I Dare You To Meet Me
Chapter 14

I was leaning on my bike on the street in front of the law firm while smoking another cigarette. My cigarette consumption had increased exponentially since that f*****g letter came into my hands.

It was a few minutes before the stipulated time and I still didn’t know what to expect from that meeting. The people walking down the street, mostly businessmen out to lunch, in their impeccably clean suits, I couldn’t judge them by the suspicious looks they gave me. Not that I looked like a pauper, but the ensemble of my combat boots, black pants that hugged my legs like a second skin, followed by my leather jacket, gloves and scarf, while smoking next to my bike made an impression.

Come on, stop being a f*****g coward and get in.

I grimaced at the voice of my conscience, and waited another full minute before finally putting out my cigarette and crossing the street towards the glass building.

The sound of my boots against the expensive marble attracted the gaze of everyone present, especially the security officers guarding the doors. I rolled my eyes at their attitude.

Stupid racists, hadn’t they ever seen a girl dressed in black in their entire lives?

I walked with my chin up to the front desk and cleared my throat to get the attention of the guy who attended to her.

-Welcome to H&H, can I help you with anything,” the boy’s voice sounded unsure, as if he was wondering what the hell someone like me was doing in that place.

I gave him one of my lopsided smiles, the ones that used to mean trouble and enjoyed watching him pale.

-I have an appointment with Mr. Petrova at noon,” I replied indifferently.

He nodded nervously as he typed something on the computer.

-Could I have your name and an ID please?

I pulled my driver’s license out of my jacket pocket and left it with a thud on the desk before answering.

-Natasha Kozlov,” my voice came out firmly and loud enough for everyone at the front desk to hear, like the gossipy bastards they were, they turned to look at me with their mouths hanging open, earning an annoyed look from me.

I watched as the boy’s trembling hand took my license and confirmed who I was, then he made a brief call and handed me back the piece of plastic.

-I’ll take you to Mr. Petrova’s office,” said the boy.

But I shook my head as I put my document back.

-No need, I remember the way.

I didn’t wait for him to answer me, I turned on my heels and walked the way I had done so many times in the past accompanied by my mother, or my grandfather. It was not the first, nor the second, nor the third time I was in that place. In fact, I had lost count of the number of times I had had to wait sitting or walking the corridors for my family to finish some legal problem.

It didn’t take me long to reach the door that had the nameplate of my family’s most trusted lawyer.

The one who couldn’t stop them from taking everything from me and taking me to a f*****g orphanage.

I thought with displeasure, but I didn’t let my annoyance show on my face, I knocked once and then opened the door.

The man was the same as he was three years ago, old, bald, and wearing glasses. He was sitting behind a glass desk while reading a document. He set it aside when I entered and shook my hand as he greeted me.

-The years have made you a very beautiful woman, Miss Kozlov,” he said gallantly.

-I was always very beautiful lawyer, but I am not here to share compliments, I want what I was negotiated three years ago sir. I want to read my mother’s will and finally inherit what belongs to me. I told him indifferent and with a serious look.

The man, just like three years ago, became nervous before my piercing green eyes and took back the document he had been reading.

-I was reviewing everything for when he arrived so I could explain everything to him.

I narrowed my eyes as my sixth sense told me that whatever came out of his mouth was not going to please me.

-Explain what?” My voice was cutting now, and the lawyer began to redden.

-His mother has two wills, it seems, and in the one we now have access to, she stipulates that there is an account in her name with some funds that she will be able to use from now on, as well as an apartment in California.

-What about the rest, how come my mother had two wills and why wasn’t I told anything about it?

F**k, this gave me a very bad feeling.

-Well, I didn’t know it either, miss, the part where she left it said was not in my hands until this morning.

I closed my eyes while massaging the bridge of my nose as I tried to calm down.

-Where is my mother’s second will and how can I access it?

I asked wearily, when was this all going to end?

-Your mother left you two letters that I will give you in a few moments, in the part that is in my possession she leaves instructions where you have to go to California to the United States and deliver one of the letters to your father and the other to a lawyer who represents her there. He has the last will that your mother wrote during her lifetime.

My head started to hurt and my vision started to see all red.

-My father? My mother said I had to travel to the other side of the f*****g world to replace the a*****e who abandoned us and give him a stupid letter in order to receive my inheritance? My voice rose in pitch with every word and the man seemed to shrink every second.

-Y-yes, miss, I can show you the paper with his instructions and his signature if you want it.

I hesitated for a second, but ended up shaking my head.

-No need, my mother is quite capable of having done that,” I said with utter annoyance.

The lawyer nodded agreeing with me or not wanting to contradict me. He took out of one of his drawers a yellow envelope from which he took two small white envelopes, he handed them to me and my heart stopped when I read my mother’s neat handwriting.

One envelope bore my father’s name, Demian, while the other was addressed to Peter Seitz.

I didn’t know I had become engrossed in looking at the letters until the man’s voice brought me out of the cloud I was in.

He told me how I could access the bank account in my name and handed me my card already activated and ready to be used. He gave me a card with the number and full name of my mother’s lawyer, as well as the address where I could replace him. He also gave me a cardboard box with two sets of keys and a small piece of paper with my mother’s handwriting on it that said the address of the apartment that was in my name along with my passport and valid visa. These showed my dual nationality.

-That’s all from me, miss, if you need anything else, you have my number which is always available for any doubt.

-Thank you,” I said dryly and did not waste another second in that place.

I went out taking strong steps that showed how angry I was, the people who saw me moved out of my way, but I didn’t waste energy in giving them one of my withering looks.

Those that had earned me the nickname of Medusa.

Once outside the building I felt the impersive urge to hold a cigarette in my hands, but I controlled it by running my fingers through my scalp.

-Shit, f*****g hell, what the f**k were you thinking mom?

I mumbled to myself.

-Didn’t it go well?

The man’s voice made me jump in my place and look with irritation at Reykon himself who stood in front of me, dressed exactly like me.

I narrowed my eyes as I crossed my arms defensively.

-What the f**k are you doing here, Rey?

-He mimicked my curt tone and gave me a raised eyebrow.

-I didn’t know she was still your friend.

-I didn’t know I told you that you weren’t anymore.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

-I’m not in the mood for bullshit okay, why don’t you just tell me the shit you came here to say and go away again,” Maybe my voice came out annoyed but inside I was shaking.

What was Reykon doing here, he just shrugged at my outburst before answering.

I hated that he didn’t react the way I did, I had always found the way he kept his composure creepy.

-I told you, I was worried about you, so I came to see you, don’t get snippy Medusita and tell me what happened in there to put you in such a lovely mood.

I snorted at his sarcasm but I didn’t hesitate to tell him all the shit that the lawyer had told me a few moments before.

-What are you going to do now?

I looked him up and down analyzing if he was asking me sincerely or out of obligation, as I saw no trace of a lie on his face I had no other option but to tell him the truth.

-I shrugged my shoulders, “I’m leaving right now to the airport to buy the fastest ticket available to take me to California, and I’ll improvise the rest on the fly.

He nodded without reproaching me for how bad everything could turn out.

-What about your bike?

He asked as if it were nothing, but I couldn’t help grimacing.

-I was going to leave it in a parking lot until I got back.

-I have contacts that can have it there in a couple of days.

He said it simply but I understood the meaning of his words. It was an olive branch, a way of telling me that all was well between us.

I gave him a tremulous smile full of gratitude.

-You’re going to drop me off at the airport, so I give you the keys and you take care of her.

-Okay, don’t you need to go somewhere else before you leave?

I shook my head.

-Everything I had of value I took out this morning when I was leaving the f*****g hellhole and it’s in a backpack under the seat of my bike, so no, I don’t have anything pending.

-Okay, let’s go.

I take out my keys and jump, Reykon catches them on the fly.

-You drive.

As we used to do routinely we both headed to my bike on the other side of the street.

Reykon got on my bike and I didn’t hesitate to hop on the back, as he started it up I put my arms around him.

-Before I forget, Sabrina says to stop being a bitch and send her a message.

Laughter shook my body as Reykon rode down the street towards the airport.

Alone.

I wasn’t so lonely anymore.

But if I was heading to a place where I would be.

Alone.

I didn’t feel alone.

Not anymore.