Page 19

Chapter Nineteen

Dante

“ S o, Sergei, where are you taking me?” I ask from the backseat. My shoulder is throbbing from the bullet hole and I know I’m losing blood. “If you want to torture me before you kill me, you might want to fix up my wound. Stop the bleeding. Otherwise, I might die out before you get the chance to kill me yourself.”

“Shut up,” Sergei hisses. “You don’t get to speak to me. You defiled my daughter. You are the devil himself.”

I bark a laugh. “That’s too funny since you’re the one who beats on your daughters. I would think that makes you the devil but what the hell do I know?”

Sergei pulls up to an old rundown house. We’re somewhere in Brooklyn. That’s all I know.

“I’m going to make this fun for me,” he says, pulling me out of the car and pressing his gun to my head. “You’re going to get tortured nice and slow. Now walk.”

I need time to find a way to escape so I do as Sergei commands. I could try fighting him off but with my hurt shoulder and no weapon I’m at a disadvantage.

The inside of the house smells like cat piss and looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years.

“Nice place you got here.”

“Shut up.” He whips me over the head with the pistol and I stumble to the floor. Fuck, that shit hurts. “Keep walking. Down to the basement. ”

I guess it’s ironic karma that I kept Nadia in a basement and know I’m going to be killed in one.

The basement looks more like an old torture dungeon. Hanging from the ceiling are handcuffs and chains.

“I will shoot you if you try to run,” he warns as he locks each of my hands into the cuffs. My arms hang above my head, which makes my shoulder wound hurt like a motherfucker.

Sergei pulls up a chair and settles into it. “Now we wait for Viktor to come back. He’s not happy that you stole his wife away.”

“Not his wife.”

“She was his wife in all but name.”

“No… she wasn’t. He never touched her. Never had a taste of her. But I’ve had all those things. My cock has been deep inside her body.”

Sergei’s face twists into fury. “You are filth.”

“Not any more than you are. We’re all bad men here. The difference between you and me is that Nadia actually likes me.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“But I do. Nadia cares for me. And she hates you. Take that what you will.” I don’t mention that I also care for Nadia. I don’t want Sergei somehow using her against me. I wouldn’t put it past him to use his own daughter in that way.

Footsteps are loud on the upper floor. I can’t help it: a flicker of fear shoots through me. It was one thing to handle Sergei but to handle multiple men puts my chances of survival down in the fucking dirt.

I’m not getting out of here.

The footsteps descend the stairs. Viktor has arrived.

Nadia

“I’m going to kill him,” Erik tells me .

“No. You can’t,” I say. “Please. Just let him live. Let me be with him. This is your chance to make an ally with the Mafia. Think of what you and Dante could achieve if you just worked together. It could be a lot more than what Viktor could give you.”

“Don’t insult Viktor. He’s one of the most prominent wealthy Bratva men in the city.”

“I didn’t mean to insult him. I’m just saying. Think about it, Erik. If you teamed up with Dante, you could achieve so much. Gain so much power. It could work. You don’t have to fight. You don’t have to hate each other.”

He sighs as he puts his phone back into his pocket. “See, the thing is, Nadia, I don’t trust Dante. He tried to kill me years ago and now he kidnapped you as revenge for me trying to kill him. On and on and on it goes. It’s never going to end. It will only end with his death.”

I turn to my sister. “Anya, please. Listen to me. Help me.”

She hesitates before sighing herself. I know that look – it means she doesn’t agree with me. “I have to side with Erik. Dante needs to die. I’ll feel safer at night knowing he’s gone and you’re safe.”

“But I won’t be. I’m safe with Dante.”

“Are you? He kidnapped you. How is that safe?”

“I know it’s not ideal. I know Dante did a bad thing but don’t you think I get a say in my own life? That I know if I feel safe with someone or not? I know you want to protect me, Anya. You always have. But I’m not a child any longer. I’m twenty-one years old. An adult. I’ve had sex. I gave myself to Dante willingly. Don’t act like I can’t make up my mind or I don’t know what I want.”

Anya’s eyes widen. Never have I see her look this stunned with me before. Granted, I’ve never spoken to her like this before.

“You never wanted me to marry Viktor because you wanted me to be safe. Isn’t that right?” I ask.

“Well… yes.”

“Exactly. And I’m now saying that I want to be with Dante. I feel safe with him. He’s not going to kill me. I know it. He’s not going to beat me. He had so many chances and he never did it. He’s not our father.”

Her eyes darken. “But that doesn’t make him a good man.”

“Neither is Erik. You hated him when you first married him. You only fell in love after he showed you kindness. Dante has shown me kindness. He’s not completely evil just like Erik isn’t. But Erik has tortured people. He’s not any better than Dante is. ”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Erik says. “I’m leaving. Anya, make sure Nadia stays here. I don’t want her getting hurt.”

Her . Erik is speaking like I’m not even here.

Anya tries to put her arm around my shoulders but I shrug her off. I see the pain in her eyes but I can’t make it go away. Not when I’m so worried about Dante.

Erik leaves to join my father and Viktor in killing him.

I have to stop him.

There’s only three people who could maybe help me. Matteo.

And Aiden and Finn.

The thought of working with those hitmen makes me shudder but they are effective in what they do. I know Matteo will help. At least with him, I feel safe.

I head straight for the front door.

“Where are you going?” Anya asks.

“To get help. If none of you will help me save Dante, then I’m going to have to do it myself.”

“Nadia, I just don’t understand. He kidnapped you. How can you have… feelings for him?”

“How can you have feelings for Erik? He was known as the Boogeyman when you married him. And yet, now you love him.”

“Because Erik showed me I can trust him. Has Dante done the same?”

“He let me go, Anya.”

She blinks. “What?”

“Right before our father and Viktor found us. He let me go. I was going to come back home so I could see you. He didn’t want me to be his prisoner any longer. He was willing to give up the one advantage he had over Erik just because he didn’t want to hurt me. That has to mean something.”

“But he didn’t let you go. Our father found you first.”

“That doesn’t matter. Dante was letting me go. You have to believe me.”

She crosses her arms and stands there unmovable. I love my sister but she can be so stubborn sometimes. “I believe action. Dante hasn’t done anything to show me he’s a changed man.”

“Then trust me. Don’t you want to see me happy and safe? That’s all you’ve ever wanted for me.”

“It is,” she admits .

“So trust me then. Dante makes me happy.”

The pain in her eyes feels like it’s going to punch me in the gut. “But are you safe with him? That’s the thing that I worry about the most. You may want to be with him. Fine. Do I think it’s weird? Yes. But you make a good point: he’s not that much different than Erik. So if you want to be with him, fine. But can he keep you safe? Because I can tell you this: our father will not be happy if you decide to run off with Dante. He will hunt you and Dante down and there’s a good chance you could get hurt in the process. And what about Viktor? This will upset him too.”

“Viktor barely knows me.”

“That’s not the point. The point is you were promised to him. Most Bratva men do not take it lightly when their pride is scorned. And Viktor’s pride has been seriously scorned.”

I grab Anya’s hand. “Then help me. Help me see that saving Dante can benefit all of us. That we can all work together. I can’t do this on my own.”

“Erik wouldn’t want me to.”

“Have you always done what Erik wanted you to do?”

A little smirk crosses her face. “No.”

“Exactly. You’ve always marched to the beat of your own drum. Now I am too. Help me save Dante and help us find peace. Viktor might not be happy but if he sees that I want to be with Dante, he might back down.”

“And Father? You know he’ll never stop.”

“Dante will protect me from him. I know it with everything inside of me.”

Anya’s eyes search my face for a long moment before she sighs. “You believe that. You’ve changed so much. You’re not as shy as you used to be.”

“I’m still shy. But now I’m not afraid to use my voice. Dante helped me with that. We can achieve peace without bloodshed. I believe it. Help me do that.”

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“Not if we stick together.”

She sighs. “You’re lucky I love you and I’m willing to do anything to make you happy. Ok. Let’s go save Dante. I can’t believe I just said that.”

“First, we need to find Matteo. He’s Dante’s second in command. He’ll help.”

Anya and I first start with going back to the cottage where Dante was hiding me. The front door is swinging wide open and inside, we find Matteo.

“Nadia?” He takes a step towards me then stops when he sees Anya. “What’s going? What happened? ”

“Dante got captured by my father. I need your help in saving him. But without bloodshed.”

“How do you expect me to do that?”

“Just be backup. Extra muscle just in case. But ideally, try not to shoot anybody.”

“If anybody shoots at me,” he mutters, “then I’m going to defend myself.”

“That’s fine.”

“Is it?” Anya asks. “We don’t want bloodshed.”

“Just try not to kill anyone,” I tell Matteo. “This is a rescue mission. Not a bloodbath. You wanted to end this war. So help us end it.”

“We shouldn’t involve Aiden and Finn. They’ll just make things worse.”

“Fine by me. They scare me anyway.”

“Do you even know where Dante was taken?” Matteo asks.

I turn to Anya. “Shoot. I didn’t even think of that. I don’t know where our father took him. Back to his house?”

“I doubt he’d make it that obvious.” Slowly, Anya’s eyes widen as she pulls out her phone. “I have an idea. Erik and I each have trackers in our phones to make sure we’re always safe. I can find his location. Erik won’t be expecting us to go after him. He would never think I would put you in this position.” She taps at her phone, then nods. “Got it. Let’s go.”

Matteo takes his own car and follows us.

“Are you sure you can trust him?” Anya asks.

“I’m sure. He was always kind to me. He’s not evil. Not like a lot of Mafia men are. He didn’t always agree with Dante kidnapping me in the first place.”

“Huh. A Mafia man with a heart of gold. Who knew?”

We arrive at an old house that has seen better days. It’s eerily silent as we walk up to the door. Matteo pulls out his gun.

“Don’t shoot anyone,” I whisper.

“I’ll try not to.”

“Anya and I will go in first. You stay back just in case. If you hear anything, then come.”

“Like what?”

I share a look with Anya. “Like screaming.” I don’t know what my father will try to do to us when we try to stop him – if we’re not already too late that is.

My father will not hesitate to hurt either me or Anya if we get in his way .

The door is locked so Matteo uses the silencer on his gun to shoot it open. Then Anya and I step inside.

The place is disgusting. I’m glad that the houses Dante kept me in were at least clean and didn’t stink.

We keep our footsteps quiet as we look around but we don’t find anyone. The kitchen is empty. The bedrooms are empty.

Anya nods to the last door we haven’t checked. “In there,” she whispers. I go to reach for the door when Anya stops me. “Let me take the lead. I just don’t want you to get accidently shot.”

“I don’t want you to get shot either.”

“Let me do this for you, Nadia. Please. As your big sister.” I know it means a lot to Anya to save me so I step back and let her get in front.

With a trembling hand, she opens the door. Steps lead down into a basement. The sounds of a saw shriek through the air.

And then I hear something that chills me to the bone.

Screaming. Pure, utter raw screaming.

Dante. I know it’s his voice.

My body propels me forward and I run down the stairs past Anya.

“Nadia,” she hisses, following right behind.

I stop short when I reach the basement. Dante’s hands are in cuffs chained to the ceiling. His head is thrown back and his eyes are squeezed shut. I’ve never seen him look so vulnerable and weak before. In so much pain.

So afraid.

My father holds a small saw that he’s using to cut Dante’s skin over his chest. Viktor and Erik stand side by side, watching the proceedings with gleeful eyes. I always knew that these men had the capacity for torture but seeing it with my own eyes is the most terrifying thing in my entire life.

Erik notices me first. “Stop!”

My father turns the saw off and looks over his shoulder. “What?” Then his eyes land on me and Anya. “Girls. What the fuck are you doing here?”

“How did you find us?” Erik asks.

“The tracker on your phone,” Anya explains.

Both Viktor and Father level Erik with an annoyed look .

Erik sighs and ignores them both. “You two need to leave. This isn’t a place for women.”

Dante’s breathing is ragged but at least that means he’s still alive. I rush over to his side.

“Nadia, get out of the way,” Father growls.

“Or what? You’re going to use that saw on me?” I know neither Erik or Viktor will let that happen but my father looks like he’s considering it for just a moment.

“Dante,” I murmur, stroking his head.

His eyes blink open. “Nadia? Is this heaven?” His lips twitch into a tiny smile. How he manages to still make a joke, I have no idea.

“It’s not heaven. It’s real life. I’m here. I’m going to save you.”

“You most certainly will not,” Father says. “Erik, get them out of here.”

Anya raises her finger. “Erik, if you take one step towards me, so help me, I will scream. I love you but I love my sister too and I need to help her.”

“What is going on?” Viktor demands. “I don’t understand. This man kidnapped you, Nadia. He raped you. Why are you here? Out of everyone in this room, you should want him dead the most.”

“Because he didn’t rape me.” Here it goes. Viktor needs to know the truth.

Everyone goes silent. It’s somehow louder than the sound of the saw.

“What?” Viktor asks in a low voice.

“Dante didn’t rape me.” I force myself to meet Viktor’s eyes. “I gave myself to him. Willingly. He didn’t force me.”

“But… he kidnapped you.”

“He did. But he never forced me to be with him. I chose that on my own. I don’t hate Dante. In fact… I think I love him.”

That causes a commotion.

“What?” Father exclaims while Viktor goes eerily still and Erik looks like he might die from shame.

And at that very moment, Matteo comes running down the stairs.

“No one move,” he shouts, pointing his gun at each of the men.

Viktor goes for his gun but I say, “Don’t. Matteo doesn’t want to kill anyone. I just went to him for help in saving Dante. Don’t shoot him.”

“He’s an Italian,” my father sneers. “He’s one of them. You’re saying you’re friends with him too? You fucked him also? ”

I blanch. I wish I could stand up to my father better but my voice gets stuck in my throat.

It’s Anya who defends me. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

“I can talk to her however I want. She’s my daughter.”

“She doesn’t belong to you,” Dante says, breathing ragged. The fact that he’s hurt and still trying to defend me shows me how much he’s changed.

“You.” My father points the saw at him. “Shut up.”

This is all getting out of hand. Someone is going to get killed if we don’t stop this.

“Matteo isn’t going to shoot anyone,” I say, stepping forward. “All we want is Dante safe. I propose a deal. It’s the same one Dante came to you with, Erik.”

“What deal?” Viktor asks.

Erik’s face screams that he doesn’t want to say the deal in front of Viktor but I’ve put him in a bind. “If I make an alliance with Dante by letting him marry Nadia, he’ll end this war. That’s the deal.”

“Bullshit,” Father growls.

Viktor looks stunned. “You didn’t seriously consider this deal, did you?”

“No. But now…”

“Now?”

Erik sighs and nods at me. “Nadia is here, risking hers and my wife’s life to save Dante. That means something.”

“You’ve gone soft,” Father says. “When we first met, you never would have given in to the whims of women.”

“I guess I’m a changed man. Forgive me for not wanting my wife and her sister to get hurt.”

“No one is going to hurt them,” Viktor says.

Dante’s laugh breaks through the conversation. “Sergei will try to hurt his daughters if he had his way. Am I right, Erik?”

“Unfortunately, he’s right.” Erik looks like he would rather die than agree with Dante but he knows the truth about my father.

“Don’t side with him,” Father snaps.

“Let’s just all calm down,” I say. This is my moment. It wasn’t my fault that I’m in this mess but it’s my duty to finish it. “Has anyone asked what I want?”

Father scoffs. “Why does that matter?”

“It matters,” Anya snaps at him .

I raise my chin high. No time to be shy right now. “I want to be with Dante. I know that it doesn’t make sense but it’s what I want. No, he didn’t brainwash me. We just… shared a connection. We still have room to grow but I don’t want him to die before I get that chance. I’m sorry, Viktor. But I don’t want to marry you. I gave myself to Dante willingly. He never raped me. You have to take me at my word.”

“And then what?” Father asks. “You just run off into the sunset with him?”

“No. We make peace. Dante works with you.”

He scoffs. “Never.”

“I have to agree,” Viktor says. “I don’t want to work with him.”

“I was talking to Erik. Erik? You know it’s a good deal. If you marry me and Dante, it will ensure he doesn’t backstab you. He wouldn’t want to put me in danger. I know it. I will be the thing that keeps Dante in line. You can make an alliance with the Mafia. It’s a good deal and you know it.”

Erik runs his hands over his face with a sigh. “I mean, it’s not the worst deal I’ve ever considered.”

“And what about me?” Viktor asks. “The deal for us to work together was to marry me to Nadia.”

“You can marry someone else instead,” Anya offers. “Someone else who will give you an alliance with Erik. Just not Nadia.”

“Who?”

I hate to even think it but I know who. “Elena Romanov. She’s Ivan’s daughter. He works closely with Erik and my father. If you married her, it would be like marrying me.”

“Except, it won’t be you,” Viktor says flatly.

“You don’t even know me. You don’t love me.”

“But you were promised to me.”

“I want to be with Dante,” I say clearly. “And I think that a marriage alliance with him will lead to peace. It’s a good deal.”

“Elena Romanov would be a good alternative,” Erik says. “You have to agree, Viktor. It would bind you to Ivan and Ivan is a loyal member to us.”

“I would have to think on it,” Viktor says stiffly. “I need the time to consider it.”

“That’s fine,” I say, “But in the meantime, let Dante go. At least don’t torture him. Keep him under observation until he’s healed. Then marry us. We can have peace. We don’t have to kill each other any longer.”

“This is what you really want?” Erik asks. “To be with Dante? ”

I know it with all my heart. “Yes.”

Anya looks at me with pride in her eyes. “You’ve grown up,” she whispers just for me to hear.

“Well then.” Erik’s eyes say it all: he’s made up his mind. “If you came all this way to save him, then that means something. And making a deal with the Mafia would be beneficial to us. To all of us,” he says pointedly to both Viktor and Father. “If we kill Dante, we’ll probably just have more Mafia men coming after us. Case in point.” He nods at Matteo.

“It’s not a bad deal,” Viktor admits. “But my pride has been wounded, Erik. Nadia was promised to me.”

“Elena will be a good alternative,” he says. “She has just as high of a status as Nadia does. Ivan is a respected man in our business. It’s a good deal. You know it.”

“Well, I don’t agree with it,” my father snarls right before he brings the saw close to Dante’s neck.

“No!” I scream rushing forward. I run into my father’s path and the saw cuts my arm.

“No!” Dante shouts.

And then a gunshot goes off.

My father grunts and falls to the floor. A bullet hole is in his stomach. When I look down at my bleeding arm, I see that it’s intact but it’s a bloody mess and the pain of it is unmeasurable.

And then I look up to see who shot my father.

Matteo stands there with his gun raised. Smoke leaves the barrel.

He shot my father.