Chapter 42
RORI
I want to scream. How can this all be happening?
Every part of me is rioting in confusion, demanding that I find out what the hell my life has suddenly become.
I’ve never been so angry, confused, elated, and panicked at once.
And I’ve been through a hell of a lot in my life, even after such a short time.
“What happens is we dispose of your father, you go back to your life, and we handle the cleanup,” Tatiana says brightly, finally pulling her heated stare away from Ilya.
“That school is done, and as we speak, I have a team clearing it out and dealing with the men still there.” She gives me a pointed stare.
“And I’d be willing to send you a present to do with as you please if you wish.
I want my turn, of course, but Valentin always found you to be his favorite, so it only seems fair you get to have the final kick at him. ”
I absorb that. What she’s offering. The chance to have my revenge, to make that sick bastard pay for everything he did to me. “He wasn’t the only one,” I feel obligated to point out.
Her eyes go cold, hard. “I know, however, they will be dealt with, if they haven’t been already. My only instructions were to leave Valentin alive for you.”
It’s a peace offering, and probably the only one I’m going to get. I glance at my father’s prone body, still unconscious, but no less deadly. “I want my turn at him. For everything he did, it’s my right. And for my mother.”
“We’ll make a party of it,” Tatiana says brightly. She looks at Ilya and flutters her lashes. “You’ll let us use that fancy room of yours, won’t you, sakharok?”
It’s my turn to roll my eyes and try not to gag.
Ilya’s grin turns wicked. “It depends on what you’ll give me in return. I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“Jesus Christ, if you want to suck his dick, just go and do it,” Mishka snaps at Tatiana. Tatiana shoots him an annoyed glare. “We have shit to do, and story time is over.”
I snort out a laugh, unable to help myself. Yeah, that sounds like the Mishka I remember.
“Buzz kill,” Tatiana huffs. “And are you going to tell them your little piece of news?”
Mishka mutters something under his breath, but I don’t catch it. Instead, he looks at Ilya and says, “With the school finished, I’ll be returning to take over my father’s territory. We’ll sit down later to discuss alliances.”
“And you think I’m just going to stop my plans to cater to you?” Ilya’s demeanor instantly changes from easy to all business.
Mishka holds his stare. “You will if you don’t want a war on your hands. And we both know that I have far more at my back, considering my unwanted profession.” He dismisses Ilya without another word, looking back at me. “We need to talk, solnyshko.”
I nod, unable to reply, but I don’t miss the way Alonzo stiffens.
Yeah, he can’t be feeling too happy that my husband is back from the dead, but in this he’s going to have to trust me. I need a hell of an explanation before I can move forward.
“Alright, everyone, let’s get to work,” Tatiana says brightly, clapping her hands together. She glances around the room. “Though, you might want to move rooms, Aurora. This place is a bit of a mess.”
She really does want me to hit her again, doesn’t she?
Just to goad her, I ask, “Since your secret’s out, and killing us isn’t an option all things considered, what am I supposed to call you? Bitch comes to mind, but well, that’s just so cliched. You know, you kind of look like Alessandra or a Gianna.”
Her eyes flash furiously at the mentions of her birth names.
The ones that only I and Alonzo know. A poignant reminder that I know far more about her than she’s ready for anyone else to know.
I also know the name she was given and the name she goes by.
One that few are privy to because she wanted to pick one herself all those years ago in the school.
Maybe it makes me a bitch to make her tell it, but considering everything, fair is fair.
“Of course she’d pick Italian names.” Oleg sneers, glancing between me and Alonzo.
I just smile. I’ve backed her into a corner, and unless she wants to kill me—though that’s not exactly off the table yet—she has no choice but to answer.
Checkmate, bitch.
“Lane. My name is Lane,” she finally spits out.
“Beautiful,” Ilya murmurs. I roll my eyes at Alonzo, but I don’t miss the smile that pulls at Lane’s lips at his words.
“Well then, Lane, I’ll meet you downstairs for the party shortly,” I tell her sweetly.
Then I look at Mishka. “And we’ll talk after.
” He nods, turning away to haul my father up.
He grunts, and Oleg moves to help him. The two of them say nothing to each other, but I don’t miss the distrustful look between them as they carry him out, Freya hot on their heels.
“Get the men to start cleaning shit up,” Ilya orders Zakhar, before he stares back at Lane with a hunger that makes me a little uncomfortable. He looks like a tiger ready to take down his prey.
“I’m going to make sure Mila is comfortable,” Zakhar says tightly. He scoops up his daughter, heading for the door. Mila rolls her eyes at us over his shoulder.
“That kid won’t be leaving her room until she’s fifty after this,” Alonzo mutters, and I have to agree.
Though something tells me that Mila will be out of there in no time at all.
“I need to get Hades stitched up,” I tell Alonzo. “Can we carry him back to your room?”
Alonzo nods, but when we turn, we find Ivano and Hades both standing there, waiting. “The bleeding stopped a bit ago. He’ll need a stitch to keep it closed, but it wasn’t too deep.”
I give him a grateful look. “Hades, heel.” Hades moves to me, his steps ginger, and guilt hits me. “You’re such a brave boy,” I murmur, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head. His big tongue comes out and catches my cheek when he turns his head as I pull away.
“Ivano, we’ll talk later,” Alonzo says tightly. Ivano cocks his head in acknowledgment. “See to it that you help get things cleaned up for now. Tell the others to get back here and do the same.” Ivano nods and walks calmly out the door. Alonzo eases me to the door too.
I look over and see Ilya and Tatiana—no, Lane, I need to call her Lane again—staring at each other. “Just fuck and get it over already,” I tell them in exasperation. Alonzo snorts out a laugh, but neither of them glances at us.
We’re barely in the hall before a loud thump sounds behind us. We share a look but keep walking.
Alonzo leads me to his room, which is exactly like mine and shuts the door. I barely have time to glance around before he suddenly spins me and pins me back against the door. I grunt in pain, but when I open my mouth to blast him, he presses his mouth to mine gently but firmly.
I sink into him instantly. Relief washes over me. “I’m so glad you’re alright,” I whisper when he finally pulls back. “When I saw you fall…”
“And seeing you on the ground, under her, knowing that you were seconds away from dying if we didn’t reach you on time, I never want that to happen again, Aurora.
Fuck.” He buries his face into my neck. I wrap my arms around him, wallowing in him.
I vaguely hear Hades move to his bed and sink down with a groan.
I need to see to him, but I need this. Just for a couple more minutes.
“It’s over. It’s finally over.”
He stills and slowly pulls back. “It’s not over yet, Rori.”
I know instantly what or who he’s talking about.
I cup his bruised face, staring into his eyes.
“It changes nothing, Alonzo. Mishka is…he’s always going to be special to me.
I’m always going to love him, because he was the first. My first love, and my first heartbreak.
” His entire body is like stone, but I need him to understand.
“He’s always going to be the man that showed me what life could be like, but it wasn’t him that saw me grab it.
He’s not the man I’ve fallen in love with, and the man that I want for my own.
That’s you, Alonzo Cattaneo. That will always be you.
I’m not that young girl anymore. And he was never more than a best friend and brother to me in the end.
It was what we were suited for. And I believe that was because I was looking for something more. Someone more. You.”
He relaxes slowly, but I can see the doubt, the worry. “If he’s alive, then you’re not divorced, Rori.”
“Then we get divorced.” To me it’s so simple. An easy fix. Then a thought occurs to me. “But Mishka Belov was married to Rayea Antonova. She’s dead. And that’s not who I am anymore, either. I’m Aurora O’Brien, and she has no connection to the Belovs as far as anyone is concerned.”
He fully relaxes. “You’re right. So does that mean you plan on marrying me, orsetta?” He reaches down, finding my left hand and pulling it up to his mouth. “I’ll make you Aurora Cattaneo before the night is out if you’ll have me.”
My heart kicks and my mouth drops open. Wait, he wants to marry me? “Alonzo…”
“I love you, Aurora, and I don’t care what you call yourself, as long as you’re mine.”
Maybe it’s just the events of the day, or the emotions finally breaking free, but my eyes water.
I can just make out him smiling through the blur of my tears.
“I love you, Alonzo,” I whisper. “But we don’t know what’s going to happen when I have to face your family, face Sienna.
They may not be as accepting knowing who I am, and my past.”
“It won’t change anything, orsetta, but we can wait until you see that for yourself. All that matters is that you’ll be going home with me. Now, we need to get our boy sewed up and comfortable, and then we’re going to get cleaned up before we go down and end this completely.”
I nod. “And I need to talk to Mishka. Alone.” He winces, and I can see what it costs him, but he nods. “All I need is your trust, Alonzo. I need to close this part of my life.”
A deep sigh. “I know. I do trust you, orsetta, it’s him I don’t. But I won’t hesitate to take him down if he so much as looks at you wrong.”
I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. “You act like I can’t take care of myself.”
“I know you can, but I still don’t fucking like him that close to you knowing he put that gun to your head.”
I don’t bother pointing out that he was never going to kill me. I doubt he’d listen to reason. Instead, I kiss him again and gently push him back. “All I need to know is that you’re going to be there waiting for me when we’re done,” I tell him simply.
His expression softens. “Always, orsetta. You’ll never have to wonder if I’m in your corner again.”
That’s all I need. All I’ll ever need.