Chapter 21
Keith
I paced the room. The favor I'd asked of her this evening, it weighed on me like lead, a burden I'd placed on her shoulders knowing full well it could drag her back into her past. Trigger her trauma, reopen wounds she had barely scarred over.
But it was for her own good, I told myself.
A necessary step to end this nightmare once and for all.
Boris, the monster who'd stalked her, betrayed her, sold her into hell had to be confronted, neutralized.
And the only way to draw him out was through her.
She was the bait, the key to luring him into a trap where I could end him myself.
But seeing the hesitation in her eyes as she clutched the phone, her fingers trembling.
.. it made me feel like the villain, not her protector.
"Keith?" Her voice pulled me from my thoughts, soft but steady, her eyes searching mine as I stopped pacing. "Are you sure about this?"
I crossed to her in two strides, kneeling before the bed, taking her hands in mine.
"Aurelia," I said, my voice low, rough with the emotion I rarely let surface.
"I hate this. Asking you to face him, even over the phone.
.. it kills me. I feel guilty as hell, knowing it might drag you back to that warehouse, to those hands in the dark.
But it's for your good, for our good. He's a threat, not just to you, but to everything we're building.
One call, one meeting on my terms, and it's over. I promise you"
She searched my face, her eyes glistening slightly, but she nodded, her grip tightening on mine. "I trust you. For us. Let's do it."
That trust, it was a gift I didn't deserve, a light in my shadowed world.
I pulled out my phone, dialing the number Victor had provided.
Boris's private line, untraceable to the family network.
It rang twice before connecting, the line crackling slightly, Boris's voice coming through smooth and confident, laced with that faint Russian edge. "Hello?"
Aurelia's breath hitched, her free hand clutching the sheet, but she straightened, following my nod.
I mouthed the words, cut to the chase, and she did, her voice steady despite the tremor I knew was there.
"Derek. This is Aurelia. I'll cut to the chase.
I want to meet. We have to sort out some things. Name the time and place."
There was a pause on the line, then a low chuckle that made my blood boil, my free hand fisting at my side.
"Aurelia. Been a long time. Didn't expect to hear from you. Still smells like vanilla and nerves on your end of the line, doesn’t it? I can almost feel your thighs clench just hearing me. Be a shame to waste all that tension… but fine, I’ll play.
Meet me in three days, 8 p.m. sharp. The old dock at Pier 17.
And leave Keith out of it. This is between us.
Involve him, and it threatens his life. You wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you? "
Her eyes widened, fear flashing as she looked at me, her grip on my hand turning white-knuckled.
The bastard-predictable, always twisting the knife.
I'd anticipated this, coached her on responses, but hearing him threaten me through her made rage simmer low in my gut.
I squeezed her hand reassuringly, mouthing It's okay, stay strong, and she nodded faintly, her voice steadying. "Fine. I'll be there."
The line went dead, and she exhaled shakily, the phone slipping from her fingers. "He... he threatened you."
I pulled her into my arms, kissing her forehead, her temple, her lips in quick, reassuring pecks. "It was a bluff. Empty words from a coward. You did amazing, Aurelia. So brave. This nightmare ends soon. I promise."
Her phone pinged almost immediately, a text from Boris: Pier 17, Dock C. 8 p.m. Come alone. , B.
I pulled up the location on my phone, the map confirming what I'd suspected, one of Father's lesser-used docks for "shipments," isolated, perfect for an ambush on my terms. "Classic," I muttered, pocketing my phone. "He thinks he's controlling the board.”
She nodded, but the fear lingered in her eyes. "What if...?"
"No 'what ifs,'" I said firmly, cupping her face.
"I've got it. Security, contingencies, everything.
You're safe. We're safe." I kissed her then, slow and deep, pouring reassurance into it, my hands framing her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks.
But I pulled back, forehead to hers. "Rest now. We've got three days."
She smiled faintly. "Okay. But stay with me?"
"Always," I promised, leading her to bed, holding her close as sleep claimed her, my mind already plotting.
I called Victor the moment her breathing evened. "It's set. Pier 17, Dock C, three days, 8 p.m. Full setup, drones for surveillance, armed team in the shadows, extraction if needed. Make it airtight. No surprises."
"Understood, sir," Victor replied, his efficiency a balm. "I'll have eyes on him from now on."
"Good. Keep me posted." I hung up, staring at the ceiling, Aurelia's head on my chest. Three days. I'd end this for her, for us. Boris would pay for every tear, every nightmare. And Father... he'd learn soon enough that his empire was crumbling .
~
The three days passed in a blur of stolen moments.
She was strong, my Aurelia, her bubbly spirit flickering back despite the shadow.
On D-day, I left on time kissing Aurelia goodbye with a promise to return by evening.
The drive there was tense, the city fading into industrial sprawl, the Hudson River a dark ribbon under the overcast sky.
Father's "shipments" come through here sometimes, the kind that didn't see daylight.
Women, cargo in human form, the rot of his empire. But tonight, it was my stage.
I arrived half an hour late, as planned, the car’s engine cutting off with a low growl.
Boris was there, leaning against a stack of crates, puffing on a cigarette, the cherry glowing red in the twilight.
He looked casual in a dark jacket and slacks, but his eyes were sharp, scanning the shadows.
Spotting me, his lips curled into a smile.
Sinister, knowing, like he held all the cards.
"Keith," he said, exhaling smoke, flicking the butt into a puddle. "Knew that bitch wouldn't keep her word. Always was weak."
The word, "bitch" hit like a spark to dry tinder, rage flaring hot in my chest. Aurelia, my Aurelia, reduced to that filth from his mouth.
My hands fisted at my sides, but I kept my calm, stepping forward with measured strides, the gravel crunching under my boots.
"Careful, Boris," I said evenly, my voice low, laced with steel.
"That's my woman you're talking about. And she's stronger than you'll ever know. "
His smile stayed but surprise flickered before he recovered, lighting another cigarette. "So you know. Good. Saves time. She's a sweet piece, isn't she? That pussy, tight, wet, sweet as sin. You like the taste? Bet you do. Bet she moans your name like she used to moan mine."
The taunt was a red rag, my vision narrowing to a tunnel of fury.
I could see her in my mind,trembling in my arms after the party, her body shaking as she confessed fragments of the horror he'd inflicted.
The stalking, the drugging, the warehouse.
And now this filth, spewing it like it was a joke?
My control almost snapped, but I held it, stepping closer, my voice a low growl.
"You think you can scare me with words? You're done, Boris.
Finished. She'll never see your face again, never hear your voice.
And you? You'll rot in a hole no one finds. "
He laughed, flicking the cigarette into the water, the faint sizzle cutting through the night.
“Big words, Keith. You talk like a man, but you’ve lived your whole life protected.
Your father let you play builder while I cleaned up the filth.
” His smirk sharpened. “But her?” He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with something poisonous.
“Aurelia was mine long before you ever looked at her. I chose her. Groomed her. She trusted me completely.”
He stepped closer. “You think you can fix her? Save her?” A cold chuckle left him. “She shattered fast when she realized what I really was. Thought she had spirit, but she broke like glass. Damaged goods, Keith. You should run while you can. She wasn’t special. She was just first. That’s all.”
I stopped a few feet away, my stance loose but lethal, every muscle ready. I didn’t need to raise my voice. The steel in it did the work. “You crossed a line. Took a hand where it didn’t belong, hurt her and aimed at me. I’m here to finish it.”
Boris shrugged, his hand slipping into his jacket, casual, but I knew better. "She came to me, remember? Begged for a second chance. But you... You're Father's pet. Think you can take me? I've been in this game longer than you've been wet behind the ears."
Before I could respond, movement, thugs emerging from the shadows, four of them, burly and armed with bats and knives, circling like wolves.
Hired muscle, Boris’s dock rats. They charged, the first swinging a bat at my head.
I dodged, the wood whistling past my ear, my training kicking in, mafia "lessons" from Father.
Killing them would be child's play, a thought that flashed cold and detached, but I held back, disarming the first with a swift kick to the knee, his bat clattering away as he crumpled.
The second came from the side, knife flashing.
I sidestepped, grabbing his wrist, twisting until the blade dropped, then drove my elbow into his throat, sending him gasping to the ground.
"Pathetic," I muttered, my voice calm, but the third landed a punch to my ribs, the impact jarring, pain blooming hot.
That was it. The fury unleashed, a red haze descending.
I went into killing mode, the world narrowing to threats and takedowns.
The third thug lunged, but I was faster, my fist connecting with his jaw in a crack of bone, his head snapping back.
He staggered, and I followed with a knee to his gut, then a chop to the neck that dropped him like a sack.
The fourth hesitated, eyes wide, but I didn't give him time.
Grabbing his collar, I slammed him against a crate, my knee driving into his groin, then a headbutt that split his brow, blood spraying.
He slid down, unconscious, the fight over in seconds.
Boris's face paled, his casual facade cracking as he backed up a step, his hand fumbling for something in his jacket. A gun, no doubt. "What the fuck, Keith? I've known you for years. Never seen this side. You're a businessman, not a butcher."
I advanced, wiping blood from my knuckles on my pants, my voice a low growl.
“You put fear in her eyes. That’s why this ends tonight.
Not just because she’s mine, but because she deserved protection.
And you chose to break her instead. You made her suffer in ways she’ll never forget.
So now, I’m going to drag you into the dark and make you beg for it to stop.
I’ll take my time breaking you, piece by piece, until you’re nothing but screams and regret. ”
He dodged my first swing, his reflexes sharp from years in the game, his fist connecting with my shoulder in a glancing blow. We circled, the docks a stage under the warehouse lights, his breath coming faster. "She was mine first," he spat, lunging with a knife from his pocket, the blade flashing.
I sidestepped, grabbing his wrist, twisting until the knife clattered away.
"Wrong," I snarled, my knee slamming into his thigh, buckling his leg.
He staggered, swinging wildly, but I was relentless, my fist to his gut doubling him over, then an uppercut that snapped his head back, blood spraying from his nose.
He gasped, eyes wide, but I didn't stop.
I grabbed his collar, slamming him against the crate, my forearm across his throat.
"You stalked her. Drugged her. Sold her like meat. For what? A payout? Father's favor?"
He choked, hands clawing at my arm, his face reddening. "She... she was... easy mark. Didn't mean... have mercy..."
I pressed harder, his eyes bulging. "You don't get mercy." My free hand fisted, punching his side, ribs cracking under the blow. He wheezed, legs kicking weakly, but I held him, my rage a cold fire. "For every nightmare you gave her, every tear. This is for her."
One final punch across his face, and his eyes rolled back, body going limp.
I released him, letting him slump to the ground, unconscious, blood pooling from his nose.
The docks fell silent, save for the lap of water against the pilings.
Victor's team emerged from the shadows, securing him, but I waved them off.
"Take him to the safehouse. I'll deal with him later. "
I stood there, chest heaving, the adrenaline fading to a hollow ache. It wasn't over. Father would notice, questions would come. But for Aurelia, it was a step. The nightmare ended tonight.