Page 7

Chapter Seven

Nadia

T he cold at night seeps into every fiber of my being. The blanket barely helps. As the night wears on, I struggle to even feel my toes. I didn’t realize just how much warmth my dress gave me until it’s gone.

Shivers wrack my body. I try my best to curl my toes into the crook of my legs but it’s hopeless. I can’t get warm.

And when morning comes, I know I’m sick. My body is fatigued, despite the food I’ve been given. My head feels stuffed. This basement is going to slowly kill me and Dante doesn’t even seem to care. He hasn’t come to check on me since yesterday when he took my dress from me.

Matteo comes down with another plate of food – this time scrambled eggs.

He stops when he sees me shivering on the mattress. “Nadia?”

“I don’t feel good,” I mumble.

He touches my forehead. “You’re burning up. I think you might have a fever.”

“I’m so cold and hot.” I can’t feel my toes but my face is on fire.

“Shit. Ok. Uh… I’ll go get Dante.”

I don’t even feel relief at Matteo’s worry. It doesn’t matter that he’s showing a small ounce of kindness towards me. Dante hates me and that’s all that matters.

He’s doing this to me. He’s slowly killing me.

Anya

“We have to make a deal with Dante,” Erik says to the group of men. Viktor, Ivan, and my father look at each other uncertainly. I stand near the back of Erik’s office, my mind distracted with thoughts of Nadia’s finger. The box is on Erik’s desk. Taunting me. Mocking me. Telling me I’m a horrible sister for not saving Nadia sooner.

Erik’s hacker guy is still trying to locate the house we could see in the photo but so far, no luck. What was a good idea is starting to become pointless.

My father scoffs. “I am not making a deal with that devil. No.”

“Not for your own daughter?” Viktor asks in a calm, low voice. He doesn’t need to raise his voice to be heard. His large presence is felt in every room he’s in.

“Dante sent Nadia’s finger” – Erik glances in my direction and I have to look away – “to us and that can’t stand. Who knows how else he’ll hurt her?”

“Do we know for a fact that it’s Nadia’s finger?” Ivan’s question is loud in the room. The question holds so much weight.

“What do you mean?” I ask. “Who’s finger would it be if not for Nadia’s? It’s a small finger. Her fingers are small. The skin tone matches.”

“Yes, but you could do a test. It’s a finger. You have the fingerprint. You could see if it’s Nadia’s.”

“But it will take too long to run it through the system. And need I remind you that Nadia’s fingerprints are not in the system, so if it’s hers, it won’t show up,” Erik explains. “And if it’s not hers, and it’s somehow someone else’s, it might not show up either.”

“It’s still worth looking into,” Ivan says.

“True. But it could take a while before we get the results. I have a cop I pay off but it will still take time. Time we don’t have.” Erik sighs. “The matter of the fact is, Nadia is in danger, even if this isn’t her finger. And if it’s not, that means Dante is hurting other women in the process. Probably innocent women. We need to stop him. I will send him a message offering a time and place to meet.”

My father makes an ugly sound in the back of his throat. “And offer him what in return? He won’t just give up Nadia without anything. ”

Erik glances at me again before turning back to my father. I know what he’s going to say before he even says it. “That’s why I’ll offer myself in return. This war between Dante started with him and me. I need to be the one to end it.”

“But if you’re dead,” Viktor muses, “then what’s to stop Dante from coming back for Nadia? Or for Anya?”

“You. You will marry Nadia once we get her back and you will protect Anya.”

Viktor inclines his head. “Of course. It’s still risky. The better option would be to kill Dante.”

“Obviously,” my father mutters.

Viktor ignores him as he speaks to Erik. “Can you make a trade with Dante – give yourself up for Nadia but then kill Dante right after?”

“I can try.”

“But that puts Nadia at risk,” I cut in. “If she’s caught in the crosshairs, she could die.”

“I’ll only attack Dante once Nadia is free and clear of the place.”

“But then you might die.”

Erik gives me a soft, sad look. “I know. And a few years ago, I would have done anything to keep myself from dying. But I’m a changed man. I will fight for you and Nadia. I will offer up my life so your sister is safe. I am doing this for both of you.” He comes over to me and cups my face. “I am doing this to save your life.”

“I’m not in danger.”

“No. But your mind is. You will slowly die if Nadia is not safe, so that is my gift to you. Let me save your sister.”

“But then that means I lose you too and I can’t have that.”

“I’m not a good man, Anya. I’ve done a lot of bad things. If anyone deserves to die, it’s me. Not your sister. She’s completely innocent in all of this. Let me save her for you.”

I know he’s right. If that finger is really Nadia’s, then that means she’s already been mutilated. Tortured. While I don’t want to lose the man I love, I would take my sister’s safety any day. Even though that means losing my husband.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as tears spill from my eyes. “I love you.”

“I know you do. And if I die to save Nadia, then at least I’ll be at rest and your sister will be safe.”

“We never got to start a family.”

“I’ll try to survive but I can’t promise it. I won’t lie to you like that. ”

Without caring about the other men in the room, I grab Erik’s face and kiss him with all of my might. He kisses me back just as deeply.

“Save my sister. But try to come back to me.”

“I will. Now I just need to get Dante to agree to a meet.”

Dante

“Erik wants to meet you,” Finn tells me.

“And you know this… how?” I lounge on the couch in my apartment. It’s a place I rented that’s near the ranch house I stuffed Nadia into. I needed a place to get away from her since she’s been on my mind too much for comfort.

“He put a message out to his men who sent the message to some well-known Mafia hangouts. Word got back to me and now I’m telling you.”

“So, he got the finger and he’s getting desperate. He wants to kill me, that much is obvious but he’s going to offer a trade. His life for Nadia’s. Why else reach out?”

“I’m curious. Where did you get the finger?”

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” I pause. “The morgue.”

Finn’s laugh is dark, like his nature. “Of course. So, are you going to meet him?”

“It will be fun to mock him. Make him see that he’s failing. He’ll have no choice but to go crawling back to Anya, crying how he couldn’t save her sister. It will be sweet. So, yes, I’ll meet him. Send the word.”

“Of course. I’ve been itching for some bloodshed for a while.”

“If you’re so desperate to go kill someone, then go find a random Bratva man to do in. We need less of them in this world.”

“Will do.” Finn whistles to himself as he leaves.

My phone rings with an incoming call form Matteo. “Yes?”

“You need to get to the house. It’s Nadia.”

A flicker of worry shoots through me but I push it away. That’s ridiculous. I don’t care for the girl. She means nothing to me .

But my eyes find her wedding dress, draped over a chair in my living room, anyway. Thinking of her naked down in that basement is driving me fucking insane with want.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s sick. A fever. She could die if we’re not careful.”

“You’ve been feeding her?”

“Yes. But, Dante…”

“What? Spit it out,” I growl, clenching my phone tighter.

“Are we taking things too far? The girl is innocent and yet, you keep hurting her. Maybe you should give her back.”

“And then what leverage would I have?”

“You could trade her for Erik. He’s the one you really want to torture.”

“Erik is getting tortured by not being able to find Nadia in the first place. Trust me. This is the way to go. I’ll be over there in a moment. Make sure she doesn’t die in the meantime. That would be inconvenient.”

Not just inconvenient but also upsetting. I’m drawn to Nadia. She fascinates me. I don’t want her to die at all.

I shouldn’t care , I remind myself. She means nothing to me.

Matteo greets me at the door of the ranch house and ushers me down stairs. “She’s really sick.”

Nadia is lying on the mattress, shivering uncontrollably, while sweat drips off her forehead. Shit. She really is sick.

“I think she has a fever. If you don’t want her to die, you should get her somewhere warmer. Have her rest in an actual bed.”

“The point of keeping her down here was to make her suffer.”

“You don’t think she hasn’t suffered enough?”

I look at Matteo sharply. “Who’s side are you on?”

“Yours, of course. If you want to continue torturing Erik, then you need to make sure Nadia doesn’t die. You need to get her out of this basement.”

I know Matteo is right. I hate being fucking wrong.

I kneel beside Nadia and place my hand on her head. She’s burning up. Her eyes flutter open and look up at me with so much sadness.

A flash of guilt punches me in the stomach. I did this to her. I made her stay down in this cold basement.

No. I’m doing this for my revenge. I don’t care about Nadia .

I just can’t let her die though. With a sigh, I scoop her and the blanket into my arms. With her being sick, now is not the time to admire her naked body. Even I have certain limits.

I bring Nadia to one of the upstairs bedrooms and wrap her up in blankets.

“I’m so hot,” she murmurs, her eyelids fluttering closed.

“You have a fever. You need to get warm. Matteo, bring me some water.”

He does without question.

I get Nadia to drink some of it but she promptly coughs it back up. “Well, that’s not becoming of you, is it, Nadia?”

She’s so tired and weak, she doesn’t even say anything in return.

The sight of her in the bed, so small and sick, makes my chest constrict. It’s almost like I feel bad for her. She’s not the villain I was hoping to torture. She’s just a young woman, who’s innocent and was the perfect pawn.

“Rest,” I tell her, and without even thinking about it, I give her a kiss on the forehead.

Fuck, I’m going soft. I cannot care about Nadia. I do not care about Nadia. I just need to keep repeating it like a mantra.

I leave Nadia to rest and meet Matteo in the hallway. “Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t die.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have a meeting with Erik. It’s time to finally talk after four years.”

I call Erik’s number. It isn’t hard to get. All I had to do was go threaten a young Bratva boy whose father knows Erik and got the number from there.

“So, you wanted to meet?”

“Dante,” he growls.

“Well?”

“Yes, I want to meet. Myself for Nadia. It’s a fair trade.”

“Is it? See, Erik, I don’t want you dead. I want you to suffer. That’s why I stole Nadia and not you. So, I don’t see why I should make a trade at all.”

“You cut off her finger.”

“And she screamed while I did it. ”

I can just feel Erik’s anger through the phone. “Just you and me. We’ll meet up. We’ll discuss.”

“I’m not sure what there is to discuss,” I say, leaning against the wall. It feels good to be in charge.

“I will kill you eventually, Dante. You can’t hide Nadia away forever. And when I do find you, I’ll kill you. But you have a chance right now to end my life. I’ll give myself over and you can end me. There doesn’t have to be any more wars. You can continue with your life and I will be dead. All I ask is that you leave Nadia and Anya alone after that.”

“Mmm. It’s a good deal. How about this: You, Sergei, and Viktor show up at a place of my choosing. I want to look you all in the eye. And then we can talk more.”

“Is this a trap?”

“How can you ask me such a thing?” I smirk. Erik is just too easy sometimes.

With a low sound, Erik says, “Fine. Where do you want to meet?”

We meet in a junkyard. It’s secluded. It’s neutral territory. And it’s a good place for a gunfight if it should occur.

I arrive with Finn and Aiden. Matteo stayed back at the ranch house to keep an eye on Nadia.

Erik arrives with Viktor and Ivan. Sergei isn’t with him. Interesting.

“So, I’m here,” Erik says.

“Drop your guns on the ground.”

“Only if you drop yours too,” Viktor says.

I look to Aiden and Finn, who shrug, then turn back to Erik. “Deal. We are here to talk. Nothing more.”

We all lower our weapons to the ground. Granted, I have a spare gun in the waistband of my pants but they don’t need to know about that. Knowing Erik, he has a spare gun hidden somewhere too.

“So let’s talk,” Erik orders. “Give Nadia back to us and in exchange, you can have me.”

“Why isn’t Sergei here?”

Erik blinks. “What? ”

“I told you to bring yourself, Viktor, and Sergei. Nadia’s brother-in-law, her future husband, and her father. But her father isn’t here. Instead, you brought that fuckface.”

Ivan scowls. “I am a trusted member of this team. I am not a fuckface.”

“Look like a fuckface to me,” Finn says, making Aiden snicker.

“Enough,” Erik says. “It doesn’t matter why Sergei isn’t here. He just isn’t.”

“Did he not want to come to bargain for his daughter’s life?”

“He was busy.”

“Too busy to come bargain for his daughter’s life? I cut off one finger. I can do another. I can cut off every inch of Nadia until there’s nothing left of her.”

“And then you have no leverage,” Erik says. “You have nothing to use against us once Nadia dies, which means you need to keep her alive as long as possible. For… what? Until you’ve decided to come for Anya next? Then me?”

My grin is savage. “Exactly. My goal is to drive you insane until you come begging to me to end your life. I’m sure Nadia’s death will drive your pretty little wife into madness.”

“Just take me, Dante. You want me dead. You want revenge on me for trying to kill you. So just kill me and let Nadia go.”

“But where’s the fun in that? You don’t seem to understand, Erik. I’m playing the long game here. I do want you dead. One day. But that day is not today. So unless you’re here to give me your wife, I’m not interested in any exchange. Let’s go.”

“So why did you come then?” Erik calls out as I start to walk away. I stop and look over my shoulder at him. “If you weren’t planning on making an exchange and you’re not planning on killing me, why come?”

“Because I wanted to look into your eyes. I wanted to see for myself how much I’ve hurt you. And from what I can tell, you’re starting to lose it which is exactly what I want. That’s why I came. To have fun. Now, I should get going. Nadia needs my attention.” My eyes settle on Viktor. “I’ll be the first person to ever touch her, you know. I was her first kiss after all.”

Viktor surges forward and it’s only Erik that holds him back. “You take your disgusting words out of your mouth. Show Nadia some respect.”

“Why should I? She didn’t show me any respect when her sister stabbed me in the back. Or when Erik tried to blow me up. She hates me just as much as I hate her.”

“Not enough to not fuck her, apparently,” Ivan murmurs.

“Fucking and love are two separate things,” I explain. “I can fuck Nadia and still hate her. In fact, fucking someone I hate makes it all the sweeter. Now, I’m done here. ”

“You’re not leaving,” Viktor growls, right before he pulls out a hidden gun from his pocket and starts firing at me.

Aiden grabs my arm and pulls me behind a car. Finn starts firing back, laughing like a maniacal supervillain.

“I thought we said no guns,” I mutter.

“You still kept a gun. We all did.” Aiden pulls out his own gun from a holster around his ankle.

“I know. I like breaking the rules. I just don’t like it when other people do it.” With a smile, I dive out from behind the car and start firing at Erik and his men.

It soon becomes an all-out gunfight. Neither side stops. But neither side wins either. There’s too many cars in this junkyard. Too many places to hide.

We’re never going to win.

“Let’s go,” I mutter to Aiden. “I’m getting tired of this.”

I stay crouched down as I hurry out of the junkyard. Aiden has to grab Finn and force him away from the fight. We make it to our car and drive to a different car we have parked a few miles away. After switching, we drive back to the ranch house.

“Did you get what you were looking for?” Aiden asks.

“I did.” I learned that Erik is more desperate than I thought he’d be. I also learned that Sergei doesn’t love his daughter. If he did, he would have been there.

Aiden and Finn drive away from the ranch house so nothing can be tracked back here.

I don’t even look at Matteo as I head into Nadia’s bedroom. She’s still asleep and her fever is raging on.

Looking down at her small body, all I can think about is how sad her life must have been. Her own father didn’t even show to try to save her. Maybe she’s not as much the enemy as I thought.

I sit in a chair in the corner of the room and watch her sleep. And I think . And I hate that I think. And I feel . I have to admit that I have feelings for this pathetically sad woman.

I know that I’m starting to care for Nadia and that was never part of the plan at all.

Nadi a

When I wake up, my mind feels instantly clearer.

I can tell right away that I’m somewhere different. I’m in a bed, for one thing. Sitting up, I gasp when I see Dante, seated in a chair across from me, just… watching me.

“Good. You’re finally awake. And it seems your fever has broken.”

I’m still naked but the large blanket on the bed is covering me from Dante’s eyes. “I feel better. What happened?”

“You were sick. I think the cold from the basement got to you. Made you sick.”

“So you… brought me here?”

“Well, I don’t want you to die.” He’s seated partially in shadow so it’s hard to make out his expression. “I’ve said it before. You’re more useful to me alive then dead.”

“Well… thank you. I guess.”

“Don’t thank me, Nadia. I’m your kidnapper, remember?”

“I haven’t forgotten.” I duck my chin into my chest. Knowing I’m in a bed, almost naked, while Dante looks at me, is making me feel a little lightheaded.

“So, I had a chat with your brother-in-law.”

All my embarrassment is gone and I quickly look back up at him. “What?”

“And Viktor. Oh, and Ivan Romanov was there, which I found interesting. Like… does he even matter? But you know what I found the most interesting? Your father wasn’t there. We all met up to discuss a trade but Sergei wasn’t among them. I asked Erik and he said Sergei was busy. But a father, being too busy to meet up with the man who kidnapped his daughter? What’s that about?”

Dante’s words sting me right to my heart. I know why my father didn’t show. He doesn’t truly care about me. He’s only ever cared about himself.

“Care to tell me the one secret about your father you didn’t reveal before?”

“No.”

“Come on, Nadia. Your own father didn’t come to the meet-up. He doesn’t care about you. Why is that? Why would a father not love his own daughter?”

“You’d have to ask him.”

“I wanted to but he wasn’t there. And besides, I think you know why he didn’t show. I think you know why he beat Anya and kept you locked up. Why he hates you and your sister. Why?”

All the fight leaves my body. From being sick to being kidnapped to now this, I have nothing left.

“It’s just a rumor. ”

Dante leans forward in his seat, his expression eager. “What is?”

“My father thought… Me and Anya don’t exactly look alike. She has red hair and I have brown hair. Our face shapes are a little different. We share a mother but…”

“You don’t share a father,” he says slowly. “Huh.”

“Like I said. It’s just a rumor. Nothing was ever proven. I don’t think my father ever did a test. But he’s resented both me and Anya for it. If our mother did have an affair, then… Well, it doesn’t look good for him. He takes pride in his, well, pride. Our mother ruined that. If she even did. Anya and I have talked about it before. We know genetics can be weird. It might not mean we have different fathers. Our mother is gone, so we can’t even ask her. But Anya and I are sisters and we always will be. That’s what matters.”

“How sweet. The love you have for her. I’m sure she’s freaking out right now. She thinks I sent you your finger.”

I frown. “My finger?”

“I sent another woman’s finger to your sister just to freak her out. Hope you didn’t mind.”

His words are too crazy for me even to process. “Wait… what?”

Dante only laughs as he gets up and leaves the room. “You’ve given me a lot to think about, so thank you. But I should let you rest some more. You still might be a little under the weather.” He shuts the bedroom door behind me and unsurprisingly, locks me inside.

There’s a lot I don’t understand but one thing I know for a fact: Dante just continues to confuse me more and more.