Hey guys, I hope you've been doing well! The last few chapters have been pretty serious so read on for some comic relief featuring everyone's favourite duo! ;)
Gonna reply to reviews on the previous chapter, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!
Allison Claire: Thank you for your kind words; I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter! I tried to make it realistic but not boring. I hope this chapter finds you well!
Guest: Good job on picking up the foreshadowing! I like to throw some in every now and then ;)
A New Look: I'm glad you're enjoying this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan and Alexei's Moscow friends (Roman, Eugene, Josef, and Yulia), 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.
The events that happen in this fanfiction are not meant to be representative of real life. Any similarities to any real-life events or fictional works is purely coincidental and not intentional (with the exception of the original Embassy Row books by Ally Carter since this fanfiction is literally See How They Run but from Alexei's, not Grace's, perspective). The character's actions may not always reflect my own opinions or views. Based on what is mentioned in this chapter (spoiler alert), I do not condone tampering with a crime scene.
Trigger warning: none to mild
This fanfiction is rated T, for suggestive themes, language, and violence. This chapter contains mild to moderate language and somewhat dark thoughts about death. Read at your own discretion.
Chapter Nineteen: Lila to the Rescue
I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping, something I normally didn't hear from my room at the Russian embassy. I rolled over, trying to fall back asleep but it was no use. My mind wouldn't calm down, thanks to the incessant chirping. I sighed, deciding it was time to get up. I checked the time on the emergency phone. 7:00 a.m. It looked like I had a long day ahead of me.
I slowly crawled out of the sleeping bag, noting that I felt stiff. As I attempted to stretch my back, it made tons of cracking noises. I cursed as jolts of pain kept flaring up and down my back. What a lovely start to my morning. This was easily the sorest my back had ever been.
My entire body felt sore and stiff as I stood up. I slowly made my way outside. It was still early enough that there was a low risk of being seen. I slowly stretched every part of my body. It seemed like my whole body was tense and I wondered if that was due to sleeping on the hard cave floor or if the stress of the past few days was really getting to me. I decided it was a combination of both. Either way, I'd really need to get a handle on things, especially if my next few days were to be spent in the cave. I couldn't be wimping out on the first day, not with my future so uncertain.
My body felt much better after that long stretching session. Although I didn't feel completely normal, I felt much less tense. I ate a quick breakfast of a couple protein bars and water. I was still hungry after that though, since I normally ate a lot. Again, it was just another thing that I'd have to get used to with life in the cave, especially since I had no idea when someone would be stopping by with food.
If I was going to be here for an extended period of time, then I would need extra provisions. Even though I doubted I'd need to make a fire, given the warm temperatures, I figured it wouldn't hurt to gather firewood. I set out in search of any small sticks and leaves that could be used to fuel a fire. I made sure not to stray too far from the cave, in case anyone else was out. I had no idea how often this area was frequented but if a search was out for me, then there were potentially no limits to the search boundaries.
I suddenly realized that if I was being pursued, I wouldn't be safe anywhere, whether I was in Valancia, Moscow, or elsewhere in the world. Eventually, I would be found. The only way I would truly be safe again was if my name was cleared. Given the fact that I had missed my one chance at clearing my name, my safety didn't seem very likely anymore. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get another opportunity to prove my innocence. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life bearing the burden for another man's crimes. But if my name wasn't cleared and my innocence wasn't proven, then I could very well be stuck in this cave, or in prison, for the rest of my life. Neither of those options sounded particularly appealing to me.
After doing a lap around the surrounding area, making sure the cave was in my sight at all times, I had collected a decent pile of kindling. I carried it back to the cave, setting it next to my plethora of miscellaneous supplies. I did a quick inventory of everything I had, deciding I would be fine for a while. I had to put my faith in Grace, Noah, Megan, and Rosie and trust they would bring any necessary supplies. Without them, it wouldn't be long before I ran out of food and water. I supposed I could always take the risk of finding my own food, like gathering berries and plants and hunting down small animals. I wasn't sure if there was a water filtration kit somewhere in my supplies, so I could filter river water or rainwater. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to have my own supply of food and water, if someone wasn't able to come bring me food. I was starting to feel like I was in the Hunger Games, except it was for my own survival, rather than entertainment for some sick-minded psychos. Either way, if things didn't work out, then I would be paying the price with my life.
I shuddered at that dark thought. I had never given much thought to my mortality until now. Yet, given the rate things were going, my death was starting to look more certain with each passing moment. I didn't feel prepared for that yet and probably wasn't going to accept that fact until I was facing certain death, whether it was at the hands of a masked gunman or a fiery explosion. I startled at how morbid that thought was, wondering when I gotten so cynical. Then again, with everything that had happened over the last few days, it wouldn't be surprising if it had started affecting my sanity. I wondered how much longer I'd have before I went completely insane. I tried not to think about that, losing my mind from spending the rest of my life in a secluded cave. I wondered if I'd die from the loneliness first or if the insanity would encapsulate me, until it drove me to suicide.
I mentally chastised myself for getting so negative. After all, that wasn't going to help anything. I had to stay positive. Grace, Megan, Noah, and Rosie were doing their best to help me through this mess. Besides, this was just the first night, which was always the toughest. It would get easier. I just had to take this one step at a time.
Sitting around and drowning in my thoughts wasn't going to help me. But I knew a workout would. I headed out of the cave, so I'd have more space to spread out. I started with a quick cardio circuit before working my way through a full-body HIIT workout of bodyweight exercises. My body was still quite stiff from sleeping on the cold cave floor last night, making my workout that much harder. I was probably going to wake up in a lot more pain tomorrow. Nonetheless, the workout was still nice, as it was something normal.
By the time I finished, I had worked up a sweat. A shower would have been nice but unfortunately, I didn't have that luxury. I stripped off my sweaty clothes. I grabbed a small washcloth and a bottle of water. Trying to use as little water as possible, I wiped myself down. It wasn't super satisfying but it was enough to get rid of most of the sweat. I still couldn't shake the feeling of uncleanliness though. It was a dull, uncomfortable feeling that lingered in the back of my mind, far enough away that it was out of my consciousness but still powerful enough to linger in my subconscious.
Embassy life really had spoiled me. I had it good living in the Russian embassy. Looking back, I had definitely been taking its perks for granted, with access to resources and opportunities that many others in the world could only dream about. All those balls, fancy parties, opportunities to meet officials from around the world, those were all gone now. There had been so many times that I had dreaded the thought of having to present myself nicely and behave accordingly at yet another fancy event. Yet now, I found myself missing that and would give anything to be able to attend another fancy party. If I ever made it out of this mess and was able to get back to some semblance of my old life, then I would start appreciating all the perks of embassy life for what they were worth.
I rummaged through the backpack, looking for some clean clothes. I found a plain black, crew-neck t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts, things that I wouldn't normally wear. However, beggars couldn't be choosers and I would just have to make do with what I had. Besides, it felt nice to slip into some clean clothes, as it made me feel a little more human.
I checked the time on the emergency phone. 10:00 a.m. The workout and the stretching session had killed a bit of time but I could still imagine all those endless hours stretching out before me. There wasn't a whole lot to do out here. I really hoped I wouldn't start drowning in my thoughts again, a sure-fire road to insanity.
I suddenly heard voices and panicked. Were Grace, Noah, Megan, and Rosie back already? No, it didn't sound like them. Besides, they would have sent a message on the emergency phone before heading out. Had someone finally caught onto me? Was this going to be the end? However, my fear quickly dissipated as I realized how familiar the voices sounded.
"Bro, where the hell have you been?" I turned to see Tanner poking his head in the cave, Jordan and Lila behind him.
"Camping out for a bit," I replied, gesturing at the small expanse of the cave. I tried my best to hide my surprise for two reasons. One, that Tanner, Jordan, and Lila somehow knew where I was and two, that Lila was hanging out with them. Something about the three of them together seemed super sketchy to me.
"We can see that. Mind giving us a cave tour?" Jordan asked, peeking around Tanner.
"There's not much to see," I said, with a small laugh.
"Damn, they weren't kidding about you living it rough," Tanner replied.
"They?" I asked, confused.
"Grace filled me in," Lila said. Again, I had to hide my surprise. Since when were Grace and Lila on speaking terms?
"Then Lila texted us and now, here we are. How's the caveman life going?" Tanner asked.
"Kinda rough. Not a whole lot to do," I replied honestly.
"I'll say. I barely have one bar of cell service out here," Jordan said.
"So, do you mind telling me what you're doing here?" I asked, cutting to the chase. As nice as it was to see Tanner, Jordan, and Lila, their sudden appearance had seemed kinda fishy from the start.
"Do you want to talk first? Or would you rather eat?" Lila asked. It was then that I noticed the small, white, plastic bag in Lila's hand. The smell of hot food hit me all at once and my mouth instantly started watering.
"I figured you'd go for the food," Lila said, handing me the bag. "Freshly made from Amelia's. Got you your fave." I took the take-out container out of the bag, opening it to be greeted with the best possible sight. A freshly cooked Mediterranean omelette, a large, steaming hot pile of hash browns, and thick slices of rye toast slathered with butter. I grabbed the plastic fork wedged into the container and instantly started digging in.
"Good?" Lila asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"You have no idea," I mumbled around a mouthful of omelette. Admittedly, I had been starving. Food had never tasted so good in my life.
"I thought so. Figured you'd be hungry," Lila said. I wordlessly kept eating, grateful that Lila had thought to bring me food. Unless I kept getting hand-delivered take-out, this would probably be my last hot and freshly-cooked meal for a while.
"Damn, bro, what is this?" I looked over to see Tanner and Jordan investigating all the gadgets that had been smuggled out for me. Lila zoned in on the object in Tanner's hands and instantly rolled her eyes.
"Oh my god, did Noah seriously smuggle that out?" she groaned. "That's our dad's beloved coffee dripper for camping. He is going to be pissed if he realizes that's missing." Tanner instantly dropped the coffee dripper, like it was on fire.
"I would be careful with that if I were you," Lila chastised. "That is not cheap. Besides, you should have seen Noah's weak attempts at sneaking food from the breakfast table this morning. The kitchen staff were totally onto him."
"I wouldn't be surprised. That guy knows how to charm but he really lacks the guts to do the serious stuff," Jordan said.
"I'll say. He really needs to learn a thing or two from me," Lila replied. She turned towards me. "After all, I was successfully able to get you enough food to last at least a week or two." I looked up from my take-out container in confusion. Lila just looked at Tanner and Jordan. Like they were under a spell, the two of them climbed out of the cave, returning with tons of reusable cloth grocery bags.
"I took them on a little trip to the grocery store this morning," Lila said. "We filled those bags to the brim." Tanner and Jordan set the bags in front of me. I took a quick peek inside them. They were filled with all sorts of non-perishable, ready to eat food items like cereal boxes, granola bars, protein bars, canned nuts, dried fruit packets, and fruit cups. Jordan also brought in a twenty-four pack of bottled water.
"In case Grace and company keep failing at bringing you food, I thought I'd get you prepared," Lila said.
"You honestly didn't have to do this for me," I replied, stunned.
"Of course, you'll have to be careful in case wild animals decide to come and steal your food," Lila said. "But that should last you a while."
"I honestly think I'll be good for at least a month or two. Thank you so much, Lila." I couldn't stop myself from looking down at the bags in awe. What had I done to deserve Lila's kindness? We had a rocky relationship and a tumultuous history, to say the least, but here she was, pulling through for me in the most unexpected ways.
"Oh, by the way, this is also for you." Lila handed me a smaller bag. I looked inside, seeing all the toiletries I could possibly need, and then some. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, mouthwash, deodorant, dry shampoo, wet wipes. She really had thought of everything.
"Wow, Lila, this is too much," I said, setting the bag down next to the sleeping bag. "I mean it, thank you so much." I didn't know how I could possibly repay her for this.
"Don't worry about it," Lila said, with a dismissive wave. I set down my empty take-out container, dragging the grocery bags over to the portable stove. I'd have to figure out where to hide them strategically, so I'd still have enough provisions in the event of an animal invasion.
"Oh my god, how much shit did Noah smuggle out of the embassy?" Lila groaned, eyeing the portable stove and the other food-making contraptions.
"Hey, that was all him and Grace's doing," I said, holding up my hands in defense. "I had zero control over this entire operation."
"Clearly," Lila muttered. "If I had known Noah was going to bring you the entirety of our dad's camping gear, then I would have bought cookable food. Guess that'll be tomorrow's grocery store trip."
"Honestly, Lila, you don't need to. The non-perishable food is more than enough," I said, placing my hand on her arm.
"If you're going to be camping out here for a while, then I'm going to make it as comfortable for you as I can," Lila argued. She gave me an intense look, one that meant there was no arguing with her.
"So, is all this permanent or what?" Tanner asked.
"It depends. Grace and company are currently working on a way to get you out of this," Lila replied.
"I'm sure that's going well," Jordan said sarcastically.
"There's been a couple rough starts," Lila said. "They did well in hiding you here. I guess that little German pipsqueak was good for something. But they're really lacking someone who knows what's up and can get right to the bottom of this."
"And that's where you come in?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Lila.
"Exactly." Lila gave me a full-out grin. "Like I said, Grace and I talked. Everyone, from law enforcement to Secret Service, is already moving on, focusing their search on you, not who really killed Spence."
"Wait, you don't think I killed Spence?" It was hard to keep the surprise out of my voice.
"Of course not." Lila looked me right in the eye. "I know you, Alexei. You might be a heartbreaker but you're not a murderer." I didn't miss the look Tanner and Jordan gave each other.
"Yet, the police and everyone else beg to differ," Lila continued. "They're not going to be any help in finding Spence's real killer. The only way we can really get any leads is to go back to the island."
"Say what?" Tanner asked in shock, looking up from his phone.
"Has all that glitter hair spray clogged your ears?" Lila deadpanned. I couldn't stop myself from laughing and neither could Jordan. Tanner just gave us a dirty look. "I repeat, we are going back to the island. It's the only way we can find something that might help Alexei."
"As much as I'd love to help you out, bro, I am not going back to that creepy island," Tanner replied.
"I'm with Tanner," Jordan seconded. "Besides, I got work soon."
"Making excuses, huh," I muttered. "What happened to bros for life?"
"Pretty sure bro code doesn't extend to creepy, deserted islands," Jordan said, with a shrug. I begged to differ but I was too tired to argue.
"Besides, even if they're not coming, I'll be there for you," Lila said reassuringly. "I know every inch of that island. I'm going back there and nothing's going to stop me, not even a police threat. I'll do whatever it takes to help you out of this mess, Alexei." I smiled. That was the Lila I knew, headstrong in her beliefs and not willing to take anyone's crap.
"Thank you, Lila," I said earnestly. Even if Tanner and Jordan were seriously flaking, making me question the strength of our bro code, I was glad I had another ally in Lila.
"Of course." She gave me a small smile before turning to Jordan. "Jordan, you still have that boat, right?"
"Um, I guess so? It's parked at the harbour right now. My co-worker said I could use it whenever," Jordan said, trying his hardest not to look weirded out.
"Good. We're going to need it," Lila said, a look of determination on her face.
"Damn, bro, you sure this is a good idea?" Tanner asked skeptically, as Jordan took us over to the boat.
"I texted my co-worker and he said it'd be fine," Jordan replied, although he looked just as skeptical as Tanner.
"Relax, your precious boat will be fine," Lila said. "We're just going to the island and back, not on some crazy expedition throughout the Mediterranean."
"You might as well be, considering all the creepy shit on that island," Tanner muttered. Lila gave him a death glare as the four of us stepped onto the boat.
"Alexei, you might want to lay low, just in case," Lila said, looking at me. "I don't want to risk anyone seeing you here." I nodded in agreement, heading down to the boat's small cabin. Although we didn't pass anyone on the way here, thanks to Lila forcing Jordan to drive a long, circuitous route to the harbour, it would be easy for someone to spot me on the open waters. Tanner followed me down, leaving Jordan to show Lila the controls.
"Bro, you really think it's a good idea to go back to the place where it all began?" Tanner asked, as we sat down on a bench inside the cabin.
"It's not like I have anything better to do," I replied, with a shrug.
"You could really clean yourself up, for one." Tanner glanced up at my hair.
"That bad?" Tanner held his phone out to me, open to the front camera. I groaned at the screen. I looked pretty awful, to say the least. My eyes were slightly bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. There was dark stubble all along my jawline. My hair was sticking up in a million different directions. I ran my hand over my hair, trying my best to smooth it down, but it just shot back up. I frowned in annoyance at the screen as Tanner laughed.
"Yeah, you've definitely seen better days," Tanner said. "Though you don't look too bad for an international fugitive camping out in the middle of nowhere."
"Thanks for the compliment," I deadpanned. Only one night of living it rough and I was already looking like a mess. I couldn't imagine how much worse my appearance would get if I kept up this lifestyle. I would have given anything for an hour in a bathroom to freshen up and feel more human.
"We got you, bro, okay? Me and Jordan. We'll get you through this." Tanner looked at me with fierce determination. I nodded, although I wasn't quite feeling it. For one, they weren't coming to the island to help find anything that could clear my name. And they hadn't done anything to help me adjust to my new fugitive status. It was Grace, Megan, Noah, and Rosie, and now Lila, who had really pulled through for me, by finding me somewhere to stay, getting me supplies so I could get settled, and essentially risking their lives for me. I honestly couldn't thank them enough for everything they had done. Sure, I understood if Tanner and Jordan didn't really want to help me. After all, it was a crime to aid a fugitive and they could very well get arrested if they were caught helping me. However, part of me had been hoping they would come to my aid since we had been close friends for so long. I wondered if bro code also extended to bros who were currently wanted fugitives. A part of me told me it didn't.
The door to the cabin swung open. Jordan stood in the doorway, Lila behind him.
"I think we're good to go," Jordan said. "Tanner, you ready?" Tanner nodded before glancing back at me.
"I'd give you a hug but you're looking less than ideal, no offense," Tanner said, giving me a dubious once-over.
"No worries, bro, I get that I look like shit," I replied.
"Anyways, we'll catch you later," Tanner said, settling for a fist-bump instead. He and Jordan walked off the boat, heading back onto the dock.
"Well, I guess that leaves us two," Lila said, looking up at me. As usual, she looked put-together, her makeup perfectly done, not a hair out of place. It was a far cry from my dishevelled appearance, making me wish for a hot shower and some clean, stylish clothes.
"We'll get through this, okay?" Lila said. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. It was comforting to know that she was on my side. "Even if Tanner and Jordan keep bailing, I'll be there for you. I won't let you go through this alone, you hear me?"
"Of course. You don't have to do this," I replied.
"Alexei, you're a good person, you know that, right?" Lila asked. I nodded, not sure what she was getting at. "Deep down, in the bottom of my heart, I know you would never kill anyone. It's my job to make the rest of the world see you as the person that I know you are."
"Thank you so much, Lila." I felt so lucky to have her by my side. I hadn't expected her to come to my aid but I was so grateful that she had.
"It's what I'm here for," Lila replied, a wry smirk on her face. "Now come on, we've got an island to explore."
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between April 26 and May 6. My school decided to have our exams online so I have two exams coming up over the next couple weeks that I'll need to study for.
I'm not sure how realistic this chapter was or how well it'd fit with the original books but it was fun to write! What do you think happens in the next chapter?
