I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 109: Sergei’s End

Alisha turned to her guard, and it was another one of those wordless exchanges that carried far more meaning than it should. He gave her a respectful nod and stepped outside to wait by the door.

My heart was still frantic like a trapped bird. 

Alisha slumped onto the couch, putting a hand to her brow.

I didn’t question, just sat next to her and much like the last time we were in this trailer I got close, put my hand on hers to help ground her.

She was still mad, not at me, but at everything.

“It’s okay,” I told her. “We’re safe.”

Her slow intake of breath trembled a bit, betraying the icy calmness she’d had. “Do you want to be driven away from here before things get messy?” she asked. Her voice was strained, quieter than usual.

I knew why she asked, not because she thought I should stay, but because she didn't have anyone to drive me.

“I'll wait outside,” I told her. “I don't need to go far.”

She nodded.

Sergei was still unconscious, thankfully. It was giving her a moment to process.

I wanted to break down again but lingering adrenaline was still clouding my emotions.

“I tried to shoot him,” I admitted despite this.

She nodded again.

“The gun just didn't fire, that's the only reason…”

She turned her hand so she was holding mine. “I don't want you to ever have that thought again,” she said. “That you need to hurt someone.”

It was my turn to nod solemnly. “I think … maybe it was selfish to try to keep a cafe job…”

“No, Kitten.” Alisha’s fingers tightened around mine. “It's not fair that you can't.”

“I'll resign. Effective immediately.” Any guilt that I would've felt about the inconvenience for the business had since evaporated. Charlotte was in charge there. It was her job to keep her employees safe and instead she had pushed us into danger and disregarded basic human decency.

And poor Alex…

Alisha let her chest inflate with a deep breath. 

“We'll talk about it more later,” she said. “I don't think that Starmaids is doing you much good but you don't have to be chained to me the rest of your life.”

“...thank you,” I managed. 

I saw Sergei’s head start to loll.

Alisha stood and shouldered off her blazer, neatly folding and draping it over the couch before turning her attention to him.

My stomach clenched. She backhanded him, hard, much like the earlier time.

The pain helped startle him awake though it was still a groggy confused process for him. I hadn’t ever really watched someone come out of being drugged like this. It wasn’t like in the movies where he startled awake and blinked blearily about before monologuing at us. It was more an in and out process as his brain caught up to the situation.

The first actual conscious words from him were, “oh. Hi Alisha,” like he was surprised she had gotten here at some point.

Alisha bound his hands with duct tape and gave him several more minutes to fully come to terms. She stood waiting through this process, arms folded angrily.

He cleared his throat finally.

“Are you awake now?” Alisha asked harshly. 

He nodded, started to stir, found his hands immobilized and stilled as he took in the rest of the room. 

“Do you want to apologize?” she asked.

I felt Sergei’s gaze as it turned to bore into me.

“Now why would I do that?” he asked.

He was met with another fierce backhanded slap before Alisha grabbed his face to make him look at her. “Because, Sergei, at least I could spare you some pain. But if you truly have no regrets, then neither do I, no matter how unpleasant this is for you.”

His breathing was too steady to be afraid, even as a slow drip of blood started from his nose. “So?” he asked. “You kill me, I go away forever, another man takes my place, and then you end up in the same cycle as before. Is that what you want?”

“That’s what I am, Sergei,” Alisha said. “That’s what I was before you, and what I will be after you.” And then she straightened, releasing his face. “Grow up.”

“Come now, Alisha,” Sergei protested. “You can’t just replace me. You're like a daughter to me.”

“Father's shouldn't dump the family’s dirty laundry onto innocent bystanders,” she told him icily. Then she turned to me. “Wait outside okay, Kitten? You can sit in the car if you want.”

I nodded and got up. I didn’t want this for her, but we were born into different lives and as much as I hated it, hers was always going to be stained in blood.

“You’re seriously going to take the word of some cun-” and Sergei’s voice was cut off as Alisha grabbed his throat and pushed upwards, forcing his jaw shut.

I got to the door, trying not to fill in whatever horrible thing he was about to say about me before Alisha shut him up.

“Send the guard in,” she told me quietly even as Sergei struggled against her. The chair he was in banged against the wall loudly until her grip tightened even more and his face went red. Alisha’s voice went low, dangerous and demanding all at once. “You've been a problem for a long time, Sergei.”

I hurried, hearing a choking sound, and her guard looked up as I stumbled outside.

“She wants you inside,” I informed him, trying not to let my voice shake. The storm door smacked shut behind me. 

“Yes, ma'am,” was the guard's immediate obedient response.

It felt strange but I didn't have the brain power to think about it too hard. The guard went in through that same door and disappeared.

I climbed into the unfamiliar car. It was another un-flashy sedan, though not quiet as grey and neutral as the Hon-Yoda. The upholstery was almost carpet-like, cheap and quickly replaceable. I tried not to listen, instead running my fingers across the coarseness of the fabric. Even through the walls and car’s windows, there were sounds that wouldn’t leave me easily. And then the silence fell and a sick twisting sense of relief rushed through me and I hated it. I wanted to rip it out and scream. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to be how humans worked… but it was and probably always had been. I’d just never had to face it before now.