4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Sasha
N ico has a private plane because of course he does.
I sit across from him in the expensive leather seats, knowing this is going to be a long flight to Italy. He told me he wanted to take me to his homeland.
Nico keeps his eyes glued to my face even as the flight attendant asks him if he needs anything. He waves her away, still not looking away from me. It’s disorienting.
“It’s not polite to stare, you know,” I say, crossing my arms.
“It’s not polite to be rude either.” He nods at my crossed arms but I don’t change my position. If he has an issue with it, he can force me to change. I won’t do it willingly for him.
“Funny. I could say the same thing. You almost killed my brother-in-law.”
“Because he took you from me. It had to be done. It’s the way of things. You disrespect my honor or manhood and I’ll kill you for it.”
A shiver runs down my body. “And if I disrespect you for it? Will you kill me?”
“Not you. You’re safe from that.”
“From death. But am I safe from your fists?” I look at his knuckles, still covered in Mikhail’s blood mixed with his own.
Nico touches one of his knuckles, staring down at it as if contemplating what I just asked. “I won’t hit you if that’s what you’re wondering. I may be stern on occasion but ultimately, I like to have fun.”
“What does ‘fun’ entail?”
His eyes flash with something I don’t like. “You’ll just have to see when we get to Italy.”
I huff. Of course he’s not going to tell me. A man like him likes the mystery. He likes the game.
“Where exactly in Italy are we going?”
“Rome. I have a home there. It’s not the nicest part of Italy but it is the most powerful.”
“What is the nicest part?”
He leans back in his seat, spreading his legs wide. I avert my gaze with a blush. I hate how he uses his physical power over me. “The nicest part would have to be Sicily. The beaches. The mountains. It’s all breathtaking.”
“Why don’t we go there then?”
“Because I can’t get as much work done there. In Rome, I can.”
Work. I know exactly what kind of work he does.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, startling me.
“Like what?”
“Like you hate me but you’re intrigued.”
“I am not intrigued,” I snap. “There’s nothing about you that is intriguing. I hate everything about you. What you stand for. What you do. It’s barbaric.”
“And yet, your father was a man just like me.”
“My father was nothing like you. He had compassion. He didn’t just shoot people for the fun of it.”
He tilts his head to the side, gazing down at me in a way that makes me feel like a fly caught in a spider’s web. “And you know this… how? Were you there? When your father conducted his business?”
“No,” I admit.
“So how can you know he didn’t just shoot people for the fun of it? He could have kept that from you. I did meet your father once. I remember the power he exuded. He was a man not to be messed with. I respected that about him. Shame he was taken down. By his own brother no less.”
“My mom looked into it. My dad wasn’t killed by Denis.”
Nico narrows his eyes. “Are you so sure about that? Who stood to gain the most from your father’s death but Denis?”
“You’re getting in my head,” I mutter, looking out the window so I don’t have to look at him. We’re not even off the ground yet. This really is going to be a long flight.
“Answer my question, Sasha.” His tone means business.
“I don’t have to do anything you tell me to do. I came with you willingly to save my sister the pain of losing her husband. That’s it. I may be your wife but that doesn’t mean we have a relationship. I am not going to let you boss me around.”
“You know, it’s cute. How you think you have any power in this marriage.”
“So you wanted a wife to boss around? Then you chose the wrong woman.”
He leans forward, getting too close for comfort in my opinion. “I chose the exact right woman. I like to have fun, Sasha. And you’re fun. You’re not someone who is going to bend to my will easily. I like that. You’re a challenge.”
“You married me because I’m a challenge?”
“Why, is that a problem? Isn’t it better I marry you for that reason than I want to hurt you?”
“Sure,” I say. “But you don’t get brownie points for not hurting me.”
“Fair enough. See? This is why I wanted to marry you. I knew you had strength in you. I’m going to need a strong wife at my side if we’re going to keep control of New York. I let Mikhail live but he’s going to be a problem for me. When him and I eventually meet again, I won’t hesitate to kill him.”
All I can see is Natalya’s face as she was bent over Mikhail, crying with everything inside of her. If she loses Mikhail for good, what will happen to her? As Nico’s wife, will I be able to save her?
“You couldn’t have least let me change out of my wedding dress?” I mutter, grabbing a fistful of the fabric. Talking about killing Mikhail is a topic I don’t want to discuss.
“I had your mom pack you a bag full of clothes to bring on the trip, so you can change once we’re there.”
“Why can’t I change now? This dress is heavy and it’s a long flight.”
“You can change right now if you want.”
“What’s the catch?”
Nico chuckles, fixing his cufflinks with his bloody hands. “You know me so well already, don’t you? You can change right before me.”
“Pass.”
“We’re married now, Sasha. It’s expected of us to share a bed. Make children.”
“By who? The gods?”
“No. Our society. Your family. My family.”
The thought that Nico has a family is shocking. It just… never crossed my mind before. “Who’s your family?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“We’re married now. I might as well get to know you.” And maybe if I learn more about Nico he won’t be so scary and infuriating. Or maybe I can use any knowledge I learn about him against him.
He shrugs. “Fine. My father is dead. It’s how I was able to take up the mantle of Mafia leader in New York at my age.”
“And you’re… how old?”
“Thirty-four.”
That is young to be a mob boss. “So nepotism won out in the end, did it?”
“Maybe it did. But I’ve also worked hard to keep my title. I’ve worked hard to stay in power. Once my dad died, I had to pick up the pieces. There’s a lot of men in New York who would kill to have my job. I have to be on guard at all times.”
“And this deal with my uncle will help.”
“Any deal will help. Any alliances. I thought I had one with Cillian Kennedy but the fucker thought he could kill Mikhail without me there. That’s why I killed him.”
“And you didn’t even blink,” I whisper, remembering the moment. It still haunts me now, even a year later.
“I didn’t even blink.”
“Your mother?”
“What about her?”
“Is she alive? Dead?”
Nico shifts around in his seat, clearly uncomfortable talking about this. “She’s alive. At a facility back in the city.”
“A facility?”
The plane finally begins to move.
“Enough talk about my family for today,” he says in a gruff voice, motioning for the flight attendant. “Bring me a scotch.”
She nods and walks down the aisle, coming back a moment later with his drink. Nico and I stare each other down the entire time, as if we’re challenging the other one to say something.
Once Nico has his drink, he takes a large gulp of it. I’m shocked. I always thought drinks like that were supposed to be savored.
“Mommy issues?” I ask.
He sets the drink down, clenching his hand around it. “She has dementia. It’s for her own good.”
A sudden flash of guilt hits me. I wanted to mock Nico for his mommy issues but I can’t. Not when his mom has dementia. I may hate Nico but I’m not tacky. I’m not going to take any cheap shots.
“I’m sorry,” I force myself to say. “I didn’t know.”
“How could you? No one else knows.”
“Yet, you told me.”
He shrugs as he takes a smaller sip of his drink. “You’re my wife. Might as well tell you. There shouldn’t be any secrets between us. So tell me, Sasha, are you keeping any secrets from me?”
Other than I think you’re contemptable and I hate you and yet I also find you disarmingly handsome?
“No secrets,” I say with a smile. “I’ve lived a sheltered life. I don’t have any skeletons in my closet.”
“Everyone has skeletons in their closet. I’ll just have to take my time finding yours. Did you ever sneak out when you were younger? Fuck a man you weren’t supposed to?”
I flush as my eyes land on his drink. Maybe I need one of my own to survive this flight. “My father never wanted me to date.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“I’m not going to tell you.” Let him think I’ve been with multiple men. If he finds out I’m a virgin, he’s just going to use it against me. It’s another way of power over me.
“So I’ll take that as a yes. I can assure you, Sasha, that I’ll be much better to you in bed than any other man could ever be. Or any of the men who didn’t show you the pleasure you deserve.”
“Who says they didn’t? I had a boyfriend who was great at giving me orgasms.”
His hand tightens on his glass. “What’s his name?”
“Jake. All American. We met at school. Would sneak around behind the bleachers. The best I’ve ever had.” It’s almost scary to me how easy it is to lie to him. But then again, Nico is not a man deserving of the truth.
“So you’ve had multiple boyfriends, is that it? Multiple lovers?”
I wrinkle my nose. “Don’t call them lovers.”
“Why not? Was that not what they were?”
“Uh… sure. But just say boyfriends.”
“I’m curious, for a girl who was never allowed to date, how did you manage to have so many boyfriends? How many was it?”
“Three.” It’s a low enough number to be believable but a high enough number to piss him off. Let him think he doesn’t get any of my firsts.
“Yes. Three. I always heard that Lev was strict about his daughters dating.”
“He was. But I had enough freedom to get away with it.” Another lie. I always had a guard on me. At school, at the mall, at home. My dad never meant it to be a prison. He meant it to keep me safe.
“Interesting. Well, I’ll just have to show you what a real man can do in bed. Those boys you dated didn’t know what they were doing, I’m sure.”