chapter six
The knock woke up Felix from his nap. He slowly went to the door.
Who can it be? He thought. A knock was quiet. He stared at the door handle.
"Felix? I know you are there."
That surprised him. He didn't hear this voice for ages.
"Stop lurking and let me in."
"Sophie?" He asked when he was opening the door. He couldn't believe. " Is it really you?"
"Is it so strange to visit an old acquaintance from school? Can you show a little hospitality and let me in?" She looked different. Mature and tired. He last saw her when she was 16 and she was rather shy girl who wanted to be a famous pianist. Though everything changed. She met Sadik.
The thought of Turk made him froze.
"What do you want? Sadik forced you to spy for him?"
Sophie looked at him. All of her confidence disappeared. She whispered.
"I need help."
Moment later both of them were sitting on an old couch.
"Why are you here, because I don't believe that you just wanted to meet some old colleague from school."
Sophie sighed heavily. "I need your help."
"That I know, can you specify?"
She put her hand to the bag.
"I have to sell a few items. I know you can help with this."
"I am not in this business for a long time. I don't have a luck and police has an eye on me."
He noticed that Sophie desperately tightened her grip on the bag's belt. She really needs money, thought.
"But I know someone who could help." He said slowly. She looked into his eyes. "Swiss sister."
"Wait Swiss sister? You mean…"
"Yes, I mean sister of that Swiss who was always nearby you, when you were children."
"He…oh god he is involved in this shit too." She was surprised. Vash always was so… but it was long time ago.
"Sophie, where did you got the things that you want to sell?"
She was silent, but suddenly she gave him a sharp look.
"I stole them from Sadik, when I ran away." She said pointing every single word.
Felix didn't expect this answer. Perhaps he suspected something, because she wasn't as elegant as always, but still. He shook his head.
"What, I don't understand why you did it, after all you left everything for him."
Sophie sighed, she didn't want to say him why she escaped, but she needed his help so…
"It started two years ago. Some of his business went bad, he returned home furious, because some of his man were killed. Then he hit me for a first time. And that started happening more often."
"Bastard." Felix hissed. "Why you didn't run away earlier?"
"You think that I wasn't trying.? When I said I am leaving, he beat me senseless. Some time later I packed my belongings and tried to escape, but his man coughed me. He broke my arm and cut my eyebrow. "
"But why did you run away now?"
Sophie gulped loudly.
"Three months ago Sadik raped me in front of his people."
After a while Felix recovered from the shock.
"Son of a bit…"
"It was not a first time when he… force me. It happened before. But after that I realized that the life with him is my slow death. And If I must die I want it quickly. So I ran away, one of his men helped me. The Greek."
"And what if Sadik find out, he will take a revenge?"
Sophie paled.
"Heracles is his trusted man, he is closer to Sadik then his family. He wouldn't find out."
"May, because this Turk is not a person who easily forgive."
"I need money, so I could hide from him." She muttered.
"All, all right." He finally said.
"Thank you Felix. You know I , for a moment, was thinking that you will not open the door. I tried to talk with Eduard, but he didn't want to talk. Anyway, what is with others, Toris for example?"
"And how am I supposed to know?" He responded sharply, much more sharply, then he wanted. "I have no contact with him."
Sophie looked at him suspiciously. She remembered that Felix and Toris were the best friends since forever.
"What happened between you two?"
"Our paths diverged."
"You quarrelled? About what?"
""Girl. He was with a wrong girl." He hissed through his teeth.
"And how could you know that she was wrong?"
"I proved him that she was just treacherous bitch, ready to slept with anyone."
"You proved him?" Suddenly she understood. "Felix , you slept with your best friend's girl."
He raised his voice.
"Sooner or later she would betray him!"
"It was your friend! You betrayed him!"
"And who you are to judge me?" He shouted.
"Felix…"
"You know what, you were the first who betrayed. You left everything! Friends, family, Vash!"
"I shouldn't come here." She whispered. She wanted to say something more, but for what?
"Great, you will run away one more time."
For truth he wanted to tell her, that she should start fighting instead of running, because you can't run away from Sadik, you can only fight. But he only hissed.
"I want you to go away and never come back." She closed a door with a laud slam.
o
Eduard didn't sleep. He listened and waited. He knew they will come.
In the morning he hear a knock, he jumped and went to the entrance trying not to made any noise.
"Eduard?"
This wasn't expected at all. It was Sophie's voice. He didn't see her for a few years. He wanted to open, but suddenly he thought. Sophie and Sadik.
And he didn't open his door.
He couldn't believe that Sadik used her and now when he had to deal with this Honda. Eduard shuddered at the thought that Sadik wanted to know something about Japanese.
Suddenly his door was kicked and he was surrounded by Sadiks' men.
"Sorry for unexpected visit Eduard." Sadik began. " But I was afraid that you can be somewhere else if you would know about my visit."
"Oh no." Eduard croaked.
"I am happy to hear that. But you have a bad habit, you should open immediately."
"I wasn't home whole day, my neighbour told me that someone was here."
"You know I come here for my data… wait you said that someone was here today."
"Antonio?"
"I didn't send anyone Sadik."
"Then who?" The Turk grabbed Eduard's collar. "Who was here? Do you have any business that I don't know?"
Honda, the thought flashed through Estonian. If Sadik discover it, he will kill me.
"Sophie, your girlfriend."
Sadik was surprised, but then he made a grimace that terrified Eduard.
"My girlfriend… We have a good topic, let's talk.