70. Astor
CHAPTER SEVENTY
ASTOR
O ur friends and my sister have been over since Alessia got home and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want them to fucking leave.
I watch as they all stuff their faces with the takeout Italian we ordered, but I need Alessia to rest so that we can put an end to this bullshit and move on with our lives.
“Hey, you’re grinding. Do you want them to leave?” Alessia asks, leaning into me. I wrap her tightly in my arms and kiss her. “I want you to rest.”
“I am resting, I told you I’m ok. I had barely eaten that entire day, so the explosion was just the icing on the cake.”
“Well, Maria comes back tomorrow. No more skipping meals.”
“Ok, sir.”
I raise my eyebrow at her and she full out laughs. I lean into her ear and give it a soft bite. “I think I prefer good boy.”
“Ok everyone, we have classes tomorrow and torturing to do!” Alessia says, her voice cracking. Elsi looks at her through suspicious eyes and laughs.
“In other words, my brother wants to fuck his wife. Ok, got it. We’re going.”
I shake my head at my sister and she shrugs her shoulders as she grabs her coat.
“Can I come to the torturing?” she asks, making me shake my head.
“Absolutely the fuck not.” I give her a hug and she hugs Alessia. “See you Sunday, love you,” I tell her.
“Yeah, yeah. Love you.”
Caroline waltzs up to Alessia, her hands on her hips, and Alessia laughs.
“Yes, Princess Caro?”
“Justin is on shithead duty, so I’m staying here. Don’t worry, I’ll pick the guestroom on the other side of the house. Honestly, how aren’t you pregnant yet?” Alessia’s eyes double in size and Caro laughs as she heads towards the guestroom.
Jay and Mikhail got Miles pretty easily, it was almost like he wasn’t even hiding anymore. They took him to the abandoned warehouse we own and Justin has first watch of him. I don’t know what we’re going to do with him or when we’re going to do it. But I want Alessia to know that she’s safe until she decides that she’s ready.
I guide her upstairs as everyone leaves, stripping her out of her clothes and throwing one of my t-shirts over her head.
“So, he’s at the warehouse?”
“He is.”
She nods and flips the blanket back on the bed and slides under it.
“He’s alive?”
“He is.”
“Will he stay that way?”
“He will, until you tell me otherwise.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I know it’s hard for you to see him and not kill him.”
“Oh, baby, I haven’t seen him. Because if I do…I will kill him.”
I climb in bed next to her and pull her into me. She lays her head on my chest and traces the part of my tattoo that snakes around the front of my chest.
“I want him dead, but I want him to suffer.”
“Malyshka, I’ll do whatever you want me to do. If you want him living in fear, then we’ll hurt him so bad that he never wants to step foot here again.”
“Yeah?”
“Whatever you want, this is about you.”
“I’m glad you have my back, but even if I’m too weak to do it, I want him dead.” She’s losing her confidence, that spark she had. I pull her up to face me and I see her slipping.
“You got this. I know who you thought you were isn’t who you really turned out to be, but that’s ok. Because to me and your friends, you were never the sweet, innocent Alessia. You’ve always been our tornado, you’ve always been our headstrong, opinionated firecracker who takes no shit from anyone. Be that person, because that person is who I fell in love with when we were kids.”
“What if I can’t go through with it? What if I get to him and freeze? What if I dissociate again…”
“Then I’ll be there to bring you back again.” I kiss her and lay her down next to me. “I’ll always bring you back.”
When she’s sound asleep, I slip out of the bed and down to the kitchen. The boys are meeting me here for an update. When I get downstairs, they are all waiting, drinking a beer. Justin throws one at me and I catch it, popping it open and gulping it down.
“The revenge she wants is…different,” I say.
That piques their interest.
“Explain,” Mikhail says. I knew he’d be the one with questions.
“She wants to torture him, but it sounds like she wants him tortured by us all. I think she wants to test her limits.”
“So, we get to have some fun?” Jay asks.
I nod. Teagan is quiet and I look at him and he shakes his head.
“She needs to kill him. She should have killed him the moment she saw him. You should have made her.”
“She’s making the rules here, T.”
“How are you ok with this shit? He fucking rap—” I cut him off and slam the beer bottle against the wall.
“I fucking know that! I was there! Not you, me! I had to walk in on her being fucking violated. I had to see her being fucked by someone other than me. So don’t fucking question me. I’m hanging on by a goddamn thread. Don’t push me, Teagan.”
He throws his hands up and sits down at the barstool.
“Is everything ok?” We all turn to see Alessia at the bottom of the stairs, staring between me and the broken beer bottle.
“I’m sorry, everything’s fine. Go back to bed,” I say, as I start picking up the broken glass.
“No. It’s not,” Teagan says.
I’m on him in a second. “Fucking leave it!” Justin and Jay and yank me off him and Alessia has a wretched look across her face.
“Say it, Teagan. You think I’m stupid for letting him live.”
“Teagan, if you open your fucking mouth,” I spit at him, pushing against Jay and Justin.
“Astor, shut up. I want to hear it,” she says, silencing me.
Teagan looks at her. “I don’t think you’re stupid, I think you’ll regret it. Because what if you and Ast were in the car when it blew up? What if the opportunity never comes again and when he gets away, you’ll never find him again? What if you lost track of him?”
“See, Teagan, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not going to think about the what ifs. Because we weren’t in the car, we didn’t lose track of him, and the opportunity definitely has presented itself again. He’ll be dead soon enough. Anymore concerns?”
He shakes his head and she nods before heading back up the stairs, shutting the door.
He looks at me and drops his head. “I’m sorry, I just hate that the fucker is still breathing for what he did to her.”
You and me both.