Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Alyona
Ican’t do this.
There’s not enough in my savings account for me to disappear. Jeremiah would find me. Rodion and Zahkar would find me. It’s more complicated now than it was two years ago.
What am I going to do?
It’s well after two in the morning when we leave the club.
The twins left an hour ago. I’m too exhausted to deal with Jeremiah as his hands roam over my body in the uber.
Deep down inside of me, the former socialite from Russia begs to wave her white flag of defeat so the twins will save her again.
Things were easier when I was just a club-going rich girl who loved to spend her daddy’s money because I was a Voskoboynikov, and Voskoboynikovs love to shop.
But that girl is gone.
Her heart was torched in the cold bowels of hell, otherwise known as Moscow, and she’s been missing ever since.
And, despite everything, I like who I became leading up to The Games. I grew strong, fierce, and fell in love with my madmen.
God, my chest aches.
The only thing that soothes it anymore is the gift I got from my time with the madmen of Moscow.
“I’m hot, Jer.” I move from his lap and open the window. Arkansas has nothing on Russian weather. What these people call cold is practically a warm summer day where I come from. Tonight, the air is sticky and hot. It’s nights like these that I miss the bitter wind and mountains of snow.
“What’s up with you?”
“Nothing. I’m just overheated.”
He grunts in disproval. “You’ve been weird since earlier tonight at the club. Fucking uptight. Sucking up all the oxygen in the room.”
Sometimes I wish I could just punch him.
“Then don’t sit so fucking close,” I hit back with my words, resentment flooding my thoughts.
I fumble for my keys and quietly unlock the front door once we make it home. I’m silent as I slip into the house, dodging Jeremiah’s glare as I rush to grab a shirt to change into after my shower.
I zone out the moment I step under the hot spray. It feels good on my aching body. My hair gets washed first, and then I soap down every sore limb. As the hot water runs down my face, I cry silently for this stupid life I have. Eventually, the water grows cold, and I attempt to harden my heart.
I fail miserably.
Quickly, I dry off and change. I brush through my unruly wet hair and exit the bathroom, walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and when I’m walking back to our bedroom I sense him.
The chill that overtakes me makes me tremble, but still, my heart is soft and tender.
“Did you fuck those twins?” Jeremiah asks in a deceptively calm voice, arms crossed behind him as he stands at the end of the hallway.
“W-What?” I hiss, eyes wild. “What are you talking about?”
He gestures with his left hand. “You came in late last night and then the interaction tonight was suspicious. Even Adam thought so.”
“Well, if Adam thought so,” I snap, burning hot with anger at the both of them.
“And tonight,” Jeremiah continues, “you won’t let me fuck you. Have you let them cum in your whore pussy, Ally?”
“You’re drunk and sound just like Adam.”
“Do you want to fuck my brother too? Is that your thing?”
“Fuck off.” My voice trembles but not with fear. I’m vibrating with fury. When Jeremiah woke up this morning, and saw my bruises, he asked what I did to provoke Adam.
Fucking bastards. The both of them
“Who are you fucking?” he demands.
Rage swells up inside of me and my nostrils flare. “You’re the only one I fuck.”
Unfortunately.
“You know,” he snaps, shaking his head as if he doesn’t believe me. “I won’t stand for a liar and a cheater.”
“I’m not a cheater.”
I’m a liar though. Through and through.
“I won’t let you make me look like a fucking idiot,” he snarls, eyes turning manic. “I’d rather kill you than let someone else fuck you.”
Silence fills the room as his words slam into my chest. I shakily remind him of what he needs to hear. “No one else is fucking me. I’m yours.”
He barks out a cruel laugh. “Adam wants you.” His arm drops at his side, revealing the Glock in his grip. Has he been hiding it this whole time behind his back?
My heart rate skyrockets.
He has a gun. He has a gun. He has a gun.
Think, Alyona! Calm him down!
“Jer,” I whisper, voice turning sugary sweet. “Please. I don’t want Adam or anyone else. Let’s go to bed. Let me please you. Whatever you want. I’m sorry for earlier.”
In a few quick strides, he makes his way over to me. The butt of the gun slams against the door beside me in the hallway, making me jump. He nods with his head in the direction of the room behind him that I know is empty.
“Pop.” He says it softly but it still makes me jump. Then, he looks me dead in the eye as he points the gun at me. “Pop.” Another flinch on my part. Finally, his hand raises, and he holds the gun under his chin, grinning like a psychopath. “Pop.”
Fucking crazy ass bastard.
“I’d rather kill us all than see you with anyone.” He grabs hold of my hand and drags me back to our bedroom like he hasn’t just threatened to murder us all. “Lose the shirt and let’s go to bed now. I’m sure you’ll be back to your normal self by morning.”
Why did he have to say that shit? Why did he have to threaten me with the three pops? Not one or two but three. I’ll never allow that to happen. He’s given me no fucking choice.
Now I have to run.
Wet sticky heat clings to me. I’m covered in it. Why the hell is it so warm tonight? Pushing the covers away from my naked body, I swing my feet over the side of the bed. A hiss escapes from me when I tread on something sharp. “Ow.”
Whatever sleep was clouding my mind has lifted as I note all the pricks on the soles of my feet. The light switch flicks on, bathing the room in a glow too bright for my eyes to adjust. “What the hell?”
When my eyes finally find focus, my heart rate spikes. Crimson stains litter my entire body. It’s as if I’m a character from a zombie show, just now waking from the dead. Am I hurt? Did Jeremiah finally do the deed?
I spin to face the bed, and a startled scream rips from my throat.
More blood.
Everywhere.
Jeremiah’s dead eyes stare up at the ceiling, and a red welt across his throat has leaked nearly all his blood across the bed. Bile creeps up my throat and a terrified sob rattles out of me.
Did I do this in my sleep?
Has my hatred for him finally exploded and I killed him while blacked out?
I shake my head, trying to make sense of this. None of it makes sense.
“I thought you were never going to wake up,” a small, familiar voice says from across the room. “You’re a heavy sleeper.”
I blink in utter confusion. “Whhhattt the…no fucking way…”
The girl smirks at me. “Way.”
Joy.
Sweet, probably a virgin, nun girl Joy.
Why is she here? Furthermore, why did she kill my boyfriend?
Joy points a bloodied knife in my direction. The murder weapon. “Sorry about the broken glass by the side of the bed. I needed to pee and wanted to hear if you got up. Crunch, crunch. Fantastic alarm system.”
She shrugs. Fucking shrugs. Who puts broken glass by someone’s bed to hear them cry out when they step on it? A psycho bitch, that's who.
“Who are you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Her eyebrow arches up and pure evil dances in her once innocent eyes.
“You know, if you weren’t up to your eyeballs in boy drama, you probably could have figured it out.
Or, who knows, maybe the bleach fried one too many brain cells and we may never have gotten to this point without me hurrying it along. ”
First of all, I’m a natural blonde.
Second of all… I need to focus. This girl is crazy enough to kill Jeremiah Cunningham. This is bad for so many reasons.
“What are you doing here?” I demand. “In my home?”
She laughs. “Jeremiah’s home, not yours. You just pay him in pussy to live here.”
I could take her. Probably. Or, maybe not at all. She’s small but she’s obviously insane. There’s no way I’ll take that chance unless I absolutely have to.
“The games are cute,” I say sharply. “Tell me or get the fuck out.”
Where did Jeremiah put his gun?
“You thinking you’re in charge right now is what’s cute.
” She laughs at me, dark and really disturbed sounding.
“I was just the girl sent with my uncle to check things out over here. Once Yuri found out about the twins picking up and bringing their gorgeous asses out to the good ol’ US of A, he just wanted us to do a little surveillance and report back.
Suspicious and ambitious that man.” She taps at her temple with the butt of her knife.
“Imagine my surprise when you came up to the bar that night. Color me shocked. That’s hard to do. It was obviously fate.”
Fate?
What the hell is she talking about?
I absolutely need to find that gun. My feet are on fire. The glass was more than an alarm. It was to incapacitate me. She clearly wants to toy with me. Crazy bitch.
“Yuri sent you here?” I choke out, my thoughts shooting in a thousand different directions. “Why?”
I know damned well why.
“That man can hold a grudge.” She rolls her eyes and begins picking blood flakes from under her nails with the knife tip.
“My daddy is the man he hires to do his dirty work.” Her face darkens, eyes locking on me.
“Well, he was the man he hired. That is, until you or those twins killed him. Now my uncle is that man.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
This is bad. Very bad.
Gun. I need to find that gun. Or run. Can I outrun her in this condition?
“So, this was a family business?” I ask, carefully stepping over the glass and backing up a little to give myself a better position to either flee or fight. “You don’t even look old enough to vote.”
Just keep her talking. Bide your time, Alyona.