my actions, I’m still learning, I’m still curious.”
One of her hands made its way to his head, tangling in his hair, while the other roamed his muscular chest, she noticed the hat upon his head, it was always there, “I’m puzzled by your hat, why do you always wear it?”
“See you’re curious too, it would explain why your hands are all over me right now.”
They were interrupted as Nicholas walked up to the room, Nicholas stood there, startled by the situation in front of him. Jamie pulled away as soon as she noticed Nicholas’ presence, pushing herself to the wall. Jensen stood there, analysing the reactions of the other two.
Nicholas cleared his throat, “I was just coming to tell you that I had more of your work and papers recovered from the police, they are in the main lounge if you require them.”
“Th- Thank You.”
Nicholas clenched his fist. “That is all,” and with that he walked away.
Jensen made a mental note to himself, ‘Do not leave the door open next time’.
***
Nathaniel walked down the dark streets of the night. The streets in this town were quiet, but it was the sort of calm that he could not identify to be good or bad. All he knew was that he needed to drink. He needed to zone out of this blur of a world.
Most places were closed down as it was now close to one in the morning. He approached a small bar on the corner of a street and saw a dimmed light coming from inside. Outside sat a rather large body guard who looked Nathaniel up and down as he walked inside.
When he stepped inside the bar, he was rather surprised to see just a girl behind the counter, cleaning the appliances and glasses. When she looked up she was just as surprised to see him.
“I’m sorry, is this closed?” Nathaniel asked as politely as he could.
“No, no I guess not,” she sighed.
Nathaniel stood there awkwardly, confused by the girl’s response.
“So can I get a drink?”
“Oh, yeah sure,” she seemed a bit dazed, “Just a moment, I had nearly cleaned up...”
He watched the girl as she shuffled between getting the glasses and opening random bottles.
“Ah, wait, what did you want?”
“Just a beer, nothing fancy. Lots of beers actually.”
She poured him one glass and slid it across the counter. He chugged it down in about two shots and watched as she lifted the heavy wooden stools from the seating area, placing them upside down on top of the tables.
“Hey,” he called out to her.
She looked up with a slightly annoyed expression, “I have a name you know.”
“Fine, what’s your name?”
“Eva.”
“Eva then,” he acknowledged, “how about you get me another six beers and I’ll put up those chairs for you?”
“I don’t think you should have that many... “ she hesitated.
“Just do it,” he cut her off, jumping off his stool and putting the first wooden stool on the table.
They engaged in very small chatter while, Nathaniel drank his beer and helped clean the place simultaneously. Eva stood there for long periods of time, just watching him help clean up. When she brought out the vacuum cleaner, she couldn’t help but laugh at how intimidated he looked.
For Nathaniel, this was an opportunity to get away, perhaps start a new way of life. Talking to Eva made him realise the struggles of an everyday person. He learnt that Eva’s dad had a brain tumor, and required surgery, but her family could not afford to pay for it. She feared for her safety working here alone, the only support she had was her distance cousin who would sit outside the bar in exchange for drinks.
“So, are you from around here?”
“No, I’m not,” he answered briefly, finishing up his last drink. He had reached the point at which he still maintained some sanity, but was numb from the things that usually clouded his mind.
“Will you be around?”
He smiled, “Why? Could it be that Eva likes my company?”
She smiled back, “Eva thinks you should go home now.”
He laughed, “Yeah, I probably should.”
He took out his wallet and pulled out the five hundred rubles that sat in there.
“That’s too much, you don’t have to take pity on me.”
He looked at her seriously, “It’s not pity money, this is probably some of the best beers I’ve ever had.”
He got up to leave, “anyways I need to head off.”
“Will you be coming back?” she said almost instantly.
He was quite surprised by her sudden question and she blushed realising how forward she had been.
“Sure, I guess,” he smiled.
“Thank You for your help today!” she called out as he was about to exit the bar.
“It was my pleasure,” he laughed back.
***
The girl had fallen asleep as soon as she reached the mansion, she had been carried to her room and not been seen since. It was morning now and Nathaniel stood in front of her bedroom door. He was a bit weary from all the alcohol he had last night but was more concerned about her health. She had taken a bullet for him. She suffered immense pain, just to save him from that exact pain. Why would she do that? All for friendship?
He raised a hand to knock on the door but stopped himself. She needed her rest. He sighed and started to walk away. He headed to his room to sulk. Nothing was going anywhere; there was no direction for him. He didn’t know what was going to happen next, all he could do was wait for someone to tell what to do next. It was all very ambiguous and it frustrated him.
He threw the door open and stomped in, only to be surprised by Hilda already waiting for him inside. The mood had changed all of a sudden. It was very clear that she had been jumping around in his bed, testing out the springs in the mattress. Nathaniel ignored the fact that she had just allowed herself into his room without his permission.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked, “Is the wound healing?”
“It’s all healed,” she smiled up at him and held her arm out. He walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed, taking her arm into his hands and tracing over where the wound had once been.
He looked up at her with a concerned expression that puzzled her, “how did it heal so fast?’
“I’m just gifted I suppose, like you!” she kept smiling. He gave her another questioning look.
“Papa said that everyone on mama’s side has powers, they do things that normal people don’t.”
It clicked in his head. “I know your grandfather does, but I didn’t think he healed.”
She snapped at him, “He’s not my grandfather, he’s evil.”
“He is,” Nathaniel spoke in a lower tone, “he created me after all,” he joked half-heartedly.
“That’s probably the best thing he ever did,” she laughed, “You’re stupid.”
“Why is that?” he asked curiously.
“Because you think you’re alone, while we’re all here. You think you’re different where we’re all the same really,” she said looking down, putting her index fingers together, and struggling for the right words.
“You see,” she looked up again, “We’re all weird. And you’re weird too. I guess that’s how we’re humans, right?”
Nathaniel smiled at her playfully bringing his loosely wrapped fist to her chin, “right.”
It was at that time that he realised how important Hilda was in the lives of everyone in this household. She was the glue that held this crazy and unbalanced household together. She gave everyone a reason to smile, perhaps a reason to live, because she could see the bright future everyone couldn’t. She was the sign for change.
“This house is so big,” she said looking at the random objects in his room, “It’s too big.”
Nathaniel looked at her as she stood up abruptly.
“Nathaniel!” she yelled and pointed.
“As my newest friend you have to buy me ice cream,” she stopped and thought for a bit, “And you have to let me ride on your bike too.”
Nathaniel smiled.
***
Jensen had left the house soon after his brief encounter with Jamie. It was only recently that his father, Arman Jakov had detected his son’s whereabouts and ordered Jensen to meet him. To his own surprise, Jensen agreed without hesitation. Jensen and his father had a long history, not a very pleasant one and one Jensen was more than willing to forget. Arman Jakov and his late wife Anya had two sons, Anton and Jensen. While Jensen’s older brother Anton spent his life obediently following the family tradition, Jensen decided to take his own path. For the younger Jakov, the need for adrenaline and action pumped through his veins his, heart did not desire such an unfulfilling and predictable life.
And now he was standing here, in front of his father, he looked directly into his father’s eyes and saw the rage boiling inside. He stood there silently, not a string of emotion showing on his face.
“Father, I have come as you asked.”
“From where my son, from where have you come? Or does it matter to me now that you have abandoned your own family, your own life?” Arman spoke in his deep and powerful voice.
“I would not say I have abandoned my life as I am living it to its full extent.”
The piercing sound of Arman’s hand clashing with his son’s face echoed through the room. Jensen stayed still, holding back his own anger before turning his face to look at his father again.
“Where have you been?” Arman spoke bitterly.
Jensen remained quiet. Despite being past his sixties, Arman Jakov remained a strong man, still feared by the whole extended family.
“Explain why it has been brought to my attention that you were found in the same company as a Drake,” he questioned.
For the first time Jensen smiled, “Oh father, that may be because I have been in the company of a Drake, no other than Hamlet himself.”
His smile puzzled the old man. Arman looked for an explanation.
Jensen knew he had the man captivated, it was now up to him to play the game. Arman took a seat and lit a cigar, he handed one to his son as well and then signalled with his hand for him to continue.
Jensen inhaled the smoke, feeling its tingling warmth flow down his throat. “Father, it seems that Hamlet and I desire the one thing. We both desire the destruction of the Drake mafia.”
The old man raised an eyebrow which Jensen ignored, instead he turned to look straight at him kneeling on the ground while holding the old man in his place, “Father, I will burn the Drake mafia to ashes so small that the creator himself could not bring it to life. I will avenge what you have lost and what I have lost. I am not the lost cause in this family, I am the one who will bring this cause to effect.”
Arman raised a hand and placed it on his son’s cheek, the same one he had brutally slapped just moments ago.
“Father the way our family is going, we are lacking purpose, we are lacking direction, I am here to show you that direction, I just need your help, your support,” he took his father’s hand and held it in both of his, “Please father, this life isn’t worth living the way we live, we no longer care for the money or the house, we just live life like insects just doing what we’ve always done, never looking ahead to see the reality. I can’t live like that, father.”
Arman hesitated for a bit, “The Drake’s cannot be trusted though, especially with the young Drake’s reputation.”
“You don’t know what I know father, you need to trust me.” He got up from the floor and took another puff out of the cigar.
“Plus father, I am the wayward son, if somehow this all goes wrong, I am no loss to you, and things will remain as they are.”
Arman sat there, there was truth to everything Jensen said, even that. He did love his elder son more, Anton, who always did everything according to his bidding, always stayed by his side. His younger son honestly meant nothing to him till moments ago.
“I’m going to kill Lucifer. Not for you or for Anton, for mother I suppose, but mostly for myself,” Jensen finally stated, he took another puff and exhaled the smoke, now standing above his father, “I need you to follow what I say, I have this all planned out, do as I say and we will accomplish this.”