THE GATEKEEPER

Eventually, though, I stop and turn around. I've come a couple of miles, at least.

I don't know where to go. What to do.

I turn out to face the lake, drawn to it. I walk down the sand beach to the shore. My tears are frozen to my cheeks. My fingers numb icicles.

I realize why I'm standing here. Because Anya's out there. Her essence is cradled in that water.

"What would you do?" I whisper then instantly regret it. I know what Anya would do. Find a hit to numb her pain.

That's when I remember Mika.

That he's here to see me. In a hotel somewhere.

Blyad', I have no money or phone to even take a bus anywhere. I walk back to the sidewalk.

"Excuse me?" I stop a couple on the street.

The woman gives me a frightened look. I'm sure I look strange in this Kevlar vest, with no jacket. My cheeks are probably bright pink, chapped from the wind. "Do you have any idea where the Waldorf Astoria hotel is?"

The woman's face clears. She points behind her. "It's on the corner right there. At the end of this block, see the sign?"

It's the first time anything has gone right for me on this trip.

"Yes, thank you."

I shove the pain spearing my heart out of my awareness and just focus on Mika. I saw his photo. I know he's alive. Hopefully the fact that he's here wasn't a lie.

The doorman holds the door open for me, and the warm air shocks my frozen skin. The lights are a glare to my eyes.

It's late, so hardly anyone is around. I don't even know who to ask for at the front desk. I could try Mika's name, but I doubt it will work.

But then a man gets up from the bar and comes toward me. I don't know him, but he must be bratva-I see the tattoos that creep above the collar of his expensive shirt. Plus, he's carrying my purse and suitcase.

I stand in the middle of the beautiful lobby, trembling. Waiting for him to come to me.

"Kira?"

I nod.

"You look like him." He tips his head. "And her."

So he knew Anya.

Tears fill my eyes. "Are you-?

The man holds out a hand. "My name is Vlad. I'm Mika's adopted father."

"Oh." Tears spill down my cheeks.

He holds out the suitcase and my purse. "Maykl brought your things by for you. And he wanted me to give you this." He takes a thick envelope from inside his jacket pocket and hands it to me. The flap is open, and inside I see a stack of one hundred dollar bills. "For your hotel expenses."

"Where's-"

"You can see Mika in the morning. Let's get you checked in." He picks up my suitcase again.

The man is unbelievably kind. Another bratva man who doesn't fit the image in my mind. And Maykl brought my things...

I barely keep from dropping to my knees and crying like a baby.

Somehow, I follow Vlad to the reception desk and provide my passport and a credit card to get checked in.

Vlad carries my suitcase to the elevator and gets in it with me.

I marshal my thoughts. "What happened to Anya here? Why is Mika with you?"

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.org is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! Vlad's lips thin into a line. "Anya abandoned Mika with us not long after she moved here." He tips his head. "She had a nasty drug habit."

The old me would've lashed back that it was the bratva's fault, but I don't have any fight left in me. Nothing is black or white anymore. Good or bad.

The elevator stops on my floor, and we get out. Vlad goes on. "Honestly, I considered Mika to be Aleksi's problem since he's the one who brought them out with us. But..." He draws a breath. "I was called back to Russia for personal matters, and while I was away, the men in my cell-including Aleksi-were massacred by the Italian mafia. When I returned, I found Mika had been living on his own in our house for weeks. He'd been stealing food and wallets from the streets to get by. I took him back to Russia, but he did not wish to contact his family. He did go and look in the window at his grandmother once but decided against making contact."

Tears spill from my eyes. "Yes...my mother wasn't much to him. She wasn't much to anybody. I can see that."

"He stayed with me in Volgograd, and after I moved to Las Vegas to marry, my wife and I legally adopted him. My wife is a teacher. She tutored him up, and now he's in high school. Straight A's. He's a very smart kid." Vlad says it proudly and fresh tears streak my cheeks. "He's not interested in sports, but he's strong. He boxes at a gym." Vlad shrugs. "Grew up with violence." He says it matter-of-factly.

Once more, I can't find it in me to rail against that violence. Not when it seems Mika found people who love and care for him.

We stop in front of my door.

"Thank you," I say. "I...look forward to seeing him in the morning."

"We're in suite 399. Come at ten."

I still, suddenly wondering if it's safe for me. But of course, if Maykl's cell wanted me back, they would have grabbed me downstairs.

"It's not a trap," Vlad says as if reading my mind. "Although if you know where to find your boss, there are some people who want him dead." He doesn't wait for my reply, he just strides off in his tailored slacks and shined shoes, his gait both graceful and lethal-like a lion in his jungle.

I open the hotel door and go inside. My skin burns from the cold. My head aches. I'm parched from so much crying. I should take a shower, but I can't put the effort in. Instead, I fall face down on the bed and don't move until morning.