Alessio:
I had never felt so warm in my life as I did when I woke up, but it wasn't in a bad way. It was immediately obvious to me that someone was wrapped in my arms, which was a first for me, but when I realized I must have broken my promise to Eliana by crossing our line of pillows, I felt guilty. There was something calming about holding her, though- when she had been down stairs in the medical room, sleeping in a haze of pain medications, I knew that we could monitor her vitals and make sure that she was doing alright, but there was something better about having her with me and knowing that she wasn't going to take a turn for the worse.
We were facing each other, her forehead resting against my chest while her hands had my shirt tightly clenched in them. Eliana's knees were pulled towards her chest, the way she was curled into a ball would have made me think she was cold if the blankets hadn't been on her. That in combination with the fact that one of my arms was under her head and the other was wrapped around her waist made me think there was no way she wasn't warm.
I tried to shift out from under her, so that she wouldn't get the wrong idea when she woke up, but she only tightened her grip on my shirt and pulled herself closer to my chest. Her eyebrows furrowed, like she was having a bad dream, and before I realized what I was doing, my thumbs were running over her face, trying to smooth the creases. I wished that I could erase the bruises that littered her skin still. I frowned as I felt how warm her forehead was. It wouldn't be surprising if she was slightly sick, seeing that she had been through so much in the last couple of weeks, but even a small fever that was supposed to burn off infection could turn bad in a hurry. I would need the doctor to check on that as well.
I needed to get back to work. I had already overslept more than I had in a very long time, this was the first time that the sun woke me up in years. There was a constant voice in the back of my mind, telling me to keep searching for information on where the Russians might be. I had no misconceptions about myself, I wasn't kind when it came to revenge, and whoever had done this to her would be paying for it with their life. If it required tearing down the whole organization piece by piece, I would do it without hesitation, but the person who had beaten her and taken a pipe to her face and body? The man who had cut Eliana's clothes off of her and starved her? They had a different kind of hell coming for them, and I would do it myself.
As carefully and slowly as I could so that I wouldn't wake her, I rubbed her hands and tried to pry them gently from my shirt. She didn't seem to want to relinquish her hold, but eventually she did so with a sigh. I got out of bed without shifting my weight too much so that she didn't wake up, and then I put the pillows back in their line down the middle.
My bathroom was connected through the other room in the suite, further from where she was sleeping so that it wouldn't wake her up if I took a shower. I was in a rush, by the time that I was done and sneaking across the room to make sure that I didn't wake up Eliana as I left, I had chosen a slightly mismatched tie and shirt, but it barely mattered to me.
I hurried to the kitchen to grab something quick for my breakfast, intending to get back to my office quickly and make some calls, but I walked in on a few of my men leaning over the counter, talking in low tones. Lucia was sitting near them, perched on the granite, watching from afar but seeming to be feilding their questions about her attempted hack.
They straightened up and nodded once they caught sight of me, but I was curious to know the details of what they had been discussing, "As you were."
Leonardo turned back to Lucia, "So you're saying that last night you were able to break through a new layer of the system?"
"Yeah, the deeper I go the more complicated the encryption is. I'm stripping it away and I took Allegra's advice, but I'm having to double check my own work to make sure that they can't back hack me."
"What did you get out of the layer that you managed to break through?" I asked, hoping that it was something we could use.
"I've gotten a couple of hints on general location, I don't think they're more than a few cities away right now. They moved a week or so ago, I actually think it might have had something to do with Eliana's escape. I'm willing to bet that they moved in case she could lead us back to them."
Angelo, who had been back in the corner of the room in silence as he always was, seemed to have some sort of grin. "They definitely wouldn't have planned for Eliana to make it out alive. They had to move fast, I doubt they did it carefully and there's probably some sort of trail that we can follow. Relocating an entire organization would be a pretty massive undertaking."
Lucia nodded, "That's why I'm going to keep searching, but I can't find an exact address for them. I found a P.O. box, though, I think it's under the name of Niklov's second in command. I don't understand why he would have his own, though."
"Dimitri, right?" Leonardo looked at me.
I nodded, "I think so. They had some shake ups in their structure over the past couple of years, but he was the second last that I heard. It always surprised me a little, he never seemed to be as cold as Niklov, I didn't expect him to last or support him for this long."
Emilio looked curious, "You don't think he's a weak link, do you?"
"I doubt that anyone could be working against him right under Niklov's nose, unless he's really become that old and oblivious, but there's a chance he could be swayed. That's too risky, though." I poured a cup of coffee, trying to think of what the implications could be. "They may be using it while they find a new permanent address. They would have to pay bills and communications somehow."
Leonardo sighed, "So we can send Niklov a birthday card, but we still can't figure out where they're based. That's great."
"I'm trying my best," Lucia glared. "Niklov may be old fashioned, but his software and computers aren't."
"So there's a way to contact people, but only by writing them letters?" A new voice sounded from the door.
All eyes went to Eliana, and an unusual tension shot through the room. No one had mentioned what was said yesterday in the meeting with Allegra, but when Eliana hadn't denied what she was accused of, I knew that a lot of my men had started asking questions.
Lucia spoke up, which I was glad for. "Basically."
Eliana's brows furrowed slightly, "I have an idea."
Eliana:
I knew that everyone in the room felt uncertain of who I was and what I was really doing there, especially now that they knew I was a 'killer', as Allegra had called it. My hope was that if I could help them find the Russians that they might really trust me.
Alessio's men looked at me curiously as I continued cautiously, "Would it help if I might be able to communicate with someone on the inside of Niklov's compound? Someone that wants to bring the whole thing to the ground as well?"
"Are you serious?" Leonardo asked in disbelief.
I nodded, "It's a long shot that a letter would get to her, but if it actually gets delivered to the right person, I think I could communicate in a code."
"That would be invaluable," Alessio said. His constant impassive expression was breaking for just a moment, making way for what I almost could have called pride.
"I'm going to need a pen and paper."
They wasted no time in finding me what I needed, almost immediately I was sitting at the kitchen table by a window. Alessio had asked most of the men to vacate the room or give me some space, but he and Angelo had actually stayed to make themselves breakfast, and Alessio had asked me if I would like pancakes. My appetite was finally back so I said yes, but I knew to be careful of how much I ate.
By the time a plate was set in front of me, I had a first draft:
Dearest Violet,
We've all missed you, but I hope you're doing well. I would love to hear about how things are going, I myself have been moved around a bit and am at a new home. Before we parted ways, you always had an interest in classical music and I have to say that the man who recently acquired me has been very indulgent. I'm allowed to occasionally practice piano when he is not home, and one of my rewards last week was an attendance to the symphony. It is nice to experience the home of a socialite. He only ever listens to Vivaldi and Monteverdi, and sometimes Rossini, but I don't mind.
He told me that I was allowed a non electronic correspondence if he approved of the recipient, I do hope that you will be able to write me back. I've been a little lonely, I would love to hear from you. The word is that next month there will be a performance of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, I'm hoping that with good behavior, I might get to go. I'm not sure what your new situation is, but even if you wouldn't be able to convince your master to attend, I would love to hear your thoughts on the piece. I only hope that they'll close with Camille Saint Saens' great Danse Macabre, but that piece rarely bodes well for the conductor. I hope to play that one myself someday soon, preferably when I could learn Vivaldi's Concerto #4 in F Minor.
Anyways, I digress. I only wanted to reach out with a penny for your thoughts. I've never been bought by someone who allowed me this much freedom, but I can't contact the others back from where we came from because of our contracts. Our old mistress told me this was the only address that she could come up with that may reach those who acquired you. My hope is that I may still have a friend in you, and that you have the chance to write back. If you would be able to continue our correspondence, I shall write something with much more substance and relevance. I only hope to hear from you soon.
All of my love,
Lily
"Alessio," I pushed the paper towards him as we began to eat our food. The writing wasn't my best due to some severely broken fingers that were still healing, but it would work. "I need you to tell me if you can get anything out of this?"
He took his time, looking for a code or alternative meaning, but a frown was eventually all that I could see. "No, I don't."
I pushed it towards Angelo as well, but I got a similar response. "Alessio, would you mind asking a few of the others to read it, just in case? I don't want to be the one that gets her in trouble, and I don't want anyone to intercept it."
They both texted the others on their phones, and after at least ten more men had read over it with no understanding, I nodded, "Now let's just hope that it's not too confusing for her, either."
"If anything, you've started the conversation and she can set the boundaries of whether she can safely reply or not," Leonardo tried to give me a small comfort.
A man that I hear Alessio call Soren finished reading over it and handed it back to be, "I may be the only one, but could you explain what the message is?"
"I met her while I was in this.... Cell. We spoke a little when I was conscious, we both tried to lie about our names using Violet and Lily, so she'll know that it's me. Her real one is Scarlette, and she'll have figured out that I wouldn't risk sending her anything without some sort of message or ulterior motive. She told me that she loves classical music, so that's what I used."
"I'm still a little confused...."
"Beethoven's 3rd is called 'Eroica', he dedicated it to Napoleon before he declared himself emperor. It's about the idea of revolution, overthrowing unjust leaders. One of the last things that she said to me was that she was going to stay and try to bring them down from the inside, we agreed to help each other in whatever way we could. Danse Macabre is about death, and the conductor is Niklov, I'm trying to tell her about our final intention, our endgame to kill him specifically. The Vivaldi reference is towards his Four Seasons, specifically Winter. It's coming, and it's going to happen soon so she needs to be ready."
Everyone was staring at me, Lucia bit her lip worriedly, "You think she'll be able to get all of that?"
"I hope so. She knows I wouldn't attempt to contact her without giving her more than just a rant about music. If not, at least I tried and she can contact me with whatever way works best for her."
Leonardo glanced over Emilio's shoulder, reading it one more time. "How will she know where to write you back?"
"A return address," Alessio shrugged. "We could get a P.O. box too, try to make it as untraceable as possible."
Emilio nodded, "I'll get on that. Lucia, I'll need the P.O. box that you found under Dimitri's name. Let's hope that he's not as insane as Niklov and will give her the letter when he sees that it's harmless."
A couple men that I didn't know as well followed them from the room, leaving me with Alessio, Angelo, and Leonardo. I picked up my plate and carried it to the sink, wanting to help clean up from breakfast. I grabbed the now empty box of pancake mix, "Alessio, do you have a recycling bin?"
Leonardo and Alessio were leaned closely over the table in deep discussion, but Angelo, who seemed less involved, stood up and came over to my side of the counter, explaining, "Trash is under the sink, recycling in the pantry."
He grabbed the pan off of the stove and began washing it in the sink as I turned towards the pantry door. I hated them. The small enclosed spaces, the smell of food sitting on shelves. It wasn't rational, but for a long time the thought of stepping foot into one made my stomach twist and roil with anxiety. I remember the punishments I had endured as a child in them, how even now as an adult I purposefully chose an apartment without one in it.
"Are you alright?" Angelo's voice right over my shoulder made me jump.
I realized a little too late that I had frozen, my hand half extended towards the handle and feet stuck to the ground out of terror. My brain kicked back into gear, telling my body to move. "Yeah, sorry. I'm fine. I just.... Zoned out for a moment there."
Angelo never carried much of an expression, but I could tell he didn't totally believe me. I had to convince him, I didn't need them prying into my odd phobias and childhood fears. They were personal, I could deal with them on my own. I grit my teeth and swallowed my anxiety, throwing open the door and tossing the cardboard box into the bin so that I didn't actually have to step foot into the compact room.
I shut the door again quickly and kept my head down as I went back to the sink, washing off my plate and putting it in the dishwasher. I could feel his gaze still on me, "Are you sure, Eliana?"
"Yeah, of course."
Alessio noticed our hushed conversation and righted himself in his chair, sitting straight so that he could see us over the counter, "What's this? Is everything alright over there?"
I was about to answer, hoping that my voice wouldn't give me away, but Angelo beat me to it, "Yes, sir. I was just asking if she wanted pasta for dinner. I was in the mood for spaghetti, thought I could make some extra if she was feeling up to a dinner that heavy."
He nodded, "The doctor should be stopping back by in a little while, by the way."
"That's great," I nodded, then glanced back Angelo. "I'm going to go and shower. Thank you for the offer, Angelo."
I rushed up the stairs before anyone could call me back, crossing my arms to hide the shaking that was still running through my hands. Showering would still be a little difficult on my own, but a bath might be a little easier, so I found my way back to the room I had been in before last night, where my backpack was sitting by the bed.
Rummaging for some clothes and knowing that I should wear something nicer than Lucia's leggings and an oversized shirt, I managed to hunt down a pair of jeans and a sweater that wouldn't be as out of place with the men walking around in suits, but still relatively comfortable for someone covered in bandages. The warm water soothed my muscles and bruises, but I couldn't shake the vague feeling of not being back to full health. I could only assume that would evade me for a while longer.
Getting dressed took a moment more than I expected, but the timing was perfect, as I walked out of the bathroom right when the doctor stepped through the doorway. He gave me a very genuine grin, "It's good to see you on your feet again, Ms. North. I wasn't sure how you would be feeling, but it looks like you're doing better than I expected."
"The pain medication that you gave me is working miracles," I nodded.
He set down a bag on the bed, then gestured for me to take a seat at the foot as well. "Would you mind if I took a look at some of those injuries? I want to make sure that they're healing well."
I nodded, turning so that my back was facing him. The cut on my back was by far the worst one that I had, it was definitely what he would want to check first. The loose sports bra that Lucia had lent me hooked in the back, so I undid the clasps and held everything else together in the front with crossed arms.
His fingers were cold and made me shiver slightly as I felt him removing the bandages that had been taped in place. "Well, Ms. North, this is definitely not a.... Normal injury. This is rather extreme-"
I heard footsteps enter the room and I turned just in time to see Leonardo hurriedly throw his hand in front of his eyes once he caught sight of my bare back, "I'm sorry, I can come back-"
"Don't worry about it," I laughed. "I don't mind."
"Jesus that's-" Leonardo cut himself off from commenting on the wound, taking note of my raised eyebrows. "Okay, it could be worse."
"No, it's pretty bad," I admitted. "You don't have to fake it for me. I can tell that it's nasty just from the feeling. I've had some cuts and wounds before, but none that hurt like this deep in the muscle."
Leonardo came to sit in front of me in one of the chairs next to the bed, lips pressed tightly together. Dr. Montcroix was rubbing something on it that felt cold at first, but then turned into a vague burning sensation. His voice was an attempt at being reassuring, but the words themselves were not, "I want to give you realistic expectations for what you're facing here. I can tell just by the depth of this injury that there's going to be some significant nerve damage along this scar, you'll need to be wary these next few days about sitting straight and not letting the sides pull apart."
"Yes sir," I nodded, "I'll try to be careful."
"Great. Would you mind laying back and letting me take a look at some other things?"
My shoulders were still healing and tender, so he helped me hook the bra back together over the fresh bandages before I laid back on the blankets. Dr. Montcroix hovered over me to look at my nose, pressing his lips into a worried line, "This is healing better than I expected, and the bruising is fading quickly. I'd try not to touch it very much, just to be safe, but it shouldn't heal crooked."
That was a small relief, but I know it would be noticeable to my friends at work, "Do you think that I could cover it with makeup? You know, when I head back to work?"
"How soon are you thinking?"
"Maybe the next couple of days?"
Before Dr. Montcroix could even respond, Leonardo was shaking his head, "You're not going
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