Hey guys, I hope you're all doing well! These next couple chapters will follow the original books pretty closely, with lots of critical events. Read on to find out what happens next!
Gonna reply to reviews on the previous chapter, thanks so much for the love and to everyone who reviewed!
Guest: Aww thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter! Yeah, it's nice that the squad is reunited XD
Tessa Jane: Thank you for your understanding, I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter. I hope this chapter finds you well, read on to see what happens next!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Embassy Row series and all the characters (except for Tanner and Jordan and Alexei's Moscow friends, who are my own creations). They belong to Ally Carter. I am merely using her characters and plotline to create this fanfiction. I have no intention of profiting off the Embassy Row series in any way. 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 Take the Key and Lock Her Up but from Alexei's, not Grace's, perspective). The character's actions may not always reflect my own opinions or views. Based on what happens in this chapter (spoiler alert), I do not condone Grace's stunt to clear Alexei's name (whatever you want to call it). Additionally, I do not agree with wrongful conviction, particularly when systemic racism is at play.
Content warning: mild to moderate
This fanfiction is rated T, for suggestive themes, language, and violence. This chapter contains moderate to strong language and mentions of murder and death. Additionally, the commentary about wrongful convictions, systemic racism, and discrimination may be distressing to some. Please read at your own discretion.
Chapter Eleven: Dead Man Walking
After an unbearably long and uncomfortable silence, thanks to the revelation that Grace and Jamie's futures were not in good hands, I took Grace to the train's café. I hoped that a snack and a change of location would calm her down but unfortunately, it looked like the café was already closed for the night. Luckily, the café was just as deserted as our train car had been.
As I sat down with Grace at a large corner table, I tried not to think about the fact that, for once, we were entirely alone and there were so many things I could have done with her. But first and foremost, Grace needed time to come to terms with her future and what would happen if she chose not to accept her birthright. And with this empty room, I really wanted to talk about us. I didn't know where Grace and I now stood, especially after our kiss on Pont Alexandre III. But that was something we needed to sort out, before things started getting awkward between us.
At this point, I didn't think it was possible to deny my feelings for Grace any longer, especially with that kiss. But surely, since she initiated that kiss, she had to feel something for me, right? Yet with her, I could never get a good idea of how she felt about me. And the only way to find out would be to get her talking, whenever she decided she wanted to. But knowing her, that might be never, which meant I would have to drive the conversation. I braced myself to start when she suddenly opened her mouth.
"You should probably wear a hat or something." I jolted out of my thoughts, surprised she had spoken first, further surprised by what she just said. Was she seriously concerned about me? After all the revelations about her future, her birthright, and the potential consequences that laid down the road, all she could think about was my fugitive status? Hell, that was the last of my worries and I was the one at large, not her.
Grace looked at me wide-eyed, as if some awful realization had only just come to mind. "You need to go back, Alexei."
"I need to go back?" Back where? To Mexico? Hell, her and I would have been on a plane to Mexico right now if it hadn't been for this grand ploy of hers.
"You shouldn't have come to Europe."
"I shouldn't have come to Europe?" The shout came out of me unbidden, anger burning through my veins. To think that Grace would question my actions over the past few days was ridiculous. Not when she was the one who had bolted, causing a greater load of trouble and landing herself back in Europe, the place where all our troubles had begun. So yes, this was the absolute last place on the planet where we should be.
"You can do something besides repeat everything I say, you know." That was it.
"Oh, can I?" The words came out of me in a low growl, my control snapping. "Because what I want to do is strangle you. I want to tie you up and throw you over my shoulder and jump out of a moving train. I want to take you to the coldest place in Siberia, to the darkest part of the moon. I want to keep you safe, Gracie. So the question is, why are you so determined to stop me?"
"Is Jamie okay?" I ranted at her and all she cared about was Jamie's safety? Unbelievable, the nerve of this girl. I swore she was, quite literally, going to be the death of me. She always had been and she always would be.
I slid my hands into her hair, as if I could wind those blonde strands to my fingers, binding her to me. Now that I finally had her this close to me, I didn't ever want to be apart from her and would do everything in my power to keep it that way.
I stared into her big, brown eyes, which were looking up at me with wonder. Even now, her beauty never failed to astound me.
"Is Jamie okay?" Grace repeated, more insistent. I couldn't stop one corner of my mouth from turning up in a half-smile. It was admirable yet frustrating how self-sacrificing she was, prioritizing Jamie's well-being and safety over her own. I slid my fingers further into her hair, gently massaging her scalp, as if I could banish all the demons from her mind by doing so. She melted against me, finally giving in, leaning her head against my chest.
"Jamie isn't my primary concern at the moment." Jamie was doing just fine. He should have been the least of her concerns.
"You know what I mean, Alexei," Grace said, pushing herself away from me. "Are they still on the run or are they someplace where Jamie can get better?" So much for thinking she had given into me. Clearly, she had a one-track mind, involving Jamie and not herself. Good God, what would it take for her to realize that her safety and well-being were a priority too? That there were people who actually cared about her and wanted her to be safe and well? I stepped back, not sure how much longer I could take this.
"You ran away." It took everything in me to keep my voice from breaking.
"I ran so that the rest of you could stop running."
"You left!" I spun around, not able to face her. How on Earth could she not realize the impact she would have by running, leaving Jamie, Dominic, and I sick with worry over what she had done and where she had gone? If something had happened to her, then the three of us would have had to break the news to her grandfather, Ms. Chancellor, and all her friends in Adria. Had she not realized how devastating that would be for everyone?
"Yes," Grace eeked out. "And I'd do it again." No way was she running a second time.
I spun back to face her, putting my arms around her, squeezing her tight against me. "Not without me. Never without me. Never again." I looked down at her squirming in my arms. It only pushed me to hold her tighter, to make sure she understood.
"Say it, Grace. Say it," I commanded, my voice low and cold.
"Okay."
"Say it!" I stared at her hard, my eyes boring a hole through her. I had to hear her say it, to make her understand that she was never to run from me again. We had gone through too much for me to lose her once more and I was never letting her out of my sight, not if I could help it.
"Never again." I wasn't sure if she really meant it because it sounded a bit half-hearted. But for now, I would take it.
"I was so scared. When I woke up and you were gone … And then when I found you and those men were there … Blyad. I was so scared."
"Alexei." She looked up at me, her eyes full of guilt, as if she was only just starting to realize the impact she had by running away. Whether she wanted it or not, we were in this together, now and forevermore. I couldn't stop myself from taking in everything about her, knowing I was in it for life with this crazy, wild, and beautiful girl.
I leaned down, my lips crashing onto hers. I kissed her slowly, passionately. We essentially had all the time in the world now and I intended to keep her here, locked in this embrace so she couldn't run away from me. Not without me by her side.
The heat of the moment overtook me, passion taking over my rational thoughts. Clearly, Grace was feeling it too, completely giving into me. I debated running my tongue over her lips, seeing if she'd be receptive to more.
"Ahem." Much to my reluctance, Grace pulled away from the kiss. Thankfully, she remained locked in my arms, where I fully intended to keep her. I looked up to see Megan standing by the café's bar.
"Sorry to interrupt," Megan said, picking up a remote. In an instant, the TV behind the bar flickered to life. "But we thought you'd like to see this."
I almost recoiled in surprise at what I saw. It was the national French news station but the streets and buildings were anything but French. I instantly recognized the outside of the police station in Adria, Valancia's omnipresent old stone wall in the background. Hoards of news reporters surrounded the station as a handcuffed man was led inside by uniformed officers. But it was the headline rolling across the screen that really got my attention. West Point Murderer Arrested. What the hell…?
But before I could process what was happening, the screen changed, showing a generic looking conference room, where a press conference was currently being held. Press conferences were an everyday occurrence in Valancia, given that it was the centre of international politics. But what really caught my attention was the two men standing together, a sight I'd never thought I'd see in my life. Grace's grandfather, Ambassador Vincent, was standing at the microphone, my father next to him.
"Alexei –" Grace started before stopping short. Megan clicked another button on the remote. The volume quickly increased until Ambassador Vincent's voice became audible.
"We are extremely pleased that the perpetrator of this terrible, random crime has been caught and that Alexei Volkov's name has been cleared. Our relationship with our neighbours is very important. Ambassador Volkov and I have spoken, and I look forward to everything returning to normal as both of our countries get back to the important diplomatic work for which we are here." Ambassador Vincent glanced towards my father, who remained still, not moving, not acknowledging what was just said. My father looked less than thrilled to be standing with Ambassador Vincent, presenting a united front on the world stage. It almost seemed like an inconvenience to him that my name had been cleared. I was sure he had been enjoying these past seven weeks, doing as he pleased in the embassy, without his annoying son getting in the way or messing things up.
"Alexei!" The sound of my name brought me back to my senses. I let go of Grace just in time to catch the small, blonde blur launching herself at me.
"It's so great! You're cleared! You're free," Rosie chirped, from where she was now cradled in my arms. "You didn't do it! I mean, we always knew you didn't do it, but now everyone knows, and you're free!" The implications of what had just happened hit me. My name was cleared, but how? I thought back to how Grace had cautiously said my name, as her grandfather and my father appeared on the screen, and how she had carefully watched as her grandfather spoke. The pieces suddenly snapped together in my head, my confusion turning to rage.
"What did you do, Gracie?" I turned towards her, wanting answers now.
"Alexei, you can come home!" Rosie said, way too happily. Had she not realized what had just happened? I wanted to shake her or something, to make her see. Luckily, Noah sensed that I was two seconds from losing my shit. He stepped towards me, plucking Rosie off me.
"It's not that simple, Ro," Noah said, setting her on the ground.
"But …" Rosie started. She looked from Noah to me to Grace.
"Gracie, what did you do?" I repeated, emphasizing every syllable. I wanted answers and I wanted them now, otherwise, I was one-hundred percent going to lose my shit.
"I got you cleared," Grace said simply. How? How was something like that even possible?
"Grace?" Megan asked cautiously, like she suspected something illegal had happened to get my name cleared. I wouldn't have been surprised, given that Grace had orchestrated the whole damn thing.
"I asked the prime minister, okay?" Grace said, exasperated. "When I turned myself in to the Society, I said that I had some conditions. Clearing your name was one of them."
"And you didn't think to tell me this?" I asked. How the hell could she have kept it from me, so that I'd have to find out like everyone else by watching the international news channel?
"I didn't think it mattered! Or, well, I didn't think they'd do it. I kind of ran out on them. Literally."
"You bargained for my freedom?" I exclaimed. Jesus Christ, what kind of deal had she struck with the Society?
"You didn't do it, Alexei! You were the most wanted man in Europe for something you didn't do."
"And what of that man they arrested, Gracie?" I pointed to the screen, which displayed a mug shot of the poor man. "What did he do?" I finally realized what was bothering me so much about this. Despite the craziness of Grace's stunt to clear my name, that wasn't the worst of it. No, the thing that enraged me the most was that the man destined to take my place was a local Adrian, the characteristic dark, wavy hair and tanned skin evident in the mug shot, and that he was very likely innocent.
"I'm sure he did something," Grace said hastily, like she wasn't so sure herself. But of course she'd feel that way. As much as I hated to admit it, she too wasn't immune to the privilege granted to her as an embassy kid, allowing her to continue benefitting from the system while remaining blissfully ignorant of the discrimination faced by local Adrians.
"Most of the world was sure that I'd done something." Sure, that had been my reality for eight weeks. But I had embassy privilege, that had ultimately afforded me an easy escape, allowing my supposed crimes to be discreetly swept under the rug. And although I had inherited the characteristic Adrian features from my mother, the angular features I had inherited from my father and my Russian name were more than enough that I easily passed as Caucasian and was afforded further privilege. Unfortunately, the man who was arrested wouldn't have that same privilege, being a local Adrian. It was no secret that the ambassadors and embassy personnel were treated far better than the local Adrians, from the lavish embassies they lived in to the invitations to all the top-notch social events. Having been to Jordan's place several times, I had seen firsthand how under-resourced his neighbourhood was and how there was always a looming police presence. Historically, local Adrians were far more likely to be incarcerated for minor offenses or false charges and it wasn't just due to the diplomatic immunity extended to embassy personnel.
A horrifying realization dawned on me, of how easily that could have been Jordan, of how easily he could have been wrongly accused of a crime and how he wouldn't have the resources or the backing of an embassy to clear his name, just like this poor man. How terrible of a prison sentence would this man face, especially knowing he was very likely innocent? Was his life officially over now, doomed to share the fate of so many who had come before him because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had been singled out for all the wrong reasons? Despite being a global leader in diversity, Adria too was not immune to systemic racism and this racialization of its criminal justice system was a prime example.
"Maybe he really is the killer. We don't know. We may never know. And now you … you can go home."
"I'm not going anywhere." My father certainly was not going to welcome me back to the Russian embassy with open arms. Besides, the embassy was no longer home, now that Mikhail was long gone. Over the past seven weeks, I had built a new idea of home, one that involved Dominic, Jamie, and the beautiful girl in front of me. I wasn't going anywhere, not without Grace.
"You have to," Grace snapped, scowling. Yet, as I glanced around at Megan, Noah, and Rosie, they all seemed to be in agreement with me. They were going to stick this through, until we got this sorted out.
"You seem to think we're giving you a choice," Megan said.
"Fine." Noah shrugged. He then turned towards Grace. "Where do we start?" The three of them may not have known. But Dominic sure did, when he sat down with me to sort through the items from Grace's mother's shop. Surely, one of those paper scraps or old journals would contain the information we were missing, to fill in the gaps and definitively prove Jamie and Grace's birthright and why the royal family were after them.
Grace looked at me, her face curious yet confused. "What?"
I took a deep breath, running my hand through my hair. "I was afraid you were going to say this, so …"
"So what?" Grace prodded.
I eyed her carefully, knowing she was going to lose it if I said the wrong thing. "So I didn't come alone."
Her face instantly took on a horrified expression. "If Jamie and Dominic are in Europe, then –"
"Not your brother," I interrupted. I reached for my backpack that I had placed on one of the chairs. I brushed the crumbs off the table before unzipping the backpack. With one smooth motion, I flipped it over, sending its contents pouring onto the table. Grace looked on in awe, her gaze fixed on the table, realizing just what I had brought with me.
"I'm confused," Rosie said, scrutinizing the pile. "How is a bag full of junk going to help us?"
Grace slowly reached for the pile, running a finger along an old picture. "It's my mother's junk. She kept it in a secret room beneath her shop."
Rosie's expression instantly changed, as she took in the contents of the pile with new eyes.
"My mother collected all this," Grace said. "She collected it, and she kept it hidden." Her eyes met Megan's.
"And you only hide the things that matter," Megan said, ever quick to catch on. Soon, her and Noah joined Rosie and I at the pile. Somehow, without talking, we started sorting the pile. Pictures at one corner of the table, paper scraps in another, books and bigger items in a third corner. It was fascinating to see just how much stuff Grace's mother had collected and kept, as if she knew it would be useful one day. And this was only a small portion of it.
"Grace," Megan said, waving a small, leather-bound book in her hands. "Grace, you need to look at this. Do you recognize it?"
"It's a calendar," Grace said, barely glancing at the book. While these were just meaningless items to the rest of us, no doubt several of them held bittersweet memories for her, like that small book, resembling more than any of us ever could have imagined.
"Do you want to…?" Megan asked cautiously.
Grace shook her head. "No. You do it." Megan nodded, opening the book. At lightning speed, she flipped through it, eyes quickly flicking around.
"When was it?" Megan asked.
"November," Grace said. "Mom died the first week of November." Megan nodded, resuming her search. She suddenly stopped, flipping the pages back and forth over and over, her eyebrows scrunched together, a frown on her face.
"Grace, what do you remember about … before? In the days leading up to the fire?" Megan asked. "Was your mom acting differently? Did she say anything?" Sure, everyone had been so focused on how Grace was coping after her mother's death, myself included, but very few people had likely asked her what had happened before her mother died. Grace's eyes flicked up to the ceiling, as if deep in thought, trying to remember those precious moments.
"She was gone," Grace eeked out, the words taking her aback. "She left. The week before, she left on a buying trip for the shop. Or for the Society, I guess. I don't know. She was gone for a few days. She said it might be longer than usual because if she was going all the way to Adria, she should spend some time with Grandpa."
However, that didn't seem to satisfy Megan, as she flipped through the book again. She stopped on one page, showing its contents to Grace.
"This says she went to Binevale. Do you know where that is?" Megan asked. No, it couldn't be. That was impossible. Binevale wasn't real; Roman, Eugene, and Josef had proved it. I had seen the evidence for myself on Roman's Snapchat story. Yet, I couldn't shake that halo of light surrounding a dark shadow I had seen in the Snap story or the weird feeling that had washed over me as I sat in the car with Yulia. Suddenly, that same feeling, like someone was watching me, washed over me again. And in that moment, Binevale didn't feel so imaginary anymore.
"Megan, can you get online and see if you can find out where this town might be and what –" Grace started.
"It's not a town," I said, cutting her off. I stared out the window, reliving memories of that night. I pressed my hand against the window, trying to ground myself as the weird feeling crashed into me harder, threatening to take over my mind. It was like something, some spirit, was whispering to me, telling me that Binevale very much was real, real enough that Grace's mother had gone there, or attempted to go there, and later died. And as much as I tried to stay in the present, my mind couldn't stop going back to that fateful night in Dubrovnia, knowing deep down that everything that had happened was real, right down to that eerie halo of light. "And it's not in Adria."
Song inspo: Selena Gomez and Marshmello – 'Wolves'
Genre/ subgenre: EDM/ Future Bass
I feel like this song lyrically does a really good job of describing Grace and Alexei's journey to finding each other and really encompasses the things they both go through to finally get to each other (literally and figuratively). This song especially fits with their conversation at the beginning of this chapter, where Alexei is stating everything he'd do to keep Grace safe.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be up between May 14 and May 24. My licensing exam is coming up in a couple weeks so I'm going to have to focus on studying for that.
I'm thinking of changing the rating on this story from T-rated to M-rated, as more of a precaution to be safe, given the dark and explicit mental health content coming up in the next few chapters. If so, that means this story won't show up right away when you click on Embassy Row fanfics. To find it, you'll have to change the filters to show stories of all ratings (instead of the default of K to T rated). If I do change the rating, then it won't be until after I post the next chapter (where I'll include more detailed instructions on how to change the filters). Let me know what you guys think and if you have any questions or concerns about that.
But on another note, I'm going to become a psychiatrist! See my latest IG post for more details but I've been accepted to one of my top psychiatry residency programs. Once residency starts in a few months, it'll be a pretty busy time but I still intend on finishing this story! Thank you so much for your support and understanding over the years, especially with balancing school with writing. It's the interaction with my readers that remind me why I started writing in the first place and continue to reaffirm my love for it :)