17. Kazia
17
KAZIA
T here was a weight, a pressure, in the air that wasn't there before, and as soon as Nicu put the phone down, the silence was deafening. Each breath seemed too loud, each movement like a thunderclap against the stillness.
Cezar grabbed my hand, squeezing so tight I gritted my teeth against the pain. A frantic energy surged around him like a wild storm, his eyes never leaving my face like he feared it would disappear. “I will protect you with my life. I swear-”
A slam on the table drew my attention to the head of the table. Nicu’s face did not change, but the fist he smashed on the table trembled. “Don’t promise her something you can’t keep.”
With my back against the chair and my hands in my lap, I kept quiet, knowing nothing I had to say would change anything. Cezar sat up, holding my hand like it was a statement he was making. “I’m not afraid to die.” Everything went still. Not even a breath was taken before the tension in the room boiled over.
“And what about her? What do you think will happen to her when you die?” Ion’s harsh, cold voice shot right through me like an arrow, making me realize that even with my crazy kidnapping killer by my side, it might not be enough. I might not survive what was coming.
“Finish eating; we have a long day tomorrow.”
Nicu’s words were like a hammer on a gavel, giving the final word. The words he didn't say were clear as day. I was going with them, and they could do nothing about it. He would deliver me to his father, whether he liked it or not.
The rest of the dinner was quiet, still. Gone was the jovial Cezar or the cocky Ion; even Nicu’s ruthless strength seemed to dim. The only sounds were the clanking of the plates echoing in the room, making each minute drag on like a bad lecture.
After swallowing my last bite, I asked Cezar to take me to the room. He nodded, holding out his arm for me to take. As soon as I did, his bruising grip was back on me. He tried to smile, but the normal twinkle in his eyes was gone, shadowed by fear.
I got up, reminding myself to breathe, fighting the tears threatening to flow. I knew I could die here, and now I guess I was going to die in the country of my origin with my ancestors. There was a sense of poetry in that, I guess.
“Get a good night's sleep.” I could hear Nicu’s unsaid words after; it might be your last . Cezar glared back at him, but I patted his arm.
“Good night, Nicu. Ion,” I called out, dragging Cezar away; it would do none of us any good for them to be fighting the night before we left. It's inevitable.
Walking down the hallway to the room, my resolve dissolved step by step; fear crept into my heart bit by bit, and I panicked when we were in front of the door. His hand was on the doorknob when I grabbed his wrist, stopping him from turning it. My small, weak words were coming out fast. “Can you… can you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Cezar pulled me close, kissing my forehead. “Of course.”
Lying in his arms, I repeatedly listened to him promise me that he would keep me safe. He said he had a plan and was coming up with plans B and C as he was lying here. If his brothers didn't come to their senses, he would stop listening to the voices and do his own thing.
I nodded, not saying anything, as I closed my eyes and fell asleep to him talking. Hoping what he was planning would work out, but not expecting it to happen.
This time, my dream dropped me right where I left off, in the spooky forest where the doves went in after the wolf.
Looking around at the familiar gnarled trees stretching skyward, I gulped, wishing I wasn’t here. The scent of blood clung to the air around me, thick and heavy, making me gag.
The space around me was so dark that a black mist covered the forest, crawling around to keep its shadowy parts hidden from the light. Everything about this forest spoke of death, pain, and darkness that light never reaches, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but not without my doves. For some reason, I needed them, and I wasn't leaving here without them.
Breathing out my nose, I tried to close my eyes and not think about my fear or where the doves were, to just think about getting further into the forest. Taking a cautious step, the leaves along the ground crunched, and I kept going step by step until I got to a clearing.
Hazy moonlight broke through the trees, showing off a lake that shined like it was filled with black diamonds. It was dark and eerie and yet still gorgeous.
I followed the shoreline until I spotted a white dove perched on a rock.
I ran toward the bird, my heart pounding. If I could just hold it, I’d feel better. I would find the others, and we could go home.
As soon as I got close, the dove looked at me before it fell over and landed on the mossy ground.
Diving, I tried to catch it, but it slipped through my fingers. My shaky hands hovered over the dove, trying to figure out how to help, when I saw a large claw mark going down its back, staining the white feathers bright red.
A coo came from the side of me, and I saw the other two doves, grey and black, laying on the ground in a similar position. All of them were breathing, but barely. All of them looked like the wolf took a chunk out of them.
All I could think about was that the pain had to be unbearable, and I had to help them and had to get them to safety to heal.
I tried to balance them in my arms by gathering them all up as gently as possible. It was like holding a glass, their soft, fragile wings always threatening to break, the rattle of their breaths rising and falling in an erratic rhythm, my hands unable to keep the trembles at bay. I hoped it wouldn't cause them discomfort as I tried to find my way back through the murky forest.
That was when a growl rumbled behind me like a storm brewing from the depths of something savage, cruel, and evil.
My body shook violently, but I had to turn to look at this beast who harmed my doves. All I could feel was my chest rising and falling rapidly as I ticked around to face this large, overbearing wolf.
It snarled, and I jerked back, its fangs too long, reminding me of freshly sharpened white knives and red eyes that glared at me like I was nothing. Like I would no longer be anything when it was done with me.
I opened my mouth to talk to it when another growl came, and this time, it chomped its teeth at me, showing me what it would be like to be captured by it. Fear. That took over as I turned and covered my face, not wanting to be swallowed whole.
Seeing those white baby soft stained feathers on the ground, I glanced at the doves, not knowing what to do or how to save us from this. If I didn't defend them, if I didn't do something, then this wolf was going to rip me apart savagely and then feast on them and… I couldn't let that happen.
My eyes snagged on a large, jagged gray rock, snatching it as fast as I could, and I chucked it at the wolf with all my might, hitting him right on the snout. That seemed only to anger him, which made him growl again, but this time, he jumped lunging for me with those big scary fangs, and all I could do was cover myself with my arms and hope it didn't hurt.
“Get up, Kazia.” Hands shook me awake, and I gasped, covering my face so the wolf wouldn't get me. When nothing happened, I looked up to see three sets of eyes on me, filled with concern. Looking at the bed and then back to them, I realized I was out of the dream and back to reality. Before I could register what was going on, someone lifted me, and I was moving without using my legs.
“You’re light as a feather, my wild Roma.” Cezar smiled down at me, his arms holding me tight as he moved to follow his brothers.
“I just got a text from Gage that they got a tip from our rivals here, the Shadow Kings, who heard the three of us were here and heading our way with a van and massive artillery. We need to get out of here fast.”
That woke me right up. Whispering to Cezar to put me down, which he pretended not to hear, I watched Ion and Nicu fighting about where to lie low until we could get to the plane tomorrow.
A loud screeching sound came from the front, and Nicu quickly clicked the screen on his phone to pull up the security camera. “Shit. They're here.”
Cezar set me down, and we fell into a natural huddle as Nicu gave orders. “Cezar, I need you outside, taking out as many as you can before they infiltrate the house. Ion, take Kazia with you and stay on the outskirts of the house. Avoid as many windows or doors as possible, but keep moving. I don't want you two to become a target.” He looked around quickly. “I will stay in the center of the kitchen; that way, if someone slips by, they can easily find me and think I'm an easy target.”
He tapped on the wall, two taps, one tap, one pause, three taps, and a three-foot square popped out to reveal a set of handguns. He handed two to Cezar, who frowned, complaining under his breath about not being able to use his knife. He handed one to Ion with an extra ammo and took the last one himself. A piece of me wanted to complain that I wasn't getting anything to defend myself, but then again, I was their prisoner.
“Okay, let's go,” Nicu called out, and just before I turned to face Ion, Cezar grabbed the front of my dress, yanking me forward until our lips met. It was a short kiss full of passion and longing that made me wish we had just a little longer.
Ion yanked my arm, glaring at Cezar, who smiled widely like a crazy clown. “I’ll be back for you, my Roma. Let me take out the trash like a good husband first.” In a split second, he dashed out the back door, hollering to the men outside, asking them who would like to be taken to the garbage first. Pops of gunfire went off, and my heart dropped. Ion tugged me to follow him, but my ears were desperate for a clue as to how Cezar was doing until I heard a loud cackle, and his voice rang out, “Is that the best you got?!”
My chest unraveled, being able to breathe better when I heard his cocky, too-sure-of-himself voice calling out like a maniac to those wanting to kill him.
Ion whispered along my skin, making the muscles clench, “He’ll be fine. He’s very, very hard to kill. I promise.”
He grabbed my hand and waited like he was asking permission instead of tugging me along. He stared down at me, his eyes swarming with emotions. Regret, disappointment, pain, anguish, lust. All of them were strong and deep, but we didn't have time for a conversation like that. Instead, I nodded, letting him take my hand, and we moved around the house slowly and carefully. With each room we passed, he turned off all the lights and then pointed his gun in the room, scanning it for intruders before we continued.
The house was eerily quiet. Every gunshot from outside made us tense, reassuring us—for now—that the fight hadn’t reached us yet. “Keep close to me,” Ion demanded that I listen to him with absolute authority, and I huddled closer.
With our bodies so close, they occasionally rubbed against each other, especially when he stopped to check a room. The heat of his back along the front of my chest had my breathing turn up a notch. The excitement and fear mingled inside me like a tornado; my senses heightened, and I almost laughed at how having him with me made me feel safe. It was a direct one-eighty from when I first got here.
Something happened between us when he forced himself into my room and told me about his darkest pain. While it didn't excuse his behavior, I at least understood it, and it made sense. I would never know the pain of having your father's sins laid on you in your mother's eyes, but it had to have been painful. Mixing love and hate into this toxic self-hatred that bleeds out into his everyday life. It was heartbreaking, and I wanted to soothe it and tell him she was wrong. When he was gone the next morning, only the heat of the sheets gave any indication he had been there; I knew he wouldn't hurt me again. Deep down, he didn't want to be his father because he hated him.
I was starting to collect damaged men like Pokemon cards. Snorting at my joke in my head, Ion was not amused.
“What's so funny?” He glanced back, whispering harshly like he was reprimanding me, but turned back to scan the room again. “Do you like danger or something?”
“Or something,” my flippant retort came out, having Ion stop in his tracks to turn to face me.
His heated gaze this time wasn't angry or fueled by the need to heal his past wounds. Instead, those fire-filled eyes roamed my face like I was something special to be in awe of. My heart skipped a beat, and I almost yelled at it for being so obnoxious. I was starting to think these men were making me just as crazy as they were. Even so, my body moved like it had a mind of its own, stepping closer to him like a magnet pulling for its other half.
Strong, lean fingers slid softly into my hair, holding me like I was precious. Something he was afraid of tarnishing. His ever-changing-hued eyes searched mine before he bent down, and I leaned into him, tilting my head up to accept him. His lips brushed against mine, soft as a feather, and a delicious shiver ran down my spine. I did like a sense of danger.
Finally tired of it, I threw out the book of right or wrong that I had held onto, and I ran my hand up his chest, knowing this might be my last chance to at least kiss two of the three brothers. “Kiss me, Ion.” He stiffened, his eyes squinting in confusion. Going on my tiptoes, I tilted my head up. “I want to know what you feel like. How different you are.” Before I die here or die by your father's hands , I didn't say that part out loud because it was a lot less sexy.
He snarled out his rebuttal. The hand holding the gun went to my back, and the cool hardness of the gun added to the ache at my core. Tugging me closer, our bodies flush, with no space for anything else to get between us. He eyed me for a second. Flashes of doubt and hatred passed by until they flooded with hunger desire, and he dove in.
His lips tasted like a cool summer breeze and a shot of tequila. Strong, yet it went down smoothly, and I hated that I wanted more. He wanted to fall into this taste that was only his.
Time seemed to stand still as we drank deeply from each other, pressing our bodies together like they never wanted to be separated again. This kiss burned like wildfire, but his skillful hands soothed my skin with soft, smooth circles along my neck. It was hot and sensual all in one, and I had to admit that he had some skills.
A crash sounded, and we jumped apart. Both looked like we got caught doing something we shouldn’t. He recovered quicker than I did, his hand with the gun pointing in the direction of the sound while the other hand shoved me behind him. Peeking over his shoulder, we moved step by step closer until we were next to the door’s entrance, and he moved with lightning speed, pointing the gun into the room.
After a few seconds of silence, he grabbed my arm and tugged me to his other side before lowering the gun to move behind me.
A flash of black was all the warning I had before Ion flew to the ground, wrestling with someone who had a gun as well. “Go!” He yelled. “I’ll take care of this and find you. Just go!” I broke into a run, not needing to be told twice.
When I took a moment to breathe, I realized I was next to the kitchen and thought I would check in with Nicu to see if he wanted to help Ion.
Grunting greeted me as I peeked through the doorway. Nicu was already on top of someone, raining down punches until they stopped fighting back. He got up; his whole front looked like a slasher movie, with dots and sprays of blood on the front of him and his face, but he never lost that cool composure. He just picked up the gun on the counter and shot out three shots at the body on the floor. Welp, that guy was for sure dead .
He smoothed the wrinkles from his shirt, still unaware of me. A dangerous thought crept into my mind. What if I took advantage of this chaos and escaped?
Peeking around the corner, staring down the long dark hallway that led to a door, I thought about what it would be like to run for it.
I would run as fast as I could, but with the rival gang outside, I ran the risk of them capturing me, and if they did that, who knows what they would do with me. They could use me against the brothers, kill me on the spot, or worse, take me and do unspeakable things to me since I was with their rival.
Trying to figure out if there was a better move, a flash of light sparkling from the other entrance to the kitchen caught my eye. Squinting my eyes, I made out the barrel of a gun, and it was pointed at Nicu's back.
The thought of escape vanished in an instant. My body decided before my mind caught up. That feeling I got deep in my gut, which pushed me to survive in any way I could, told me I needed to save this man. That everything would be okay if I saved him. I was normally not the type to rely on feelings and premonitions, but this time, my soul and body agreed before my head could have any say.
Taking a quick step forward and then another. What the hell was I doing? This wasn't part of the plan? Soon, I broke into a run, going as fast as I could. Why were my legs moving? Why was I doing this? It only took a few terror-filled seconds before I turned, getting between the barrel and Nicu right before the gunshot rang out. In that split second, I heard my mom's voice cry out. I heard many voices cry all around me, and I knew I wasn't alone. I wouldn't die alone, and there was comfort in that.
Pain radiated from my shoulder, and I heard someone yell out my name, but my vision began to blur. I heard a few more pops from a gun, but no additional pain came from my body. I hope Nicu’s okay . It was the only thing I thought as I felt myself falling backward, hoping that crashing to the floor wouldn't cause any more pain.
Someone called my name, but it sounded muffled and far away. I really hoped that I didn't die in vain for this guy. That would suck if I tried to save him and he got shot too.
Then—darkness.