Page 18

Chapter Eighteen

Nadia

T he sight of my father and fiancée shocks me to my core.

How did they find us? Why did no one stop them from coming? Where’s Matteo?

None of those questions matter though. What matters is that they’re here and they look angry .

Dante lunges for his gun and raises it but Viktor does the same. “I will shoot you,” Viktor warns. “Don’t be stupid. You’re outnumbered. You have no defenses.”

“I don’t care.” Then Dante fires. His shot misses as Viktor jerks out of the way. Viktor quickly fires back and lands a shot straight to Dante’s shoulder, knocking him back onto the bed and forcing him to let go of his gun.

“Dante!” I shout, hovering over him.

Blood seeps from his wound. “I’m fine, baby. Just a shoulder shot. I’ll survive that.”

“You won’t be alive for long,” my father growls. He rushes over to the bed and reaches out to grab me when he stops, his eyes raking over my naked body. “You… you were having sex with him?”

“He was raping her,” Viktor says so confidently like he knows what happened between me and Dante. Except nobody knows because what Dante and I have is unexplainable.

Dante lets out a cold laugh that I can tell is tinged with pain. He’s just good at not showing it. “I wasn’t raping her. She gave herself to me willingly. Isn’t that right, baby? ”

I freeze. Everything inside of me refuses to move. How am I supposed to move when my father and Viktor are here and Dante is shot? None of this is good.

The sight of my father puts me right back into my home growing up. How scared I was of him. How I would have to walk on eggshells around him every night. How I would cry myself to sleep because I was worried so much for Anya. He terrorized me.

“Nadia?” Dante asks.

My lips don’t even open. All I can do is stare at my father with wide eyes.

Father huffs. “She doesn’t even know what to say. You’re right, Viktor. He was raping her. She’s scared into silence.”

Viktor narrows his eyes and trains his gun onto Dante. “You are going to pay for this. I am going to slowly torture you until you beg me to end your pathetic excuse of a life.”

“I don’t have a pathetic life. You do. I stole your girl away from you and on your wedding day no less. Who’s the pathetic one here?”

I don’t see it happen until it’s too late. Viktor whips his gun across Dante’s head, knocking him onto the bed. It doesn’t knock Dante out but it does leave a nasty red welt behind.

“Shut up,” Viktor hisses. “You don’t get the right to speak to me. You don’t get the right to even speak in Nadia’s presence. You’ve tortured her for weeks now. You are going to die.”

That brings me out of my icy cage. “Don’t. I don’t want him to die.”

Both Viktor and my father look at me carefully like I’m a wild tiger trapped in a cage. They don’t know what to think of my words.

It’s my father who speaks first. “He’s brainwashed you. That much is obvious. You’re coming back home with me now.”

“No. I want to see Anya.” If I’m forced to return home, then it needs to be my sister and Erik. It can’t be my father. He’ll lock me up forever and throw away the key. He’ll only let me out until I am to marry someone, Viktor probably. If he’ll have me now that I’m no longer a virgin that is.

“You’ll get to see Anya. But first, you’re coming home with me.” He reaches out to me but I scramble back and swat at his hands.

“No.” I turn to Viktor. “Take me to my sister. Please.”

Viktor nods. “I don’t see why not. She’s been missing you.”

“No,” my father snarls, making Viktor raise an eyebrow. “Nadia will go home with me. ”

“Do you not want her to see her sister?” Viktor asks.

The laugh that Dante lets out is long and harsh and cold. It even makes me flinch. “Of course he doesn’t want Nadia to see her sister. He wants her for himself. He wants to control her. He can’t do that if Nadia is living with Anya.”

Viktor tightens his hands on his gun. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” my father cuts in. “He’s talking about nothing.”

“He beats her,” Dante continues, only looking at Viktor. “He used to beat Anya and then when she moved out, he set his sights on Nadia. If you care at all for Nadia, you’ll bring her to Anya and Erik. You won’t let her go with her father.”

“Shut up,” Father hisses but it doesn’t matter. Viktor is actually listening to Dante’s words.

His eyes flick to me. “Is that true? Has your father treated you like that?”

All I can do is nod.

“She’s lying,” Father exclaims. “I am a good father to Nadia. I came all this way to rescue her. Don’t listen to the words of a madman.”

Viktor is wavering, I can tell. He’s not sure what to believe.

“We were going to be married,” I say. “You were going to be my husband. That has to count for something. I want you to take me to my sister, please. You always said you would never hurt me. So do this for me.”

That clinches it. “I’ll take you back to your sister..”

“No,” Father snaps. “She is coming home with me first. She can see her sister afterward.”

“If she goes with him,” Dante says, “he won’t let her go. Nadia doesn’t want to go with him.”

“And you care what happens to Nadia?” Viktor asks in an incredulous tone. “You’ve tortured her. You’ve… touched her with your filthy hands. You raped her. Why should I believe anything you say?”

“Don’t believe me. Believe Nadia.”

“Bullshit,” Father says. “Viktor, let’s round Dante up. Nadia, get dressed. You look vulgar.” His eyes rake over my naked body with pure disgust.

I’m filled with shame. Only my father has the power to make me feel this way.

He picks up my clothes and chucks them at me.

“Careful,” Viktor warns. “Nadia is a victim of rape. Don’t blame her for this. ”

I’m appreciative that Viktor is on my side but he doesn’t know the full truth. He doesn’t know that I did give myself willing to Dante. And that I would do it again and again.

That truth would break Viktor.

He probably wouldn’t be on my side after that and I need him to get me to Anya. He’s the only one who can right now.

My father runs his hand down his shirt. He only ever does that when he’s embarrassed. “Of course. I just think it’s disgusting how she’s in bed with him. How he’s defiled her.”

“And that’s not her fault,” Viktor says.

“He seems to think it is,” Father says, nodding at Dante. “He claimed that my daughter came to him willingly.”

Dante doesn’t say a word, for which I’m grateful. Our eyes meet and he gives me a subtle nod. Even he knows that Viktor is my only chance to escape my father. He can’t risk pissing Viktor off by bragging about us.

This is Dante’s way to save me in an unsavable situation.

“And you believe the word of him ?” Viktor sneers. “He kidnapped Nadia. Anything that has happened between them was all him. He forced himself upon her. That much is obvious.”

I’m not sure if Viktor truly believes what he’s saying or if he’s just trying to convince himself that I’m nothing but a victim. The truth is that I’m neither of the ways my father or Viktor see me.

I’m not a disgusting vulgar trollop as my father would have me think. But nor am I a complete victim. Yes, I was a victim when Dante kidnapped me.

But then I chose to return to him. I chose to give my body to him.

I am not a victim in that regard.

I am just a woman who found love in an unusual place.

My father makes a low sound in the back of his throat. “I’m not sure what to believe. Let’s just get them back to my house. And then we can discuss what to do next.”

Viktor’s eyes flick to mine. I plead silently for him to take me back to Anya. After a long beat, he speaks. “Ok. We’ll take Dante to your place. We can torture him there. But then I’m taking Nadia back home. She deserves to see her sister.”

“Fine,” Father says tightly.

“Fine.” With a sigh, Viktor turns to Dante and motions at him to get up. “You’re coming with us. No fighting. We have guns pointed at you. You have nowhere to run. ”

Dante doesn’t say a word as he gets out of the bed. Both my father and Viktor sneer at the sight of his naked body.

“Get dressed,” Father says. “You are a disgusting animal to have defiled my daughter.”

“I defiled her all right. And she loved it.”

Viktor punches Dante in the face, sending him stumbling back. “You don’t get to talk about her like that. You just shut your mouth.”

Dante smirks as he gets dressed but to his credit, he stops talking.

“We should give Nadia some privacy to get dressed,” Viktor says to my father. He looks like he wants to object but decides to follow Viktor and Dante out of the room.

And then there was me.

All of this has gone terribly wrong. Dante was letting me go. I was going to return to Anya of my own accord. I was going to fight for peace.

And now all of that is gone because Viktor and my father found us first.

Slowly, I get dressed. Maybe if I can draw it out, I can somehow find a way to save Dante’s life. But then my clothes are on and I’m no closer to finding a solution.

Because there is no solution.

Dante kidnapped me and tortured my family for these past few weeks. He’s now going to pay the price for it.

They’re going to kill him.

I shuffle my feet into the living room, keeping my head ducked down. I don’t have to see what I already know: Dante hurt and captured while Viktor and my father look superior.

“Let’s go,” Father snaps.

There are two cars outside. No sign of Matteo. Aiden and Finn are probably busy doing whatever it is that they do. None of them are here, so at least they’re not dead. Maybe one of them could save Dante.

Except, that will probably just lead to more death of the people I care about.

“I’m going to take her to Erik’s,” Viktor says. “You take Dante to a secure location. I’ll join you after.”

“I must insist that I want my daughter to join me. I want to bring her back home.”

“Not with you,” I whisper, stepping back and stumbling into Viktor. He catches me. Viktor has strong, handsome hands just like Dante does but unlike Dante’s hands, I feel nothing when Viktor touches me. No passion. No desire. It’s just… a touch.

It’s Dante whom my body screams for .

“She doesn’t want to go with you,” Viktor says. “I’m going to trust the wishes of my fiancée.”

“Your fiancée,” Father snorts. “She’s been defiled. Do you really want her now?”

“It wasn’t her fault. I will not blame her for this. I made a promise to marry her so I will do that.”

Viktor is an honorable man. I know I would be safe with him. But all I can see when I look at him is Dante and knowing that I’m losing him forever.

“Now, I’m taking her back to Erik’s. Don’t fight me on this, Sergei.”

“She is my daughter. I have a right to her.”

“She’s twenty-one. She can make her own decisions,” Dante cuts in, wavering on his feet. He’s looking pale. That gunshot is doing more damage than he’s letting on.

“For once, I have to agree with that monster. Nadia, what do you want to do?”

My father sneers at me. We both know what I’m going to choose and it’s not going to be him.

“I want to see my sister.”

Viktor nods. “Then I’m going to take you to Anya.” Without another look in my father’s direction, Viktor helps me into the car before helping my father get Dante into my father’s car.

Viktor and Father give each other a hard look before Viktor joins me and Father drives Dante away. As his car gets farther and farther away until I can’t see it anymore, I know in my gut that this is the last time I’ll ever see Dante.

I didn’t even get to tell him how I feel.

Viktor and I don’t talk on the drive to Erik and Anya’s house. There’s so much to say and yet, we still barely know one another. I know Dante, my family’s enemy, much more than I do the man I was supposed to marry.

Erik’s house is a comforting sight when we pull up to it. I didn’t realize just how much I missed it until right now. Tears well up and fall down my cheeks.

“You’re safe now,” Viktor says, turning the car off. “You’re safe, Nadia.”

Except, I don’t feel exactly safe. Dante has been taken by my father, who will surely torture him. I still don’t know what happened to Matteo. There’s so much uncertainty.

“Was there no one around when you and my father arrived at the cottage?”

“There wasn’t.”

That means Matteo must be somewhere else. Safe at least. He might not even know Dante was taken. If anyone could help save him, it would be Matteo.

“How did you find me anyway?”

“When Dante had a meeting with Erik. Your father followed. He… didn’t exactly trust Erik. After Dante left, he followed and found the house. Then he sent for me. That’s how we found you.”

“So none of this was Erik’s idea?”

“Erik doesn’t know. I wanted to tell him but your father insisted we keep this between us. I was just willing to do whatever I could to get you back.”

I can’t look at Viktor in the eye. He deserves better than me, a girl who chose to care for the enemy. Who might even be in love with the enemy.

But Viktor is my future. Dante is going to die and then I’ll have no choice but to marry Viktor. It will be expected of me. Any semblance of choice will be gone.

“We barely know each other and yet, you were willing to go to such lengths to save me. Why?”

“Because you’re my fiancée,” he says it like it’s obvious. “Why else would I do this? I made a promise to marry you. I made a deal with Erik. I made an alliance with him through a marriage to you. I keep my word.”

I stare down at my hands. They’ve touched Dante. Stroked his back. Cupped his face. It’s Dante I want. Not Viktor.

“If I didn’t want to get married, would you be ok with that?” I whisper.

Viktor sighs deeply. “I don’t love what happened to you but I don’t blame you for that. It doesn’t bother me that you’re no longer a virgin. You didn’t have a choice in the matter. And I can understand that you need time to heal. I’m willing to postpone the wedding until you feel better. But part of the alliance was marrying you. So it will happen one day.”

“But what if I don’t want to? Am I not allowed to make that choice?”

“I think you’re just confused right now. You went through a lot. Spend time with your family. Feel safe again. And then we can discuss this more.”

He’s not wrong. I have been through a lot and I shouldn’t make any huge decisions right now but all I can think about is saving Dante.

I have to try, even though Viktor won’t like it. Which is why Viktor can’t know .

“Ok,” I whisper. Already, I’m turning back into my shy self. Any of the bravery I felt with Dante is long gone. “I just want to see my sister.”

“I’ll leave you to it. I have to go join your father. We’re going to kill that bastard for hurting you. Don’t you worry.”

I flinch. Viktor either doesn’t notice or he thinks I’m just scared of Dante. “I have to go.” I quickly get out of the car and run up to the house. I don’t have my key with me so I have to knock. Viktor drives away, ready to kill Dante.

I have to stop that from happening no matter the cost.

The door swings open and it’s Erik standing there in all of his glory.

“Nadia?”

I gasp and throw my arms around him. We’re not exactly touchy-feely but right now, all I want is to know that I’m back home.

Erik slowly hugs me back before letting me go. “How did you escape?”

“Where’s Anya?”

“Right. Anya!”

“What is it?” she asks, appearing at the top of the stairs. She stops short when she sees me before letting out a cry and running down the stairs. We’re in each other’s arms before I even know it.

“Oh my god. Nadia. Oh my god.” She’s always given the best hugs. When our mom died, I was only seven, so Anya took over as a motherly figure to me. And like a real mother, she’s great at making me feel at home.

I feel something in my heart relax. I’m with my sister again. All is right in the world.

Now I can feel whole. Except, I can’t feel whole when I know Dante is going to die.

“What happened? How are you here?” she asks, pulling back.

I turn to Erik. “Viktor and my father have Dante. Did you know about this?”

“What? No. They didn’t tell me a thing. What happened?”

“My father followed you to your meeting with Dante. He then found where Dante and I were. He and Viktor are going to kill him.”

“As they should. He kidnapped you. He needs to die for this war to end. Do you know where they are?”

“They didn’t tell me.”

He pulls out a phone and texts someone. “Viktor will tell me. Your father… I’m not so sure. We’re not exactly on speaking terms.”

“Wait, Erik. Are you going to go there to torture Dante? ”

“Of course. I’m going to revel in hurting him. After what he all put us through for weeks, he deserves a slow death.”

My breath hitches right before tears fall down my eyes all over again. “You can’t.”

“Nadia?” Anya asks.

“You can’t kill him. Please.”

“Why wouldn’t you want him dead?” Anya wipes my tears away, acting just like a mother again. “He hurt you. He needs to die for us to be free of him.”

“No. He didn’t hurt me. I mean, yes. When he first kidnapped me, he did. I almost died in a cold basement he kept me in.”

“Oh, Nadia. So why do you not want him dead? He almost killed you!”

“But then he didn’t. He saved me. He didn’t want me to die.”

The way Anya is looking at me – with so much pity – makes my blood boil. I love my sister but she doesn’t know anything I’ve just been through.

“He didn’t let you die because you were worth more to him alive than dead.”

“I have to agree,” Erik says. “He wanted to torture us. Knowing you were still out there with him did that to us. If he had killed you, then… he wouldn’t have been able to go through with his plan.”

“But killing me would have tortured you,” I say to Anya.

“It would have. But Nadia, don’t talk like Dante cares about you. He kidnapped you. He must have gotten into your head. Do you need to lie down? Rest?”

I rip away from her. “I don’t want to rest. I want to save Dante’s life. I don’t want him dead. Erik, I was there for that meeting. I know what Dante offered. Peace for a marriage. He will stop coming after you if you marry me to him. Isn’t that what you want? Peace?”

Anya whips her head around to stare at Erik with wide eyes. “What is she talking about?”

“I didn’t entertain the idea. I didn’t think Dante was serious. And besides, I would have only agreed to the deal so I could get close enough to kill him. If I really did take him up on his offer, then I’d have to break my deal with Viktor. He expects to marry you. If I marry you to Dante, then Viktor might start a war just for that alone. It’s better if Dante dies. Then we can put him behind us and you can marry Viktor and we’ll have more power than anyone else in this entire city. You’ll never have to be afraid again, Nadia.”

I can tell Erik is sincere. He just wants to keep me safe. And he makes a good point: if Viktor feels spurned, he might start a war. If Dante dies, then we end one war.

But I can’t let Dante die. Not after everything I’ve been through with him. Not when I know that I love him.

Call it crazy and irrational. There’s still a lot I don’t know about Dante but what I do know is how he makes me feel and he makes me feel alive and brave and desired.

He makes me feel like a woman instead of a little girl.

I can’t lose that to have to marry Viktor, whom I feel nothing for. The thought of giving up passion for a cold numbness makes me want to die.

“No,” I say.

He raises an eyebrow. “No? You don’t really get a choice in this. Dante is going to die. You will marry Viktor like you agreed to. What’s changed? You were willing to marry Viktor a few weeks ago.”

“That was until Dante made me feel alive for the first time in my life.”

“What are you saying?” Anya asks softly. There’s pain and confusion in her voice – I put it there.

“I’m saying that I’m not brainwashed. I’m saying that despite the fact that Dante and I are on opposites sides of this war, he’s not my enemy. I… love him.”

Anya gasps. “You can’t mean that.”

“I do mean that.” I can’t whisper my words. Shyness won’t help me here. I have to be brave and bold and confident. I have to be the woman Dante helped me become.

I look at Erik. “I do not want him to die. He did not rape me. I gave myself to him willingly. I want to be with him and Erik, this is your chance to end this war without bloodshed. You can make a deal with Viktor some other way. Offer someone else to him in marriage. It doesn’t have to be me. He thinks I was raped but I’ll tell him the truth. I’ll tell him that I chose to be with Dante. I doubt he’ll want to marry me then. The truth is that I love Dante and I am going to do whatever it takes to keep him alive. So Erik, this is your chance to end this war peacefully.”

“Nadia…”

“No. What are you going to do?” I ask him in a clear steady voice. “Kill Dante and I will resent you forever or spare his life and find peace?”

Erik opens his mouth when his phone pings with a text. “Viktor texted me back. He says they have Dante and that they’re going to kill him soon. He’s telling me to join him.”

“What are you going to do?”

He sighs and looks right into my eyes. “I’m going to kill him.”