Chapter Two #3
At the Humes residence, I didn’t bother knocking, just kicked in the door and marched inside.
Eddie was sprawled in a chair, half dressed, a mostly empty bottle of cheap liquor dangling from his fingers.
He didn’t flinch at my presence, didn’t show any signs that he was apprehensive as to why I would be here.
“Bringing her back?” he asked, sneering a little. “Now that you’ve sampled the goods, I’ll need to be compensated of course. Probably should have put her to use before now. Bet she’d have brought in a pretty penny. Enjoy that tight little cunt of hers?”
His words only built the fury inside me.
It was boiling over, flowing like lava through my veins.
He’d signed his death sentence when he’d hurt Cerys, but now, hearing the vile words spilling from his mouth, it only made me want to hurt him more.
The fact he could prostitute his daughter sickened me.
Yes, the Bratva owned brothels, but if I ever had a daughter, she would be sacred and treated like a fucking princess.
This sorry excuse for a man didn’t deserve to keep breathing.
I removed my jacket, draping it over a wood-backed chair, then slipped the brass knuckles from my pocket and slid them over my fingers.
Eddie watched, but didn’t utter another word.
Everything that came out of his mouth would likely just enrage me further.
Not that I planned to hold back. I wanted to make him bleed.
To cry. To beg. I wanted him to be afraid, like his daughter was afraid when he attacked her.
Cerys was mine now, and I protected what belonged to me.
“Your daughter has bruises covering her body. Some were new, some were old. Her clothes were see-through, which she didn’t realize, allowing anyone to see her nipples and the color of her panties. She told me what you’ve done to her over the years since her mother died,” I said.
He waved a hand. “Ramblings of a blind woman. You really going to believe some stupid cunt you don’t know over me? Was she that good of a fuck?”
“Yes, I do believe her over you.” I hauled my arm back and punched him as hard as I could, hearing his cheekbone shatter on impact.
I’d never enjoyed my job as much as right then.
Hearing his bones break, feeling the skin give under my fists, made my pulse race.
Smiling, I whaled on him, breaking every bone I could, and making his blood soak into the disgusting carpet.
Despite his show of bravery, I could see the fear in his eyes, the knowledge that I could easily take his life.
My hands were slick with his blood as I pounded on him some more. Ribs, stomach, his face. Anything I could reach, I tried to break. I wanted him in agony.
“Stop! Please.” Blood bubbled from his lips and I could hear the rattle in his lungs. I’d likely punctured one with a broken rib, but it still wasn’t enough. “I’ll do anything…”
“You tormented her. Humiliated her. Treated her like unwanted trash.” I landed three more blows, not wanting to stop until he was dead. “She’s mine now. She’ll be protected, and treated like something precious.”
When I was finished, there wasn’t much left of Eddie Humes, nothing recognizable at any rate.
He was still breathing -- for now. I’d done my best to break every single one of his ribs, and I’d shattered most of the bones in his face.
He was in pain, probably more than he’d ever felt before.
I only wished I could let him heal for a few days, then start again.
“You don’t deserve a daughter like Cerys. You’ll never hurt her again,” I said, spitting on him. “I’ll let you live, but leave this town and don’t come back. I see you anywhere near her, hear that you’ve contacted her, and I’ll finish what I started. Are we clear?”
He nodded and groaned as he lay on the floor bleeding.
He disgusted me. I unzipped my pants and pissed on his face, hoping he felt even half as degraded as Cerys had when I’d told her about her clothing.
The look in her eyes the moment she’d realized men had been staring at her body for years wasn’t one I would forget anytime soon.
I tucked my dick away, zipped up, and went to the kitchen to wash his blood from my hands.
I began searching for anything Cerys might need, like her social security card or birth certificate.
I doubted she had any other identification since she couldn’t drive and hadn’t been in school recently.
I found the documents I wanted, as well as a purse in what looked to be her room.
I opened the wallet and saw that she had a picture ID that I hoped would suffice if she needed to prove her identity to anyone, even though it looked like something someone had made at home.
Something Mrs. Popov had arranged perhaps?
On my way out, I picked up my jacket and held it away from the blood covering me.
I kept a change of shirts in my car for such occasions and pulled one from the trunk, then changed quickly before driving away from the house.
I’d worn black pants so any blood spatter wouldn’t show.
Using a towel in the trunk, I rubbed off a few drops on my shoes.
No one on the street so much as looked at me despite the blood spatter, and I knew that the police wouldn’t be called.
Not only were they not welcome in this part of town, but I was well-known and there wasn’t a single man or woman in this neighborhood who would dare call the police and report my actions.
Not unless they wanted the full weight of the Bratva to come down on them, their families, and anyone else they cared about.
A glance at the time told me I’d been busy far longer than I’d thought and I hadn’t had a chance to call in food for Cerys.
Before I could reach for the phone, Maksim’s name lit up on my phone as I pulled away.
I answered, knowing he would be pissed that I’d gone against his orders.
Not that he’d so much said that Humes was free and clear of the Bratva, but it had been implied that he was getting a second chance.
Until I’d learned all that I had last night.
I wasn’t afraid of Maksim. We both knew his time in power was limited. He wasn’t the true ruler of this area, and while I mostly deferred to him right now, there were some things I needed to handle my way.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Maksim asked.
“Getting vengeance for Cerys. Humes is still alive. For now. Not sure if he’ll remain that way without some medical attention.”
Maksim was quiet a moment. “This girl is different, isn’t she? You’ve never wanted to keep one in your home before, and I could tell you were taken with her right away. And I damn sure haven’t seen you lose it and want to beat the shit out of someone for hurting a woman.”
“She’s… different,” I agreed. “I’m not letting her go, Maksim. She’s mine. I know Feliks thinks I’ll tire of her and he’ll have a chance to hurt her, but I won’t let it happen.”
Maksim cursed in Russian before sighing heavily. “This is going to be a problem with Artur, and you know it.”
I was worried about the same thing. When Artur wanted something, he generally got it. The fact I had a woman in my house wouldn’t go over well. Especially since I had no plans to get rid of Cerys.
“I never made him any promises, or his daughter.”
“But she changes things, doesn’t she? This girl. You won’t put her to the side and marry Tania like you should. Tania was raised in the Bratva and won’t care if you’re faithful. You could still keep the girl elsewhere.”
“ Nyet . Cerys belongs in my home, in my bed, and that’s where she’s staying.
” I paused and thought about the situation.
I might not know why Cerys seemed important to me, why I felt the need to hold onto her, but I couldn’t deny that I wanted her as more than a side piece.
Knowing I’d been her first had changed things.
I’d wanted her before that, but now… she was mine.
And only mine. “Cerys wouldn’t be the other woman.
Tania would be, and my myshka doesn’t deserve that. ”
“I’ll see what I can do about Artur, but this may not end the way you want,” Maksim warned. “Asking him to take a step back could backfire. I hope you’re ready for that.”
“It’s going to end with Cerys right where she belongs and Tania far the fuck away from me. There isn’t a damn thing Artur could say that would change my mind.”
The line was silent for over a minute. I checked but the call was still connected.
“Maksim?”
“I’m here. But if you’re serious about keeping this Cerys by your side, and you want to avoid any possibility of having to marry Tania, then there’s only one way this can go.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“You’ll have to marry Cerys.”
Oddly, the thought didn’t bother me. Marriage in my world was usually a power play.
You married someone who could help advance your position, had a few kids, and found pleasure on the side.
With Cerys, it would merely give me a stronger ownership of her and I’d have all the pleasure I wanted at home.
I’d never been faithful to a woman in my life, but something told me if anyone could change that, it would be Cerys.
As long as she was in my bed, I didn’t see me wanting another woman.
I’d promised her I wouldn’t be with anyone else as long as we were together.
If I married her, then that would mean being faithful indefinitely.
“I’ll make the arrangements. Something quick seems to be the best option,” I said.
“Take your woman to Las Vegas. You haven’t had a day off for as long as I can remember. You could be married as early as tonight. I’ll have the jet waiting for you in two hours.”
“Thank you, Maksim. It will give me enough time to take Cerys shopping before we go to the airport.”
When I reached the penthouse, I was assured that Cerys hadn’t called down for anything.
I hoped that meant she was handling her new life well.
I took the elevator up and let myself into my suite.
The absence of sound had never bothered me, but knowing that Cerys should be inside somewhere had all my instincts screaming that something was wrong.
Pulling the gun from my holster, I checked room by room, stopping when I found Cerys still in the bed, curled up sleeping.
I sank onto the mattress next to her and ran my fingers through her hair.
Cerys murmured in her sleep and snuggled farther into the pillow.
It was obvious she was exhausted and I had to wonder if this was her first day off since her mom had died.
If her father had been as cruel as she’d said, and I’d seen the proof, then I didn’t doubt that he’d tried to get as much out of her as he could.
“ Myshka , it’s time to get up.”
I trailed my fingers across her cheek and she began to stir. Slowly, her eyes opened and she stiffened, her body tensing and her pulse fluttering in her throat.
“Easy, Cerys. It’s just me. I need you to wake up so we can prepare for a trip.”
“Trip?” she asked. “I’ve never been anywhere before. Where are we going?”
“Las Vegas.” I curled my hand around hers and tugged her upright. “We’re going to get married there. Tonight.”
Her lips parted and she sucked in a breath before drawing away from me and leaning against the headboard. I could tell my words were unexpected, and I knew I needed to clarify the situation. I didn’t need her thinking I’d fallen in love with her, or that this was some sort of fairy tale.
“There’s a man who wishes me to marry his daughter. Maksim is concerned that Artur might force the situation, unless I’m already married. Since I refuse to give you up, he suggested a trip to Vegas for us to be married.”
“Marry you?” she asked.
My jaw tightened at what I was sure was about to be a refusal. She didn’t realize this wasn’t a request. She would go to Las Vegas and she would marry me. It wasn’t negotiable.
“Yes, myshka . I know you don’t have anything to pack, but you can wear one of your new outfits. We’ll stop by a few stores before heading to the airport and pick up enough to last you a few days, then we can buy more when we return. As my wife, you’ll be expected to dress a certain way.”
If possible, her back became even more rigid, and I wondered if she was about to start a fight between us. Not that it mattered. She’d do as I said, or I’d show her what happened when she disobeyed.
“I’m not asking, myshka . You’ll go with me to Vegas, and you’ll marry me.”
Her chin tipped down and her hair slid across her face, blocking her from my view.
“Because you own me,” she said softly.
“Yes.”
She gave a slight nod and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
Without another word, she stood and went into the bathroom where she washed her face.
I kept a stash of toothbrushes in the drawer and told her where to find them.
She slid it open, felt around, then pulled one out.
She opened the new toothbrush to clean her teeth.
When she was finished, she went to the dresser and pulled on some clothes, then stood at the foot of the bed. Waiting.
“You have some new shoes. They’ll do for now,” I said, then pulled them from the sack and slipped them onto her feet. “I need only a moment to pack a bag, and then we’ll leave.”
She stood stiffly, no emotion on her face. It was almost like looking at a statue.
“I’ll wait in the living room, unless you need my help.”
“No, myshka . You may go into the other room.”
She turned and walked out, and I had this sinking feeling.
Something was wrong. She was listening, doing as I said, but the spark inside her seemed to have faded.
There wasn’t time to worry over it. I quickly packed, then escorted her down to my car.
Once we were in Vegas and she was legally my wife, then I’d figure out what was bothering her.
Until then, I’d let her work through whatever it was, give her time to realize this was the best thing for her.
As my wife, she’d be protected, not just by me but by Maksim and the others as well.