My apologies for not posting this chapter when I said I would. I've had so much more to do than I imagined for work so that kept me pretty busy over the last couple weeks. And unsurprisingly, I put off editing this chapter because I really wanted to get it right. After all, it is the last Gralexei scene in All Fall Down and I definitely don't want to disappoint anyone.
Going to reply to reviews on the previous chapter in the order they were posted (so from oldest to newest). Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed; I was genuinely so touched after reading all your kind words about the previous chapter and this story as a whole!
Guest 1: I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter! I added in the squatty potty thing last minute, while doing the editing. I felt like it fit really well and couldn't resist putting it in, even though I felt it was kind of crude (relative to what's in the books). I showed it to a couple of my friends and they thought it was fine so I decided to leave it in!
Guest 2: I'm glad I was able to make your day! I hope this next chapter finds you well!
A New Look: I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! Don't worry about having problems with the site, it happens. I hope this next chapter finds you well!
Guest 3: Like I said at the start of this author's note, I apologize for not posting this chapter earlier but I hope this next chapter finds you well. I am definitely planning on writing the entire book series from Alexei's POV, although it may be a bit slow going, with school and other things that may come up in the future.
Guest 4: I'm glad you've been enjoying the story so far and I hope this next chapter finds you well! I tried to add more substance and give Alexei his own issues to deal with, so my story isn't just a rehashing of all the Gralexei scenes in Alexei's POV. I am currently working on the first draft of See How They Run in Alexei's POV (since I write my chapters way in advance and edit them two or three times before posting); I'm on the part where Grace and Alexei are about to go into the ruins!
Guest 5: I'm glad you find my story easy to follow. Like I said to Guest 4, I wanted to give Alexei some background and create a storyline for him, so that my story isn't just a rehashing of all the Gralexei scenes in Alexei's POV. I am definitely planning on writing the entire book series from Alexei's POV and I'm currently working on the first draft of See How They Run in Alexei's POV! I've talked a bit more about that in my replies to other guest reviews. Like I said at the start of this author's note, I apologize for not posting this chapter earlier but I hope this next chapter finds you well!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes and would not exist without Ally Carter's wonderful works.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Into the Arms of Sorrow
"Oh good, you guys are here," Megan said, as Tanner, Jordan, and I walked into the American embassy's party hall.
"Where's Grace?" Tanner asked, looking around.
"No sign of her yet. Same with Ms. Chancellor and the Scarred Man," Megan said.
"Noah just texted to say he's on his way," Rosie said, looking up from her phone.
"Cool, once everyone gets here, we can get into position," Megan replied.
"Well, I hate to leave all the action but I gotta run down to the kitchen and start serving hors d'oeuvres," Jordan said. "I'll make sure to bring you guys food every now and again."
"Alright, cool," Megan said, barely looking up from her phone.
"And I better run too because someone's girl is looking pretty lonely and in need of some action," Tanner said suggestively, nudging me. "Ten o'clock." I looked up to my left, like Tanner said, and sure enough, Grace was standing by herself on the second-floor balcony that ran around the perimeter of the room. She was looking down into the party hall and hadn't spotted us yet.
"Go get 'em, tiger," Tanner said, with a wink. He and Jordan headed off, leaving Megan, Rosie, and I to talk to Grace. We made our way up to the balcony and over to where Grace was standing. My breath caught as I took her in. Once again, she had cleaned up well. She was wearing a tasteful, knee-length ivory dress with gold sequins and a wide skirt. When our eyes met, it only reinforced the notion that things had changed between us. As I approached her, still looking into her eyes, I almost felt a strengthened connection between us, like that night on the wall had only served to bring us together.
"You okay?" I asked, keeping my voice low. Even though there was so much going on in the party hall, my attention was focused only on her. I couldn't keep my eyes off her, as if she'd disappear the second I looked away.
"I'm fine," Grace said, too quickly.
"No, you aren't," I replied, shaking my head. There was no way Grace was fine. One look in her eyes was more than enough to tell me that.
"Anything happening?" Rosie asked, as she climbed onto the railing, precariously leaning over it.
"I don't know," Grace said, shaking her head as she scanned the floor. "The guests are arriving, and everything looks okay." However, if our suspicions were correct and if what Ms. Chancellor had said earlier in the secret passage was true, then something big was going to happen tonight. And that was not likely to end well.
I watched the floor with Grace, Rosie, and Megan. It looked like the average party, with guests mingling and dancing to the music of the string quartet. When Noah and Lila arrived, Lila looked up at me and waved, a huge smile on her face. I politely waved back, not wanting to deal with her tonight.
A few moments later, Tanner and Jordan walked by, right underneath where I was standing. Tanner looked from me to Grace then suggestively wiggled his eyebrows. I merely shook my head in response. There was no way anything was going to happen between Grace and I tonight. Seconds later, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I sneakily pulled it out and looked at the screen.
"damn bruh r u gonna get some or not? ? ? How r u standing next 2 Grace and not doing anything about it? ? ? at least ask her 2 dance or smthng!" Tanner texted. I sighed as I slid my phone back in my pocket. With one last look down at Tanner and Jordan, I turned towards Grace.
"Do you want to dance, Grace?" I asked her.
"No," she bluntly replied.
"Grace!" Megan exclaimed. I raised my eyebrows at her, wondering what that was for.
"No, thank you, Alexei," Grace said, causing Megan and Rosie to roll their eyes. I almost sighed in relief, grateful that I wouldn't have to risk getting caught dancing with Grace again. My father definitely would have been at my throat if that happened again. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. With a sneaking suspicion, I glanced down at the floor, to see Tanner and Jordan shaking their heads. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and clicked on the text from Jordan.
"normally I'd say u got cock-blocked but damn it looks like she flat-out rejected u" I shook my head, not bothering to reply. As much as I would have loved to dance with Grace, it was better that she refused my offer to dance. After all, the last thing I needed was yet another lecture from my father.
I noticed Grace glancing around at all the doors leading to the balcony. Her eyes lingered on the door behind the potted plant, which was the door that Noah and I had booby-trapped earlier.
"Is it secure?" Grace asked.
"No one is opening that passage tonight," I replied, with a nod. "We've barricaded it shut."
"Yeah," Megan chimed in. "I booby-trapped it every way I know. And I know a lot of ways. Trust me. If it budges, I'll know it." She held up her phone as proof, which was showing a blinking red dot. I recognized it as her security camera app, which was synchronized with all the security cameras we had set up earlier.
"There he is," Grace said suddenly. "There's Dominic. He's here." I glanced down at the floor and saw Dominic Novak walking through the metal detectors. I smirked as the machines beeped, causing red lights to flash. Compliant as ever, he stepped aside for further inspection.
"Why are they patting him down? He's the prime minister's head of security," Grace said.
"Doesn't matter," Megan said, shaking her head. "Secret Service won't allow anyone to enter with a weapon tonight." I exchanged a glance with Megan. Now that Dominic had arrived, it was time to put our plan into action.
"Rosie," I said, taking leadership, "Why don't you make yourself at home in his shadow?" Rosie smiled, ready to do what she did best.
"I'm on it," Rosie said. She bolted down the stairs, skirting between dancing couples and dodging waiters. At one point, she nearly crashed into Jordan, almost making him drop his tray of hors d'oeuvres. I gave Jordan a knowing look, shaking my head at him. He just stuck his tongue out at me then continued around the hall, handing out hors d'oeuvres. I smiled in satisfaction as Rosie found Dominic and took up her position no more than three feet from him. She looked like a natural extension of his shadow, which was exactly what she needed to be tonight.
"Okay, Megan," I said, turning to her. "Stay with your mother. Be close to her in case we need to tip off the authorities to something."
"On it," Megan replied, as she turned around, leaving Grace and I alone. Grace was watching Megan leave, with an almost sad look on her face, like we were slowly abandoning her.
"It's not going to come to that," I said, looking at Grace. She merely nodded, without speaking. "Grace, it's going to be okay." I dared to place my hand on her arm as a comforting gesture. However, she looked like she had barely paid attention to me. It was as if she had spaced out. I wondered where her head was and what she was seeing, instead of this vibrant party scene. It was like the time she had spaced out in the American embassy. That had been her first day back in Adria. Since then, so much had changed, especially between us. We could never go back to who we were before, a Russian boy with an American best friend and an innocent younger sister who just wanted to play with the boys.
"Grace, is there something wrong?" I asked, my voice full of concern. I always hated these moments when she spaced out because I never knew what she was seeing or how to help her.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" What did Grace possibly have to be sorry for?
"For the other night. For dragging you into this. For –"
"Hey," I said, cutting her off. I couldn't stop myself from gently cupping her face in my hands. I tilted her face up, so that I was looking into her eyes.
"I'm sorry you promised Jamie that you'd keep me out of trouble."
"Yeah, that's why I'm here. Because I promised Jamie." However, we both knew it was more than just that. More than anything, I wanted to be the one to protect Grace and keep her safe from anything that would dare to harm her. I wanted her to know that I would always be by her side and that I would help her fight her demons.
"That night at the palace, where did you go? I saw you go upstairs after we danced. Why?" I gently released Grace's face, my arms dropping to my sides. I never looked away from her though, not daring to break the spell just yet.
"My father and I were arguing. I needed to get away and clear my head." That wasn't entirely a lie. However, it was probably better if Grace didn't know that my father had tackled me to the ground for dancing with her.
"What were you arguing about?" Grace asked. I hesitated before answering, breaking eye contact and lowering my eyes. I almost didn't want to tell her, for fear of ruining what we had. Yet, I felt like it was important for her to know, as the last thing we needed between us was more secrets. I gripped the railing hard as I answered her, unable to look at her.
"You." Mercifully, she stayed silent as I figured out the best way to explain our situation to her.
"Adria has always been important, you know. Strategic. It was once the main trade route between Europe and the Far and Middle East. It has always mattered." I paused for a second, as Grace seemed kind of confused by what I was saying.
"The United States and Russia, we have our own complicated histories. Our countries will never be true allies, Grace. And there are those who feel that, because of that, you and I can never be friends." Or more than friends for that matter. As I glanced down at the floor, I saw my father standing right in the middle of the party hall, glaring up at me. It was as if my words had conjured him. He looked like he was going to beat me up, or worse. Yup, my father was definitely going to be at my throat tonight.
"You should go," Grace said.
"I'm okay here." Despite the impending doom, I found myself not wanting to leave Grace's presence.
"No. Don't make your father mad just to keep me company. Go. Circulate. I'll be here." As much as I hated to admit it, Grace was right. It would only anger him further if I continued to stay up here with her. I finally turned away, only to find Noah standing at the bottom of the stairs. I smiled to myself, hoping that he really had taken my earlier words into consideration.
"You should go, too," I said to Grace, jerking my head to the bottom of the stairs, where Noah was currently standing. I quickly made my way down the stairs, nodding at Noah as I passed him. He didn't look very happy to be here but nonetheless, returned my nod. I made my way over to my father, whose face had taken on an icy expression.
"What was that?" my father growled at me. "For a second, I actually thought you had stuck to your word and avoided the American girl. Clearly, that was not the case."
"I just ran into Grace while I was with Megan and Rosie. I thought I'd say hello, to be polite."
"That looked like more than polite conversation to me. Rather, it looked like you were quite friendly with the American girl, maybe a little too friendly." My father raised an eyebrow at me, as if daring me to object.
"Is there anything wrong with being a little friendly?"
"Yes. In the end, it is your friends that betray you, not your enemies. Do you understand?" my father said, giving me a cold, hard look.
"Yes, father." I nodded, not quite sure what he was getting at. Did he seriously think Grace was going to betray me? Although I was pretty sure Grace and my other friends wouldn't do that to me, I supposed I wouldn't know until the time came, if it ever did.
"Good. You are coming with me now. I'd like you to meet the Russian president."
After an hour of circulating and meeting people, my father finally let me go. I immediately made a beeline towards the table where Tanner and Jordan were sitting.
"Damn, bruh, you look beat," Tanner said.
"Getting rejected will do that to a guy," Jordan said. "Sandwich?"
"Yes, please," I replied, grabbing a cucumber sandwich off Jordan's tray.
"This whole tray is for the three of us so eat up, bro," Jordan said.
"Don't mind if I do," I said, grabbing a cheese sandwich. Nothing like food to drown my sorrows.
I suddenly spotted Rosie running around frantically, like she was looking for something, or more likely, someone.
"Rosie, is something wrong?" I asked, as she ran by our table. She quickly looked over at us and stopped for a second.
"I can't find the Scarred Man or Ms. Chancellor," Rosie gasped.
"That's not good," I said, immediately becoming more alert. "Where did they go?"
"I-I don't know," Rosie said, looking down in shame. "One second, I was following the Scarred Man, then the next, he just disappeared. I looked around for Ms. Chancellor but I couldn't find her either."
"I need you to go find them," I instructed Rosie. "For Grace's sake, we can't let them out of our sight."
"Of course, I understand," Rosie said, as she took off again.
"Does this mean Secret Rendez-Vous Round Two?" Tanner asked.
"I hope not," I replied. "Otherwise, it means something big will be going down soon."
"Megan just texted to say that none of the traps have been set off," Jordan said, scrolling through the group chat Megan had created for tonight's party. "So I have no idea where they would have gone."
"Unless Secret Ninja Lady is also some kind of tech wizard who knows how to disable booby traps," Tanner said.
"What's this I hear about Ms. Chancellor being a tech wizard?" I looked up to see Noah and Megan approaching our table.
"We've got bad news," I replied, getting straight to the point. "Rosie just stopped by to say she can't find Dominic or Ms. Chancellor."
"Oh no," Megan said, glancing down at her phone. "How could this have happened? Nothing's showing up on the security cameras we've set up."
"You think there's some other secret passage they know about that wasn't on the American embassy blueprints?" Jordan asked.
"That's always possible," Megan replied, although she looked like she really hoped that wasn't the case.
"By the way, don't you feel like the timing is a little too ironic?" Tanner asked, glancing towards the stage.
"Of course. Because now is definitely the perfect time for something to go wrong," Noah said, just as the string quartet stopped playing and the American ambassador walked onto the stage.
"Well, hello, out there!" Ambassador Vincent said, with a chuckle. "And welcome. Welcome to the US embassy. And welcome to Adria, my home for the last forty-five years. I may still have Tennessee in my voice, but Adria is in my heart."
"At least the guy knows how to please a crowd," Jordan commented, as the crowd gave a collective awww.
"Someone needs to tell Grace though!" Megan whispered, as we all stood up for 'Hail to the Chief'. "We can't just leave her on her own, not with the Scarred Man and Ms. Chancellor missing."
"Don't worry, I think Rosie's already on it," I said, looking up at the balcony. Sure enough, Rosie and Grace were conversing, by the part of the balcony overlooking the stage. Judging by the looks on their faces, the conversation wasn't going well.
"Speak of the devil, guess who finally decided to show up?" Noah said bitterly, looking behind the stage. Sure enough, I saw Dominic, weaving his way through the wings of the stage. Our whole group collectively held in a breath, as we watched Dominic.
"Okay, and how long until shit goes down?" Jordan asked uneasily, as the American president took the stage.
"It is so good to be here tonight, with our friends and our neighbours," the American president said, raising a glass to my father and the Russian president. I practically felt the tension between the three men. It would take a lot more than a fancy party to resolve the deep-standing issues between the United States and Russia.
A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I saw Dominic quickly approaching my father and the Russian president. He was holding something black and shiny in his hand, although I couldn't tell what it was from this distance. However, I wasn't the only one who noticed the black object in Dominic's hand.
"Guys, I think shit's going down now," I said, as a feral scream echoed throughout the party hall. Because at that exact moment, Grace had thrown herself over the railing of the balcony and straight onto Dominic's back.
I watched in horror as Grace and Dominic crashed onto the ground together. The black, shiny object flew out of Dominic's hand. I quickly realized it was a perfectly harmless iPhone. However, the damage had already been done. The Secret Service agents instantly surrounded Grace and Dominic, preventing the crowd from seeing what had happened. The American president quickly made a joke, while my father and the Russian president were pulled aside by a couple of the Secret Service agents.
"Damn, bro, your girl's got nerve," Tanner said.
"Nerve would be an understatement," I said, as I looked on in horror. Grace had really outdone herself this time. There were no words to describe how I currently felt. Sure, we had planned on exposing Dominic and Ms. Chancellor, perhaps through tipping off the authorities or quietly shutting them down. Grace jumping on Dominic and causing a big scene had not been part of the plan.
Nonetheless, the party continued on, as the American ambassador and president both made speeches. However, I couldn't help but watch as both Grace and Dominic were hauled off by Secret Service agents, under the watchful eye of Ms. Chancellor.
"Damn, so now Secret Ninja Lady decides it'd be a great time to show her face," Tanner commented. Again, I couldn't help but feel the timing was a little too ironic. I noticed Rosie approaching our table.
"What happened up there?" I asked.
"I didn't even have time to stop Grace," Rosie said regretfully, as she sat down. "One minute, everything was fine and the next, Grace was launching herself off the balcony and onto the Scarred Man."
"To be honest, I don't think anyone would have had time to stop Grace," Megan said.
"If there's one way to get everyone's attention, then that's definitely it," Noah said bitterly. "After all, we know how much Grace loves being in the spotlight."
"Noah, this isn't the time for this," Megan warned. It was so obvious that Noah was still mad at Grace; however, his friend drama was the last thing we needed, after everything that had just happened.
"Oh please, as long as Grace keeps pulling more stunts like that, then those arguments will always be valid," Noah said, sounding pissed off.
"Noah –" Megan pleaded.
"No, Megan, not now," Noah said, as he stood up and took off. I looked after him, wondering if I should follow him. However, I decided against it, figuring he'd need the alone time to sort out his thoughts.
"Ugh, I just wish Noah would get over himself and apologize to Grace. I'm honestly sick of all this pointless drama," Megan said, putting her head down in defeat.
"He has to come around, right?" Rosie said, looking in the direction that Noah had run off.
"He better. I mean, he can't stay mad at Grace forever, right?" Megan asked. However, we all stayed silent. Given Noah's recent displays of emotion, there was no telling when he'd calm down.
I suddenly jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to find my father staring down at me, with cold, hard eyes.
"Alexei, we are going home," my father said curtly. I didn't dare argue with him. Even though the party had just started to pick up, Grace's crazy antics had brought it to a grinding halt. There was no point in staying any longer, now that everyone's attention had been diverted.
"Yes, father," I replied, standing up. I nodded goodnight to everyone, not daring to break the silence that had fallen in our group. Because honestly, no words could truly describe the gravity of what had happened tonight.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between June 8 and June 16.
Unfortunately, that's the last of the Gralexei scenes in All Fall Down. But there's still plenty of action coming up; after all, the G-20 has only just started and I've still got a few surprises up my sleeve! Stay tuned for more G-20 fun!