Chapter 31
Nina
Nine days. That’s how long we’ve been torturing Boris and Anton, and I’ve realized no amount of days will be enough.
But I want to move on with my life.
I kept the worst for last, and after I’ve injected them with the serum, I stand back and wait for it to take effect.
The rats scurry and scratch, their hungry squeaks getting louder as time passes.
When Boris and Anton’s breaths begin to race, and sweat pours down their temples, I walk out of the cell to get the cat-o'-nine tails whip. I look at the tiny metal spikes at the end of each leather cord as I return to stand behind the men.
Georgi’s leaning back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes not leaving me for a second.
I reach out to Boris and let the spikes lightly trail up his calf, and his head whips to the side, air bursting over his swollen and busted lips.
“Feel the rats?” I murmur, and it makes him yank against the shackles.
His panic skyrockets, and he flails as I continue to let the spikes trail over his skin.
Boris starts screaming, “Get them off me! No. Vermin. No.”
I move over to Anton and do the same to him, but he doesn’t scream. Instead, he sobs and sniffles, and the stench of his urine fills the air as it trickles down his legs.
I walk to Georgi and hold the whip out to him. “Don’t kill them. I want the serum to wear off, so that they’re fully aware when you open the vents and free the rats.”
“Got it, angelche moe.” When I leave the cell, he asks, “Where are you going?”
“Other room. They stink too much.”
I take a seat on the stool Georgi arranged for me and watch everything through the one-sided window.
Santino comes in and folds his arms while leaning against the wall.
Georgi starts to whip the men, tearing agonizing shouts and cries from them.
“He’s changed a lot,” Santino suddenly says.
I give him a questioning look. “Georgi?”
He nods, then meets my eyes. “You make him happy, Nina.” Letting out a sigh, he adds, “And I finally get some sleep and time off at night.”
The corner of my mouth lifts, and I turn my attention back to the window, watching as Georgi dangles the whip over Anton’s groin, which makes the rapist shriek, the sound shrill.
“Christ,” Santino mutters.
“I gave them the serum and told them there are rats all over them, so right now he probably thinks there’s a rat about to eat his…you know what,” I explain what’s going on.
“Damn, woman.” Our head of security glances at me, looking impressed. “Remind me to never fuck with you.”
I let out a burst of laughter, which catches me completely off guard.
Georgi’s head snaps in the window’s direction, then he comes stalking out of the cell.
“Did you just laugh?” he asks, a stunned expression on his face.
“Uh…yes?” I point at Santino. “He said something funny.”
Georgi throws the whip in the corner of the room, then grins at Santino and me. “That was the first time she laughed out loud.”
Santino wags his eyebrows at Georgi. “I made her laugh.”
“Motherfucker,” Georgi growls, before landing a hard punch on Santino’s shoulder, who chuckles like it’s some love tap.
Georgi spins around and closes the distance between us with two huge steps. Grabbing hold of me, he tilts me backward and presses a possessive kiss to my mouth.
Only when I’m breathless, and my lips are tingling, does he right me on the stool.
“Come with me,” he says. “I have work to do while the serum wears off.”
I jump to my feet and take hold of Georgi’s hand. He leads me to the upper levels of the warehouse where boxes of illegal goods are stored, along with crates filled with weapons.
“Boss, is Raya coming in?” a man asks.
“No, she’s looking after her niece. What’s up?”
The man gives Georgi a confused look. “Her niece? But…Huh?”
“My kid, dumbass,” Georgi informs him. “Why are you looking for Raya?”
His kid.
I lower my head as a smile forms on my face, loving that he’s just decided Simi is his.
“The one crate is filled with duds. None of the guns have triggers,” he informs Georgi.
“Show me.”
Before he can take a step, I pull on his hand. “I’ll wait with Santino while you work. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“You’re not leaving my sight,” my man mutters, tightening his fingers around mine. “And you can never get in the way.”
For the next two hours, I watch as Georgi takes care of business, and I learn how much work goes into what he does.
Just as I forget about Boris and Anton, Georgi leads me back down to the cells, and when we enter the room, Santino is splashing buckets of water over the men.
“Check if the serum has worn off,” Georgi says.
I enter the cell, and seeing their pupils aren’t blown wide anymore, I nod at Georgi.
“How were the hallucinations, fuckers?” he asks.
Both men hang limply, blood trickling down from where the shackles have cut into their wrists.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” He grins at me. “Rosie emptied their bank accounts and transferred it all to an account in your name.” While my face goes slack with shock, he looks at Boris and Anton. “I haven’t checked the balance yet. How much did Nina inherit?”
Boris slurs something unintelligible.
“Don’t worry. I’ll check with Rosie.” He pulls out his phone and makes a call while I’m still processing the shock.
“What’s up, G-man?” I hear a woman’s voice come over the line and realize Georgi’s put it on speaker mode.
“Hey. How much is in the Swiss account you opened for Nina?” he asks as he glances at me.
Seeing my stunned expression, he comes closer and places his arm around me.
“Just shy of one hundred and twenty million euros.”
“Thanks.”
“Too-de-loo.”
The line goes dead, and while I blink, struggling to wrap my mind around that amount, Georgi smiles like the cat that got the cream.
“That’s a nice little nest egg for Nina and Simi.” He turns to face Boris and Anton. “They can put it away for a rainy day because I’ll provide for them.” He moves to stand right in front of Anton. “I’m changing Nina and Simona’s last names to Torrisi.”
There’s a spark of anger on Anton’s face, and I walk closer to say, “I was never yours, Anton. I love Georgi, and I willingly share his bed with him.”
Georgi lets out another chuckle. “I’m one lucky bastard.” He slaps his hands together. “Time to get this show on the road, motherfuckers. Our daughter is waiting at home for us, and I don’t like disappointing her. I promised to watch Tangled with her.”
He comes to press a kiss to the top of my head. “Wait in the other room, baby. I won’t be long.”
I leave the cell and hurry to the window, not wanting to miss a thing.
Georgi walks to a control panel near the door and stares at Boris and Anton. When his face settles into grim lines, they begin to shake their heads.
Georgi presses a button, then quickly steps out of the room and pulls the door shut.
I watch as the grids on the vents lift up, and rats start to wiggle to get through. As soon as the first one scurries across the floor, Boris begins to shout.
Georgi takes hold of my hand, and we link our fingers.
Suddenly, the rats pour into the cell like a tidal wave, and as one jumps up Boris’ leg, Anton kicks wildly.
The shouts and wails coming from the men seem to spur on the rats who stream up their bodies, finding all the spots where their skin has been broken.
“How do holding up?” Georgi asks me.
Feeling his eyes on me, I continue to watch, not wanting to miss a second as Boris and Anton die.
Only when their screaming stops, and their heads hang backward, do I whisper, “It’s over.” My chin begins to quiver, and my eyes tear up. “It’s finally over.”
I look up at Georgi, the man who has completely changed my life, and all I see is a wonderful future where I get to raise Simi with him.
I have the family I’ve always wanted.
Georgi
I wanted to wait until Boris and Anton were dead before telling Nina about the results of her blood work and scans.
Today is a big day.
We’re hosting our first barbecue. Besides my family, only Augusto, Yuki, and Adriano have been invited. I want to ease Nina into the Cosa Nostra.
Nina comes down the stairs, wearing a pale green dress that reaches all the way to her feet.
“You look stunning, angelche moe.”
“Thank you.” She smiles, then glances around the living room and foyer. “Where’s Simi?”
I gesture at the castle. “She’s drawing.”
I tip my head to the kitchen. “I have something to tell you.”
A curious expression forms on her face as she follows me. I lift her to sit on the island, and brace my hands on either side of her.
“Dr. Milazzo called. I got your results, but I wanted to wait until we were done with the past.”
“My results?” she asks, confusion flickering across her face.
“Your blood work and scans.”
“Oh...” Worry creeps into her eyes. “Am I okay?”
A smile curves my lips up as I nod. “You’re more than okay. There’s nothing wrong, and he says you should be able to have children.”
Gasping, her hands fly up to cover her mouth. “Really?”
“Really.” My expression turns serious as I continue, “So, I will continue using condoms. I’d like to wait a while before we even start talking about having more kids.”
“I could get birth control,” she offers softly.
“Whatever you’re comfortable with, baby. It’s your choice.”
“Georgi!” Simi calls out. “Where are you?”
“In the kitchen, malkata mi printsesa,” I reply before pressing a tender kiss to Nina’s lips. I help her back onto her feet, then turn to Simi as she comes in with a page in her hand.
“I made you this.”
Taking it, I look at the drawing. There’s a tall stick figure, the legs three times as long as the body. It kinda looks like a scarecrow, with two other stick figures sitting on its arms.
“That’s you.” Simi points at the picture. “You’re holding Mama and me.”
“It’s the most beautiful picture ever!” I scoop her up as I climb to my feet and walk to the fridge. “This is a big moment, Simi.”
“Why?”
“Because only the best pictures get stuck on the fridge door.”
“Yay!” She kicks her legs. “And it’s mine.”
“Baby, come help,” I tell Nina.