Fanfic - The Irish

[Volkster]

Things are never simple are they?
Viktor is the Irish's father and I'm guessing that Lena knows nothing of it right?
Volkov seems to want to hand the Irish to the police and Lena and Yulia are simply civil with each other even now when everything is a mess.

Thankd for the update!!!!

[warx]

bugger


tnx for the update uhak's...jejeje
hus hugs hugs

[Uhaku]

Mel, oh, please do tell! I'm eagAr to hear! I know u're always so detailed!
ShowmeLove I love all those Cadillac and motorbike/sidecar too. It's so WWII era! Lol.
volkster I hope things are never simple in my life. I'm easily bored. Yaaaay.
Warx aaawww, huggles u back!
Yooyeeyoh anything for ya. WILL get back to gingerbread asap! Promised!



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >



CHAPTER 18


In the white robe presumably left behind by Volkova, Lena was sat along the edge of the
bathtub and slowly dried her hair with a towel, careful not to rush any movement. Lightly
pressing the wound, she moved out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed. She looked
out to the snow-paved streets a few story below.

White Christmas had gone, and this was the loneliest New Year’s Eve she ever had. When
she was still in the orphanage, Celia Cohen would always bring the kids out on the occasion.
When she was out on her own, Roland had always been there to celebrate with her. Roland
must have been busy, trying to find her, and she pondered when would be the best time to
ring him.

Lena stopped breathing for a moment as she slowly took the robe off. How thoughtful Yulia
was to leave the clothes for her. She pulled the stockings up and zipped up the skirt. Leaving
the hem of the shirt out, she put the coat on, but lightly groaned when the pain stung
again.

She planned to go see the landlord. He might be able to tell her what was going on, or he
could simply tell her that she was no longer welcomed here. Although she still felt weak, she
was more than ready to leave if needed.

Lena fumbled for the key on the table but stopped when she saw a roll of dollar notes beside
the key. Yulia had also left some money for her. She stuffed it into her pocket. There would
be a time she’d return Yulia’s favor.


>>>


“Glad to see you up and walking again, Irish. You look wonderful.”

Lena just kept quiet. She knew she looked like shit. Her face was pale, her eyes were dull and
it seemed she had lost a good amount of weight since Christmas Eve.

She squint her eyes against the sunlight coming through the window behind the large man in
green sweater. She lowered her gaze down from his face to his clasped hands on the messy
desk. The landlord was expecting her. Worse than that, Holden Young must have had his
men surveying around the city for the past few days, bribing people for her whereabouts.

“You’re probably wondering why I haven’t turned you in,” the landlord said.

Lena kept both his hands in her focus, while scanning around the desk. If he were about to
demand money from her, the most he’d get was a pen in his eye.

“Holden’s men came the morning after you checked in, but the girl already tipped me
handsomely. Besides, I hate the Youngs! I hate their guts! You’ve done me a huge favor,
ridding one of them off the surface of the earth!” the landlord grunted, lighting up a
cigarette. Lena was relieved but still didn’t trust him fully. “I need a gun,” she said, coughing a little.

He briefly pointed his finger at her. “I knew it!” He then bent down to reach for the drawer.

Lena leaned forwards slightly, grabbing a pencil in one hand. She watched his reflection on
the glass door of a cabinet behind him, studying his movements.

“I’ll give you a special price. Fifty dollars.”

“Whatever,” Lena said, tossing a few notes onto the desk. She took the revolver and
checked its condition.

Grinning, the landlord put some bullets on the desk.

“My name is John Norman,” he said.

Lena was perplexed when he offered her a pen and pushed a note back to her.

“Could you write ‘To John’, and sign here, please?”


>>>


Late into the evening, Lena decided to come out of the motel. It bored her to death having
to stay in that tiny, worn down room for five days straight. Crossing the street, she glanced
around at a few passersby and the cars parked nearby. Nothing looked suspicious so far. She
didn’t think it was wise to show up in public like this, but she just didn’t care at the moment.
Life and death weren’t that far apart from one another in her opinion. She must be ready to
face it any moment. She felt ready. Almost.

Feeling sick, Lena thought some fresh air might do her good. She carefully strolled along the
lake, watching the velvet skies above. As always, her hands were kept inside the pockets,
ready to pull the gun out at any given second.

This area was still considered quite remote even though it was not far from downtown. Most
of the residents here were middle to lower class with daily, boring jobs. They had no idea
who she was, and that suited her just fine.

After a short walk, Lena bought some foods and a bottle of champagne before heading back
to the motel. Two more hours to go before midnight would come. She wanted to celebrate
a little even by herself. The stars could keep her company tonight.


>>>


Up on the motel’s sun deck, Lena found quite a number of people already occupying some
spaces in the far corners, waiting in the cold for fireworks. Although a little boy and a chubby
girl were running around while their parents were preparing a small, night picnic, it was quiet
enough for Lena. Those two children did give her a nostalgia feeling though. They reminded
her of her childhood, and she suddenly missed the good old time, her heart ached.

Moving to the east of the deck, Lena slowly dropped herself down in the lonely corner and
spread out the foods and drinks. The champagne could keep her warmer and she couldn’t
wait for midnight now to open it. Slowly chewing some chocolate cake, she turned up the
collar of her coat and looked up. Disarray trails of white spots painted the velvety skies. The
stars were so bright as though they were fireworks from the outer space.

Lena chuckled to herself. No one would have expected her to be celebrating New Year’s Eve,
not when she had just gunned down Frederick Young five days ago. But she couldn’t think of
any good reason to lock herself up in the room, waiting to live or to die. If she were to die
tonight, she might as well have some fun before it all gone.

Rubbing her hands together, Lena waited impatiently for the countdown. It could be any
moment now. She was beginning to feel a little dizzy as the pain crept in again.

“TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX!” the people on the deck shouted after the crowd down in the streets.

“FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!” everyone cheered!

As the fireworks began invading the night skies, Lena cocked the cap open and shook the bottle around.

“Good heavens!” Lena exclaimed when streams of cold water dripped down her neck, into
her shirt beneath the coat. Puzzled, she looked up. Under the flashing lights from the
fireworks, she could see the familiar pair of mischievous, blue eyes staring down at her.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Yulia shot some more champagne over Lena’s head.

Lena couldn’t believe Volkova still hadn’t gone back home, but that wasn’t her concern at the
moment. Gritting her teeth, she mustered all her strength and stood up, scooting Yulia back
with her own champagne. Soaking, they laughed at each other.

“That’s enough, or we won’t have any left to drink!” Yulia squealed, chuckling.

Shrugging, Lena took a big gulp of the alcohol.

“Pink champagne,” Yulia said, holding up her own bottle a little.

Lena squinted at the bottle in her hand. “I don’t know what color it is. It’s too dark here.”

Yulia giggled, and Lena had to look down.

“Did you make a wish?” Lena asked quietly.

“After Christmas’ wish? I think I’ll pass tonight,” Yulia said briskly.

“What was it?”

“You.”

Lena stopped, and then gulped some more champagne. “What are you doing here?”

“Next question, please. You are boring,” Yulia grunted.

Lena grabbed Yulia’s hand and pulled her closer.

“Wha—” Yulia looked up, bewildered.

But Lena immediately let go when the pain seared again. She gulped some more champagne,
hoping to get drunk and forgot the pain.

“All right. That’s good enough. Give me that,” Yulia said, taking the bottle from Lena’s hand.

Lena didn’t protest. She just carefully sat down, shivering.

“Should we go inside?” Yulia suggested.

Lena shook her head, leaning back against the concrete, low wall. Yulia sat down and put the
bottles before them.

“Wow, chocolate cake! Can I have some!?”

“I got some carrot cake, too.” Lena took another box out of the brown bag.

“You bought all these to celebrate alone?” Yulia then studied Lena’s pale face. “Are you sure
you want to stay? It’s cold up here.”

“Hot bread? Milk?” Lena was spreading all the foods around them.

“Oh, put them back! We can’t possibly finish all these tonight!”

Lena just let Yulia rearranged everything. She looked out at the two children running around
at the other side of the deck. A man in the other corner struck up a tune with his accordion,
tapping his foot. Another man joined with his flute. Everyone else started to join them.

Lena was watching them, while Yulia watched her smiled at last.

“Do you miss him?” Yulia asked.

Lena turned at the sudden question.

“You miss Mr. Myer,” Yulia answered her own question.

“I would have been dancing with him right now if I didn’t ruin Christmas Eve.”

“You wouldn’t either way because Frederick would make sure of that.”

Lena chuckled at Yulia’s firm statement. It was as though Yulia wanted it this way. “You may
be right,” she said quietly. She looked back at the dancing people, not because they had her
attention, but because Yulia’s stare effortlessly made her feel positively uncomfortable somehow.

“Celia must have sent something to me. She never forgot my gift,” Lena muttered.

“I’d have gone and get it for you, but… oh, well…” Yulia scratched her head.

Lena sat back and sighed. “I’m still the little girl she once taught how to walk and read and…
but that girl is gone…”

“Hmm, let me see. She loves chocolate cake, hot tea and board games. She celebrates New
Year’s Eve even if the world is at war and expects a gift from her godmother! That girl hasn’t
gone anywhere. She’s still here,” Yulia said, taking Lena’s hands and rubbing them warm.

Lena watched Yulia and realized that her stare could make Yulia feel equally uncomfortable.
Yulia glanced left and right until she eventually let go of Lena’s hands.

“I heard you spoke in your sleep. What is it about a feather?” Yulia asked and hugged her knees to her chest.

Lena raised her brows. She had no idea how much she had let out during the time Yulia was
taking care of her. But this question was not one too personal she could not share.

“Celia used to tell me an ancient story.”

“How ancient?”

“Ancient Egyptian.”

“That ancient?”

“Is it? I’m no history professor.”

“Go on,” Yulia said, finally smiling back.

“They believed that when Judgment day comes, everyone will be judged by the weight of
their hearts. If it were lighter than a feather, they can go to heaven.”

“Pardon? No offense, but you want to go to heaven?” Yulia almost laughed aloud.

“Celia said they got the finest cakes and the best games to entertain us for eternity, yes.”

“You don’t really believe that!” Yulia giggled, rocking back and forth, surprisingly relaxing in the cool wind.

“It turns out that bedtime story can’t keep me alive. I prefer to stay here, in this hell.”

Yulia frowned. “But the world is so beautiful.”

Lena looked away, a small smile on her face. Although she no longer saw it that way, she
would like Yulia to keep believing.

“Sometimes it could be.”

“I hate your sometimes.”

“Does it sometimes?”

Yulia laughed. “You really hate me, don’t you?”

“How? You saved my life… Thank you,” Lena said with sincerity, and she wanted Yulia to know it.

Yulia glanced down a little. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re even now.”

Lena was surprised to know that Yulia was still grateful about saving her at the lake.
“You should have gone back to your parents. It’s not safe here,” she said with all her good will.

“I was worried that—”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I was worried for myself,” Yulia said, perking her chin up.

Lena paused for a second of embarrassment. “Your father would welcome you back.”

“I was worried that I won’t be all right if I don’t see you again.”

Lena looked elsewhere, a faint, reluctant smile on her face. She pondered for a moment, and
then chose to ignore the statement. But Yulia lightly locked her fingers with Lena’s and
managed to pull her closer. Their cheeks brushed. Their lips touched. They briefly tasted
each other, but Lena suddenly pulled away. Yulia blankly stared at her.

“Would you like some more cake?” Lena asked quietly.

In an equally quiet tone, Yulia asked, “What are you talking about?”

They awkwardly sat in the cold wind, looking at each other, but not really seeing one another.

[Volkster]

Hehe! Glad to see that I was right about the feather part! I've been hearing that story for years and years!
Like I have already said (and yes I may be a biiiiiiit biased ) HOW can someone NOT like Yulia! She is sweet as hell when she wants to. And this update was one of the absolute best! I'n kinda wondering what was Lena planning on doing when she grabbed Yulia to get her closer but then the pain kicked in. Hmmmmm!

The last sentence

Originally Posted by Uhaku

... but not really seeing each other

is sad. But then again, how often can one really see someone. I hope that in the future (or in the past) they will.

Beautifully written and the dialogues always hiding something as always. I love the enigmatic side of this.

Thanks for the update!!!

[showMElove2]

I think volkster covered pretty much everything I was thinking as far as what was the purpose of Lena grabbing Yulia as well as the meaning of the feather (I had never heard that story). Also the "not really seeing each other part"..... I wonder about that But, I am sure I will get my explaination! I was happy to see an update Thanks!!

[Uhaku]

I'll leave to ur imagination what the Irish was going to do when she grabbed Yul's hand. About that story, i only heard it when i was on the trip to egypt! LOL!


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


CHAPTER 19


Alexei Volkov strode through the grand hall of the mansion. He was in his hunter suit, having
just come back from a morning hunt in the woods. Dimitri burst through the door of his study
room to stop his son in the way. The older man was in his crumpled blue shirt and gray
trousers, a cigar between his lips.

“Did you not understand that you are not allowed to go hunting by yourself!?” Dimitri looked
around, waving his large hands in the air. “Mitch! Mitch!”

“You’re overreacting, father,” Alexei said, sighing.

“Overreacting! Interesting choice of word, son! Do you know how much trouble I went
through to keep the police off this ranch!? Do you know what’s going on out there!?”

“Sir!?” Mitch ran towards his boss.

“If he ever gets out on his own again, you’re dead! Understood!?”

“Yes, sir!” Mitch looked down.

“Yulia can run around, helping the murderer, but I can’t go hunting on my own!?” Alexei
pounded his fist on the handrail. “What do you want me to do? Hiding in my room and
praying for some miracle that Holden Young will become our friend!?”

Dimitri’s eyes widened at this, and Alexei just couldn’t decide if his father was very angry or shocked.

“Hello, Alexei,” a voice interrupted.

Alexei looked past his father’s shoulder to see a bulky man with dark brown hair and hazel
eyes. In a white shirt and khaki trousers, Holden Young looked surprisingly relaxed and casual.
He approached and offered a handshake.

“H—hello, Mr. Young,” Alexei stammered. He couldn’t believe what he had just let out.

Holden smiled and then walked back into Dimitri’s study room.

“Father…” Alexei muttered.

Dimitri pointed his finger at Alexei’s face and ordered, “Go to your room!”

Alexei watched his father crossly turned and disappeared into the study room.


>>>


Holden Young sat on the couch. It was the first time he entered this mansion since his
father’s murder. He knew very well of his father’s plan to get rid of Senator Iver, and the Irish
was undoubtedly the main suspect. He also questioned Dimitri’s side on this war. Had Dimitri’s
daughter helped the Irish as the rumors had it?

Holden lighted up a cigarette and looked up at Dimitri. “Alexei is a stupid boy, but I hope your
daughter is different,” he commented calmly.

Dimitri paused at the words, his fists clenched. But he made no move.

“Your father was my distant relative, and I respected him as much. He helped me in the old
days in many things, and I am forever grateful. Forever. What happened here, I guarantee
that we had no knowledge of it. I do not wish to fight against my own flesh and blood.”

Holden tensely stared out the window, jaws tightened. “What do you propose?”

“I will prove my innocence by helping you find the murderer.”

“I want you to kill her.”

Dimitri stopped. “Are we sure it was her?”

“It doesn’t matter. She should die a thousand times over anyway,” Holden said, exhaling the
smoke as he bit his lips hard. He had always loathed the Irish ever since Mason’s murder. The
old man was like an uncle to him, and seeing the Irish walk away freely after killing him was
more than he could take.

“Are we prepared to take out her gang? They’re growing in numbers as we speak.”

“People love to worship ghosts, and I will make sure that they do!”

Holden realized how strong Roland Myer and Lena Cohen had become. The duo was the new
blood that had opened more ways for underground trades and successfully defied the
authority. To fight the Irish was a challenge for Holden. Certainly, his gang crumbled after his
father’s sudden death. The Irish had struck again, they said. The Irish had walked away with
the prize again, they said. And everyone was in awe of the murderous miracles.

Holden just wanted to scream at the thoughts pounding in his head. He took in a few long
breaths to calm himself down.

“I believe she’s still in Chicago. I have sent my men around the city.”

“If it were really the Irish, I don’t think she’s stupid enough to stay. As far as I know, no one
is backing her up anymore.”

“She should still be around. From the blood you found in Yulia’s bedroom, she must be badly
injured that night.” Holden then turned to Dimitri. “I believed that your men did not
intentionally allow this to happen and tried their best to capture her.”

Dimitri nodded slightly.

“And since she is still in Chicago, I want to see her dead in a week, or you know the
consequences,” Holden said, stabbing the cigarette into the ashtray. He grabbed his jacket
and left.


>>>


Holden was coming out of Dimitri’s mansion to wait for his car at the front door.
Unexpectedly, another car zoomed in and parked right in front of him. Roland Myer climbed
out, but stopped when their gazes met. Holden didn’t want to think what business Roland
had with Dimitri, or else his brain would burst right now. Redness shaded his face as he turned
sideway, disgusted at the sight of Roland.


>>>


Dimitri looked utterly baffled at Roland’s sudden visit. He rose from his desk and peeked
through the blinds, seeing Holden’s car exiting the main gates.

“You just have to walk in right now!” Dimitri spat at the young man.

Roland stood, his gaze reluctantly stopping at the door as Alexei walked through.

“Father…! Oh, Mr. Myer…” Alexei nodded a little at the guest.

Mrs. Volkova followed her son in. “Darling! What did Holden say!?”

“Go back to your room! Go shopping or hunting or whatever you care to do!” Dimitri scolded
at his wife and son, sinking down in the leather chair. He turned at Roland, glaring. “Don’t tell
me that you have found the Irish now!”

Alexei and Mrs. Volkova didn’t retreat but looked at Roland for the answer.

Roland shook his head and said, “Not yet, sir.”

“Do you think she’s dead?” Alexei asked, eyes widening in relief.

Roland frowned at that. He stopped himself from lunging at Yulia’s brother before things got
any worse than this. He reminded himself that he came to pledge alliance with Dimitri.

“She can’t be dead, or we would have found her body already. Where did she take my Yuli!?”
Dimitri said, angrily rubbing his face.

“Your friend brainwashed my sister! Don’t tell us you don’t know a thing about this! I don’t
believe you!” Alexei growled at Roland.

“Lena did so much as ignoring your daughter, sir. I do not see what reason she would want
to kidnap Yulia,” Roland said to Dimitri, while glaring back at Alexei.

“Maybe Yuli was helping the Irish!” Mrs. Volkova gasped.

Dimitri let out a heavy sigh. “Be quiet,” he grunted.

Roland knew that the older man silently agreed with his wife. Yulia seemed to be interested
too much in Lena’s business Roland had never suspected anything until Lena struck down
Frederick Young. Lena couldn’t have got away with it without any help, could she? Yulia
risked too much to help Lena. She was putting her father in a very difficult position just
because of her innocent and blatant admiration for the Irish.

“If it means war, I am with you, sir,” Roland stated firmly.

“Even if I were to kill your friend?” Dimitri scoffed.

“I will have to convince you not to. You’re our only ally.”

Dimitri stared at the young visitor. “We had one good business deal together, and I liked her a
lot. But that was yesterday, kid.”

Roland briefly looked down. In this underground world, there was no such thing as true
friends. One switched side in a matter of seconds. Lena and he were the only exception.

“Lena did it because she had no choice, but that could favor you, Mr. Volkov. Frederick never
meant well for you. He suggested us to work with him instead of you. He would have given
you a hard time if he were still alive. His son is not your friend.”

Dimitri leaned back in his chair, a deep frown across his face. He lighted up a cigar and exhaled
one long smoky breath.

“Irish… Irish… She has raised hell…” Dimitri muttered, and licked his dry lips. He closed his eyes
for a moment, allowing silence to suffocate all of them.

“What should we do, darling?” Mrs. Volkova put her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

Dimitri opened his eyes and sharply turned to stare at Roland. “I will not risk to protect her,
but I won’t try to find her either. Leave her to fate, and you have my friendship.” He then
turned to his wife and son. “Both of you go pack your belongings. Everything. You will leave
for New York tomorrow, and catch a ship to Europe as soon as possible.”

“Why—what about you!?” Alexei asked, bewildered.

“Take good care of your mother, or I will strike you down, son. Now, go.”

[Volkster]

Thank god Roland came along cause I was getting kinda scared with Young and Volkov's plans for the Irish!!!

Someone kill this guy (Young) before things get out of hand - which they already kinda are but anyway!!!

I'm really sitting at the edge of my seat with everything happening!!!!! Thanks for the update!!!

[showMElove2]

Yeah, but I am wondering if eventually Roland will turn his back on the "Irish", just a feeling....Yulia helping her sure does complicate things for everyone. Thanks for the update!!

[dare2dream28]

“Would you like some more cake?” Lena asked quietly

I laughed out loud when I read that! Then I laughed again because I had the same reaction Yulia did.

uhaku, this is an *amazing* story! I can't get enough of it! I couldn't believe Alexi when he blurted out that info though! That definitely put his father in a more difficult position. I hope Yulia knows what she's doing with helping 'The Irish.' Let me rephrase that...I hope 'The Irish' knows what to do with the help she is recieving! I can't wait for the next update!!

[Uhaku]

Volkster - LOL @ u wanting to kill Young! So he's the established bad guy of the story, eh. I'll look into that, see if I could do something more with this character.

Showmelove - I hope Roland isn't that evil, but u know i'm evilleeeeee!

Dare - Looool. I liked that part, too. I'm just hoping u won't hate me by the time i make Lena knows what she was doing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>

CHAPTER 20


In the tiny motel room Lena had made home for the past three weeks, Lena folded her fresh,
new clothes and put them at the end of the bed. She had been clearing up the room and
prepared for leaving tomorrow morning. She had regained enough strength and didn’t wish to
stay longer for Holden to catch her. Her wound began to heal, but she still took anesthetic almost daily.

She poured herself a glass of warm water and sat down at the desk. Grabbing a pen and a
crumpled piece of paper from the drawer, she started to write something. There were
already four previous entries on the paper. Drawn by the calmness of the night, she wrote
down whatever that came to her mind, smiling in amazement as she remembered bits and
pieces of details that meant nothing in her daily lives; the creamy stain left at the bottom of
the milk bottles she left in front of her room yesterday morning. The little, blonde girl in a
white coat wished on a dandelion in the street. The homeless man sat along the railway,
praying aloud to the skies for more snow and hotdogs. Yulia’s small, bare feet rested on her laps.

Resting her chin on her palm, Lena ticked the tip of the pen against the desk, staring out at
nothing in particular. A knock came upon the door, and she slowly turned. She opened the
door without grabbing the gun, knowing who it was.

In a creamy nightgown, Yulia quietly entered. She brought her own belongings with her
because they would be leaving early tomorrow morning. She put her stuff at the end of the
bed next to Lena’s, and climbed onto the bed.

Lena returned to the desk and jotted down one last thought that came to her mind. The
sweetest smile she had ever seen unexpectedly happened to be Yulia’s.

After Lena turned the light off, she followed Yulia into the warmth of the soft blanket. She
carefully lied down and rested her head on Yulia’s shoulder. Yulia gently put her free hand
over Lena’s slightly heaving chest. Lying still, Lena could feel the stare from the blue eyes in
the darkness at the corner of her eyes. The stare was getting closer as the air lighter and
lighter, and Lena finally fell into a peaceful slumber.


>>>


The skies were dark gray at six o’clock in the morning. Lena was already standing at the
platform, waiting to catch the train to New York City. She needed to stay out of Chicago
scene for a while. She planned to ring Roland afterwards. Knowing that Holden Young was
acquainted with a few high rank cops, he might try to press murder charge against her. Until
then, she could always catch an ocean liner and fled to Europe. With all the money she had
made the past three years, she could easily settle down somewhere in London and started a
new life. Berlin also sounded enticing with its notorious reputation of social openness.

Lena stuffed her several fake passports and I.D. the landlord got for her into the pocket inside
her new coat. The landlord made sure that nobody suspected him and came near their hiding
place. Holden must have his men watching at this very train station, but Lena was careful
enough to wear a hat and a wool scarf, concealing her trademark auburn hair. In black
clothes, she blended in with the crowd just fine.

Volkova was in a gray hat, a thick gray coat and black stockings. She was here to send Lena
off, before heading back home, as Lena demanded.

“Have a safe trip,” Yulia said, looking away.

Lena studied Yulia a bit. Those blue eyes so cold she thought she heard Yulia wishing the
train would derail. For the past three weeks, the blonde stayed in the room opposite to hers.
But when the night fell, Yulia would come and snug in with her. Lena never chased her away,
nor openly welcomed her. Surprisingly, the persistent stare from the blue eyes became
addictive somehow. She was getting used to the uncomfortable silence before falling asleep.
Without a word, they would just lay asleep in each other’s arms. Lena now started to think of
things to do to make her fall asleep as she was already missing Volkova’s warm breaths on her
neck when the nights got colder.

After New Year’s Eve, Lena did nothing to continue the kiss that started their year. She had
more important and urgent things to do to have Yulia in her mind. She was on the run and
didn’t know how long it would take for this case to quiet down. Her father had sworn after
Mason that he would take no part in her life again, and she would not blame him if he kept his
words. He helped her once, and it was over between them.

“I believe you’ve forgotten something,” Yulia said, taking a folded paper out of her pocket.

Lena froze; what in Yulia’s hand was the page of temporary journal she wrote before going to bed.

“Your handwriting is pretty bad. I’m surprised you know how to write.”

Lena snatched the paper from Yulia and balled it in her gloved fist.

“Oh, I didn’t read it, sweetheart.” Yulia rolled her eyes.

“I know. I won a handwriting contest. First prize.”

Yulia giggled, and Lena rudely drew the scarf off her face, wanting to catch the last smile.
Locked in Lena’s intent gaze, Yulia stood still, glancing down at her feet.

“Umm—err—you write everywhere you go?”

“Sometimes,” Lena replied sternly.

“Sometimes,” Yulia said, nodding lightly, “You must have a huge stack of papers crammed together.”

Lena took one look at the blonde and then put the crumpled paper back into Yulia’s
hand. “Thank you.” She turned around and boarded the train.

Keeping her gaze down, Yulia just nodded. She stared at the paper and then carefully flattened it out.

January 1st 1936:

A beautiful night to start a new year. I hope it stays this way… She surprised me by showing
up tonight. Thanked God she was on my side, or I’d be dead by now. How short life could
be… A strange thing happened. We kissed. Briefly. The more I think about it, the more I
agree that she tasted sweeter than the pink champagne. I just wished it’d lasted longer in my mouth…

Someone is knocking on my door. I hope it is Holden, so we could have a quick talk once and
for all. On the other thought, he wouldn’t be so polite knocking on my door, would he?

“Pink champagne—pink… Oh, no…!”

Yulia’s head shot up. She rushed towards the train that was leaving the platform. If she were
not wearing a skirt, she could have jumped on board in time. People turned and stared at
her. Some were yelling for her not to get too close to the train.

Panting, she watched the train slowly disappear from her sight. It was too late now, and she
didn’t even say goodbye. In the watchful eye of the passersby, she walked away from the
platform in defeat.

When Yulia exited the revolving door to the curbside, she paused at a newsstand. The
headline caught her eyes. VOLKOV ARRESTED. She stopped dead when she saw her father’s
picture just below the headline.

“Taxi!” She instantly sped to cut the line to catch a cab home.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>


CHAPTER 21


“Mother…!” Yulia burst through the front door to find the mansion dead quiet. There were
no guards at the main gates. The front door was left open, letting the cold wind in and
cooling the whole hall. The maids had all disappeared and the place seemed to be left in a
hurry. In the middle of the main hall, a Hellenistic-style figure her father collected was thrust
to the floor, breaking its head. Pieces of broken glasses were scattered by the kitchen
entrance. Some of the curtains were half hanging down.

“Alex! Is anyone here!?” Yulia called out, tears in her eyes. She stumbled to the bottom of
the spiral stairs, but her leg froze, not daring to move up. She felt as though she was in a
nightmare. Her world had turned upside down in just three weeks.

“They’re all gone, madam.”

Yulia spun around.


>>>


“She must have been so shocked to see her home like that. I did feel bad for her. A little.
Holden played it rather harsh.”

Inside a room on the train, Lena sat absolutely still in her seat, lightly pressing her hand against
the wound. The tremor from the train was more than she expected.

“Are you all right?”

Lena didn’t answer right away. She looked out at the darkness outside through the window,
and then returned her attention to the dark-haired woman opposite to her. Angela left the
ranch and joined Lena at the fifth stop. Angela proved to be a fast driver, and a cunning spy
sent to infiltrate the Volkov by a Chicago-base detective.

Lena had been in contact with Angela ever since they met at the dinner party at the ranch.
Angela never came back from the store after Mrs. Volkova sent her to get some beer. Lena
knew just the reason of it. She remembered Angela from one of the police files, and with just
one look at each other, Angela knew she had been caught.

After Lena and Roland left the ranch, they stopped by the store, and Lena let Roland go
home first. She found Angela there, catching the spy by surprise. Lena knew just how to
convince her to remain with the Volkov for any possible use in the future.

“I’m fine,” Lena replied, taking a gulp of water. She had learned of Dimitri’s arrest from the
newspaper she read on the train this morning. She wondered if she would get on the train if
she knew it beforehand. But she wasn’t much of any help at the moment. She needed to
take care of Holden Young before jumping in to give young Volkova a hand.

“You look pale and tired. You should have waited a little longer. I could have kept Holden’s
men away for another week or so.”

Angela moved to sit beside Lena and wiped the sweat beads from her face.

“I couldn’t wait to get out of that motel. It made me sick.” Lena sipped some more water.
She couldn’t afford to have Volkova staying with her any longer. It was too dangerous.

Smiling, Angela leaned back and watched Lena for a while. “I still can’t believe you did it. You
put him down, and here you are…”

“I made it only because you helped me.”

Angela laughed throatily, her charming voice a tune lower than Lena’s. “Will the Irish take up
another partner now?” she asked, reaching for Lena’s hand.

“You already are. Mine.” The Irish leaned in and kissed Angela.

Angela swung her arms around Lena’s neck, holding onto her and gripping her collar. “You
have no idea how worried I was to see you coming into Volkova’s room, injured like that. You
could have died right then.”

“I could have died many times. But it didn’t happen, so there’s no reason to worry now,”
Lena stated as a matter of fact. As much as it hurt, she pulled Angela close, holding her in her arms.

“But—Hmm, I’m rather glad that you decided to leave sooner. I couldn’t stand another day of
you spending with that vamp. I know just how she is,” Angela said, smirking.

“How?” Lena muttered, kissing the base of Angela’s smooth, beautiful neck.

“She’s a player. She’s manipulative. She’s stunning. I hate her.”

Lena just chortled, gazing at Angela’s full lips. She realized how her stare affect the people
around her. Although she disagreed with what Angela had said, she didn’t care to object
aloud. Volkova couldn’t play her. She couldn’t manipulate her, and she hadn’t charmed her.
No? No. No?

“Why are you shaking your head?” Angela asked.

“I can’t see you hate someone. You don’t have it in you,” Lena recovered with ease, smiling lightly.

“I assume that you do? Why did you kill Mason? It couldn’t have been for money.” Angela
playfully curled Lena’s hair around her fingers.

Lena drew along the midsection of Angela’s chest, unbuttoning the first button with a flick of
her finger. She gradually took Angela’s nipple in her mouth, causing Angela to gasp. She
stopped and looked up at the dark-haired one.

“Hate. It brings out the worst in you.”

Head heavy with desire, Angela raised her hands up, cupping Lena’s face. “It brought you to
me,” she whispered.


>>>


Yulia had withdrawn the remaining two thousands dollars out of the only bank account she
had available at the moment. The police were investigating all of the accounts under her
father’s name. She wondered how long she could go on with this amount of money.

In Tonya’s bedroom, she paced around, frowning and cursing. Ever since her father was
arrested, everyone panicked and left to find another job. Angela was the last to leave. The
maid told her that the mansion was left without master since Mrs. Volkova and her son had
fled almost two weeks prior to this. No one knew of their whereabouts.

“Oh, Yulia, you needn’t worry because you can stay with me for as long as you like!” Tonya
put up a smile for her friend.

Yulia sighed, sinking down on the bed. Tonya knelt down before her.

“They left without me.” Yulia swallowed her tears. She never would have expected this to
happen. Holden Young was certainly behind this arrest of her father. She buried her face in
her palms. “It’s my fault. They thought my father helped Lena because of me…”

“Oh, please don’t break down now! My father’s friend works at the immigration office. I’ll ask
them to see if they had any idea where your mother and Alex were heading!” Tonya tightly
held her friend’s hands. “Your father will be so happy just to see you back safely!”

“What’s the point? I’m back to see him behind the bars!”

Frowning, Tonya became reluctant. “What happened that night, Yulia? Why did you just
disappear?”

“I… If I didn’t help her, she’d die.”

“For the love of God, let her! Why did you risk your life, your family, for some girl you have
just got to know!?”

Yulia looked down instantly. “I didn’t think it’d come to this… I didn’t know…” She had always
thought that her father was untouchable. Nothing could bring him down or hurt him. But
even at this moment, she wasn’t sure if she would ever leave Lena to die up in her bedroom.
Lena didn’t seem like a bad person after all. What was done was done. And, for some reason,
she still believed that there would be a way to help her father out of this.

“I will speak to Holden.”

Tonya’s eyes widened as if she was having a panic attack. “NO! That’s not going to happen!
He has just put your father in jail, and if you bother him, he will kill you for sure! You will not
do it! You will not do anything for a while, and that’s final!”

Yulia’s head shot up. “I know! Let’s go to Mr. Myer! He might be able to help!”

“All right. That sounds a little better.” Tonya stared at her friend for a second. “He came to
visit me so often, asking me if I had any lead of you. He was really worried.”

“Poor, Mr. Myer. He should be since his friend is still missing.”

Shaking her head, Tonya sighed in disbelief. “What is that? You seem to want to shove Mr.
Myer right back into the Irish’s arms! What is going on here? I thought you wanted him for yourself!”

“Of course, I do!” Yulia looked bewildered as she said it.

“But?”

“But…” Yulia shook her head, looking away again. “But Lena is still weak. She might be in
trouble now for all I know—”

“She could be in trouble for all I care. For heaven’s sake, Yulia, dear, please do not— I repeat,
do not fall in love with her. She’s just so—so wrong for you!” Tonya detected the grim
look in Yulia’s eyes. She sat down and took Yulia’s hand.

“How do you know she’s wrong for me?” Yulia grumbled like a child.

“I just sense it, and I was never wrong.”

“But she kissed me back.”

Tonya’s jaws dropped before she spoke again. “She kissed you back! She kissed you back
because you kissed her first—because you were so easy to read! She doesn’t like you, Yulia!”

Yulia shot up from the bed and paced around. She regretted having let it out to Tonya. “You
wouldn’t understand. She… You wouldn’t understand—”

“What happened? Please tell me what happened.” Tonya looked horrified.

“Nothing happened. We just had one kiss. That was all.”

“Was not! One kiss in three weeks? One kiss when you two were all alone, having only
each other in sight?”

“She was sick, all right? Why should I lie to you? You even said it yourself that she wasn’t into
humans.” Yulia grunted as if it were such a failure not having scored the Irish.

“I have never seen you like this with someone who had just one kiss with you. Oh, Yulia,
please, you should know that she’s wrong for you now that your father is in jail because of
her. Am I right?”

“But it’s not her fault. She had no choice.”

“Right, that’s enough! You’re protecting her because of just one kiss! I can’t imagine what
you’d do if—if—never mind me, please!” Tonya barked, veins visibly popping up along her neck.

Sighing, Yulia retreated to the French doors to the balcony. “I would have said the same
thing even if we didn’t kiss. She had to do what she needed to.”

“And you had to do what you had to,” Tonya said, watching her friend in defeat.

[showMElove2]

Things just got a little more complicated....but thats good! The Irish and Angela...would have never known, I am like Yulia and didn't think she was into humans..boy was I wrong
Thanks for the updates!!

[Crampaholic]

[Volkster]

Well, I was sure The Irish was into humans and more particularly Yulia! Boy was I wrong!!!! Actually I'm sure I'm not but things are the way they are right now. That was a VERY VERY surprising turn of events! I didn't think things would turn out like this! Very interesting!!!

Thanks for the update!!!

[Uhaku]

I actually had a thought of making the Irish rather innocent and all,
but me being evilleee as usual, I decided she should be something else entirely.
Didn't I mention I luf complicating things? Oh, and u guys should love me much
cus I made my g/f wait for the updates like everyone else. Looooooooooooool.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 22


Roland Myer could not believe what he was seeing. Yulia Volkova was standing right in front
of him in his living room. She must have lost quite a few pounds since he last saw her. She
was wearing a blue, knee-length, fluffy coat, its brightness accentuating the color of her
eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled straight back, exposing her handsomely structured face.
Roland felt underdressed at once in his dull shirt and crumpled trousers. Besides, he hadn’t
shaved in three days, since Dimitri was arrested.

“Please have a seat,” Roland finally said.

Yulia smiled a little and sat down.

“Where have you been?” he asked absentmindedly. During the hectic weeks with ups and
downs, he even thought that maybe Lena and Yulia were really dead. He just couldn’t
express how he felt right now.

“Lena…” Yulia stopped, glancing around and noting that the door was locked.

“It’s safe. You can tell me everything. So it was true that Lena took you with her? Where is
she now? Why hasn’t she come back with you?” he asked urgently.

“She didn’t take me. I, umm, I sort of followed her.”

Roland was taken aback. He had thought that Lena took Yulia hostage for some future use.
Although Lena didn’t kill as often as the legend had it, he knew that his friend was capable of
doing the most heartless things, including killing Mason’s three-year-old son. Risking Yulia’s life
thus sounded very possible.

“I was just going to take her to somewhere safe, but her condition was rather bad. I decided
to stay with her until she got better—”

“Is she all right now? Is she safe?” Roland couldn’t help but interrupted.

“I sent her off at Central Station three days ago. She seemed fine. She was heading to New York City.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier!?” Roland became exasperated.

“She asked me not to…” Yulia replied, looking down.

Roland shook his head, upset at himself. “I’m sorry.”

“I understand how you feel, Mr. Myer. And I thank you for paying visits to Tonya, asking
about me. I would have contacted you, but Lena wouldn’t want it. She didn’t want to get
you involved.”

“How can I not be involved? I’m her partner—her friend!”

“Mr. Myer, please understand that she only meant well for you. You could be in trouble like
my father if she…”

Roland instantly knelt down before Yulia, putting his hands on each side of her against the couch.

“They’re charging him with the murder of Frederick Young, while they know full well that he
didn’t do it! It was Holden. He must be with the police!”

Roland pulled Yulia into his embrace. “He’ll be all right. He will be. They have nothing on him
I’ll make sure of that.”

Eventually, Yulia sighed. She reluctantly pulled away from him.

“I don’t know how to thank enough.”

“Thank me when I actually get your father out,” Roland said, smiling. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“Yes, I’m staying with Tonya right now.”

Roland paused, deep in his thoughts. “I know it’s not very appropriate to suggest this, but I
think it’s too dangerous for you to stay with Tonya. She doesn’t have bodyguards to protect
both of you. Why don’t you take one of the guestrooms here? I swear I’m not saying this
just because—”

“I know you mean well for me.” Yulia smiled.

“Do you say yes?” Roland looked hopeful.

Yulia thought for a moment and then nodded.


>>>


It was already dark outside. In the basement, Yulia began to put her clothes into the small
closet, humming. Roland would bring her to see her father tomorrow. Not surprising, Tonya
was more than eager to let her stay with Roland and promised to come visit her often. Her
friend even bought her clothes and everything that she needed, knowing she had limited
budget for the time being.


>>>


Unbeknownst to Yulia, Roland was standing by the door, looking in through the narrow gap.
He wondered why she chose this rather small and unfurnished room in the basement. It was
always colder down here. But since his guest insisted, he had no point to object. Yulia
perhaps thought of safety more than anything else. She had every reason to fear right now.
Smiling, he stood with both hands inside his pockets, watching her folding her clothes. Maybe
Lena was wrong this time; Maybe Yulia was more down-to-earth than they had thought.


>>>


Sitting on the bed, Yulia took the creamy nightgown she wore on the last night at the motel
out of the leather luggage. The redhead withdrew some money from her account and gave it
to Yulia to buy some new clothes while they were still together. Yulia then bought mostly
clothes rather dull for her style, but comfy, which had Tonya shocked upon seeing them. She
brought them all with her.

Yulia lightly sniffed the nightgown, which she hadn’t have it washed since that night. A smile
came across her face when she could still smell Lena.


>>>


In a dark room, plain with not much furniture, Lena was lying on the bed, still in her coat. She
had just come back from a short, night walk. She looked up at the window, staring out
through the gap between the curtains, which she kept closed at all times. She glanced at the
watch hanging on the wall, noting it was already midnight and wondering if Yulia had already
fallen asleep. She wasn’t sure why the thought even came across her mind.

Slowly getting up, Lena sat still for a second and then reached for the phone.

“Hello,” she whispered into the phone.


>>>



“Oh, my God… It is you…” Sitting at his desk, Roland froze, with absolute delight.

Lena chuckled.

“Where are you!?”

“I hope you’re doing fine, Roland.”

“Yes, I am fine! When can I see you!? Where!?” Roland’s hands were trembling. He could
barely keep his joy, but kept his voice low. Some of the guards were playing pokers upstairs.

“Soon. I call just to tell you that I’m all right, and don’t try to find me.”

Roland smiled, nodding to himself. “Have you heard about Dimitri?”

“Yes.”

“Yulia was devastated by the news.”


>>>


The receiver pressing against her ear, Lena looked down and suppressed her sigh. She closed
her eyes and felt a pang of guilt she didn’t welcome.

“Don’t call me sly. I offered her to stay with me, and she agreed… Lena?”

“You did the right thing,” Lena said quietly.

Roland’s chuckle came through the line. “Did she take good care of you? Oh, wait now. She’s here…”

Roland must have put his palm against the receiver because Lena could hear nothing on the
other end. She was getting fidgety each second of silence past, and became restless. She
hated being restless at night, knowing she would have an even harder time falling asleep.

“Hello—”

“I must go,” Lena said, sighing in annoyance.

“Is that so?” It was Yulia’s usual, sarcastic tone.

Lena frowned. “Where’s Roland?”

“Outside. Mr. Myer gave me some privacy. Would you like me to call him in?”

A pause.

“How are you?” They both asked in unison.

A longer pause.

“Is it still hurt?”

Lena grunted inwardly at the stinging pain she still felt from time to time.

“There’s noting to worry about.”

“Haven’t I told you that you’re a terrible liar?”

“Only when I speak.”

“Hmmm. What else you have not let out, Ms. Cohen?”

There was a tint of curiosity in Yulia’s mischievous tone. Lena thought she rather change the
subject. “I heard about your father. I’m sorry I can’t be there right now.”

“Please don’t go after Holden and hunt him down. I don’t want you to trip and kill yourself
over that scum.”

“Even if you ask me to, I’m afraid I can’t even run at the moment.”

Lena smiled when she heard Yulia chortled.

“I really must go,” Lena said, suppressing her yawn. She couldn’t believe that hearing Yulia’s
voice could easily put her at ease now.

“It’s about your bedtime. Good night.”


>>>


Roland knocked a few times on the door before he walked in. A smile threatened to appear
on Yulia’s lips as she hung up.

“Thank you for letting me speak to her.”

“No problem. I’m surprised you’re still up this late.”

“I’m used to it. I survived while I didn’t get any sleep the first few nights after Christmas.”
Yulia chuckled, but then yawned. She promptly covered her mouth with both hands.

“Thank you so much for taking care of her. I guess you could use some rest now.” Roland smiled.

Yulia warmly smiled back, and Roland walked her to the basement.

[Blue-Amy]

..hmm..my first replay on this site..finnaly m account was validated ...and since I've just finished reading this update...I thought I might post smth..I'm always reading your updates (..I know..pretty obvious ..cz otherwise I won't be able to go on with the story.. ) ..but I told u I'm lazy..and not very good with english...so ..
..now...to the story..first I would like to say that I was really taken aback by Lena's relationship with that Angela..I had imagined her a totally different person..who doesn't involve herself so quickly into a relationship... ...I must be more careful in the future...but I have the impression u really like this kind of turn of events..maybe that's your secret that gets me hooked to your stories?..hmm..
..Anyway...enough of me just bla bla...the update was cool..I really liked it, cz they're fond of each other already..even if they don't want to admit that..
..so..what can I say..go on with the good work...oh..and yeah...thx for the update

[showMElove2]

As evil as the Irish may be (did she really kill a three-year old?? ) it seems that Yulia has found a way under her skin afterall Thanks for the update!!

[Volkster]

Originally Posted by showMElove2

As evil as the Irish may be (did she really kill a three-year old?? ) it seems that Yulia has found a way under her skin afterall

Hehe! That's grand isn't it??? I do hope Yulia and the Irish get to meet up soon cause I kinda miss them two throwing insults at each other (aka hostile flirting) !!

Thanks for the update!!!

[Uhaku]

BlueAmy : I understand ur English just fine! Don't worry nothin' baby.
Uh-huh, Lena character could very well be the kind of person u thought she was,
but yes, I loved to throw some possible twists. I guess I wanna see a sexy, bitchy,
gangster this time.

ShowmeLove: Dear, the Irish is that evilleeee, but not untouchable.
Something/someone gotta break her sometimes. That's what makes them human?

Volkster: hostile flirting!!! LMAO!!! It's the old-fashion kind of courting, I presume.

And thanks for commenting!

************************************************** *******************

CHAPTER 23


Dimitri Volkov was taken into custody at a house on Washington St., with 24 hours surveillance.
Visitors were allowed, but he hadn’t expected that today could be one of the happiest days
of his life.

In a white coat, Yulia entered the living room. It was plain but clean, but was so ugly
compared to their mansion at the ranch. There was only a worn couch and a small table in
the middle. The windows were barred with steel.

Tears welling in her eyes, Yulia took off her hat and gripped it in her gloved hands.

“Father...”

Dimitri engulfed his daughter in his strong embrace, his large hands rubbing her back
feverishly. “Are you all right!? Has anyone hurt you!?”

“I’m all right! I’m all right. How are you? Oh, Lord, this place is horrid!” Yulia looked around,
frowning in disbelief.

“It is much better a place than my home in Moscow!” Dimitri laughed.

“Oh, you’ve lost weight, father! Are they treating you right!?” Yulia put her hand over her
father’s belly.

“It wasn’t they but you who had me sleepless for weeks! Now, tell me what happened.”
Dimitri sat her down at the couch, his gaze intently fixed at her.

Yulia looked down. “It’s a long story, father. They only allow me fifteen minutes with you. I’ll
tell you later—”

“Who brought you here?” Dimitri calmly said. He wasn’t about to burst at his daughter when
he was so happy to see her back safe and sound again.

“Mr. Myer is waiting outside.”

Dimitri nodded approvingly.

Yulia smiled. “He is so kind; he offered me to stay with him.”

“Good. Don’t go anywhere at the moment without him until I send you off to—”

“No, father, I will not leave without you!”

“Yuli, I can’t afford to argue with you now. You must go to your mother.”

Yulia only stared back at him, and Dimitri knew that his stubborn daughter would not budge.
Being locked inside this house, he had no power over what Yulia would or would not do. Yulia
was so much like him when he was younger, never cared for his own safety and just blindly
followed his instinct.

Dimitri pulled her up from the couch and gave her a tight hug again. He didn’t want to upset
their first meeting, but he had one thing that needed to be said.

“Stay away from Irish,” he whispered into her ear.

Yulia immediately pulled away, but Dimitri tightened his grip on her arms.

“She is dangerous and will bring danger to you, one way or the other.”

“You don’t know her the way I do,” Yulia said firmly.

“How well is that, Yuli?” Dimitri shook his head, sighing. He sat down, resting his hands on his
knees. He knew too well what was in his daughter’s mind; a father could never be fooled.
Yulia had gone too far this time. And he thought now that she would be safer with an
obedient kid like Roland.

“Have you the slightest idea how she murdered people? Have you really looked into her eyes,
her heart? Do you know what’s inside her head when she pointed a gun at someone?”

“I know she wouldn’t shoot me. She didn’t,” Yulia stated almost proudly. She began to pace
around, restless. “We’re all in this business together. Isn’t she just like us…? Oh, I thought
you liked her, father!”

“Yes, and she liked me so much she’d put me here,” Dimitri said, shrugging his thick shoulders
in a mocking defeat.

Yulia looked away, deep frown on her face.


>>>


Roland was in the backseat with Yulia. They had just finished the visit for the day and were
heading back home. A car was leading them, and another one following, guarding them.

“What’s troubling you?” Roland asked quietly.

“Why are you helping my father when he doesn’t want to help Lena if he gets out?”

“We must offer help to others before expecting them to help us. I believe I can change your
father’s mind to side with us. After what Holden has done to him, I think your father knows
now who is with him now.”

Roland studied Yulia for a moment, and then reached for her gloved hand.

“Don’t worry about your father. He knew this would happen and planned a way out already.
Frederick had something that could put him in jail, and Holden is using it. But he won’t do it
now unless he really wants a full-blown war with us. He’s just threatening us. Your mother
and Alexei are safe. You might want to join them—”

“Do you wish me to go?” Yulia asked softly, looking down.

“No! Please don’t think like that! How could I ever want you to leave? I only said it all for your safety.”

“I’m safe with you, aren’t I? You will protect me?”

At the pleading voice, Roland confidently took her hands. “I will.”

“Thank you, Mr.—”

“Roland. You can call me ‘Roland’ now.”

[Volkster]

Yeah Yul call him Roland now but no need to get any deeper with him right????
And its kinda funny or of not funny maybe cute how well her father knows her!

I have a good feeling that Lena is gonna help Yuls father get outta prison.

And yep, hostile flirting has existed since the beginning of mankind. Think back to grammar school where the boy that had a crush on you would show it by picking on you and vicecersa!

[showMElove2]

Hostile flirting....the best kind of flirting I think the Irish owes it to Yulia to help get her father out, we did establish that she had some humanity right! Just need Yulia to get it out of her.