Chapter 6 Alina
ALINA
Sergei Volkov.
The oldest and fiercest of the Volkov brothers.
The second his beautiful green eyes landed on me, I forgot how to breathe.
He wasn’t the boy I remembered. The Sergei from my childhood had been a sharp-tongued, ruthless brat who couldn’t stand the sight of me. He wouldn’t even talk to me. He would just usher me away with a glare or a muttered curse whenever I was around.
But this man standing before me was different.
He didn’t seem disgusted to see me, and he was no longer just a silly boy.
Now, he was a man, and he looked like he was carved straight from steel and shadow.
His presence filled the air around me, commanding and dangerous, and it nearly took my breath away.
He was fierce in a way that made my heart skip a beat, and when his gaze slid over the bruise on my cheek, his eyes darkened, and his expression became even more intense.
“Alina.” He took a step towards me as he growled, “Who did this to you?”
“Alek.” I could tell from his expression he wasn’t sure who I was talking about, so I added, “Alek Morozov.”
Just saying his name turned my stomach to knots, and the blank expression on Sergei’s face made me wonder if he’d had the same reaction. It wouldn’t surprise me. The Morozov name carried weight all the way from Moscow. They were known for their old connections, dirty money, and brute ways.
There was a time when they had close ties with the Volkovs, especially after Sergei’s father took control. Alek’s father, Anton, had stood by Sergei’s father, and together, they’d spilled their share of blood. They were both cold and ruthless, and they raised their boys to be the same way.
I didn’t know Sergei all that well, but I’d seen for myself that he wasn’t a man to be crossed.
He’d grown up with Alek and his older brother circling him like a pack of wolves.
They were always testing him and reminding him that he might’ve been born into power, but there was always someone hungry to take that power away.
That never intimidated him.
Instead, it made him ruthless and unstoppable.
Alek always hated him for that. He never said it outright, but he was jealous.
I could see the disgust in his eyes whenever there was even the slightest mention of his name.
He knew I mattered to Viktor and his family.
It was one of the reasons why he was so eager for us to wed.
Having me was just another way for him to spit in their faces.
It was a way for him to prove that they couldn’t protect what should have been untouchable. Sergei had to assume the same, because the mere mention of his name had his eyes narrowing like I’d spoken a curse. “Why would he think it was okay to hurt you like this?”
“Because I’m his wife.” I kept my eyes trained on his as I said, “And he thinks that gives him the right to do whatever he wants to me.”
“You married him?”
“It was arranged.”
And just like that, there was a shift in his demeanor. His eyes became distant, and his mouth tensed into a hard line. His anger had melted into something else. Something worse. He knew.
He knew what marrying Alek meant. He knew the choices I’d had to make, the battles I’d had to fight, and he could see that it hadn’t broken me. At least, not completely. I was still standing. But there was no guarantee that I’d still be standing tomorrow.
He knew this, too. We both knew the risk I’d taken, and the inevitable fallout that would come if he chose to stand at my side. His eyes drifted to the floor, and for the first time since I’d arrived, I feared he would turn me away.
I needed to say something. I needed to try and convince him that I was worth saving, so I said, “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want to marry him. I knew he was a monster. Everyone knew he was a monster. The family. My parents. My sister. You know it, too.”
Still nothing.
He just stood there with that blank expression.
So, I pushed a little harder. “I know there are rules. I know it was my job to please him and to follow his every command, and I tried. God, how I tried. But the only time that man was happy was when he was hurting me, and he did it often.”
“Fuck.”
I lifted my shirt, revealing the deep bruises along my ribs as I added, “It gets worse every time. He would have killed me if I stayed, and he would’ve done it with a smile on his face. I had to get away from him, and Viktor was the only person I could think of that could help me.”
The rage in his eyes returned as he studied the bruises that marked my body.
He was struggling with his response when an older man approached.
He was tall and broad like Sergei, but he was more weathered and gray.
His presence seemed to carry a weight of its own as he motioned his head for Sergei to have a word with him.
Sergei didn’t argue.
He simply stepped over to him and leaned into him, listening intently as he spoke. I tried to make out what was being said, but their voices were too low for me to hear. All I could do was stand there with my heart pounding, wondering if I’d made a huge mistake by coming here.
They spoke for what felt like an eternity, and then, Sergei gave him a nod and turned his attention back to me. I searched his face for any sign of what he’d decided, but his expression was unreadable.
“I can’t make any promises,” Sergei started. “But I’ll talk to Viktor, and we will do what we can.”
Relief washed over me in a way that nearly took me off my feet. Air rushed from my lungs with a shaky breath as I whispered, “Thank you.”
“Thank him.” Sergei glanced over at the man standing next to him. “He goes by Preacher. You’ll be staying at his clubhouse.”
“Clubhouse?” The word slipped out before I could stop it. I had no idea what it was, but it sounded like a place I had no business going. “What about Viktor? Will he be there?”
“No. He won’t be there.” Sergei’s gaze hardened, leaving no room for any more questions. “You will be safe there. That’s what matters.”
I wanted to argue and demand that he let me see Viktor, but I was in no position to make demands. I had nothing. No money. No allies. No plan. Just bruises and broken promises.
So, I did the only thing I could. I nodded and said, “Thank you.”
I hadn’t even processed what was happening when a younger man strolled up next to me.
He was a relatively big guy with tattoos covering both arms, and he wore a leather vest like it meant something.
He had an easy smile, and he was handsome in a rugged sort of way.
But there was something in the way he looked at me that had me wondering about his intentions.
His smile widened as he reached for my suitcase and said, “I’ll take that for ya.”
His gaze swept over me, slow and deliberate, like he was about to make me his next big conquest. On any other day, I might’ve been flattered that a hot guy found me attractive, but in my current state, I wanted nothing more than to grab my things and run.
I was considering doing just that when Sergei stepped forward and snatched my suitcase from his hand. “Forget it. She’s coming with me.”
“What?” the young man gasped.
“You heard me.”
“Hold on, brother.” Preacher’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s not up for discussion.”
The young man stepped back with a smirk and said, “Whatever you say, boss.”
I didn’t know if I should be impressed by Sergei’s sudden possessive claim or terrified by it.
I didn’t have much time to really think about it before Sergei’s hand clamped around my bicep, and he led me toward the parking lot.
His grip wasn’t painful or cruel, but it was a reminder that I wasn’t in control of the situation.
The thought was almost laughable.
I hadn’t been in control in years, if ever, and it didn’t look like that was going to change any time soon.
Sergei walked me over to a sleek, black Mercedes, and without saying a word, he yanked the passenger door open and all but tossed me inside.
I tried my best not to wince or make a sound as I got in the car.
As soon as I was seated, he slammed the door so hard it made me flinch.
I watched through the window as he stormed around the hood and opened the driver’s side door.
Before getting inside, he turned back to the casino and called out, “Bog!”
The guard who’d met me at the door stepped forward and said, “Yeah, Boss.”
“Double the watch at the doors and the apartment. I want all hands-on deck. Now!”
“Understood.”
With that, Sergei slid in behind the wheel and started the engine.
He didn’t look at me. He didn’t speak. He just gripped the wheel and peeled out of the parking lot.
I had a million questions rushing through my mind, but I didn’t dare ask a single one.
I was afraid he might actually explode, so I remained silent.
Thankfully, it was a short ride to his condo, and in a matter of minutes, we were through the front door and in the elevator.
The ride up to the penthouse was brutally long and undeniably awkward.
I didn’t know what to say or do, and it didn’t help matters that Sergei was acting like I’d purposefully ruined his night.
It was that thought that had my rattled nerves turning into a simmering irritation. I hadn’t asked for this. I hadn’t asked for him. I wanted Viktor’s help. Not his. Yet, here I was, standing next to him in this stupid elevator, praying that I had the strength to get through this.
I turned and caught a glimpse of myself in the elevator mirror, and I was mortified by my appearance.
I was pale and wide-eyed, like a stranger caught in a storm she hadn’t seen coming.
Sergei kept his eyes trained ahead, and he refused to look at me as the elevator doors opened and he led me down the long, narrow hall.
I didn’t have much time to look around, but his apartment was beautiful. The ceilings were stretched high with walls of glass that gave way to a gorgeous view of the city. Every piece of furniture was sleek, modern, and expensive. Everything matched. All flawless lines and symmetry.
It was perfect. Too perfect.
It felt cold and empty. Not lived in or warm. Not like a place someone would call home, but I didn’t care what it looked like. It was a safe haven for me.
He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water and some Tylenol before continuing down the hall. He opened the door to the massive guest bedroom and dropped my suitcase on the floor. He lifted the bottle of Tylenol as he ordered, “Take a couple of these. Looks like you could use them.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I replied in barely a whisper.
I hoped it would soften his anger, but his expression didn’t change.
He just stood there, glaring at me like a bug on the bottom of his shoe.
And just like that, something deep within me roared back to life. It was something I thought Alek had crushed a long time ago, but sure enough, my backbone had miraculously returned.
I inhaled a deep breath and stepped towards him and said, “Look, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me to be here. But right now, I don’t have a choice. I have nowhere else I can go, but trust me when I say, I’ll leave as soon as I can figure something else out.”
I expected him to be happy that I would soon be gone. I thought it was what he wanted, and that he’d be more than happy to send me on my way. What I didn’t expect was for him to take a charging step forward and tower over me as he growled, “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“But…”
“You are staying here, Alina. End of discussion.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the room.
Damn.