34. Chapter 34
Before
I shield Yara behind me, my body trembling as Luchenko”s men surround us in the alley.
His cold eyes bore into mine while he approaches and strokes Yara”s hair.
She whimpers, shrinking away from his touch.
”Finally kotyonok.” He reaches back out and takes hold of her chin, tipping it upward so he can see into her eyes. ”Ah yes, we have the same eyes, you and me.”
But he”s only partially right. Their eyes may both be the same mesmerizing blue, so vibrant it”s almost disarming, but while his are cold and ruthless, hers are wide with fear.
”Don”t call her that,” I hiss through clenched teeth.
My stomach churns, fury and fear twisting inside me. He has no right to speak to my daughter with such familiarity.
He does many things that bother me—murder, human trafficking, drug and arms smuggling—but his overfamiliar use of terms of endearment for my daughter are what makes me insane.
Luchenko”s lip curls. ”She”s only alive because of me. Her talents are wasted with you.”
I know he”s trying to rile me up, and as much as I try to calm myself, it”s working. Judging from the look on his face, he”s going to keep going until I snap.
He continues. ”In fact, I”m surprised she lived this long… you can barely keep yourself alive, let another human being. If I wasn”t here to collect her, I”m sure it would only be a matter of time until child protective services came to pick her up.”
Yara”s eyes flicker between us, showing a combination of confusion and hurt.
”Don”t listen to him, baby!” I cry. ”He”s only trying to upset us both.”
He cocks a brow. ”Your mother is an idiot.”
”You don”t know what you”re talking about. You are just a DNA supplier. You will never be her father.”
”Well, you are a whore.” He pauses, locking eyes with my daughter. ”Yara, she told me she wished you”d died in the womb.”
I spit in his face.
His hand cracks across my cheek in a blaze of pain before I can react.
My head whips sideways, my hair flying. The slap echoes down the alley.
I bite my tongue to choke back a cry, refusing to show weakness.
Luchenko grabs my chin, his manicured fingernails digging in. ”You both belong to me, whore. Never forget that.”
I jerk my head away. ”I don”t belong to anyone, especially not you. And neither does she.”
But my stinging cheek betrays me, my hand pressed over it.
Luchenko chuckles. ”Still living in fantasy land? You”re mine. Always have been.”
His hungry gaze rakes over me, and then turns to Yara.
”And I”ve come to collect what”s due. Whether you decide to be stubborn or not, it”s your choice. I can leave you here. But the girl is coming with me.”
I glare at him. My defiance is only emboldening him further. I know he enjoys it when I fight. So I need to change tacks. ”What about your wife?”
”Marie?” He shrugs. ”She serves her purpose. It”s a transactional arrangement at this point. She lives her life and I live mine. You know this, Alina. Why is it so hard for your little pea brain to comprehend?”
Despite his condescending tone, his eyes undress me as if my visible discomfort only excites him more.
I flush, my stomach knotting with unwanted heat.
I hate that he knows my body so intimately. That I”d even enjoyed his touch once.
His eyes feel like extensions of other parts of his body as they trail over me, and I shiver.
How could I ever let somebody so evil, so depraved, touch me? He”s old enough to be my grandfather. I never wanted this life.
But Luchenko and my father had an ”arrangement.”
And then there was Yara.
And by then I was trapped, destined for a life intertwined with this madman”s.
I failed her then. But not today.
Today we escape him for good.
I steel myself, meeting Luchenko”s icy gaze. ”You took my innocence. Robbed me of a future. But Yara is my redemption.”
Luchenko sneers. ”Still clinging to hope, little dove? There”s no escaping your fate. And, in case you didn”t realize it, it takes two to tango. Fathers have rights too, you know. Especially with lawyers like mine, and a system designed to protect the patriarchy. You”re screwed if you think you”re going to pull the ”poor single mother, woe is me” card. The moment I snap my fingers, I”ll have full custody.”
He moves closer, backing me against the brick wall. I press back in an attempt to shrink into myself, willing myself not to tremble as my blood simultaneously boils. His breath grazes my ear, and I shudder, the little hairs on my neck standing to attention.
”We could be a family, Alina. Doesn”t our daughter deserve that?” He smirks, knowing his words will infuriate me.
Revulsion rises in my throat. ”Yara deserves better than you.”
Luchenko”s eyes flash. His fist slams into the wall beside my head. I flinch despite myself.
”Watch yourself,” he growls. ”You”re forgetting who you”re dealing with.”
My heart hammers, but I lift my chin, defiant. ”No. For the first time, I see you extremely clearly.”
His mouth twists in a cruel smile. ”Brave words, Alina. But they won”t save you.”
He grabs my wrist, bruisingly tight. I struggle in vain as he drags me down the alley toward a waiting car.
I won”t let it end like this.
Yara is my chance for redemption.
And I won”t fail her again.