Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
ANYA
I dream of Erik touching me.
On my lips, between my thighs, and everywhere else on my body. The pleasure he shows me as he brings my body to new heights is unbearable. It’s unbearable because I hate him, and yet there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to hate him. A part of me wants to like him and enjoy being married to him.
My life would be so much easier if Erik and I just got along.
My body aches for more and more and more …
And then I wake up.
I find that my hips are thrusting into my pillow as my eyes open. I instantly still my body.
Erik is behind me, breathing slightly as he sleeps. Did he notice my hips thrusting? Does he somehow know what I was dreaming about?
I glance over my shoulder at him and find his back to me. Good. There’s no way he could have noticed.
I relax onto the bed and try to fall back asleep, but my body aches for more. I can feel the throbbing between my legs.
Erik gave me an orgasm yesterday. My first true one. I’ve explored my body before, but my touch never really did it for me. But Erik’s touch lit me on fire, and that’s something I’m not sure I’ll ever forget.
I get up to use the bathroom, and it help relieve some of the pent-up feelings inside me.
I take a moment to look at myself in the mirror. My hair is a mess, my eyes looked tired, but my cheeks are flushed. Somehow, I look both dead and more alive than I’ve ever been.
That’s the effect Erik has on me.
I slide back into bed and lie there, hoping sleep takes me soon enough.
“Relieved yourself?”
Erik’s voice makes me startle. “What?” I squeak out.
“I heard you get up.”
“Oh. Yeah, I had to use the bathroom.”
“It had nothing to do with the way you were moaning in your sleep?”
I look over at him and still find his back to me. “I wasn’t moaning.”
“Then you were crying. Either way, it sounded like an interesting dream.”
This bastard knows. I don’t know how he knows, but he somehow knows. I burrow under the covers and squeeze my eyes shut until sleep finally takes me again.
“Come here,” Erik says when I walk into the kitchen. He’s seated at the breakfast table with a plate of food before him.
“Why?”
“Can’t I spend some time with my wife in the morning before I have to go to work?”
I eye him warily but walk over to him. I pointedly do not look at the counter where he spanked me and gave me an orgasm last night.
Erik pulls me onto his lap, and I can’t help but wince. My ass is still sore, which he notices, judging by his smirk. That was his intent all along.
“Why do you have to do this to me? You know I’m in pain.”
“That’s because you got drunk and made a fool out of yourself and me by extension.”
“I was just a little tipsy. And you know, you’re the one in the wrong. You never should’ve touched me when I was drunk.”
“Trying to play that card here?” He squeezes my waist. “Ok, then. Fine. You’re right. I should’ve waited until you were sober. But do you regret last night? Do you wish I hadn’t touched you?”
I can’t give him an answer because … well, because I liked that he touched me. None of this makes any sense.
Erik gives me a knowing smirk and picks up a piece of pineapple from his plate. “Here. Eat. You must be hungry and hungover.”
“I can feed myself you know.”
“I know. But this is more fun. Open.” He holds the piece of pineapple in front of my lips.
Slowly, I open my mouth, and he slides the piece in.
“Now, chew. And don’t even think about spitting it at me. I’ll just have to spank you again for that.”
I glare at him as I chew the pineapple. It’s delicious, I’ll give it that. Erik picks up a blueberry next, and I let him feed me it.
His fingers linger on my lips and jaw. “Who knew fruit could be so sensual?”
“I knew.”
“Oh, you did?”
“Yep. I’m an expert at those things.”
“I’m sure you are.” He holds out a strawberry next, and I take a bite out of it. “Eaten a lot of fruit in this way before?”
“I have men feed me every day. In fact, they walk me around in a palanquin.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I’m impressed.”
“That I know that word?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Do you think I’m uncultured and stupid?”
“I never said that.” He holds another strawberry to my mouth. I slowly take a bite out of it this time. His eyes darken, and a weight settles in my stomach. It’s not an unpleasant feeling.
“Then what did you mean? What do you really think of me, Erik?”
“I think you’re a young woman with a lot of fire inside you. I just wasn’t sure how much you read. How much you knew certain words.”
“I know a lot more than you give me credit for.”
There’s a glint to his eye. “And I like that fact. I like discovering new things about you. It only fascinates me more.” His thumb slides across my lip, wiping away the last remaining fruit juices.
“Then you should know I read a lot as a child. Well, my mom read a lot to me.” The mood in the room instantly shifts. Once a moment of desire is now a moment of vulnerability.
“I never met her. Your mom.”
“She’s been dead for years.”
“How?”
I narrow my eyes. “How did she die? Why do you want to know? Want to use it against me somehow?”
“I just want to know, Anya,” he says in a surprisingly soft voice.
“She died from breast cancer when I was ten. Nadia was only seven at the time. She barely got to know our mom.”
Erik goes silent for a moment as he stares at the table. “And she read to you?”
“All the time. It was our favorite thing to do together.”
“Losing her must have been tough.”
“It was,” I say, surprised I’m even having this conversation with Erik. “I’ve never asked about your parents. They weren’t at the wedding.”
He meets my gaze again, and this time, any softness is gone. “They’re both dead.”
“How?”
“Murdered. Shot down in cold blood. That’s what happens when you’re in the Bratva.”
“Will that happen to you?”
“Hoping it will?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“Don’t worry, Anya. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m not going to die anytime soon.”
“And me? Am I at risk?”
“Bratva women always are,” he murmurs. “I think that’s enough for this morning. I have a lot of work to do today.”
“Ok,” I whisper. “Like what?”
“Like coming up with a plan to stop Dante from attacking. Your father and I are meeting up with a few other men to discuss plans.”
So … that means my father won’t be home today.
“Where are you meeting up?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I thought we were getting to know one another,” I say. “We were having a moment, you know.”
“I noticed. I’m surprised, actually. I never thought you’d trust me with any information about your mother.”
“I’m starting to see there’s no point in keeping things from you. You’ll find out eventually. And I can only go so long without talking about anything with anyone before I start to go a little stir crazy.”
“So, you’re sharing things with me because you’re being practical.”
“I guess I’m more like you than I thought.”
Smiling, he gently nudges me off his lap and stands up, looking handsome in his suit. “Your father and I are meeting at Ivan Romanov’s house to discuss business.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“Because I know you’re thinking of going to see your sister. And I won’t stop you.”
I inhale sharply. “You won’t?”
“No. But, Anya, you better not try to run away from me. I will always find you.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. It’s soft and tender, and for a moment, I want to lean into his touch. But I hold back.
And then it’s done. Erik pulls away from me. “Have a good day, Anya. Be smart.”
I watch him leave the house and think about what just happened. Erik and I actually bantered this morning. We actually had a normal conversation. I’ll admit—it’s doing strange things to my heart.
But we both know I’m not going to be smart. My father won’t be home today, which means Nadia will be alone. Sure, she will be guarded, but I’ll be allowed to see my sister.
And once I do, I’m getting her to safety. I don’t care about Viktor. I don’t care if Erik told me that things would be better for Nadia if I stopped trying to save her.
I can never stop.
I don’t even care if I die trying.
Erik even leaves a set of car keys for me to use to drive to my father’s house. Once there, I’m confronted with one of the guards, Simon, stationed at the front of the house.
“Anya? I didn’t know you were coming over today.”
“I’m just here to see Nadia.”
Simon hesitates.
“What is it?”
“It’s just your father said if you came by, not to let you in. He doesn’t want you talking to Nadia.”
“Simon, you’ve known me for years. You know I love Nadia. What am I going to do? What my father doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Just let me see my sister. I’ll stay for an hour, then I’ll go.”
He finally nods and lets me through the large gate at the front. Thank god for Simon. He was always a pushover. That’s one good reason he’s on watch today.
Another guard answers the door after I knock. George. The one who I tried to run from when I went wedding dress shopping.
“Anya, what are you doing here?”
“I just want to see my sister, George. I promise nothing will happen. I just need to know she’s ok.” I lean in closer to him. “You know what my father did to me for years. You saw it with your own eyes. My bruises. I just need to make sure he’s not doing the same to Nadia.”
George sighs deeply before letting me into the house. That’s the one thing with these men—they’re paid by my father, but they have a soft spot for my sister and me.
I rush to her room and knock on the door. After a moment, Nadia answers. “Anya? Oh my god.”
I pull her into a fierce hug, and she returns it.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m saving you,” I say into her hair.
She pulls back. “What?”
“Come on. We have to go. I don’t know how long Father will be at work today. Erik told me they’re meeting at Ivan Romanov’s house, which means we have at least an hour before he returns home. If you want to be free, Nadia, then we need to go right now.”
“But … how? You weren’t able to save me before. What’s changed?”
I flinch slightly. Nothing really has changed, but now, I’m even more desperate. “I’ve tried to come to terms with you marrying Viktor, but I just can’t. I know you, Nadia. I know you’ll go along with it and put on a smile and pretend to be happy while you’re dying inside. But this is our chance to get you somewhere safe. Erik gave me a car. We can just hit the road and not look back.”
“Do you have any money? Any place for us to go?”
My smile falters. “Not really. But we can figure that out. We have to, Nadia. How many chances are we going to get? And answer me honestly. Do you want to marry Viktor? Truly?”
“No,” she says, hanging her head low.
“Then, let’s go. Let’s go right now. We can find jobs as waitresses and make some money. I don’t know. But we can do this together.”
“Erik won’t let you go. You know that.”
“Then fine. I’ll return to him. But let me at least get you somewhere safe. I can send you money.”
“What money? Our father has money. Your husband has money. You don’t have money.”
“Just let me help you, Nadia. Please. Let me try.”
“I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“You won’t! Come on, Nadia. I’m desperate. I can’t sit still knowing I didn’t try everything to save you. So, let me try. Please. Please, Nadia.”
Nadia looks over her shoulder at her bedroom, then slowly nods. When she looks back at me, I see determination in her eyes.
“Ok. I’ll let you try.”
“Then we need to get out of here. Now.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“I have a car. We get in it, and we go.”
“But Father’s guards will just follow us,” she says, biting her lip. “Anya, I’m not sure this is a good idea. You don’t have a plan.”
“I know I don’t. But I have to do whatever I can to save you.”
“Maybe saving me means letting me go.”
I stand there, stunned, not believing what she just said to me. “Do you honestly mean that? You want me to stop fighting for you?”
“No, of course not. I’m just worried you’re going to get hurt if you do this.”
“I can handle Father. I can handle Erik.”
“Can you? Because you’ve always been so strong for me, but I don’t want to see you get hurt on my behalf. I think I need to fight some of my own battles for once.”
“And you can do that … once I get you out of here and out of Father’s clutches. You’ll always be under his control, Nadia. You know that. This is your chance. He doesn’t know I’m here. Let’s go.” I take her hand in mine. “Let’s try.”
Nadia exhales and, after a long moment, squeezes my hand in return. “Ok. Let’s do this.”
“Just follow my lead.” Even though I don’t have a lead since I have no idea what I’m even doing.
We head to the back yard. There are fewer guards out this way.
“If we can just get to the car, we can go.”
“But, Anya, they’ll try to stop us.”
“Not if they’re not expecting us to do that. Come on. We have to run.” I rip open the back door and poke my head out. There are no guards around, but I know they walk the perimeter of the house. They’ll be here soon.
We sneak around the side of the house and stop before we reach the front. Only Simon is out front at the moment, standing near the car Erik let me use. His stance is casual. He’s not expecting anything to happen.
“Ok,” I whisper. “I’m going to get into the car and start it up. He’ll think I’m just leaving. The second I have the car on, you run and get into the passenger seat, and then we’re off.”
“I don’t like this plan …”
“Nadia, what other choice do we have? Don’t answer that,” I add quickly. I know what Nadia will say. She would want me to save myself and not her, and there’s no way I’m doing that.
I give her a reassuring look—or what I hope is reassuring—and walk to the car. Simon nods at me.
“Going so soon?”
“I think it’s better this way,” I tell him, getting into the car. “Makes it easier to say goodbye to her.”
“I get it. You two were always so close growing up.”
“Thanks, Simon.” I close the door and start the car, trying not to look nervous at all.
And then, I wait.
And wait.
I glance in Nadia’s direction and see she’s staring at her feet. I love my sister, but I swear, sometimes I think she wants to stay stuck under our father’s thumb.
Simon frowns and taps on the window. “Waiting for something?”
That makes Nadia look up, and after hesitating, she runs right for the car. Thank god. She gets in before Simon can even react, and then I’m backing out of the driveway like a speed demon.
“Hey, wait!” Simon shouts. He pulls out his phone and calls someone. Probably my father.
We make it out of the driveway and onto the street, and then we’re off.
“I can’t believe I did that,” Nadia says, giggling a little. “I actually did that.”
“You did good. I’m so proud of you.”
“Where are we going to go?”
“I’ll figure it out.” I have no money to pay for a hotel for the night. I have no safehouse to take Nadia to.
There’s really only one place to go.
“I’m taking you to Erik’s.”
Nadia’s eyes bug out of her face. “What? But you hate him. You’re scared of him.”
How do I tell my sister I’m not exactly afraid of Erik like I once was? I still don’t trust him, but he’s not as frightening as I thought he’d be. There’s a … surprising softness to him at times. For a moment, when we spoke about my mom, I felt him warming up to me.
Just for a moment, though, and then it was over.
“I have nowhere else to take you. We’ll hide you there until I can get you money, and then we’ll sneak you out and take you somewhere else.”
“Maybe you should just take me home.”
“You got in the car with me. You chose to trust me. So, trust me.”
“… Ok.” She sounds so uncertain, and it hurts me to the core.
We arrive back at Erik’s house.
“Get in the back,” I tell her, “so the guard at the gate doesn’t see you.”
Nadia does as I say, and I drive up to the gate where Erik’s guard is stationed. “Hi. I’m back.”
Without a word, he opens the gate for me, and I drive up to the front door. Fortunately, Erik’s car isn’t here. I help Nadia out of the car, and we run into the house before the guard can look back and see her with me.
“This way.” I take her into one of the bedrooms on the first floor. “This way, if you walk around, hopefully Erik will be less likely to hear you.”
“But what if he does find me? What then, Anya? Will he hurt me?”
“No. No, I … don’t believe he will.” And I do believe it. Erik hasn’t given me any reason to believe he would beat Nadia.
Our father, on the other hand …
I know this is putting Nadia in danger with him, but I just have to hope my plan works, and I can get her to safety.
“Just stay in here for now. Do you have to use the bathroom?”
She shakes her head.
“Ok. Just sit on the bed and be quiet. If you hear anything, hide in the closet.”
“Anya, are we making the right decision doing this?”
If it means saving my sister or not, I know the answer in a heartbeat. “Yes.” Then I shut the door on her. “Lock it.”
After a moment, I hear the lock click into place.
Then I rush into the living room, turn on the TV, and calm my breathing, pretending I didn’t just kidnap my sister.
It takes over an hour for Erik to return home. And he’s not alone. My father and another man are with him.
“Where is she?” my father seethes, storming over to me and grabbing my hair. He pulls me from the couch to the floor. “Where is she?”
Erik’s footsteps are dominant as he stands next to my father. “Let her go, Sergei.” When my father doesn’t, Erik adds, “Now,” for good measure.
With a grumble, my father lets me go, and I flop to the ground.
“Where is she?” he asks again.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about?”
He scoffs. “Don’t play dumb with me, girl. I know you came over to my house. I know Nadia got into your car. Simon told me. So, where is she?”
I stare back at my father and don’t say a word. He raises his hand. I instinctually flinch, but before his hand reaches my face, it stops.
Because Erik has grabbed my father’s wrist and is holding it back.
“Do not hit her,” Erik says in a low voice. “I’ve already spoken to you about that.”
“We should try talking with her,” the other man suggests.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“This is Ivan Romanov, our other business partner.”
“Nice to meet you,” he says, extending his hand out to me. Slowly, I take it, and he helps pull me to my feet. “I don’t believe in hitting girls. I believe in talking to them kindly. Now, Anya, the little bit I know is that you’re protective of your sister. Is that right?”
I don’t say a word.
Ivan nods like I’ve spoken. “Of course. You just want to keep her safe. I’ve heard of the deal your father and husband made to marry her to Viktor Smirnov. A scary man, but a decent one from what I know of him. You just want to protect your sister, but taking her away from her father is not protecting her. If she’s out there in the city somewhere, she could be in more danger. Do you want that for your sister?”
I still don’t say anything.
Ivan shares a look with Erik and my father before he smiles at me. “Your sister will be safe.”
“No, she won’t,” I hiss. “Not when my father likes to beat us.”
“Only you, insolent girl,” Father hisses back.
“That’s bullshit. You’ve hit Nadia. You’ll only hurt her more.”
“I will not. I married you to Erik, didn’t I? You should be grateful I did. You now have power and prestige. More power and prestige than any other woman in the Bratva. You should be on your knees thanking me.”
“I will never thank you.”
He raises his hand again, and once more, Erik grabs it and tosses it back toward my father’s side.
Ivan tries again. “Anya, think about the power and prestige Nadia could have being married to Viktor. He is betrothed to her. Think about how upset he’ll be if he finds out you kidnapped his future bride. He might try and come after you. You might’ve just ruined the deal your husband made. I’m sure that doesn’t feel good, does it?”
I take in Ivan’s open, warm face and his cozy sweater and slacks, and scoff. “You look like Mr. Rogers, but you’re just as manipulative as my father and husband. You’re trying to guilt trip me into giving up my sister, and I won’t do that.”
“You have to think about more than yourself, Anya,” Erik cuts in. “Ivan has a point. Pissing off Viktor will only weaken us. When Dante decides to strike—and he will strike at some point—we need all the power we can get against him. Just tell us where Nadia is, and all will be forgiven.”
“And if I don’t give my sister up?”
Erik’s eyes darken. “Then things will be unpleasant for you.”
A chill creeps up my spine. I try not to let it show on my face how afraid I am.
But Erik notices. He’s too damn observant.
“Anya, I have ways of making you talk. I’m an expert torturer. If you give Nadia up, I won’t have to torture you at all. Things can be easy for you.”
“I would rather die than give my sister up,” I spit at him.
Erik doesn’t look fazed one bit. “Then so be it.” He turns to my father and Ivan. “Gentleman, you may go.”
“What?” my father exclaims, red in the face.
“I’ll handle Anya and get the information out of her. But it will be better if you’re not here to see this.”
I stand still as my father glares at me before he and Ivan leave. What is Erik going to do to me? I’m honestly too afraid to ask.
“Anya,” he says in a low voice. “Go upstairs. Our room. Take off your clothes and lie on the bed. Let’s get this over with.”
Erik is going to torture me, and I’m going to let him because I’ll do anything to save my sister.
With my head held high, I walk upstairs, and he follows right behind.