Hey guys, hope you've had a good couple of weeks! Here's another long-ish chapter.
I've made an Instagram and a Twitter for my fanfiction stuff. My username is smartiegirl800 (surprise, surprise) on both those platforms so you can check those out if you'd like. I'll probably follow back anyone who follows. I feel like I'll be using my Twitter more because it's easier to post quick updates but I'll definitely be sharing tons of sneak peeks of both Falling for You and See How They Run in Alexei's POV on my Instagram!
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.
Going to reply to reviews on the previous chapter in the order they were posted (oldest to newest), thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!
Guest 1: I'm glad you were excited for that last update! I hope this chapter finds you well!
Guest 2: I didn't realize Lila was coming off so strong but I suppose that was the way I had interpreted her character. I totally agree; Thomas and Rosie would make an adorable couple. I wish there was more of them in the books! Stay tuned to find out what will happen with Alexei's dad!
Guest 3: I hope this chapter finds you well! Feel free to check out my Instagram; I've included details above!
ellag2004: I hope this chapter finds you well! Feel free to check out my Instagram or my Twitter; I've included details above!
A New Look: The scene where Alexei leaves is one of my favourite chapters, in terms of how emotional it gets. I can't wait to share the Spence scene from See How They Run; maybe I'll have to do a sneak peek? ;)
Guest (ERW100456): I'm glad you've been enjoying this story so far! Don't worry about all the comments; it's nice to hear constructive criticism and positive feedback. I view Alexei and Lila as exes who remained close friends so there'd be a bit of touching. Or maybe I'm just taking their relationship too far :P Stay tuned to find out what will happen with Alexei's dad!
Guest (abc123): I'm glad you've been enjoying this story so far! I would like to post more often but I've got a lot of other things going on that do take higher priority than fanfiction. Even though it's summer for me, I'm still quite busy with housework, volunteering, and writing See How They Run in Alexei's POV (I write my chapters way in advance so I have time to go back to edit and sort out any inconsistencies). Feel free to check out my Instagram; I've included details above!
GallagherGirlsEmbassyRowFan: I hope this chapter finds you well! I suppose I've interpreted Alexei and Lila's relationship a bit differently from what Ally Carter intended. There weren't a lot of indications of how close they were in the books so I took a few creative liberties and added my own interpretations of Lila's character and their relationship.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: In Too Deep
When I finally came to, the first thing I noticed was the bright sunlight. It was a stark contrast to the dark hallway in the palace. I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the light but the movement was sluggish. It felt like it took almost every ounce of energy in me just to move my hand.
"Good afternoon, bro. I hope you had a good nap after being out for more than twelve hours." I turned to see Tanner sitting next to me. Had I really been out for more than twelve hours? It sure didn't feel like it.
"Whoa, take it easy there." I turned to my other side and saw Jordan easing me back down.
"What the hell happened to me?" I asked, my consciousness slowly coming back to me.
"It's a long story," Tanner said, drawing out the words. Ignoring Jordan's protests, I forced myself to sit up, even though it hurt like hell. As I took in my surroundings, I was surprised to find that I was in my room, back at the Russian embassy. How had I gotten here?
"Tanner found you," Jordan said, answering my question. I must have said it out loud without realizing it. "We hauled you to my car and drove you here. Mikhail helped us bring you up here." I glanced towards my desk chair where, sure enough, Mikhail was sitting.
"How are you feeling, Lyosha?" Mikhail asked me.
"Sore. And tired," I replied honestly. My body ached all over, like it had been run over with a steamroller. Mikhail nodded in understanding.
"I brought you some food. I thought it might make you feel better," Mikhail said. I noticed the covered tray sitting on my desk. Mikhail brought the tray over to where I was sitting on my bed. He uncovered it, revealing fried eggs with kielbasa sausage, syrniki pancakes, and a cup of lemon tea. It was a very traditional Russian breakfast that reminded me of my childhood. I dug in, savouring in the familiar and comforting tastes.
"Good?" Mikhail asked, a small smirk on his face.
"You have no idea," I mumbled around a mouthful of food. Although I enjoyed fancy cuisine, like the dishes served at the palace last night, there was nothing like traditional Russian food. "What time is it?"
"2:00 p.m.," Jordan said, checking the time on his phone. I almost choked on my kielbasa in surprise. I had been out for that long?
"Okay, two questions," I said. "How did you find me and what the hell happened to me?" Jordan looked like he was about to say something but Tanner quickly interrupted him.
"Watch and learn," Tanner said, with a cheeky grin, as he held out his phone to me. I internally facepalmed when I saw it was open to 'My Stories' on Snapchat.
"Don't tell me you made a Snapchat story about what happened to me last night," I groaned.
"That's exactly what I did," Tanner said, his grin widening. "Besides, it does a pretty good job detailing your little adventure last night." If this was anything like the Snapchat story Tanner had made detailing Grace's adventure in the South Korean embassy, then I was going to be in for a short film. I made myself comfortable then clicked on Tanner's Snapchat story.
"at this fancy party" The first Snap was a bored selfie of Tanner.
"all these ppl dancing and having a good time" The screen changed to a picture of the dance floor. I spotted Megan and Noah and Thomas and Rosie dancing.
"and ive got this huge table all 2 myself #ForeverAlone" The next Snap was a picture of the empty table that we had previously been sitting at.
"someone help me pls. currently dying" The screen changed to a dejected selfie of Tanner.
"BRO WTF R U DOING GET YO ASS BACK 2 THE DANCE FLOOR" A slightly blurry picture of me weaving my way through the dancing couples, with Lila staring after me, showed up on the screen.
"wait my homeboy looks like hes on a mission ;o;" The screen changed to a picture of me running towards the door that Dominic had disappeared through.
"I better go see what hes up to" The next Snap was a selfie of Tanner with a determined look on his face, followed by a video of Tanner weaving his way through the dance floor.
I expected to see some shots of the dark hallway or the spiralling staircase next. What showed up on the screen was the last thing that I expected to see. It was a selfie of Tanner with the portrait of Fredrick the First, except both he and Fredrick were decked out with the deer lens. The next Snap was a similar selfie of Tanner and the portrait of Queen Catalina decked out with the flower crown lens. Selfies of Tanner and the portraits of the royal family in various Snapchat lenses kept rolling across the screen.
"Really, bro?" I asked, looking up from Tanner's phone.
"What?" Tanner replied, with an innocent shrug. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Besides, when else are you ever going to see former Adrian rulers in flower crowns?" I just rolled my eyes, focusing my attention back on Tanner's phone. Even though I really didn't see the point in Snapchat selfies with past members of Adria's royal family, I had to give Tanner credit for being able to get the dog ears lens on each person in the portrait of King Alexander the Second, his wife, and their two sons.
After an endless stream of selfies, a video of Tanner opening the door popped up on the screen, captioned "omg sketchiest door ever O.O HERE WE GO"
"HOLY SHIT ITS DARK IN HERE" The screen stayed black as the eyes emoji popped up.
"up we go. Hopefully homeboy is up here" The screen changed to a video of Tanner ascending the staircase. The staircase was lit with a jarring white light, like Tanner had aimed his phone flashlight at it.
"where tf is everyone? ? ? homeboy please be up here" The screen changed to a picture of the staircase landing with the lit torches.
"oh shit do u hear that? ? ?" The screen was black but I faintly heard voices conversing in Adrian. I shivered when I realized it was the tail-end of the clandestine conversation I had overheard.
"OMG WTF IS GOING ON?! WHAT DO I DO NOW?!" The screen stayed black but I heard loud, pounding footsteps and the blaring of my text tone.
"looks like it's a sketchy-ass closet or bust" I was just able to spot the outline of a large, antique closet in the dark picture.
The screen switched to a video filmed through the narrow crack in the closet door. I barely made out the outlines of a couple dark figures. I heard voices arguing in Adrian.
"What have you done?"
"Did you get him?"
"Nailed it. He should be out for a few hours. Don't worry, he'll be fine."
"Now what? Are we just going to leave him there?"
"You tell me, what else are we going to do with him? It will raise suspicions if someone sees him in that state. Besides, he should have known better." My text tone suddenly sounded again.
"What is that? I kept hearing it over and over."
"Ugh, it's his phone. I'll deal with it." That voice cursed in Russian. "Can you believe it? He was recording our conversation!"
"Delete it."
"Of course. It's gone. He'll have no proof that we ever had this conversation."
"How did he know we were up here?"
"Did he follow any of you?" There was a brief moment of silence.
"Come on, let's go before someone notices we're missing. We can talk about this later."
The screen switched to a selfie of Tanner with a surprised look on his face, captioned "shit that convo ;o; I hope homeboy is alright"
"we clear yet? here goes nothing" The screen switched to a video of Tanner slowly opening the closet door then using his phone flashlight to scan both ends of the hallway. It was empty.
"I think we're good. Homeboy where r u? ? ?" A video of Tanner pacing up and down the hallway played next.
"shit u alright bro? ? ?" The next Snap was a video of Tanner zooming in on my face and trying to wake me up.
"shit I think he's out cold. I may need to get backup" A very attractive picture of me, out cold on the floor, showed up next. The screen quickly changed to a front-camera video.
"Tanner, what are you doing? Get off Snapchat and get your ass over here," video Jordan yelled. In the video, I saw Jordan holding my arms and Noah holding my legs while Tanner was recording both of them, a goofy grin on his face.
"Just a sec. I need to make sure Alexei sees this when he wakes up." Video Tanner cheekily waved at the camera. I rolled my eyes at that.
The screen changed to a video of Tanner and Jordan in Jordan's car. They weren't speaking but the radio was quietly playing in the background. Tanner slowly panned the camera towards the backseat, where my unconscious form was sprawled out.
"Don't worry, bro, we'll take care of you," video Tanner said. Video Jordan nodded in agreement, keeping his eyes on the road.
"peace out bro" The next Snap was a picture of me lying on my bed. I really did look like I was peacefully asleep, instead of knocked out cold.
Tanner's Snapchat story ended there, bringing up his stories again. I stared down at Tanner's phone in disbelief. What had I just seen?
"What do you think, bro?" Tanner asked, taking his phone back.
"I –" I started. I didn't even know what to think.
"Shocking?" Mikhail asked.
"That's an understatement," I muttered. I didn't know what was more shocking, the fact that my father had willingly knocked me out cold or that Tanner had somehow managed to put all that on Snapchat without getting caught.
"Damn, bro, I still can't believe that about your dad. He's up to some real shady shit," Jordan said, shaking his head.
"I agree; it wasn't right of your father to do that to you," Mikhail said.
"It's not like any of you would have been able to stop him," I muttered, taking a bite of my syrniki. I then turned my attention to Tanner. "Were you really in that closet the whole time, recording everything?" Tanner meekly nodded, not saying a word.
"Damn, I could make so many coming-out jokes right now," Jordan said. Tanner gave Jordan a dirty look.
"What? It's true, you know," Jordan continued, with a shrug. He then turned his attention back to me. "Bro, you should check your phone and see if your dad really did delete that recording." I reached into my dress pants for my phone but panicked when it wasn't there.
"Here, Lyosha," Mikhail said, handing me my phone. "Your father must have taken your phone from you after you passed out. He gave it to me earlier this morning."
"Thank you," I replied. I turned on my phone and clicked on the sound recording app. Sure enough, nothing was there. I checked the recycle bin folder on my phone. Much to my surprise, there were no sound recording files in there. It looked like my father had covered his tracks well.
"It's not anywhere on my phone," I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
"Shit, that sucks," Jordan said.
"There's still proof though," Mikhail said, a small smile on his face. I was momentarily confused until I realized what Mikhail was talking about.
"Tanner, your Snapchat story," I said, having a lightbulb moment. "Can you play it again? I want to see which parts of the conversation you caught." Tanner clicked into the relevant videos from his Snapchat story. He turned the volume up, so we could all hear it. He didn't get all of that conversation but he did get the bit at the end where my father said he would be happy to take Dominic's place, as well as the bit where Dominic said he'd personally deliver the body. It wasn't everything but I hoped it'd be enough to prove something was going on.
"That's it?" Jordan asked.
"That's all I got," Tanner replied, with a shrug. He then turned to me. "Alexei, you heard more than that?"
"Way more," I said. I suddenly thought back to that conversation I had overheard, the first time I was in the tunnels. Was that conversation connected with the one I had overheard last night? Something inside me, a gut feeling, told me that they were. I started feeling sick, due to the thought that someone had likely been planning to murder Grace for a long time.
"You okay, bro?" Tanner asked, looking at me funny. I didn't answer him.
"Lyosha, what's going on?" Mikhail asked. He sat down next to me on the bed, gently placing a hand on my arm. He didn't say anything else but looked at me intensely. If there was anyone who knew when something was wrong with me, it was Mikhail. He had always been able to see right through me and know what I was truly feeling, just like I did with Grace.
"The people that I heard talking last night, I think they're planning something big," I started, unable to keep my voice from cracking. After keeping everything to myself for so long, it was weird to finally vocalize it. Mikhail nodded quietly, encouraging me to go on.
I took a deep breath, telling Tanner, Jordan, and Mikhail about everything I had heard and seen. The clandestine conversation in the basement of the Russian embassy, the conversation that started it all. The conversation between Ms. Chancellor and Dominic that Tanner, Jordan, and I had heard when we were down in the tunnels. My father's suspicious behaviour, especially that one meeting he had in the palace. Grace's suspicions about Dominic. Ms. Chancellor's phone call to Dominic that Noah and I had overheard in the secret passageway in the American embassy. And finally, everything that had happened at the party last night.
"Damn, bruh, that's intense," Tanner said, when I finished. "I had no idea you had heard and seen so much shit."
"Tell me about it," Jordan agreed. "I knew there was some sketchy shit going on but damn, you almost seem like you're in too deep."
"Thanks," I muttered sarcastically.
"Maybe your girl's trouble-attracting tendencies have rubbed off on you," Tanner said, with a smirk. I gave him a death glare. I did not attract trouble like Grace did. For me, clandestine conversations just tended to show up at rather inconvenient times.
"You didn't have to keep it all to yourself," Mikhail said gently. "You could have confided in me."
"Or us," Jordan seconded. "We got your back. Bros for life, right?"
"Right," I said, after a split-second hesitation. Tanner, Jordan, and Mikhail all looked at me.
"What aren't you telling us, bro?" Tanner asked, looking right at me.
"I – I didn't want to tell anyone, in case my father found out and tried to hurt any of you," I said, unable to keep my voice from cracking. "I couldn't let that happen to any of you."
"You seriously think your dad would hurt us if he found out you told us?" Jordan asked. "That seems kind of extreme, even for him."
"I wouldn't put it past him," I muttered.
"I agree," Mikhail said, surprising us all. He looked right at me as he continued. "Lyosha, you were right in thinking that your father's been acting really strangely lately. I know for a fact that he's been having a lot of private meetings and phone calls recently. He seems … different, and not in a good way." My stomach dropped. How involved was my father in this plan to murder Grace?
"I'd be careful if I were you," Mikhail continued. "That goes for both of you too, Tanner and Jordan." Tanner and Jordan meekly nodded.
"What's going on?" I demanded. "What do you know that I don't?"
"I don't know any more than you," Mikhail admitted. "However, I do know your father better than anyone else does. And I know when he's up to something. I'm almost afraid to say this but your father is starting to act like the cold-blooded killer I knew back in the Russian Special Forces. You were right to suspect a murder is being planned, Lyosha. There's nothing else that could make your father act this strangely." My heart suddenly skipped a beat. I had been right about my father acting really sketchy. Knowing it was worse than merely suspecting it because now, I couldn't blame my imagination. It was real, more real than I ever imagined it could have been.
"So what do we do now?" Jordan asked. "I don't think the four of us could stop a murder, even if we tried."
"Like I said earlier, I'd advise the three of you to be very careful," Mikhail said. "If you see or hear anything suspicious, try to get tangible proof, without incriminating yourself. There are people I know in the embassy who have connections to law enforcement. They have the power to use that proof and prevent anything from happening."
"Well, we all know who totally failed at that," Tanner said, giving me a look. I glared at him.
"Tanner, your Snapchat story counts as proof too," Mikhail said.
"Really?" Tanner's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Of course. Any electronic video or audio counts as proof. Although I suppose it'd be gone by this time tomorrow," Mikhail mused.
"Right, twenty-four-hour Snap story time limit," Jordan echoed.
"Come on, guys, really? It's me," Tanner said, like he couldn't believe we were seriously doubting him. "I always save my Snaps and Stories to both my Snapchat Memories and my phone's camera roll, which automatically gets backed up to iCloud. I didn't get the yearbook superlative of 'Best Snap Stories' for nothing. Trust me, my Snaps aren't disappearing any time soon." I was suddenly grateful that Tanner was super obsessed with Snapchat. I had never thought it would come in handy but right now, it was the only evidence we had of last night's murder plan conversation.
"Yeah, how the hell did you not get caught Snapping everything?" Jordan asked incredulously. "Especially since the Murder Gang was, like, two feet away."
"Chill, bro, I got skills," Tanner said, waving Jordan off.
"Who knows, maybe those skills could potentially save someone's life," Mikhail said, with a smile. Jordan glared at Tanner, for getting Mikhail's support.
"Anyways, I gotta leave for work," Jordan said, checking the time on his phone.
"Oh please, you're just leaving because you're jealous of my sick Snap skills," Tanner said, with a grin.
"Jokes on you because I'm your ride back, remember?" Jordan asked, giving Tanner a pointed look. Tanner blanched, his pride disappearing.
"Right," Tanner replied, his voice suddenly small. "We going soon?"
"Just about," Jordan said, as he started packing up his stuff.
"Have a fun ride back, guys," I replied, enjoying the awkward tension between Tanner and Jordan. I gave them a cheeky wave. Jordan waved back while Tanner just gave me an awkward look.
"Alexei, you coming to Lila's party tonight?" Jordan asked.
"Might as well," I replied, with a shrug. It wasn't like I had anything better to do. "You guys going?"
"Wouldn't miss it," Tanner replied, with a grin. It looked like he had recovered from Jordan's earlier burn. Jordan nodded in agreement.
"I'll text you guys later. See you tonight," I said. Tanner and Jordan both waved then headed out of my room, closing the door behind them.
"Eat. Your food's getting cold," Mikhail said. I nodded, forcing myself to choke down the rest of my breakfast. With Tanner and Jordan gone, it was much quieter. On any other day, I would have appreciated the peace and quiet. Yet, after everything that had happened, the quiet was almost disconcerting. It felt like someone was watching me, recording my moves, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"How are you feeling about everything?" Mikhail asked quietly.
"I – I don't know," I replied honestly. "More than anything, I'm scared for Grace. I'm scared I won't be able to protect her if, no, when the time comes." I shivered as I said that. Although I could keep denying it all I wanted, sooner or later, something was going to happen to Grace. I suddenly recalled Dominic's words, about how it would be done in twenty-four hours. That had been last night and now, it was already mid-afternoon. Time was running out.
"I understand. I imagine you'd want to keep her safe." Mikhail nodded, giving me a sincere look.
"It's just … I don't understand how everything fits together. It's all so confusing." As if all those previous clandestine conversations hadn't been confusing enough, last night's conversation just made things worse. My brain was starting to hurt from trying to make sense of it all.
"What's confusing you the most?" Mikhail asked gently.
"Dominic's role in this," I replied. That was easily the biggest headache in this whole murder plan debacle. "It seems like Dominic is tasked to commit the actual murder, but if you listen to his tone of voice, it almost sounds like he doesn't want to do it." I grabbed my phone and clicked into Tanner's Snapchat story again. I clicked through to the relevant video and listened to the tail-end of the chilling conversation that was burned into my memory.
"I see," Mikhail said, with a nod. "Dominic does sound a bit unsure. Add in the fact that you said he sounded really unsure in the first conversation you overheard. Do you think he'll actually go through with it? Or could he have other plans?" I hadn't considered that Dominic could have other plans. However, his conversations with Ms. Chancellor complicated things even more. Could those have been his other plans? If so, then what were he and Ms. Chancellor up to? And how could I be sure that Ms. Chancellor wasn't in on the murder plans? For all I knew, Ms. Chancellor's conversations with Dominic could have been about the easiest ways to take down Grace.
"Like what? Grace seemed pretty sure that he was going to kill again. But in those conversations, it seemed like the other people were pushing for Dominic to commit the murder."
"It seems like Dominic is getting orders to kill."
"You think so?" It made sense, in terms of explaining Dominic's reluctance.
Mikhail looked like he wanted to say something but his phone vibrated with a text. He looked down at his phone, frowning.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Your father wants to discuss something with me right now," Mikhail said, as he typed a reply.
"Could it be the murder plans?"
"I'm not sure. Your father has been doing a lot of strange things lately so I'd say anything's possible. Would you like me to keep an eye on him?"
"That'd be much appreciated. Thank you."
"No problem. I'll let you know if he says or does anything suspicious," Mikhail said. He got up then gestured to my empty tray. "Would you like me to take that back to the kitchen for you?"
"Sure, thanks," I said, handing Mikhail my tray.
"I'll talk to you later, okay? Take it easy," Mikhail said, giving me a kind look. He walked out of my bedroom, closing the door behind him. I leaned back against my bed, sighing in frustration. Trying to unravel this whole murder plan was stressing me out. I knew I could have just left it alone and pretended that I didn't know anything but I couldn't. Not when I was already in so deep. I had to figure this out, not just for myself, but for everyone else. I had to do this for Grace's sake. After all, if everything went according to plan, then she would be in grave danger. And I couldn't let anything happen to her.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between July 20 and July 26 (though I'm aiming to post it July 24 or July 25).
This chapter was a bit of a filler chapter but there will be more action next chapter. Any guesses as to which scene from the books Alexei will walk in on?
I realized I miscounted; this is the fifth last chapter and there will be four more chapters after this. I've already got a rough idea of when I'm going to post each chapter so hopefully there won't be any more late chapters! See you in a couple of weeks!
