AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I woke up to piercing screams.
My screams, as the nightmares followed me awake.
My body shivered from the cold sweats and damp clothes.
Tears rolled down my face as I tried to clear the lifeless eyes, the blood, and fear away.
Darkness spilled from the window. My body curled and I covered my ears from the constant creaking of the home.
Maybe they’d found me.
Maybe I was slipping away.
Either way, how long could I live this way?
Four
Ilias
My phone alarm went off right at four thirty, reminding me it was time to start my day even as the sun stayed hidden under the Florida sky. I laid on the bed for just a while longer, dreading going into the precinct and putting my hero mask on. Boris’s wet nose feathered my fingertips before he stretched and jumped down from the foot of the bed and onto the floor. My gaze followed his movements as his nails clacked against the hardwood floors. He stood against the bedroom door, waiting.
“So, needy, Bo.” I groaned. His ears twitched while he continued to wait for me, unamused. The shadow covered most of him, and I smirked at his beautiful black coat and merciless appearance. Because deep inside, he was a soft bastard, a loyal one at that. “Fine, give me five minutes and we’ll go,” I said to my four-legged beast.
His only reply was to lay his head over two paws, but when he didn’t see me moving fast enough out of bed for him, he barked. “Hey, now. I said, I’m coming!” I growled back at him, leaving the bed and heading straight to my bathroom.
I splashed water over my face as Boris sat at the bathroom door, waiting for our morning run.
I slipped into my running shorts and tennis shoes, and made my way to him.
The moment I opened my bedroom door, Bo ran down the stairs, and I followed close behind. I reached for the side table next to the door where I kept his muzzle, but I could tell it was going to be a fight I wouldn’t win today.
“Fine, but you better behave.” I swear he looked smug, but turned to resignation when I took his leash from inside the drawer. “Sorry, Bo. I don’t trust your cat obsession.” I patted his head and buckled him.
The air was already too humid, too hot, and the sun hadn't even made its appearance, but it didn’t matter to my boy, nor me. We set a steady jog, and my body was already reacting to the rising temperatures.
Crowds of party people were still scattered around the streets of Miami, finally calling it a night, although it was the beginning of a new day. They kept their distance away from me. No, not me, Boris. It was always Bo who could make people piss their pants when he got too close. With cropped ears and close to sixty-seven pounds, he was hard not to be intimidated by, but unless threatened, Bo wouldn’t do a thing. Hell, even then, he would wait for my command. We had been jogging for thirty minutes before it was time to head back and get ready for my early shift, but Bo decided to kick it up a notch, picking up the speed and keeping me running faster by his side. Damn show-off.
When we stepped inside the house, he took off to the kitchen, and I could hear him slurping water from his bowl. “Take it easy, boy.” I chuckled and headed upstairs for a shower.
My phone rang, and my brother’s name popped on the screen. Viktor.
“Da.” Yeah. I answered in our native tongue.
“Kak dila?” Victor asked how things are, but his tone sounded not so merry, but careful.
“Should I be the one asking you that, Vik?” I switched back to English.
I was young when our mother died, and even if I understood Russian when spoken to me, Viktor has always been better speaking the language, although from a young age he made sure I didn’t lose our native tongue.
“Niet.” No. He took a deep breath and continued. “Just calling to check on you, and making sure you are staying out of trouble.”
I chuckled at the irony. “Ehh…”
“Don’t fucking play, Ilias.”
“Shit, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” I teased.
“I don’t have time for your jokes, just… Nevermind, Ili.”
