Alannah came round again, and she was in the same room as before. She sat up and instantly regretted it, as she felt pain shoot across her chest,
"Argh! ' She moaned as she leaned back on the bedboard.
"Alannah, you are awake! Thank God, I was so worried! " Theo said, getting out of his chair and sitting on her bed.
"It was not a dream; you came for me!" Alannah blurted out, feeling quite emotional. She always did the rescuing; only Bruce had ever saved her.
"Alannah, you are my daughter and I love you. It killed me when you said what you said on that call, but it was deserved, " Theo said.
"I am sorry, I was just playing the character... Bruce should have told you! " Alannah said suddenly.
"I know, sweetheart, it just made me realise that I have not stepped up. It is just that you are a powerful, strong young woman, and I thought you didn't need me. But when you said Dad at Akihiko's, I realised you did, " Theo said.
"I don't feel very powerful at the moment! I will always need you, Theo," Alannah said, looking down. "It's just that I don't want to be a burden," she said, looking down.
"A burden? Alannah, you are everything I want in a daughter! Maybe we could use this time in Russia as a bit of a family holiday?" Theo suggested. At that precise point, the door burst open and the Nine Tails flooded in.
"Did someone say family holiday? I like the sound of that! " Ethan said with a smirk.
"I mean for blood relatives!" Theo snapped. It had been two days and the twins were already up to their usual tricks. Frank was furious when the twins swapped his normal soap for ink soap, leaving him with a completely blue face.
"Well, that is rude! Alannah, we are so glad you are awake! " Aiden said with a smirk.
"I don't understand. Are we back in China?" Alannah said, confused. The cursed ones could not travel, so they must be back in China!
The Nine Tails all looked guilty at each other.
"What is it?" Alannah said. She knew when they looked at each other that there was trouble.
"I think it is better if you two explain," Adam said, looking at Matt and Bruce.
"Explain what?" Alannah said her eyes were narrowing.
"Now don't overreact," Matt said.
"Why do people say that? Tell me! " Alannah demanded.
"We are not whom we seem to be, well, not completely anyway. There is no easy way of saying this, Alannah. I am Bruce Sanderson, " Bruce said.
"I think I know your name, Bruce. We've been friends for over 10 years!" Alannah said with a chuckle.
"heir to the Australian Syndicate, Matt is heir to the South American Syndicate, and the twins are Canadian Princes. Adam is related to someone high up in the American syndicate, " Bruce said.
There was a moment of complete silence as Alannah processed what had been said.
"You have all lied to me! For bloody years! " Alannah said, looking completely broken.
"No, Sis, we are the people you know," Aiden said as he approached for a hug.
"Don't touch me! I am not your sister! " Snapped Alannah.
"Sis!" Ethan said, with a pained look. Alannah had never spoken to them like that; she had always had their back. Always.
"Leave me alone!" Alannah snapped.
"Alannah, please listen. We stayed for you. We all did. " Bruce said
"What? Did you all have a good little laugh at night over poor Alannah? When you could have left at any time! Did I amuse you, Bruce, or did it make you feel good to help charity cases? Well, I don't need your help or pity!" Alannah roared, her Evans' temper in full force.
"You know, Alannah, it is not like that! You are so stubborn that you refused to see what was in front of your nose! " Bruce shouted, which surprised everyone. Bruce rarely shouted, if ever.
Alannah jumped out of bed, ignoring the pain, and went toe to toe with Bruce. Everyone stepped back, apart from Matt.
"Which is it, Bruce?" Alannah challenged .
"That we all adore you, and that I adore you.Even though you are stubborn, hot-headed, messy, and snore! " Bruce said softly.
"I do not snore!" Alannah shouted.
"You do! Now you can either accept what we say or... " Bruce said
"Or what?" Alannah challenged
"Or I will beat your arse into next year!" Bruce said, dangerously moving closer to her. There was another stunned silence, and Matt just shook his head.
"Playing a dangerous game, mate," Matt muttered.
"OK, OK, time out! Everyone out, I think my daughter has had enough news for one day," Theo said. As if on cue, Alannah vomited all over Bruce.
"Oh God! I am so sorry, Bruce! " Alannah said, and Bruce roared with laughter.
"Oh Alannah I am such an idoit! Get back to bed, my little sister, " Bruce said, and Alannah nodded.
"I am still going to kick everyone in your arses when I am better," Alannah grumbled as she moved back to the bed.
"We expect nothing less," Matt said.
"Come here, I could never stay mad at any of you!" Alannah said softly as she gently hugged the twins.
"We love you, Alannah!" The twins said in unison:
"And I love you. I love you all," Alannah said.
"Even Adam?" Ethan said.
"Yes, even Adam," Alannah said with a chuckle, which caused her to wince in pain. Just then, Mary came in with a syringe.
"It is time for your pain relief, Velikaia Knazhna," Mary said.
"I am not a grand princess," Alannah snapped.
"But you are." Mary was about to explain, but Theo stopped her.
"There is plenty of time to discuss this. Everyone out now. My daughter needs to rest, " Theo said firmly.
"Yeah, come on guys!" Matt said, herding them all out of the room.
"See you later, sis," Aiden said, and Alannah smiled. Once they were out of the room, Mary administered the morphine.
"Your grandparents wish to see you this evening," Mary said.
"Grandparents? I have a granddad... "Alannah said before falling asleep.
"She is in for a shock!" Mary commented, and Theo just grumped.
=========================================================================================================
Alannah woke up a few hours later feeling much better. The antibiotics must be working, Alannah thought as she sat up.
"How are you feeling?" Theo said
"Have you been watching me the whole time?" Alannah asked.
"Of course, you are my daughter and I want to protect you," Theo said with a smile.
"From what?" Alannah asked.
"Well from those two twins, for a start, they are driving us all nuts." Theo moaned, and Alannah chuckled. It was just then that she noticed a dining table set up with places at the other end of the room. It was richly decorated and even had candles on it.
"Dad?" Alannah asked, but before he could answer, the door opened. Mary came in with a smile, followed by an old woman and a man. Alannah instantly recognised the old woman and got out of bed. She raced over and hugged the old woman.
"Anastasia! Thank goodness you are safe! I am so sorry I had to lock you in the wardrobe like that. I just needed to protect you! What are you doing here? " Alannah said nervously.
"Thank you and I am fine, child. Should we sit down and have something to eat? I will then explain everything." Anastasia said, and Alannah nodded. They all sat down at the table whilst Mary poured some drinks. Wine for Theo, Dimitri, and Anastasia, but spiced apple juice for Alannah.
Mary said with a bow, "I shall just go and get the starters," and she walked out of the room.
Well, thank you for having me here. This place is really beautiful. In a few days, I will be out of your hair, and I will try not to be any trouble in the meantime, "Alannah said respectfully.
"Alannah, I think we should introduce ourselves before we go any further. I am Anastasia Emily Medvedya, and this is my husband, Dimitri Medvedya. You may not be aware, but we are the leaders of the Medvedya gang and the Chairman of the Russian syndicate, "Anastasia said.
"You're... you're a founding mother and I put in a wardrobe!" Alannah blurted out, shocked. She was beginning to feel sick. To her surprise, Dimitri roared with laughter.
"Child, very few people dare to put my wife in a wardrobe. You did it with the best of intentions, so please do not worry, "Demitri said, waving a hand dismissively.
So this dinner is not about negotiating compensation or punishment? If you are, then I take full responsibility. I beg you to leave my father and the nine tails out of it, "Alannah said carefully, as she looked around for possible weapons or escape exits. The Russians had a reputation for being cruel and unusual when it came to punishments.
"What? No, we are not here to punish you, and for God's sake, stop scoping the place! " Anastasia said
"Perhaps it is wise if we move quickly to the point?" Theo said with a sigh. At that point, Mary came in with plates of black eggs and some bread. Alannah had never seen black eggs before, and she poked them with her finger.
It is Caviar Alannah. A delicacy in these parts, "Theo whispered." Alannah put some in her mouth and the balls burst out with a fishy, salty taste. Alannah hated everything about it, from the smell to the texture and, lastly, the taste. She managed to swallow it without being sick.
"Ohhhh lovely!" Alannah said with a fake smile whilst taking a large sip of spiced apple juice.
"I'm sorry, Alannah; is this a different brand than you're used to?The chef selected the high-end eggs, " Mary said.
"I hope he selected the $10,000 range. I can't stand cheap caviar! " Anastasia said. Alannah choked on her apple juice and started coughing. Theo smacked her on the back till she stopped.
"Are you OK?" Theo asked concernedly.
"$10,000 dollars for eggs?" Alannah asked.
"Yes, this caviar retails at $900 a pound. Are you sure you are OK? " Mary asked.
"Yes, everything is fine," Alannah lied. The food on her plate was worth a month's food budget alone.
Theo must have seen her panic because he put a hand on her arm and said, "It is OK if you don't like it, Alannah, it is a required taste."
Alannah suddenly felt overwhelmed and said, "I am very sorry, but I don't like it. You have both been very kind, but I just... I just am not used to such high-class people as yourselves. I also don't know why I am here. "
"It's okay, Alannah; your Mother didn't like it either," Anastasia said, motioning for Mary to remove the plate.
"Wait, you know my mother? Was she part of your gang?" Alannah said excitedly.
Anastasia and Dimitri both smiled. "Yes, we knew your mother very well because she was our daughter," Anastasia said.
Alannah took a moment to process. Thinking she misheard, she asked them to repeat it.
"You are our granddaughter," Anastasia said.
"You came to look for me at the meeting, didn't you?" Alannah suddenly realised
"Yes, your dance style was exactly like Emily's. I am afraid I could not resist, "Anastasia said ruefully.
"But why would my mother be in England?" Alannah asked. There was a silence before Anastasia explained.
"Russia had some very strict rules at the time. Theo was engaged to Emily, but then a car bomb went off, killing our two sons. The gang who did it were canny enough to plant evidence so it looked like the Evans did it. It would mean Emily would be next in line for the Russian syndicate and the Medvedya gang. Both very old and extremely powerful, "Anastasia said.
"But Dad did not do that!" Alannah said, and Theo smiled at his daughter defending him. She might have been a bear, but she was also a lioness.
"Indeed, but by the time we found that out, it was too late. "We thought Emily had died in a fire, but she must have found out she was expecting," Demitri said.
But surely she would have just come to you? Alannah said
"No, because she would have been worried about my father's reaction, and rightly so." Even though Demitri and I had taken over the Gang, he was still very much in charge. " Anastasia said sadly.
"I know that one!" Theo said.
"Yes well, my father was a savage brute and would have wanted Emily to get rid of you. He would not want a child running around causing issues. Especially one born out of wedlock, " Anastasia said.
"So you didn't want me?" Alannah asked quietly.
"Yes, of course we did! Given the chance, we would have snuck Emily out of Russia to somewhere safe until it had been resolved. But she never gave us a chance, and that is our burden to bear, " Demitri said.
"So, I am guessing that is it then? Do you want me to sign paperwork to renounce my claim? " Alannah asked. She desperately wanted a family, but as Anastasia said, she was born out of wedlock and in a traditional syndicate like Russia, where that mattered.
"Not this again!"Theo said with a sigh.
"Alannah, you are our sole heiress and next in line to be Russia's next Tsarina," Demitri said.
"What!?! No, that is impossible. Is there no one else? I am happy to be an Evans. I want to take over the Mad Dogs, not be a Tsarina! " Alannah blurted out.
"You want to be the leader of a pack of Mercenaries?" Demitri said, shocked.
"You were born a Medvedya, so stop acting silly! You are the last of our blood line. " Anastasia snapped.
"No, I was born a Seaswell and my mark is that of a Nine Tails and an Evans," Alannah snapped back, surprising Anastasia. "No one had the guts to talk to her like that in a long time!" Anastasia thought. This girl had guts and would be a perfect leader.
"Spoken like a true Medvedya!" Anastasia she said with a smile, and Alannah just glared.
Alannah, why don't we do as we planned and have a bit of a family holiday here? Spend some quality time with your grandparents and just get to know more about your mother. I know you miss her, "Theo said, softly.
"Will you be here?" Alannah said, and Theo nodded. "I suppose it would not hurt."
"Excellent! " Demitri said.
"But I do have to go back to China," Alannah said.
"Why? The nine tails are no more. Tao and Maya have retired, and you are no longer property of the Triad Gang. Unless... " Anastasia said.
"Unless what?" Theo said.
"It is not that you want to go back to, but a certain man. Well, Kurt is no longer in China. He went home a while back, " Anastasia said.
"He did not wait for me?" Alannah said quietly. "Could he shake her off so easily?" Alannah thought.
"He will come," Theo said.
"He is already late!" Anastasia snapped. Kurt was supposed to be here two days ago.
"Perfect, just perfect," Alannah said, downhearted.