Chapter 11
ISABELLA
The air feels really good on the back of my neck.
I’m more and more in love with this look every time I see myself in the mirror.
Right now, I’m standing in the bathroom, looking it over under the bright bathroom lighting.
I never realized how my ends made the rest of my hair look more dark brown than the ebony that I always thought it was.
Now, the black of my hair brings out the blue in my eyes more. I look stunning.
To hell with what Alexei will think when he sees me. It’s not like any of this is real, anyway.
I walk out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and suddenly, I’m alone again.
Anya and I did a little shopping after going to the salon, but then after that, she had to go to work.
Turns out she’s a bartender in one of the strip clubs that Alexei manages.
There goes my ever paying her a visit at work.
But that being said, I like Anya. Honestly, she’s really the only good thing that’s come out of my being in this situation so far.
She’s smart and really fearless. The way she walks down the street with me almost gives off a masculine energy, head held high and every single step in her brand new Louboutins a sure one.
Like she’s not afraid of anybody who might try anything with her.
And in the few moments that we did talk about my unsavory reputation, she wasn’t all judgey about it.
She understood who everyone thought I was, but it seemed like she was more interested in finding out who I actually am outside of those rumors.
If we had met under different circumstances, I think maybe we might be the best of friends.
Just the same… I can’t stay here. I flirted with the idea this morning, but now that I’m back in this penthouse that’s not even my home, I realize that I’m going to have to make good on those earlier thoughts and skip town as soon as I can.
I look at the bed where I lost my virginity the night before.
The bed has been made, the old, dirty sheets have been replaced with new, clean ones.
Funny, I don’t know why I didn’t expect that someone would be around to clean the penthouse at some point.
Alexei doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who has time to make his bed in the mornings.
It was nice last night. Better than anything I’ve ever fantasized about.
If I let myself, I can still feel his rough hands holding my hips as he penetrated me over and over again.
I always thought of the act of getting fucked as a way of being submissive to the will of someone else.
Or at best, something that was only for men to enjoy.
Imagine my surprise when my eyes were rolling up in my head with ecstasy last night.
It’s almost enough for me to reconsider. If Alexei were another man in another time… if I’d met him another way, maybe. If I know anything about anything after all this, I know that the life of a Bratva wife isn’t for me.
I look at my closet full of clothes that I never had the chance to arrange myself and decide that trying to run with a heavy suitcase probably isn’t the right choice.
I rummage through the bottom of the closet and find an old backpack.
That’ll have to do until I can get to a hotel or something somewhere beyond the city limits.
I don’t have any cash, but I still have my credit cards.
That’ll be fine until I can find some other means to make money.
I start packing. Casual clothing only. A couple of pairs of jeans, a couple of pairs of shorts and some T-shirts. Underwear and socks. It’s warm out right now, but one never knows. If it rains, I’m not gonna want to be in sandals.
My toiletries are next. Toothbrush, deodorant, lotions, perfumes, makeup bag… Just the necessities. No room for too many frivolous things.
My sister is heavy on my mind as I pack. It’s been weeks since she disappeared without a trace. I can’t help but wonder how it is that my father hasn’t found her yet. Maybe since he had a spare daughter, he didn’t bother to look for her?
Ugh, that’s a grim thought. I really don’t want to go there. It’s much more comforting to think that Annie is just much better at skipping town than any of us ever thought.
With everything packed, I sling the bag over my shoulder and leave the penthouse. On the way down in the elevator, I start thinking about the logistics of this particular jailbreak. When I get outside, I’ll hail a taxi, but then after that…
The airport is closer and when I get there, I can decide where I want to go.
There are flights leaving out of New York State all the time.
Wherever I land, that’s where I’ll stay for a while until I can get my bearings.
Freedom, real freedom, is a scary thought.
I’ve never had a job. I’ve never even had my own money.
My father’s dollar is paying for this jailbreak, in fact.
The doors open and I’m in the lobby. I walk quickly across the dark marble floors, my gym shoes squeaking lightly against the hard surface.
There’s no one here at the moment. No one at the small front desk, no one wandering around the mailroom down the hall to the right.
I couldn’t have picked a better time to do this.
I’m halfway across the lobby when I see a figure walk into view from beyond the glass doors and I recognize them immediately. Tall and muscular, blond hair that looks golden in the sunlight. It’s Alexei.
I turn my eyes to the ground and pray that with my new haircut, he doesn’t notice me. He walks through the doors and to my relief, his eyes glaze over me without any recognition. I knew cutting my hair would be a great idea.
I get about two steps from the door when I hear from behind me, “What the hell did you do to your hair?”
Shit. I’m only a couple of steps away. If I can just get outside…
I run to the door and just as I put my hands on the glass and push, I feel him next to me. He grabs the handle and pulls it closed, holding it there while I push futilely.
I let go and step back from him. “Move,” I say to him.
He steps in front of the door, completely blocking my path. His eyes move to my hair for a few seconds before staring back at me. “I thought we discussed this, Isabella.”
Dammit, I hate the way he says my name. It makes some primal part of me melt inside. I stick my chin up and say, “I’m just going for a walk.”
He raises his eyebrow at me. “What’s in the backpack?”
“Nothing.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Come on, let’s go back upstairs.”
“No.”
He leans into me, a dangerous sparkle in his blue eyes. “No?”
“I’m done with all this. I’m not even supposed to be the one married to you. I’m leaving. And you can’t stop me.”
He closes the distance between us, walking slowly up to me until he’s towering above me. My heart catches in my throat as he gazes down at me. “Don’t test me, Isabella. You can walk back to the elevator with me right now, or I’ll pick you up and carry you there myself.”
“You wouldn’t da—”
Before I can finish that sentence, he squats down and wraps his arms around my hips, hoisting me up and over his shoulder. Surprised, I let go of my backpack. As if he was anticipating it, he leans slightly and catches it, slinging it over his free shoulder.
“You son of a bitch!” I shout. “Put me down!”
He doesn’t say anything. He holds me firmly on his shoulder as he carries me back to the elevator. I look up and see that glass door getting smaller and a part of me starts to panic. I squirm under his arm and kick my legs, but it’s like trying to get free from the grasp of an anaconda.
He carries me to the elevator and holds onto me as we travel back up to the penthouse. “You can’t do this,” I growl at him. “This is kidnapping!”
He doesn’t say anything. He just holds me on his shoulder as I struggle under his muscular arm. The doors finally open and before I know it, we’re back in the penthouse. He doesn’t put me down until we’re back in the bedroom. He throws me on the bed and tosses the bag in the corner.
“What do I have to do to remind you how important it is that we stay together?” He says this in a half growl that rumbles around the room through the bass in his voice. “You’re impossible.”
“I’m not a child,” I tell him, sitting up in the bed. “I am an adult and you can’t treat me—”
“You are my wife!” He leans into me, slamming his hands down on either side of my hips. “Do you get that yet? You cannot leave me any more than I can leave you.”
I go to push him away and he grabs my arm, pushing me down to the bed. I struggle, but he pins my arms to my sides.
“We are stuck together,” he growls, his breath hot against my face. “There is no escaping it.”
He’s on top of me, his hips resting against mine, and I can feel him getting hard. His cock presses right into me through his slacks. All those memories from last night that I had earlier are racing through my head. My breath starts to quicken.
“You can’t keep me here,” I tell him. “No matter what you do to me.”
One corner of his mouth turns up a little as he moves his hips forward, forcing my legs up until he’s right against my pussy. My panties move with the motion of his hips, the pressure from his dick sliding against my clit.
“Oh, yeah?” he answers. His lips are wet with anticipation.
God, I want to kiss him so bad. “If I rip off those little shorts you’ve got on, tear away your panties, and fuck you hard all afternoon, you’ll rethink that.
Don’t forget how I made you come last night.
I can keep you wet and shaking well into the morning if I want to. ”
He continues to dry hump me as I close on his sides with my thighs.
I loathe him right now. And yet, I long for him to fill me up again with his thick cock.
I can almost taste his skin on my tongue as I kiss his chest and bite into his shoulder.
I want to dig my nails into his back and scream his name.
What is this hold he’s got on me? I try to pull my arms free. He smiles as he lifts up just long enough to pull both my arms over my head, clasping them together with one hand as he grabs my breast with the other.
Fuck… He’s kissing my neck, his warm and wet mouth moving down to my collarbone. My nipples are rock hard against his fingertips as he runs them back and forth through my shirt.
“You are a stubborn little brat,” he whispers in my ear. “I could break you in a night. Make you want no one but me for the rest of your life.”
“I…” I stammer, “I’m never going to be yours, Alexei.”
The sound of his name on my lips stops him. He lifts up and looks at me, and for just a split second, I see a mix of fear and confusion behind his eyes.
He releases me, standing up and adjusting his dress shirt. “You’re already mine,” he said without looking at me. “Whether you like it or not.”
I watch him as he takes two more steps away from me, rubbing the bridge of his nose to gather himself.
“I’m not going to do this with you,” he says finally.
“This arrangement is not and has never been up for debate. You will stay with me if I have to keep you locked in this room. Do you understand me?”
I don’t say anything. I just stare up at him, wondering what he’s going to do to me next. Without another word, he leaves the room. I hear the locks click in place right afterward.
Bastard. He can’t keep me locked up in here forever, no matter how much he wants to pretend that he can. I’m still my own person, dammit. He doesn’t have the control over me that he thinks he does.
I get up and try the door, half thinking that maybe he didn’t actually lock it. The knob doesn’t budge under my grip. I yell out, “You can’t keep me in here forever!”
I don’t hear any response from the other side. I swear, I’ve got a good mind to clock him with one of these night table lamps when he does decide to open this door.
It’s about mid afternoon. I go to the window and open it, looking out onto the skyline of the city. From up here, I can see the lines of the streets below between the buildings all around us. In the distance, I can almost make out the little boxy houses marking the beginning of the suburbs.
I should be on my way to the airport by now.
Or maybe I would be standing at the information counter, deciding which city I would escape to.
By this evening, I could have been in Paris.
Or Italy. Oh, there’s an idea. I have family in Sicily I haven’t seen since I was small, but they’d remember me.
They’d take me in and keep me away from all this madness.
I think. For all I know, they could alert my father right away and the next thing I know, I’d be back in the States.
I sit down on the bed, watching the day slide away from me while I’m stuck in this bedroom married to a man I didn’t even choose. This is so fucked up. I hope Annie’s happy wherever she ran off to.
I take my phone out of my pocket and try to call her. I’ve been trying to call her off and on since she left. And since I was shoved into her place, my calls to her have petered off to every couple of days. Before, I was calling to beg her to return. Now, however…
Now, I just want to talk to my big sister. I feel like a stranger in a foreign land right now and I need a friendly voice. Even if she just answers and says Hi, it’ll be enough.
She doesn’t answer, however. The phone rings until it goes to her voicemail, and just as always, it’s automated. I don’t even get a representation of the sound of her voice anymore.
I hang up and try again, only to get her voicemail once more. I hang up, holding the phone in my hand for an impossible amount of time. Then I decide to text her.
“Hey. So… I miss you. I mean, I know you can’t come back. Not that it would matter anymore if you did. Alexei’s father pinned Dad into a corner and they decided that I should be the one to marry him in your absence.”
I pause, wondering if she would be interested at all in knowing that. I go on.
“We’ve only been married a day and I’m already looking for a way out. Although I don’t really see one at the moment. You did the right thing splitting when you did. I still miss you, though. I miss my big sister so much.”
My eyes start to sting with tears. At least if she were here, I wouldn’t feel so completely alone. I feel like I’ve been left to die by my family.
I lie down on the bed and set my phone down on the nightstand. If I ever get out of this, I swear I’m going to go as far away as I can from Fortune.