Chapter Forty Eight Willow
Chapter Forty Eight
Willow
I’m exhausted after Alina and I told the girls the truth about everything and also after talking with Dragna and Lev, going over everything that happened this weekend. It’s four in the morning and even though I want to sleep, I can’t.
Nikolai said they can’t find anything on where Tommy has gone and knowing he has Ella is making me feel sick to my stomach.
Dragna also saved a girl from the club we were in and the girls and I talked to her for a bit, finding out what happened to her and why she was there. It made my head spin.
She’s only just turned eighteen and was brought there by her dad’s business partner to secure a deal which actually meant being groped and almost assaulted further by every single man in the booth.
She went to see one of the doctors a couple of hours ago and there’s just so much going on that I haven’t had time to think straight, especially after reliving this weekend by telling Dragna what happened to us.
When I told him that it was Tommy who forced me to make the phone call while threatening me with a gun, he stood up from his chair and lifted me from the sofa before sitting back down again with me curled up on him.
He didn’t let me go the entire time we all talked and even now, he still hasn’t loosened his grip on me.
The girls all went to bed and once Lev calmed down over the fact that Finn strangled Alina and he took her to see the doctor they have here.
My mind is on high alert at the fact this is all real and that this is the real Dragna.
This is his life, how he grew up, the only life he’s ever known and it’s terrifying he was able to keep all of this from me. At the same time, I can’t stay away from him. He saved us tonight. He protected us and showed up when it mattered, and that means everything to me.
I keep thinking what would be happening right now if he hadn’t of found us and got us out of there and I can’t help the tears that begin forming in my eyes.
My breathing picks up and I feel myself starting to panic when all the feelings and the reality of what’s happened and still happening hit me out of nowhere.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay moya dusha, you’re safe.” Dragna says as he rubs circles on my back, but it’s not helping. I need out of his lap, I need out of this house and away from everyone in it.
I start to sob as I stand up and make my way towards the front door, gasping for air.
“Willow. I’m here. I’m here. I’ve got you.” Dragna’s voice sounds from behind me and I feel his large hand encase mine, his thumb pressing into the pressure point on my hand.
“I need…” I can’t finish my sentence as I look around me and feel the walls beginning to close in around me.
“Out of here. Now.” I manage to get out and Dragna lifts me into his arms and walks me outside into the cold, biting air.
He sits on the steps and sets me down in front of him and I press my hands to the cold concrete trying to ground myself and control my breathing.
“I know that everything is crazy right now and it is a lot to take in, your reaction is completely normal.” He speaks softly to me, reassuring me as he grips my ankles and holds them firmly, creating a nice pressure.
I continue trying to stop my breathing from coming out choppy when he begins to breathe in and out in a slow rhythm for me to copy.
Within a couple of minutes my breathing matches his, my heart rate has slowed a little and my eyesight isn’t as fuzzy anymore but I still need away from here, even just for ten minutes.
“Is it safe for us to go for a drive? Just a quick one, I just… A drive always helps make me feel better.”
Dragna clenches his jaw like he wants to immediately say no, but he calls one of the outside guards over asking if there’s been any movement picked up. The guard tells him no and when Dragna looks back at me, he brings a hand up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Anything for you Willow. Come on, there’s a car in the garage that isn’t known to anyone, but it will be just a quick drive. I don’t want to put you in any further danger.”
I smile at him and he helps me to my feet then leads us to the garage.
“This is the car nobody knows about?” I ask in disbelief, because I don’t understand how the hell anyone would miss it or forget it if they saw it driving around.
It’s a huge black jeep with tinted windows, a tinted windscreen and it looks like it’s made completely out of armour. Dragna just shrugs at me as his lip quirks up at one side.
“I’m not taking any risks tonight with your safety. So we’re going out in this. No arguments.”
He helps me up and into the car and when I think he’s about to walk round to get in himself, he grabs the seatbelt and reaches across me, securing it in for me. I can’t help but smile despite the feelings inside of my head and heart.
Him and I need to have our own very long conversation when all of this is over because I don’t know if I can handle this being my life. I grew up in a normal family with normal friends and sure I’ve had bad things happen to me, but never on this scale.
This is what Dragna wanted to protect me from and while I do understand that, he still lived a double life, something Fred did too, even if it was in a completely different way, he was still lying to me and hiding something from me.
Dragna kisses the top of my head before he closes the door and walks over to one of the walls, grabbing the key.
When he gets in and starts the jeep, the entire thing roars to life and he looks over at me before bringing his hand to rest on my thigh.
He smiles softly at me before he drives out of the garage towards the electronic gates.
I already feel so much more at ease as we drive only a minute away from the house. ‘Sun is Rising - Harmless Night, Ren Ocean’ plays from the speakers softly as I lay my head back on the headrest and sink into the leather seat.
“Thank you for taking me away from the chaos.” I finally say and Dragna continues to focus on the road in front of us, his eyes scanning every street, every car.
“I’d do anything for you. You know that.”
The emotion in his voice makes me want to forget all the bad, all the lying and just forgive him, but I can’t just give in to the fact my heart wants to be with him.
I need to hold on to the last shred of logical thinking I have left.
Speaking of which, I never asked him how they found us.
No doubt with all the connections he seems to have it wouldn’t have been hard.
He even knew what hotel we were staying at, but I still have to ask.
If I’m going to trust him I need him to answer every question I have.
I roll my head towards him and put my hand on top of his that’s still resting on my thigh.
“How did you know where we were tonight?”
He turns a corner still not taking his eyes off the road to look at me. His throat works as he swallows and he turns his hand over to hold mine and intertwine our fingers.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you.
From here on out Willow, there’s no more secrets, no more lies or me keeping anything from you.
But I need you to try and understand where I was coming from when I tell you everything.
” His grip on my hand tightens as if he’s afraid I’m going to pull away when he tells me the truth.
I continue to stare at him, waiting for him to continue because I can’t find any words to say back to him or to tell him I’ll try and understand.
Finally, he turns to look at me as we stop at a red light and he looks down at my necklace. He lets go of my hand and brings his up to my neck, stroking the chain, then the little book charm.
“I had Nikolai put a tracker in your necklace. I should feel bad, but I don’t. It saved your life, it saved all your lives tonight and for that I’ll be selfish and say I don’t regret it.”
I don’t know whether I heard him correctly and I just stare at him in disbelief then shake my head and let out a humourless laugh.
“You did what?” I breathe out.
“I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I have turned into someone I never knew it was possible for me to be when it comes to you.”
He shakes his head while looking at me.
“You’re being stalked and we didn’t know who by and we couldn’t find any information on them. There was part of me that felt like an asshole doing it, but mostly it gave me peace of mind that if anything happened to you, I’d be able to find you and I think tonight proved just that.”
I bring my hands up to my hair, running my fingers through the strands and gripping the top of my head trying to make sense of all of this.
“You didn’t know who was stalking me? Does that mean you do now?” The light has turned green but Dragna still hasn’t drove off, his entire focus being on me now.
“We saw the car outside the hotel, Finn got into it and drove off with whoever was driving while Tommy was upstairs in the hotel room with you. We don’t know who was driving or if it’s been the Irish this whole time or if they are working with someone else.
But we’re closer to finding out now that we have their connection. ”
I shake my head side to side not knowing how to take any of this information. It’s possibly been Tommy this whole time?
“I need to tell you something else too. The first night you were in the club, the night Lev and Alina met, the guy you were speaking to…” He says before clenching and unclenching his jaw.
“He was with the Italians, the guy Alina was dancing with is also with the Italians, but the one who was with you at the bar, he spiked your drink. It’s why you seemed so drunk and out of it.
I didn’t want you to worry because we took care of him and you got home safe that night but I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner. ”
The words come out of his mouth, I hear them, but I can’t believe what he’s actually telling me. Someone spiked me, god knows what could have happened to me that night.
“There’s one more thing and I promise this is the only secret left.” He adds before taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly.
“I had Andrei follow you, when you first called about the car, I thought you had spotted Andrei, so we didn’t think anything of it.
Now though, we know they had to have been trying to get to you because of me.
I put you in this danger and I will do everything in my power to make up for it, no matter how much you might hate me for it. ”
There’s no way this is real life, it can’t be. I’ve had a lot of information thrown at me in the last five minutes that I don’t even know where to begin, but the fact he had me followed by one of his men makes me feel sick.
“You had me followed.” I choke out.
“You have to be kidding me Dragna. This isn’t fucking real!” I scream as I come to my senses and unbuckle my seatbelt, needing to get out of the car.
“Pull over. Now.” I demand and he pulls in to the side of the road as I grab on the door handle trying to open the car door.
“Unlock the car.” I spit out but he doesn’t make a move to do it.
“I’m not letting you out of this car for your own safety Willow. We have no idea where Tommy is. I’ll drive you back to the house and if you want me to stay away from you until you can make sense of everything then I will, but I’m not letting you out of this car.”
I take in a deep breath before that last shred of logic I was holding onto burns to ashes.
I turn my body round and begin kicking at the door and window, doing anything to break out of here and away from him. I realise I’ve officially gone insane, but I don’t care. It’s because of him that I feel like this.
“Willow you’re going to hurt yourself! Stop, I’ll open the doors, just stop!” He shouts as I hear a clicking sound. I stop kicking the door and try the handle and finally the door opens and I jump down onto the sidewalk before slamming the door shut again.
I begin walking down the street as Dragna drives along side me with the window now rolled down.
“Please just get back in the car Willow.” He begs.
“No, just leave me alone!” I shout back at him.
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen moya dusha, I’m sorry but please just get back in the car.”
“You didn’t mean for any of this to happen but you did all of it anyway?
I feel like I have whiplash with you. One minute I think I know you, then I find out who you really are, then I fucking miss you and wish that you’re able to help us, then I find out had me followed, had me tracked!
” I scream through tears that are now flowing freely down my face.
“I’m not letting you walk these streets on your own. I’m not going anywhere.” He shouts back and I feel the irritation boiling inside me.
“You certainly didn’t let me walk any streets on my own when you were having me followed.
You were stalking me too Dragna. You thought my actual stalker was one of your men who you had set to follow me.
Do you know how you sound right now trying to justify that?
I’d rather be fucking kidnapped out here than spend another minute with you right now. ”
I don’t really mean that but I have never been this angry in my life and I don’t even know where the strength to stand up to him is coming from. I’m completely breaking on the inside and it’s just coming out in any way I can let the anger out.
“I know you probably don’t believe me but it was all for your safety.
This world is different from yours and I did what I felt right to keep you safe.
Someone truly is after you and they are either the men you were with this weekend or connected to them.
Either way they won’t stop until they get what they want Willow so please, I am fucking begging you to get in the car! ” He shouts but it isn’t aggressive.
He sounds so desperate that I almost give in. But he stalked me and tracked me like an animal and I need to try and make sense of it all. I need to be alone.
“I won’t tell you again Dragna.” I say as I take the necklace off and throw it away down the street in complete anger.
“Leave me the hell—”