Chapter 39
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ANASTASIA
I shot him. I just shot my husband.
Fuck, I’m going to throw up.
My legs collapse from beneath me and I crumble to the floor. The gun slips from my hands and I draw my knees to my bare chest, wishing the ground would swallow me whole.
I underestimated Aldo.
Before he was just every other idiot with a vendetta against us. Yet now I can see the years of anger that’s been brewing, allowing him to craft his plan to perfection.
There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s been waiting decades for this and now that it’s finally here, he won’t let anything stop it from playing out just the way he wants.
And it worked. He broke me.
A one in six chance and of course the odds aren’t in my fucking favor.
But Aldo doesn’t want us dead just yet. Otherwise, he would have made me aim for Enzo’s head. Instead, I shot his shoulder.
Enough to satisfy Aldo’s inane desire to hurt my husband but not to kill him. But still, shooting my husband was enough to destroy whatever little strength I had left.
Hearing his anguished grunt as the bullet pierced his skin, the blood gushing from the wound, his shaky pained smile as he tried to show me that he was fine. There was no other choice except to watch Angelica die, but still I feel like I failed him.
Failed myself.
Someone grabs my hair tight, and I scream as I’m pulled to my feet. “Don’t fucking touch her.” Enzo’s words come out slurred from the pain and I try to hold in a cry as I feel strands of my hair being yanked from my scalp.
“This is only the beginning Mrs Mancini.” Aldo’s vile words become lost in the haze of my mind and he throws me into the arms of his men. I can hear Enzo calling my name — screaming for me — but my ears start to ring, dragging me further away from him.
***
I don’t know how long I’ve been locked in here. A few hours…a day?
The air feels damp and the hum of the ventilation brings in a cold draft that pricks goosebumps over my bare skin. I can feel the grime and dirt between my toes every time I rub them together. It’s the only thing keeping me sane.
That and the sound of the rats scurrying around me. Every now and again they try to bite at my skin, reminding me that isn’t some fucked up nightmare but my new reality.
The urge to scrub myself clean disappeared a while ago, alongside my desire to fight. I screamed for a while, slammed my cuffs against the wall until my wrists bruised, but it’s pointless.
Enzo is locked away somewhere and bleeding out, Aldo probably has Angelica, doing God knows what to her, and I’m trapped in here.
Closing my eyes, I let my mind drift into the warm memories of us. When we were living in this safe protective bubble, stupidly existing without thoughts of the fucked-up mess we left behind.
Eventually it had to end and maybe Aldo was right after all?
It was a fantasy believing we deserved a happily ever after and not the same fate we’ve ensured for so many other people.
Maybe it was always bound to end this bloody?
There’s a sudden screech as the door is forced open. I groan as the blinding light that floods in hits my eyes and fix my gaze on the ground, not giving them the satisfaction of seeing me broken.
Heavy footsteps grow louder and I can hear his leather boots squeaking as he crouches down before me. “Stasia?”
My heart stills as his familiar voice triggers a whirlwind of emotions, the most predominant being white hot rage. I look up, unsure whether or not I’m hallucinating the forest green eyes that stare back at me.
Some animalistic desire takes over as I lunge for him, forgetting about the cuffs that haul me back against the wall. It’s enough to knock him back on his ass though and he hits the door, accidentally shoving it backwards to allow more light to bleed in .
I watch his lips part as he takes me in. The crazed hair, dirt covered body and bright red eyes. “Fucking sick bastard.” He mutters, tearing his shirt off before pushing it over my head.
I don’t fight him, letting him dress me like a doll, and watch as he jimmies the cuffs open with a pin to free me. Relief comes from the cool air hitting my raw wrists. I almost collapse forward but he catches me, pulling my arms through the shirt and the hem down so it falls past my thighs.
The cotton feels so soft, so light…and God I’m so tired, I could just fall asleep—
“Anastasia, hey.” Fingers snap before my face, forcing my eyes open. “It’s Killian. Stasia, look at me.” His hands are cupping my cheeks, so warm and comforting, but when I finally come to my senses all I can see is betrayal.
Shoving him aside, I try to run but my legs are so numb from sitting down that I nearly trip over my own feet. Killian wraps his arm around my stomach before I can fall and pulls me behind the door.
“We need to be quiet.” His palm covers my mouth as a flood of voices echoes off the walls. When they finally disappear, he drops his hand but keeps his grip on my waist. “I know you’re pissed at me and what I did was unforgivable but if you want to make it out of here alive then you need me. ”
“Why did you come?” My throat burns from all the screaming and when he doesn’t answer me, the worst thought comes to mind. “Did you know?”
I can see the answer burning in his eyes. “Yes.” Betrayal splinters through my chest again. I jam my elbow into his chest but he catches it, pinning my arm behind my back. “It’s not what you think. He’s completely insane okay. He’s stopped taking his meds, started killing sporadically for no reason. Enzo became an obsession and he wouldn’t stop. I found out what he was planning and when I confronted him…he had me locked up in the basement for three days. His men starved me, beat me, humiliated me…I thought that I was going to die down there and honestly, I fucking deserved it. Yet somehow, the universe gave me another chance. I was freed by some of the men still loyal to me and then we came here.”
“To save me?” The words are bitter on my tongue.
“To end this. He’s not just your monster Anastasia. He’s mine too. The one I feared my whole childhood, who I let abuse and bully me just because he could. I never fought back but you gave me the strength to.” In the light, I can see all of his bruises and scars on his chest. There are even bite marks that make my stomach churn but none of it seems to bother him.
It’s as if pain is something he was born to live with.
“I should kill you. Enzo will kill you. ”
Killian just smiles. “I know, but you taught me that family is so much more than sharing a last name. It hit me that for a long time you were the only family I ever had. The only one who really ever cared and I never realized it. I’m sorry for being too late but right now, I want to help you.”
Looking away, I blink back tears that will do no good right now. “Let’s kill the bastard then.” He nods and steps back to let me out of the cell.
I almost trip over the dead guy lying just outside of the door whilst Killian kicks him. “This bastard used to hold me down whilst my stepfather would put his cigarettes out on my back.”
I spit on the bastard and Killian laughs as he leads me down the hallway. “I never thought I would see the day Anastasia Romano spits.” He almost makes me smile. Almost.
The walls begin to tremble and I look up as pieces of cement and plaster begin to crumble down on us. “Killian?” He grabs me and holds onto the wall whilst everything shakes uncontrollably.
“Just hold on.” A minute passes until it’s over and then a violent alarm begins to blare. The lights begin casting a bloody red over us and I grip onto Killian’s hand as a sudden rush of footsteps head straight for us. He spins us into a corner, obscuring us behind a large boulder just as five men sprint right past armed with heavy guns .
“Was that a fucking earthquake?” I whisper once they’re gone.
He shakes his head. “Now, that was us.” I turn to question him further but he winks and pulls me down the hallway, ignoring the echoing of gunfire behind us.
“What do you mean that was us?”
“The guys I brought with me must have set off explosives already. It’ll hopefully keep the assholes occupied.”
“And Enzo? You know where he is?”
He shakes his head. “I have a suspicion but I’m not sure. I mean he’d want Enzo close to him but not too close in case he managed to escape.”
“What about Angelica?” Killian frowns. “She’s Enzo’s mother. The bastard has her too”
“Fuck, that’ll be harder. You know, when he finally told me the truth about his name, his origins, Enzo. I knew. I just knew that he had my mother killed. A fucking car accident? She died two months after she named him the beneficiary of her will.”
“He married her for power.”
A bitter laugh leaves his throat, and I clutch his hand a little tighter as more of the ceiling collapses around us. “Yeah, and she was so in love with him she didn’t even see it. It’s why I trusted him, why I thought he loved me too because it must take someone extraordinary for her to fall in love with him. But no. Instead, she fell in love with a lie. Now he’s going to fucking pay for it.”
We can hear distant sounds through one of the thick doors. I shove past him, plastering my ear against the metal. There’s some laughter and then a sharp thud, followed by Enzo’s unmistakable groan. “He’s in there.” I glance back at Killian, already regretting what I’m about to do. “You should go.”
“What?” He looks at me like I’m crazy.
Maybe I am?
“If Enzo sees you, I doubt he’ll be willing to let everything go even after Aldo is dead. I’m trying to save your life, Killian. I don’t forgive you but for helping me now, I'll grant you this small offering of mercy. I suggest you take it and run.”
I could never trust him again. Not after what happened in his office, at my wedding…he’s too much of a liability and Enzo wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet between his eyes and end the O’Connell dynasty for good.
Maybe I should do the same?
He’s served his purpose, but I know Killian was never born for this life and as long as he stays clear of us, he should be fine.
“Anastasia— ”
I step forward, pleading with everything I have for him to run. To save the boy I saw something in all those years ago. “Kill the generator, get your men and run. I promise you that Aldo will burn and suffer for what he did to you and your mother.”
“You don’t know what’s behind those doors. It could be three men, five, ten?”
“I’ll deal with them. Just go.” Screwing his jaw tight, eventually he nods and shoves his gun into my hands.
I blink in surprise as he leans forward to brush his lips against my forehead. “Thank you.” Then he leaves, disappearing around the corner and I try to ignore the deflated feeling in my stomach knowing that’s the last I’ll see of Killian O’Connell.
There’s a loud groan that echoes from behind the door. I place my hand on the metal, knowing Enzo lies just behind. I take a deep breath as I aim the gun at the hinges. Firing two shots, I shove the door open and stumble inside.
Finally luck is on my side.
There are only two guards. One is holding a hot poker to my husband’s chest, grinning as he drags it down to burn his skin. I falter for a moment, my heart splitting in two at the sound of Enzo’s pained scream when something suddenly whacks me in the face .
I stumble back, hitting the wall at the side.
My arm aches from the impact, burning even more as I swing it at him. I catch his jaw and he falls back, the metal pipe dropping from his hand. It rolls and we both lunge for it but Enzo groans again, catching my attention.
I growl, spinning around and shooting the bastard with the fire poker in the face. He drops dead and I turn, focusing my attention back on the idiot crawling towards the pipe. Grabbing his legs, I spin him over, planting my foot on his chest.
He lifts up to shove me away but I wave the gun in-front of his face and smirk as he settles back down. “Bitch.” He spits and I catch a whiff of onion on his breath.
I look around the room, smiling when I notice a machete in the corner. It scrapes along the floor as I drag it back towards him. He tries to scurry away but I place the gun beneath his chin and dig it in hard. “It’s my turn to play now.”
“Don’t you fucking bitch!” I grab his wrist and swing the machete over my shoulder ready to slice down.
But then I feel the air become warm. My gaze drifts to the vent that slowly stops whirring.
Fuck no. Onion breath cackles and suddenly the lights give out, shrouding us in a thick veil of darkness