Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
VIKTORIYA
I ’m still laughing as one of the guards grabs my arm. “What did you do?” he growls in a deep voice. A nasty scar slashes across his face, making him look more ominous.
“I killed him. I fucking killed him.” A high-pitched laugh escapes me. I know I should be terrified. I’m surrounded by guards—guards who want to rape me just like Akim wanted to. But I can only feel satisfaction knowing I killed the bastard who thought he could buy me. He underestimated me.
Most men do.
“Bring her downstairs,” Scar Guard orders, shoving me toward two other men. They grab my arms and drag me to the basement, which is grimy and smells musty. A small cage rests in the middle of the room, and they push me inside. My head bangs against the metal. I don’t even wince. Shock makes me immune to any pain.
They shut the cage door, lock it, and head back upstairs. I know what’s going to happen next. I’m either going to be raped or killed. Maybe even raped, then killed.
I murdered their boss. I spilled blood for the first time.
And I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving myself.
ALEKSANDER
Damien’s club is closed because it’s so early in the morning. “Do you know where he lives?” I ask Mikhail.
“No. He was in hiding for years.”
“He has to be somewhere. Viktoriya went to him before. Maybe she went to him again.”
Mikhail rests his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find her.”
“Are you comforting me, boss?”
He quickly removes his hand and heads back to the car. “No. I just need to find Viktoriya for Sofiya’s sake. She won’t let me rest until her sister is found.”
“You don’t think Gleb had something to do with this?” I ask once we’re back in the car.
“Why do you say that?”
“He’s Viktoriya’s fiancé. He claims they were out together and then lost her. Isn’t that strange?”
“Gleb seemed set on wanting to marry Viktoriya. Why would he lie?”
I consider Mikhail’s words. Why would Gleb lie? I have no idea, but I don’t trust him, and it isn’t just because he has the woman I want.
We’re pulling away from the club when I spot someone leaving the building. “Hold on.” I hurry back outside and approach the person—it’s a woman wearing skimpy clothing. “Why were you in there?”
She eyes me over. “Are you the police?”
“No. I’m much worse. Who are you?”
“I’m a dancer here.”
“Is your boss inside? The club is closed.”
“He invited some of us girls over to dance for him. He’s inside. Why do you need him?”
I nod at Mikhail to come out, ignoring the dancer, and he follows me inside the club. It’s quiet inside. Low, sultry music is playing, but it’s not thumping from the speakers. This is a private party.
Overlooking the club is a balcony, and on that balcony is Damien Petrov himself. Mikhail storms off ahead of me as he walks up the stairs. Two women are dancing for Damien as he sits back on a couch. Mikhail walks past the women, making them stumble, and up to Damien.
“Is Viktoriya here?” he asks.
Damien slowly blinks up at him as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Who?”
“Viktoriya Morozova. You’ve met her before. She’s my wife’s sister. Is she here?”
He looks between Mikhail and myself before settling his gaze on Mikhail. “Why would she be here?”
“Because she’s missing,” I say, stepping forward. “We know she came here once before. Did she again?”
“You have an advantage in keeping this from us,” Mikhail warns.
Damien laughs while taking a sip from his glass. “I don’t have an advantage because she’s not here. I don’t care about that girl at all.”
“Do you know where she would be?” I ask. Mikhail looks ready to punch Damien, but I need to keep that from happening. Part of my job is making sure my boss stays safe. Without Mikhail, I wouldn’t have a job at all.
“Possibly.”
Steam practically comes from Mikhail’s ears. “Possibly? It’s a yes or no answer.”
“Fine.” He sets his drink down. “I don’t know exactly where she is, but I know who bought her.”
My body becomes rigid. “Bought her? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“There was an auction. She was sold.”
“To who?” Mikhail growls.
“To Akim Volkov. That’s all I know.” He sets his sights back on the dancing woman, but I lean down close to him, forcing him to look me in the eye.
“That’s not all you know. Who sold her? I doubt Viktoriya would have sold herself.”
“It was that American. I don’t know his name.”
I turn to Mikhail. “Gleb. He sold her. He fucking sold her.”
For once tonight, Mikhail looks concerned rather than annoyed. We both thought Viktoriya took off running because that’s what she does. But not this. We couldn’t have expected this.
“I’ve heard of Akim,” Mikhail says. “He’s a business owner. Not the Bratva. Shouldn’t be hard to find. Let’s go.”
I glare at Damien. “How do you know this? Unless you were at the auction, too?”
“I was,” Damien responds without a hint of guilt.
“Then why didn’t you save her?”
Damien huffs and settles back in his seat. “Why should I have? She doesn’t mean anything to me.”
“Come on,” Mikhail says, grabbing my shoulder. I force my feet to follow Mikhail out of the club, resisting the urge to punch Damien square in the fucking face.
“I can’t believe this,” I mutter once we’re back in the car. “She was sold. All because you let her choose between Gleb and me. If you’d just let me marry her, none of this would be happening right now.”
Mikhail stares me down until I look away. “I didn’t know this would happen. I didn’t know what kind of man Gleb was. Of course, I looked into him, but everything came up clean. For a Bratva man, anyway. But I promise you, Aleksander, the moment we get Viktoriya back, you can have her.” I inhale sharply. “I want her safe and protected. That way, none of this can happen again. That way, my wife isn’t upset with me. She’s all yours, Aleksander.”
“Now we just have to go get her.”
He starts the car.
MILA
I don’t get any sleep as I wait for news about Vik.
A knock on my bedroom door startles me. I crack it open, hoping to see Sofiya but disappointed when I see it’s Gleb. “Oh.”
“Hi, Mila. I wanted to see how you were doing. Now that Viktoriya’s gone, it’s just you and me.”
“And Sofiya. I still have Sofiya. And Viktoriya will be found. She’s not dead. I refuse to believe it.”
“I think she might be, Mila. And then what? You’ll be all on your own. But I don’t want you to worry. I’m here.” He skims his fingers down my arm. Subtly, I pull away.
I want to tell him I never asked for him to be here. I never asked for him to get involved in our lives. If he’d never shown up at our house, then Vik and I would still be in New York. We never would have returned to Russia, and Vik wouldn’t be gone right now.
She wouldn’t be in any possible danger.
“I think I’ll be fine,” I whisper, trying to shut the door, but Gleb firmly places his hand on it, stopping me.
“You think that, Mila, but you won’t be. Remember, I’m here to protect you. Keep that in mind.”
I don’t like the way he keeps saying my name. Almost like it’s a secret. Almost like he’s my lover, and we’re having an affair.
“I will. Good night.” Using a little bit of force, I shut the door.
And for good measure, I lock it.
I hope Vik will be fine. I hope she won’t want to marry Gleb when she gets back because if she’s married to him, he’ll always be in our lives.
Selfishly, I want Vik to put me first instead of herself. But I know my big sister.
Vik always puts Vik first.
VIKTORIYA
I’m not sure how much time I spend in the tiny cage in the smelly basement. It has to be hours.
I can hear grunting and talking coming from upstairs. They’re probably moving Akim’s body. Getting rid of the evidence. Sure, I killed him. I could easily be blamed.
But those guards aren’t stupid. They know I could tell the police I was kidnapped and sold to Akim and that I killed him in self-defense. They don’t want to deal with the messiness of it.
Besides, I know Mikhail owns half the police force. Word would get back to him, and he would make sure my name was cleared.
At least, I think he would. Not for my sake but for Sofiya’s, surely.
The longer I remain in the cage, the more my shock wears off. No longer laughing, I’m starting to panic.
I killed a man, and now, I’m stuck in a cage, waiting for those guards to come back down and have their way with me. There are too many of them. I’m not surviving this night unscathed.
Akim was fairly easy to kill, but he was also old—and even he had some strength within him. All the guards I’ve seen are young, buff men. There’s no way I can fight through them.
They’ll kill me, and my body will never be found. My sisters might miss me, but they’ll quickly move on. Everyone else will be relieved I’m dead. I know Mikhail will be—I’m more of a nuisance to him than anything else.
My parents died, so they won’t care. I guess I’ll see them in the afterlife. That’s not exactly reassuring because I wasn’t close with either my mom or dad. Father pushed me to be perfect, but he never showed me love. And Mother preferred Sofiya over me.
Everyone prefers Sofiya over me. I know Mila does. Gleb does.
I wonder, if I’d chosen Aleksander to marry, would he have eventually fallen for Mila and wanted nothing to do with me?
My baby sister. She’s the real perfect one. The angel everyone wants.
I’m just the bitchy oldest sister who can never keep her mouth shut.
I’ve taken pride in my confidence. It’s what helped me get through my parents’ deaths. It’s what helped me take care of Sofiya and Mila.
But my confidence has now become my downfall. Dark, dangerous men hate confident women. They want women to submit to them. They don’t want an equal; they want a trophy to put on their shelves.
I’m not going to die because I didn’t want to be a trophy.
The basement door creaks open, making me sit up straighter. Well, as best as I can in a cramped cage. Scar Guard descends the steps and looks at me with a sneer. He has three other men with him, all equally big, buff, and terrifying.
This is it.
“You’re going to pay for what you did, bitch,” Scar Guard growls.
I could act demure. I could beg for forgiveness.
But fuck them. Fuck Akim. That bastard bought me and then tried to rape me. He deserved to die. I did nothing wrong.
“Then make me pay,” I challenge him.
Scar Guard smirks and opens the cage. He drags me out and throws me onto the ground before punching me in the face. I see stars. For a moment, my vision turns black.
Then he punches me again, this time in the stomach. I can hear my rib crack. The other men cheer him on and laugh at my pain.
I can’t wait to see them in Hell.
Scar Guard lifts his fist again. I brace myself for the next blow.
Until I hear footsteps upstairs and the sound of shouting.
Then, I hear gunshots.
“What the fuck?” Scar Guard mutters. “Go see what that’s about.”
The three other men hurry back up the stairs, leaving the two of us alone.
He sets his foot on top of my chest. “I could easily squish your heart under my boot, you bitch. You deserve it.”
I spit up at him. It comes out bloody. “Then do it.”
He lifts his foot, and I close my eyes, ready for death. I fought, and that’s something I can be proud of.
The gunshot is loud in the small room, making my ears ring. I gasp and open my eyes.
Scar Guard wavers on his feet before falling to the side, crumping on the ground. A bullet hole is in his head. He’s dead.
Slowly, I turn my head towards the basement entrance and see …
Aleksander.
He slowly lowers his gun before rushing to my side. “Viktoriya?”
“What are you doing here?” It’s getting harder to speak. Scar Guard hit me hard on the jaw.
“Not happy to see me?”
“No. I hate you.”
“Well, I’m here to save you. So, you should be grateful.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snap.
“Stop bickering,” another man says. Mikhail. “Aleksander, pick her up and carry her to the car. I’ll deal with the bodies.” He pulls out his phone and starts making calls.
I don’t put up a fight as Aleksander slips his arms under me and lifts me. Everything hurts. My beaten face. My cracked rib.
My bruised ego.
No one should see me this way, especially not Aleksander. What will he think? I’m supposed to always look beautiful.
I doubt I look beautiful now.
“I’m sure this makes you happy,” I groan as he walks upstairs. We pass dead body after dead body on the way out the door. It’s all the guards. Mikhail and Aleksander must have killed them all.
“Why would this make me happy?” he asks, sounding angrier than I expected.
“Because I was put in my place. You wanted me to learn my lesson.”
He lays me down on the backseat of his car, but before he shuts the door, he gives me a look I hate.
One full of pity.
“I never wanted this for you.” He shuts the door. All I can do is stare up at the ceiling and keep myself from crying.
Aleksander drives me back to Mikhail’s house while Mikhail remains at Akim’s house to ensure everything is taken care of.
Neither of us says a word.
Not until he parks outside the apartment building and turns around in his seat. “Viktoriya, you’re covered in blood.”
“Not my blood. I killed the man who bought me.”
“Good.”
I raise an eyebrow, and even that hurts. “Good?”
“He deserved it.”
“You wouldn’t buy a woman, then?”
“No. I want her to choose me.”
“But you wanted to force me into a marriage with you until I chose Gleb. How is that any different?”
Aleksander doesn’t look away at all. “That’s because I know I’m what you need. I’m still what you need. If you don’t take a husband, Viktoriya, you will continue to be at risk. I’m going to be that husband for you. I can make sure you’re taken care of.”
I flinch. That’s exactly what Gleb said to me, and he sold me to the highest bidder. What if Aleksander is the same? I know he’s capable of spanking me without remorse. What else is he capable of?
“Let me get you inside, and I’ll call for the doctor.”
I let him pick me up again and take me to the penthouse where Sofiya and Mila are waiting.
“Vik!” Mila says, rushing to my side.
Aleksander places me on the couch, then pulls out his phone, walking to the other side of the room to call the doctor.
Mila and Sofiya crowd in next to me.
“Oh, Vik,” Sofiya says sadly. “What happened?”
“Mikhail didn’t tell you?” Using my bruised jaw to talk is not easy.
“No. We haven’t heard a thing.” Sofiya rests her hand on my shoulder before she lets her hand fall to her side. “Someone hurt you. Who? What happened? Gleb says you went off together, and then you ran away.”
I try to laugh, but it comes out as more of a wheeze. “I left with him, yeah. But then he sold me at an auction to a man who bought me for five million.”
Sofiya goes very still. “What? I can’t … Are you being serious?”
“I’m in so much pain right now, so yes, I think I’m being serious.”
Mila covers her mouth with her hands. “Vik. Oh my god.”
Aleksander walks back over, slipping his phone in his pocket. “The doctor is on his way. I would take you to the hospital, but I don’t want anyone asking more questions than they need to.”
“I killed a man tonight,” I say more casually than I mean to.
“Please tell me that’s a joke,” Sofiya says.
“Not one bit. Akim bought me, then he tried to rape me, so I killed him. Then his guards did this to me.” I point at my face. “It’s been a lovely night.”
“Don’t be sarcastic right now,” Mila says, stroking her hand over my hair. “We thought you’d run away. I never thought …”
“Me either,” Sofiya adds. She turns to Aleksander. “Gleb is still here.”
Aleksander’s eyes darken. “I’m on it.” He rushes up the stairs, and within moments, he drags Gleb into the living room and shoves him to the floor. “Did you seriously think you could get away with what you did?” He kicks Gleb in the stomach. It only reminds me of what Scar Guard did to me.
“I needed the money,” Gleb groans.
“The money.” Aleksander scoffs. “You’re done.” He lifts his foot back up.
“Don’t,” I say.
He pauses. “What?”
“Don’t beat him up. Not right now. I can’t … I can’t take it right now.”
Aleksander’s eyes grow soft for just a moment before he nods. “Fine. Sofiya, do you have rope?”
“There’s some in the kitchen.”
“Go get it.”
With a last look at me, she hurries to the kitchen. After a few seconds, she comes back with rope. Aleksander uses it to tie Gleb up to a chair.
“There.” He steps back. “At least he can’t escape. Did you honestly think you would just get to live here without consequences after what you did?”
“I … never thought you would find her,” Gleb admits, bowing his head.
“You fucking bastard,” I hiss.
“Get him out of here,” Sofiya says. “Vik needs to rest. We’ll deal with Gleb later.”
Aleksander drags Gleb and the chair out of the room. At least I feel like I can breathe again.
“We had no idea,” Mila says, still stroking my hair. “No idea.”
Sofiya meets my eyes. “I’m sorry, Vik. For fighting.”
“That doesn’t matter now. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think either of you would miss me.”
“Don’t throw yourself a pity party,” Sofiya says.
I manage to smile despite my pain.
Mikhail returns as the doctor arrives. Without wasting a moment, Mikhail draws Sofiya into a hug as if she were the one who was hurt. I’m … jealous. Not for Mikhail. I’m jealous because I don’t have anyone who cares for me like that.
After inspecting me, the doctor lets me know I have a cracked rib and a bruised jaw but nothing else. They’ll both heal on their own in time.
He leaves soon after.
This will set me back even more from dance. Life is playing a cruel joke on me.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Mila says.
Aleksander walks over and scoops me back into his arms.
“Were you worried?” I ask him as he carries me upstairs.
“I was.”
“I thought you hated me. Why would you be worried?”
He sets me down on my bed gently. It’s so different from how he spanked me. “Because I don’t hate you, Viktoriya.”
“But you want to control me.”
“No. I want to give you what you need.”
“And that’s you?”
“Get some sleep.” He turns the light off, plunging me into darkness, as he leaves the room.
He never answered my question.
ALEKSANDER
“I’m going to kill him,” I mutter to Mikhail once we’re in his office, staring down at Gleb. The three Morozova sisters are in their bedrooms. They don’t need to see this.
I’m rolling up my sleeves when Mikhail says, “No, you’re not.”
I pause. “What?”
Gleb lifts his head. “What?”
Mikhail sighs and runs his hand over his face. “You know Sofiya and her sisters belong to the Bratva. Sofiya belongs to me now. Soon, Viktoriya will belong to you. As for Mila, she needs someone to protect her. Gleb was instructed to do that.”
“You’re just going to hand Mila over to him? That’s not going to go well with your wife.”
“I’m not going to give Mila to him. She’ll live with Sofiya and me until she’s married. But I’m not going to kill Gleb. He was within his rights as a Bratva man to do what he wanted with Viktoriya.”
“Bullshit,” I growl.
“It’s not bullshit, Aleksander. It’s how things are done. You know this. You live in the same world I do. The same world as Gleb. I’ll let him live.” He turns to Gleb. “But you will never show your face around here again. Not if you want your face to remain on your body.”
Gleb gulps. “Ok. I’ll leave. I promise.”
“Fucking coward,” I mutter.
Mikhail unties Gleb and pulls his hands behind his back. “I’m going to take Gleb far away from here. Stay here to make sure no one shows up.”
“Fine.” Mikhail is my boss. It’s my duty.
Even though it fucking hurts to watch the man who sold Viktoriya go free.
I wander the penthouse, waiting for Mikhail to return. Viktoriya is just upstairs, sleeping. I can’t wait any longer.
I go to her room and open the door. I don’t bother to knock because I know she’s too injured to get up. Besides, Viktoriya will soon be mine. No door will keep me from her.
“Viktoriya.”
Her eyes flutter open. “Aleksander? You haven’t left yet? You really need to get a life.”
“I’m here to tell you that you’ll be my wife.”
“No.”
“Yes. You don’t get a say anymore. Someone needs to keep you safe, and that’s my job now. Mikhail has granted it. We’ll be married. Soon.”
“I don’t get a say?” She tries sitting up but then flops back onto the bed. I don’t like seeing her like this—subdued. Unable to fight. The reason I want Viktoriya is because she’s a fighter who needs guidance. She needs a strong hand like mine to help her in this life.
She’s lost.
“No. Not anymore.”
She’s silent for a moment before asking, “Will you hurt me like Gleb did?”
“No,” I say roughly. “No. I promise.”
“He made promises, too, and look how that turned out. I don’t like you, Aleksander. In fact, I hate you. Just know you’ll be getting a wife who can’t stand the sight of you.”
“I look forward to it. But it’s happening, Viktoriya. You and me. We’re getting married. You might not believe me, but I’m doing this for your benefit.”
She doesn’t say anything more. The only indicator of her feelings is her eyes, and they’re telling me she doesn’t believe me one bit.