Chapter 16 Elena
CHAPTER 16
ELENA
It had happened again. Elena leaned her head against the shower wall, closed her eyes, and berated herself. Twice now she’d had sex with Viking without using protection. You’d think she would have learned her lesson by now. Sadly, she hadn’t. How else could she explain the fact that all reason left her brain as soon as he touched her? Why else would she let him use her body over and over again, while she knew he hated her? Worse, she had joined him in the fray. Skin to skin, lips locked, nothing was sweeter. Nothing in this world made her feel more alive than when she was with her Viking.
Then again, it wasn’t that time of the month, so she should be safe. The same couldn’t be said about her heart. It still lay in pieces, shattered from the fact he’d only married her so he could exact his revenge on a whole new level. The wedding she had dreamed of would never happen, she’d known that. But giving up her dream of one day explaining to him, and them being together, had been shattered. There was no repairing that.
And how exactly did he think this would work? Did he honestly believe he could just expect her to obey him just because he coerced her into marrying him? She’d be damned, if she let him think he could still lock her up in some moldy dungeon and pretend she didn’t really exist until he decided to take her off the shelf to play with her.
She had things to do, places to visit, and a daughter to protect. Viking had shipped their daughter away somewhere to keep her safe. The real threat, however, was still out there. Pedro. Not only that but even if Viking managed to kill him, Vicky would still be in danger. The Morellis wouldn’t give up their assets. Lorenzo had been even more evil than she’d given him credit for. Not only did he hurt her by sticking it to Vicky, but he gave his family a big finger in his death.
Outside the window, something was going on. She spotted Kristoff Romanov by Viking’s side. Across from them was a line of men, among which Vasili. Even from the window above them she could feel the tension emanating from the two parties. There was a grave expression on Viking’s face, a determination she couldn’t quite figure out. He’d married her. Then he’d left her. With a kiss as if it was one before dying. That moment, that unexpected slice of heaven had been a heavy cocktail of desire and passion with a hint of rage.
He’s so mad at me all the time…
Elena put on some jeans and a sweater, then flung open the door, only to come face to face with Baran, again.
She sighed. “Must you always be around?”
“Sadly, I must.” He looked at his watch. “Luckily, not for too long. My replacement should arrive any second now.”
There was a hint of agitation underneath his usually jerky tone. Something was definitely up. What was Viking doing outside? Why were all those people gathered there? She was tired of having all these questions and no one bothering to answer them.
“What’s happening in the back yard?”
His lip curled in disdain. “My manyak brother is making a mistake, that’s what’s happening.”
“What do you—”
Footsteps announced another guest. Her heartbeat lifted in joy when she saw Sy. It had been ages she’d last seen Viking’s little brother. Though, judging by his ripped figure filling out cargo pants and a tight Henley, he was anything but little anymore. Nor did it feel the same coming face to face with him. His scowl said more than a thousand words in infinite languages.
A pulse jumped in Sy’s jaw. “Hello, Elena. I wish I could say it’s nice to see you again, but it ain’t. Wish I could shove you back underneath the rock you crawled out from under, but sadly that’s not an option anymore. For some stupid reason, my brother has decided to tie himself to you. I don’t care that you’re the mother of his child. No woman is worth the shit my brother’s putting up with. Thing is, Viking’s the kind of man who’d do anything for his family. For his daughter.”
Not for you, his eyes seemed to say.
That Sy, of all people, loathed her too was another blow to the chest. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take. He had been such a sweet kid. Going to the movies with them, eating ice cream at the mall. In a way, he had been her little brother too.
A ding sounded, and Baran pulled out his phone. “Ah. And so it begins.” After those ominous words, he simply left.
Frozen on the spot, she was unable to get another word out. Only when Sy gestured for her to get back into her room, did she move.
She stomped back to the balcony. Her hands clutched the rails when she saw the two groups of men had taken position across each other. Viking, Baran, and Yuri on one side. And three on the other side that she assumed were Russians. It looked like a standoff.
“It’s Vasili’s demand for your pound of flesh,” Sy explained. “Blood for blood.” He stood next to her, a ball of angry energy, staring at the group.
“I’m surprised you’re not by his side.”
“He didn’t pick me.” Sy sounded offended.
“Well, I’m sure he had his reasons,” she tried to console him.
“He does. It’s called love. Something you would know nothing about.”
And there it was: the next icepick pierced right into her heart.
“It’s because of me,” Elena said softly. She should’ve known that simply marrying her wouldn’t have been enough. In their violent world, it never was enough. Not until blood flowed.
“Yeah, because of you and because of the way Vasili acted. He was a guest. It’s disrespectful to paw at your host’s maid.”
“I’m not a maid.”
He shrugged. “Vasili didn’t know that, so you might as well have been.”
“Why are you telling me this?” She figured he’d try to add to her guilt, not lessen it.
“Carmen told me to,” he somewhat begrudgingly explained. “She told me how you tried to save her back at the club during the shooting.”
Ah yes, Carmen Caruso. The widow of Franco “The Butcher” Caruso, the leader of one of the Families. She had heard of him and his taste for hurting women. It had been whispered in the corners of the Morelli mansion. She had felt a connection to Carmen the night they met in the bathroom of the club. They both lived in the same world, in a similar circumstance, though Carmen was far more damaged than she had ever been. At least on the outside. Elena hadn’t seen her after that fateful night they had almost been shot.
“How is she?”
He suddenly beamed. “Very pregnant.”
Ah, that explained why Viking didn’t pick Sy to fight beside him: because he was becoming a dad.
“I’m glad.”
“I want my kid to know his uncle.” Sy sounded cold again, accusatory even, as if she had somehow sentenced Viking to death or something.
“I’m sure Viking will be fine. If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s kicking ass.”
She’d meant it in a way to reassure him, and herself, she had to admit. Viking was big, mean, and had been raised on the streets. There was no way those Russians were going to wipe the floor with him.
A muscle jumped in Sy’s jaw. “I almost killed you back then, you know.”
The change of subject almost gave her whiplash. “What?”
“That day, when you left the chapel on the arm of your husband, we were standing on the rooftop across the street. Viking, Kristoff, and me. I had my rifle with me and was about to put a bullet through your head, and Morelli’s, when Viking stopped me.”
Heart pounding, knees shaking, all she could do was listen, feeling stumped.
“All those years, I wondered why he stopped me,” Sy continued. “I mean, if you’d been mine, I would have put a bullet through your brain, no questions asked. Now, seeing you like this, pale and broken, I understand. See, I’m not a patient man. I say it like it is and act the way I want. There’s where we differ I guess, my brother and I. Viking can never let go of someone he loves. He’d go through hell for them.
“Thing is, he can’t let go of someone he hates either. One time we took down this guy who had abused a few of our strippers. Viking tortured the guy for days until he put him down. In the end, he begged Viking to end him. Then, and only then, was Viking satisfied. He could finally let go.” His gaze locked on to her. “Beg him to end you, Elena. Ask him to end it. My brother’s been working on a fuel of hate for you for over a decade. He deserves peace. If he survives this, you need to give him that. You fucking owe him.”
She didn’t notice the tears streaming down her cheek until his eyes fell on them. Taking a ragged breath, she wiped them away.
Then something else hit her. “Wait. What do you mean, if he survives this?”
Sy’s jaw started grinding again. There was disgust in his eyes when he looked down upon the men standing across from his brother.
“Fighting those fuckers is just the first part of Viking’s penance. It’s the blood for blood he will spill on your behalf because you slighted Vasili. The second part is for breaking off his engagement to Sokolov’s niece.”
Of course. By marrying her, Viking had effectively ended his engagement. Why hadn’t she thought of this before?
She almost didn’t dare ask. “What about the second part?”
“You ever heard of Russian Roulette?”