2. Chapter Two #2
I have no way to check the time. Five minutes could have passed. Maybe even ten. Time moves slowly when you’re scared out of your mind.
A car turns the corner. This street is pretty dead at night, even for New York, so the car stands out. Is it Natalya? It can’t have been forty minutes yet.
“Keep moving,” I mutter. “Just keep moving.”
Except the car doesn’t keep moving. It stops right in front of the bodega. Maybe it’s someone who needs a late night snack. But I can tell I’m deluding myself.
The back window rolls down and Nico’s face appears. “Sasha. Did you really think you could run? Get in.”
My body reacts on instinct and I burst back into the bodega. The cashier startles at the sight of me.
“Help me,” I say, slamming my hands onto the counter. “Please. Please help me.”
“I told you to get lost if you’re not going to buy anything.”
“He’s here. He’s going to hurt me?”
“Who’s here?” The cashier looks at me as if I’m certifiably insane. “Lady, you need to leave. If you don’t, I’m calling the cops. I’m starting to think you’re homeless and on drugs.”
“Just help me!”
The bell above the door rings as someone enters. It’s Nico. He stands there, in a suit, looking intimidating and strong and handsome and scary all at once.
“I need help from him,” I gasp out.
Nico smirks as he slowly approaches us. Each footstep he takes sounds loud on the sticky floor. “You can’t run, Sasha. We’re fated to be together.”
“No. You made that decision. Not me. There’s nothing to do with fate about any of this.” I pound on the counter, making the cashier jump. “Help me.”
“Uh…” He looks between me and Nico. “Sir, you need to go.”
“I do, do I? You should have listened to her. You should have helped her. I’m afraid this is going to be a bad night for you.” He pulls a gun out of his jacket and points it right at the cashier.
The cashier’s eyes turn so wide, I can see the entire round of his eyeball. “Please. Take whatever you want.”
“It’s not your money I want.” He pulls the trigger.
Right before my eyes, the cashier dies from a bullet to the head. His body slumps against the back wall. His blood covers everything.
I can’t help but scream. I’m not sure I’ve ever screamed this hard in my life before.
“Sasha, hush. It’s going to be ok.”
“You just… murdered him!”
“I did.” He puts his gun away like murdering the cashier was nothing to him.
“You’re evil. You’re the devil himself.”
“Am I? Your father killed people. Your sister’s husband has killed people. Why am I any different?”
“You’re going to hurt me.”
“Did I say that?” He stalks towards me until I’m cornered against the back counter.
“You just killed a man.”
“Yes. A man. Not you. He was getting in the way.”
“There’s cameras. You left behind a crime scene they’ll easily catch you for.”
He smirks before he turns around and walks out of the bodega. Shocked, I can’t even move.
Nico returns a moment later with another man. “Get cleaning the body up and erase the camera footage both inside and outside.”
The man nods. He has a bottle of bleach in one hand and a bucket in the other. This isn’t the first time he’s cleaned up a body.
“You have to always be prepared,” Nico says, noticing my look.
“Be prepared to clean up dead bodies?”
“Yes. This is my life.”
“And I want nothing to do with it.”
Nico grabs my chin and forces me to look him in the eye. “I must say, Sasha, that you look extra beautiful when you’re afraid.”
“Fuck you.”
“A mouth on you. We’ll have to fix that, won’t we? We’re getting married. It’s inevitable. And you just moved the wedding up. We’re getting married tomorrow. I can’t have you running like this again.”
“No,” I whisper. “You can’t.”
“Oh, but I can. I’m Nico Bernardi. I’m the strongest man in this city. And you’re going to be my wife.” He throws me over his shoulder before I can even react. Even though I kick and hit him, he doesn’t even seem fazed as he walks out of the bodega, taking me to his car.
It’s then that another car rounds the corner. A man gets out. A man I recognize. Mikhail Novikoff, Natalya’s husband.
Without hesitating, he raises his gun. “Drop her, Nico.”
“Now, why would I do that? You can try to shoot at me but you’ll risk shooting her and I don’t think your wife will be very happy with you for that.”
Nico sets me down on my feet and holds me close to his body, using me as a shield.
“You’re a coward,” I hiss. “Using a girl to protect you.”
“It’s not about that, Sasha. It’s about testing Mikhail. See how desperate he is to really shoot. If he’s willing to put his sister-in-law in harm’s way. So do it, Mikhail. Shoot me.”
The passenger door opens and Natalya comes out. “Mikhail, do not shoot. Don’t hurt my sister.”
“Natalya, get back in the car,” he growls.
Natalya and I lock eyes. It’s been about a year since we’ve seen each other and she doesn’t look any different, and yet she looks like a stranger. It’s still my sister’s face. She’s grown though. Changed in a ways I’ll never fully understand.
“What’s it going to be, Mikhail?” Nico taunts.
“Mikhail,” Natalya begs.
Slowly, Mikhail lowers his gun.
Nico pushes me into the car before diving inside himself. That’s when Mikhail tries shooting but by then, Nico starts the car and drives away. I look out the rearview mirror and see that Mikhail and Natalya are following us.
Nico swerves the car around a corner, trying to lose them but my sister and brother-in-law are not going anywhere. They’re going to protect me. The thought warms my heart. Despite the previous tension between me and Natalya, she still showed up for me.
Nico drives faster to run a red light. Mikhail tries to follow but has to stop when cars move through the intersection. Nico continues to get farther and farther away.
I know why Mikhail stopped instead of running through the red light. He didn’t want to put Natalya in danger.
“That was thrilling,” Nico says with a laugh.
“You’re unhinged,” I tell him.
“That’s not the worst thing I’ve been called.”
“What is?” I’m not sure I should even be asking.
“Heartless.”
I shiver. I’m going to be forced to marry a man who’s considered heartless. I felt a flash of hope and it’s been dashed to the ground.
“How did you find me?” I ask.
“One of Denis’s guards noticed the back gate was unlocked. They did a sweep of the house and found you missing. Denis called me right away, said you couldn’t have gotten far. So, I drove around the area until I happened to see you. Fate.”
I glower at him. “It’s not fate. You’re obsessed with me. You’re the problem.”
“I never said I was a good man. You keep expecting me to feel shame for my actions but… I don’t feel any shame. Now, let’s get you back home. We have our wedding tomorrow.”
I want to scream and shout and cry and panic but what will any of that achieve? It will just lead to me feeling drained and I need all the strength I can get for tomorrow.
Because tomorrow, I’m going to be married to the devil himself.
My sisters and mom are in the living room when Nico brings me back home. A guard is keeping an eye on them, his gun visible, silently telling them not to do anything stupid.
Mom jumps to her feet when she sees me. “Sasha.”
“I’m ok,” I tell her.
“What happened?”
“I can tell you what happened,” Denis says, charging towards me and grabbing my face, his nails digging into my skin. “She was being a brat, was what happened.”
“Don’t.” Nico’s one word is infused with so much power.
Denis frowns. “What?”
“Don’t hurt her. I want her looking good on our wedding day.”
Slowly, Denis lets my face go. Nico tilts my chin up so he can see the damage.
“You left red marks behind in her skin,” Nico muses.
“She can cover it up with makeup,” Denis says with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Nico takes a moment to look me in the eye and hold onto my face before he lets me go. My exhale is shaky.
“Just make sure she’s dressed and ready to go for tomorrow,” Nico snaps.
“Tomorrow?” Mom asks. “The wedding isn’t happening until a month later.”
“It’s tomorrow,” Nico says. “I’ve changed my mind. So, you’ll need to get your daughter a dress by then. Have a nice night.” He throws me a wink before leaving.
“I can’t get her a dress in that time,” Mom says.
Denis sighs, running a hand down his face. “I don’t care how you do it. Just do it! Now, all of you back to you rooms. And seal Sasha’s window shut so she can’t escape again.”
Mom catches my eye. Despite being my mom, she has no way to offer me comfort in this moment. I’ll be marrying Nico tomorrow.
My fate is sealed.
I wake up to a wedding dress in my room. It’s a simple dress with lace on the bodice and spaghetti strap sleeves. It gently flares out. I can tell my mom picked it out because it’s in my style. If anyone knows me, it’s my own mother.
I will not put this dress on. Nico can come in here himself and force me into it.
The thought of Nico in my room, getting me naked, sends a warmth down my body. It doesn’t make any sense. I hate him.
I can hear the guards in the hallway, opening the doors to my sisters’ and mom’s rooms. Then I hear the knock on my door. Denis opens it.
“Why are you not dressed?”
“Because I’m not marrying Nico.”
His face morphs into a sneer and for a moment, I think he might hit me. But then he takes a breath and calms himself. “Tatiana! Bring her here.”
A guard appears in the hallway, gripping my mom’s arm in his hand. He practically shoves her into my room.
“Get her in that dress,” Denis snaps before shutting the door, leaving my mom and I alone. It’s the only kindness he’s ever given me.
Mom holds out her arms and I run into them with a sob. “It’s going to be ok. It’s going to be ok.”
“No it’s not and you know it. I’m going to be married to a man that will hurt me. I will be tied to Denis forever. I will not be able to help any of you. That was Natalya’s job and she failed.”
“No. It was never Natalya’s job to protect you or your sisters. It was my job and I failed. And I know I need you to put on this dress and marry Nico today. For your own safety. Denis could hurt you if you refuse. Marry Nico and make the most out of it. At least he’s handsome.”
“I would rather a plain husband who’s kind than a handsome husband who’s mean.”
She lets me go and picks the dress up. “I know you hate this, Sasha, but right now, I need you to do this. I need you to be brave. Please.”
I have no other options.
Well… I do have one. Death. But I cannot kill myself over this. I want to live. And besides, if I died, there’s a good chance Irina would be expected to marry Nico the moment she turns eighteen.
Tentatively, I touch the dress. It’s silky and smooth.
“Let me help you get in it. I wasn’t able to attend Natalya’s wedding. But let me do this for you.”
Mom helps me into the dress. She stands behind me, fixing my hair as I look at myself in the mirror. I’ve never looked more like her than in this moment.
That’s the only consolation I can give myself. I’m off to marry the Devil.