Chapter Eight
Alora
I filled Dove in on everything when she got home. Because she was right. She wasn’t a little kid I needed to protect from the world. And besides, I couldn’t keep it to myself no matter how hard I wanted to.
Her eyes widened when I showed her the cash, and she jumped across the couch and hugged me so hard we both rolled onto the floor. Both of us were excited about what the money could do for us.
I wasn’t so excited about what Kreos might want in return, but I pushed that thought to the back of my head.
She insisted he might be in love with me, and I laughed until tears came out of my eyes. He definitely wasn’t in love with me. Maybe he wanted to have sex with me. He obviously wanted to control me, which, to be clear, would never happen.
He’d asked for my absolute submission, which had left me even more confused. I mean, he was the kind of man who had models throwing themselves at his feet. And I was—a nobody. One thing was for sure, though: his mood swings were giving me a headache.
I was even more shocked the next morning when his gladiator bodyguard showed up. How he got into my building, I had no clue. He came over and handed me my camera. The one I’d pawned.
My body stiffened, a flash of utter humiliation running through me. So Kreos knew I’d pawned it because I was broke. I knew there was nothing to be embarrassed about. But knowing and feeling were two different things. I didn’t have money to pay my bills, not from lack of trying, but because I was apparently an easy target when I loved someone too much. Either way, I hated that he knew.
Speaking of being an easy target, Dylan finally texted me back. One word.
Sorry.
Yeah, I was sorry too. Sorry, that because of him I’d had my whole life twisted around.
But today was a new day. A better one. I wasn’t going to let anything bring me down. I’d gotten up extra early to get a money order for the rent. Luckily, Dario wasn’t in, just his slightly less creepy cousin. I gave him the rent and my thirty days’ notice to move out.
Dove and I were moving the hell out of this neighborhood. The only good thing about this place was Zeke out front, but I was sure he’d manage without us. I didn’t know where we would go, but it didn’t matter. Ten thousand was enough for a deposit and first and last months’ rent at a new place. Maybe we’d find a place with an extra room so I could finally set up my own darkroom instead of having to run to the art center all the time.
I didn’t have work in the evening, so after dropping off groceries at home, I grabbed my camera. The submission deadline was in six weeks, and I only had four out of twelve photos I needed. All this stuff going on with Dylan and Kreos was really stifling my creativity. But now, I was ready to win this thing.
I walked around Brooklyn, looking for anything that would inspire me. The theme of the competition was mortality, and I’d already gotten a few shots at a cemetery. I didn’t want to be predictable and boring, so I was looking for things that would capture the theme, but not in an obvious way.
Luck was on my side, because I found the best photo in the least likely of places: in an alley behind a bar that I was pretty sure was a cover for a gambling den. On the ground, in a puddle, was a pocket watch with a bullet hole through it. The casing was just off to the side. It was as if someone had set out the items just for me to find.
It was well after dark by the time I finished. I grabbed some bottles of wine and threw them in the trunk on my way home. Dove was making dinner—Italian, she said, which for some reason made me think of Kreos and that little apartment in Albany above that restaurant.
No. Bad girl. Don’t think about the sexy devil man who thinks he’s your master.
Dove was in the kitchen dancing around and lip-syncing, using a wooden spoon as a microphone. My whole body warmed at the look on her face. She was happy. And no matter how much I didn’t want to admit it, it was because of Kreos. She’d changed the color of her beanie. It was now a white and pink polka dot one, instead of black.
She stirred the pasta sauce, then held the spoon up to my lips so I could taste it.
“Mmm, that’s so good. If you decide you’re done with art, then you should become a chef. ”
“Right?” She held up her phone right as a big bubble burst in the pasta sauce, splashing all over her white shirt. Our mouths hung open, and I couldn’t stop the laughter no matter how hard I tried. “My favorite shirt.” She pouted.
“Why would you wear a white shirt when you’re making pasta?” I chuckled and motioned for her to take it off. “Give it to me. I’ll throw it in the washer.”
Dinner was amazing. I wasn’t kidding when I said she should become a chef. I didn’t know where she got her cooking skills from, because it wasn’t from me. Not that I was terrible at it—I could make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I hadn’t told Dove yet, but earlier I’d looked up several therapists and psychiatrists who specialized in anxiety disorders. I’d found a woman in the city who was highly rated and charged three hundred dollars a session. She didn’t have any openings for two months, but I’d booked the appointment anyway. I just hoped I could convince Dove to go.
I cleaned up the dishes while Dove looked for a movie for us to watch. Of course, the second I settled on the couch, I realized I’d left the wine in the trunk.
“I’m gonna run to the car and grab the wine. Want me to grab your shirt from the dryer?” I slid my boots on and grabbed my knife from the counter, tucked it inside. Call me paranoid, but I wasn’t going out after dark without my knife. The junkies who roamed around out there were out of control. If they thought they could take something from you, they would try. But I wouldn’t ever be an easy target.
She shook her head, typing on her phone. “I’ll grab it. You’re going the other way. ”
I pulled on my black hoodie and marched down the stairs. Sure enough, a group of guys were hanging out in the parking lot, Zeke being one of them. He waved and gave me a smile, so luckily, none of the others bothered me. He was a good guy. At least I thought so. We never talked about how he’d ended up on the street. In this day and age, it could happen to anyone at any time. Lose your job, have no savings, no friends or family? You’re fucked. I was just grateful that I had Solene and the others. We all looked out for each other.
I grabbed the wine and jogged back to my building and up the stairs. Dove wasn’t there, so I assumed she’d gone to get her shirt. I placed the bottles on the counter and stripped off my hoodie. Just when I was about to pull off my boots, there was a knock at the door.
That was weird. Had I locked Dove out?
“Sorry, I thought—” The words died on my lips as I threw the door open and faced Dario. I scrunched up my nose and glared at him. “What are you doing here?”
He leaned against the doorway, running his fingers through his hair. His cologne was suffocating, and I had to stop myself from gagging. “I think it’s time we had our drink, don’t you?”
Obviously, he was mentally unwell, and I had no patience to deal with him tonight. “Dario, fuck off. I’ve told you a million times I’m not interested. Now leave.” I went to push the door shut, but he held his arm up, keeping the door open.
“You think you’re just gonna move out without giving me what you owe?”
“What are you talking about? I paid the rent. I got a receipt. Seriously, this isn’t funny. You need to leave.” My heart raced wildly as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“I don’t think so. You’ve been teasing me for a long time, and I’m ready to play, baby.” He looked around the living room, presumably looking for Dove.
Fuck, Dove would be back any second.
“Now about that drink.” He shut the door and walked over to me.
A wave of fury crashed over me as he stood in my personal space. “I’m warning you, Dario.”
“Ohh, I like it when you’re feisty. Why don’t we skip the drink and get right to the fun stuff.” He laid his hands on my shoulders and tried to drag me toward him.
“You’re repulsive. Get off me.” I lashed out with my hands, scratching him across his face. I shoved him and tried to make a break for the door, but he grabbed onto my hair and yanked me back toward him.
“You little bitch. You’re going to pay for that.” Blood was dripping down his cheek, and as he leaned down as if to kiss me, I spit directly in his face.
“Fuck,” he snapped, using his forearm to wipe his face. “Dirty bitch.”
He slapped me so hard, my head snapped to the side and I tumbled to the ground. I felt like a rag doll compared to him. My stomach churned as I realized he was a lot stronger than he looked. I landed on my hands and knees, trying to catch my breath.
“I’m gonna fuck you so good, then when that bitch sister of yours gets here, I’ll do her too. And you can’t do shit, you know that? I’m fucking connected, baby. My family runs this town.”
He towered over me, his scuffed-up shoes just under my bowed head. The sound of his belt buckle coming undone had me leaning back into a kneeling position, gasping.
A twisted smirk played on his lips as he stared down at me. “That’s it, baby, get ready to go to paradise.”
As he tugged his zipper down, I reached back toward my boot and grabbed my knife.
“I don’t think so, pig.” I pressed the release button on the handle and drove the blade upwards into his gut.
He roared with fury as he fell to his knees, knocking me over in the process. I tried to crawl away, but he grabbed onto my legs and tugged me back toward him. He was yelling all types of crazy things now, and I knew that if I didn’t get free he was going to kill me.
I kicked my leg back and clipped him in the mouth with my boot, but that didn’t stop him. He yanked me back down, flipped me over, and straddled my stomach. His icy hands came around my throat. “I’m going to fucking kill you,” he seethed, saliva and blood dripping from his mouth onto me.
I screamed—well, I tried to—and scratched at his arms and face, anywhere I could try to draw blood. There was no way I was going to die like this.
We were so close to being free. It was all coming together. I couldn’t die. Not now.
A crack rang out. His eyes widened in surprise, his hands loosening around my neck as he grabbed the back of his head. “What the fuck?” He turned to look over his shoulder, and that was when the bat connected with his jaw.
He howled in pain and landed next to me, blood flying everywhere. I rolled over and saw Dove standing there wide-eyed with the bat in her hands.
She took a step forward, fury blazing in her eyes, raised the bat over her head and slammed it down into his face. Again and again, she swung the bat with so much force it was like she was in a frenzy and couldn’t stop. You couldn’t even make out his face anymore. It was completely gone.
I scrambled to my feet and reached for her, her eyes wild. “Dove, stop. He’s dead now. It’s OK. He’s dead.” My fingers trembled as I reached for the bat and grabbed it from her.
Her breath came out in short, rapid gasps as she stared down at Dario on the ground. She looked at me, then back to him, as if she’d just realized what she’d done. She reached up and covered her mouth.
“It’s OK, don’t freak out. We’re fine.” A noise from behind me made me realize our front door was open, and I raced over and shut it.
If anyone had heard what had happened, they weren’t coming to help. Nobody ever did that in this neighborhood. You were on your own here.
I paced back over to Dove, who was now sitting on the floor next to Dario, staring at what used to be his face. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
“We need to call the police,” she typed.
A heavy weight settled in my stomach as I read her message. “No.” I shook my head, my jaw clenching so tight my teeth ached. “We can’t.”
“It was self-defense.” Her eyes watered as she held up her phone.
I hated to be the one to break it to her, but there was no way a cop was going to look at his body and say self-defense. “Dove, his face is caved in.”
He’d deserved every swing of that bat, but the system was fucked up. We would be in trouble, even though he’d broken in and tried to assault me.
Tears spilled down her cheeks and she locked her arms around her knees. I could see she was terrified, but I wasn’t going to let anything happen. I kneeled and gripped her shoulders. “Hey, don’t do that—get lost in your head. You saved me.” It was hard to speak with a lump in my throat. “You saved me, and I owe you my life.” I squeezed her as hard as I possibly could, making her gasp for air.
After a moment, I pulled back and gripped her hands in mine. “We just need to think for a second.” A million thoughts ran through my head. How could we get rid of the body and all this blood?
Dove’s fingers flew furiously over her phone. “We could cut him into smaller pieces and throw him in the river?”
It was like she’d read my mind, and I couldn’t stop the hysterical laugh that came out of my mouth. She eyed me like I was a lunatic, but then a smile slowly started to spread across her face. In no time, she was laughing right along with me. Tears streamed down the corners of my eyes, and it wasn’t until I leaned over and slipped in blood that I sobered back up.
I sighed, letting my shoulders drop. There was an obvious solution to all of this, but I didn’t know what the outcome would be. What would he want if I asked him for this favor? Asked him to save my sister? To save me? My mouth went dry as a tremor ran through my body.
“I know what to do.” I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking uncontrollably.
Goosebumps prickled along my arms as I dialed the number I had memorized years ago.
He picked up on the second ring. “Miss Wolfe, I’m extremely busy. What do you want?”
I debated hanging up right away. This was a mistake that would probably haunt me forever. But when Dove leaned forward, watching me, I knew it was the only way.
“Kreos.” My voice trembled, my breath catching.
“Alora?” His tone changed immediately. “What’s wrong? Are you alright? Where are you?”
“I need you—need your help,” I whispered. Suddenly, it was all too much, and I couldn’t stop the tears.
His voice was muffled for a moment, but it sounded like he said “pull up the feed,” then a string of curses.
“I’m coming, milaya .” His usually controlled voice sounded slightly unhinged. “Ten minutes. Don’t move.” Then the line went dead.
I dropped the phone on the ground, struggling to find my breath. Dove gripped my shoulders and squeezed until I was looking directly into her eyes. She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, shaking me gently until I did the same. After a few heartbeats, I felt myself calming down enough to stand and grab a towel from the bathroom. I dropped it over Dario’s head and sat on the couch with Dove, waiting for Kreos.
Time seemed to slow down, each minute feeling like an eternity. There was a pounding at the door exactly ten minutes later, and we both stood. Before I could even take a step, the door flew open and Kreos stormed in, Gavriil following behind him.
Kreos’ eyes were wild when they met mine, and he stalked over to me and pulled me into his arms. I stiffened for a brief second before letting myself relax in his embrace. I hadn’t been expecting that from him. He whispered into my ear, saying something in Russian that I didn’t understand, but it was soothing me anyways. My head lay against his chest, his heart beating uncontrollably.
“What happened?” Gavriil asked.
Dove typed on her phone and showed it to him.
“He tried to rape her, and you hit him with the bat?” Gavriil walked over and lifted the towel over Dario’s face. “Good.”
Kreos pulled back and touched my face. I inhaled when he touched my cheek, and he clenched his jaw. “Are you OK?”
I nodded, pulling away from him. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“You did the right thing by calling me.” He glared down at Dario. “Both of you go pack a bag.”
Dove and I stood still, glancing at each other.
“Now, Alora. It’s not a request.” There was an iciness in his voice that suggested now was not the time to ask questions.
We each went to our rooms, and I threw a few more things into my go bag. I didn’t know how long we would be gone, so I grabbed an extra change of clothes and more undergarments. Dove and I met back in the living room a few minutes later.
Kreos watched me closely, and I couldn’t help but be hyperaware of every single inch of my body. There was blood on my arms and my pants, and I couldn’t stop shaking. I just wanted to get out of these clothes and forget this ever happened.
Yeah, I don’t think watching a man’s face get crushed in is something you’re just gonna forget.
There was a knock at the front door, and Dove and I both jumped. Kreos held up his hand, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. I’m expecting someone.”
That someone was the gladiator bodyguard guy who apparently was going to be driving us to Kreos’ home. I glanced at him, a question hanging in the air.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I could sense the rage coming off him in waves.
With that, Dove and I gripped each other’s hands and were escorted out to a large SUV. Once on the road, four motorcycles pulled up, two in front of us and two behind, which I realized must have been part of Kreos’ security crew.
I couldn’t tell how long we drove for or where we went because my mind was still reeling. Dove was surprisingly calm now that she was out of the apartment, so that was reassuring for me.
When we pulled up to a giant set of iron gates, my heart raced as I looked around. There was a “Z” emblem mounted right in the middle of the gate with a metal wolf’s head above it. The driveway seemed to go on for miles. It was like a scene from a movie unfolding as we drove up a long, winding road.
Once we got down the road, I gasped at the massive size of his home. This couldn’t even be considered a mansion. It was like four mansions in one. To the left were two large buildings, and to the right, further down the path, was a cluster of smaller buildings.
How many people lived here?
The car came to a stop at the foot of a vast white staircase, which led up to massive black double doors with the same “Z” wolf emblem on them. There were about twenty armed men standing on each side of the stairs. They all were dressed in black suits with red ties.
“We’re here,” the gladiator bodyguard, whom I’d heard Kreos call Pyotr, said as he helped us step down from the SUV.
Walking past all those men with their guns out was pretty unnerving, but they didn’t even look at us as we passed them. Once at the top of the stairs, two women came forward. One was older, maybe in her sixties, with sleek gray hair tied back in a bun. The other one was younger, with dark hair. She walked with a limp and stared at the ground until the older one clapped her hands.
“Welcome, ladies. I’ll show you to your rooms.” The older woman led the way inside and took us up another extensive set of stairs, Dove and I following behind her.
Of course, the rooms were extravagant with king-sized beds, fifty-inch television sets, and showers that could fit ten people in them. The younger woman, Nadya, went with Dove, whose room was right across from mine, and the older woman, Anya, helped me. Once she got the shower going blissfully hot, she left me alone.
All I wanted was to scrub every inch of my skin. To erase the memory of Dario touching me. I was glad he was dead. I wasn’t happy that Dove had been the one to kill him, though .
By the time I got out of the shower, exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. It didn’t seem right to sleep without Dove, so I snuck across the hall to her bedroom and found her blissfully asleep. I crawled in on the other side and slipped under the covers. Within seconds, I passed out.
I awoke at some point in the early morning hours to the sensation of powerful arms carrying me. I nuzzled against the warmth, a moan escaping my lips. A deep chuckle vibrated through the chest I was pressed against, and I realized I was in Kreos’ arms and we were back in my bedroom. I was too exhausted to care or feel embarrassed.
He lowered me to the soft bed and pulled the covers up to my chin.
“What happened?” I mumbled, sleep already taking over again.
“I took care of it.” He brushed my hair behind my ears.
“Does that mean we can go home tomorrow?” I yawned and let my body relax into the mattress.
“No, milaya . You’re not going back there.” His tone was dead serious.
“Hmm.” I rolled onto my side. “Why not?”
“Because we’re getting married, and you’ll be living here with me.”
A chuckle escaped me as I let my eyes flutter closed and surrendered to the pull of sleep. “OK, whatever you say.”
Obviously, I was dreaming.
Dove and I would have a good laugh about this in the morning.
I let myself drift off into dreamland, where Dove had never killed anyone, and I was a filthy rich photographer with a loving husband.
Who just happened to be the most ruthless Bratva boss in all of New York.