by Bailey, Fawn
"He wants to save my sister, too. But I'm worried he'll want to hurt my father."
"You don't want him hurt?"
I hesitated before finally saying, "I don't... But I fear it's inevitable."
"You must have been very close with your sister when you were younger," she said.
"I was," I nodded. "And... I think she could be exactly what Kain and I need. Someone to raise... to love. Someone who could be like a child for us. The child we'll never get to have."
She raised her brows, setting her teacup down. She didn't need to ask me to explain. The words were on the tip of my tongue already.
"We can't have kids," I blurted. "Ever."
"And adopting isn't an option?" she wondered.
"Not at the moment," I admitted. "I want... a family connection. It's so important to me because I fucking lost everything, everyone. And it's the one thing Kain can never give me."
She furrowed her brows, reaching out for me. "That must be painful for both of you."
"I'm afraid it is," I managed, wiping the stray tear from my eyes. "But Kain won't even talk about it, and I'm worried we'll never resolve the issue."
"You'll take it up with him," she tried to console me. "You have to. What are you afraid of, dear Ophelia?"
I hesitated, not knowing how to answer her question.
What was I afraid of?
Kain would never hurt me again, unless I begged for it. He wouldn't harm me. But I was worried he already felt inadequate because he couldn't give me a baby, and I didn't want to make matters worse.
"I will tell him," I told Rose.
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes," I nodded solmenly. "And then I will tell you what happened."
"Sounds like a plan." She stretched her arm out and we shook hands, giggling. "I know it will go alright, Ophelia. You've gone through so many things together... You're almost at the end of your perils, and then your happily ever after can begin."
"How do you know?" I asked.
"How?" She smiled at me. "Because I already got mine."
* * *
Hours later, I said a teary goodbye to Rose with my hand in Kain's. He told me they'd made some good progress with Thorn, and now, it was time to retire for the night. We'd had an amazing dinner together, and made plans to see each other again very soon. But given our situation, I knew soon could mean never.
During dinner and the men's serious conversation revolving around my father, I realized he would never stop unless Kain was dead. It was a game with two players - one would walk away victorious, and one wouldn't walk away at all. It took me until then to realize either Kain or my father would have to die.
We waved Rose and Thorn off, and I squeezed Kain's hand as we walked back into the house.
"What's wrong, dolly?" he asked, smoothing my hair away from my face. "Did you enjoy the visit?"
"Yes," I nodded, fearfully looking up into his eyes.
"But?" he prompted me.
I swallowed thickly, but the words wouldn't come.
"But nothing," I replied with fake cheeriness. "Come, take me to bed, Master."
His expression fell and he nodded, but I pretended not to notice a thing.
Chapter 16
Kain
I decided to see Ryker before I faced Ophelia's father.
Our relationship had grown stronger since the last time I'd seen him. We'd been calling each other occasionally, and while the conversation was stilted and a bit forced in the beginning, we seemed to find a common ground in our hatred for Vladimir Sokolov.
I wasn't surprised that Ryker didn't like the man, either. After all, he was the one who'd nearly forced Ophelia to marry his twin brother, Max. Vladimir had no patience, and he didn't give a shit whether the man he found for his daughter was the right fit or not. All he cared about was himself.
That day, I drove into the city after making sure Ophelia was safe and sound in our house, with several men protecting her from any harm. They were my best men, and I trusted them with her life. I knew they took it seriously, too. If they so much as harmed a hair on her head, I was going to kill them one by fucking one.
I hadn't seen Ryker in a few weeks, and I was surprised when I walked into his office. He looked like a different man. His once jet-black hair had faded, with several silvery strands running through his head and making him look older than he really was.
"Kain," he said, extending his arms and patting me on the back as I approached him. "How good to finally see you."
"Indeed," I replied with a smile. "It's been too long, Ryker."
He motioned for me to join him at his desk, and I sat in one of the chairs before it while he poured us drinks. I used the time to get a better look at him, and was surprised once again by the sudden change in his appearance. He seemed to notice and laughed as he brought the drinks over.
"You must be surprised," he told me, and I responded with an awkward smile. "I know I look different. It's only been a couple of weeks, but..."
He left the sentence unfinished and me wondering where he was taking this.
"How is Ophelia?" he asked after we'd clinked glasses.
"Good," I replied. "This shit with her father and sister's bringing her down a lot, but she's feeling much better since the last time you saw her."
"I would hope so," he grinned, remembering the last time we were in my house, making Ophelia take our punishments for being a bad girl. "I trust she's been behaving herself?"
"Yes," I replied with a grin. "Much more so than she usually does, I might add."
"Good to hear," Ryker nodded. "At least somebody's doing better than I am."
"What's going on?" I asked, setting my drink down on a coaster on his desk and watching him closely. "You seem..."
"Bitter? Disappointed? Angry? All of the above?" He let out a laugh, though he didn't seem amused by the situation one bit. "You could say that, brother. I've been left in the dust."
"By?"
"Who do you think?" he asked, shaking his head and slamming his drink down so hard some of the amber liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass.
"Ginger?" I asked, and he nodded. "Where is she?"
"Gone," he replied, his voice heavy and bitter. "She up and left. No return address, no way to contact her, no anything."
"Why would she do that? I thought you were going to make things work," I replied, feeling confused.
"She said she had some unfinished business," Ryker shrugged miserably. "Said she needed to sort it out before she came back, before she started a new life with me. It all sounded pretty fucking cryptic to me, to be honest."
"But why did you let her go?" I insisted, earning a harsh glance for him.
"I couldn't exactly hold her captive, could I?" he barked at me. "That's not what I do, Kain."
His words stung, and we both knew it. Finally, he exhaled, rubbing his temples and giving me an apologetic glance.
He was right, anyway.
It was exactly what I'd done. Ripped Ophelia from her world and gave her a new one with me at the center of it.
She had no choice in the matter.
"Are you doing anything to get her back?" I asked, careful not to upset him again.
"I will eventually," he muttered. "She hurt me when she left. I wanted her to stay with me, start a family. And she just up and left me and everything we had behind. It's hard to forgive her for it."
"I can imagine," I nodded. "Do you have any idea why she left?"
"No," he replied firmly. "But I thought you might. It was one of the reasons I wanted to see you."
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, and he seemed to notice, sighing heavily.
"I knew you wouldn't tell me shit, brother. She made you promise you wouldn't, didn't she?"
"Kind of," I managed. "I don't like betraying someone's trust. She was so good with Ophelia. I'm glad we had her, even if it was for such a short time. And Ryker... I think she'll come back. When she's ready."
"When might th
at be?" he asked, and I shrugged.
"I can't give you an answer, only Ginger can. But I have a feeling your story isn't over. I think you will see her again."
"I hope so," he muttered, looking through the window overlooking the city.
I realized this was the first time he'd opened up to me like that, and I enjoyed it. We were the only ones left of the Marino family, after all, and we were brothers. We needed to stick together.
"Anyway," Ryker went on, waving his hand in the air. "Let's move on from all that misery. You wanted to see me because of Ophelia's father, I presume?"
I nodded.
"Well, let me give you a word of advice," Ryker growled. "Watch out for that fucking bastard. He pretends like he gives a shit about his family, but he would do anything to get ahead. Anything for his own fortune. I wouldn't put it past him to hurt Ophelia, or her little sister, for that matter. I'm sure you know how he treated me when they were younger?"
I gave a non-committal shrug, and he sighed heavily.
"I don't even want to tell you the stories," he muttered.
"Ophelia's only told me bits and pieces," I said. "I assume the reality is even worse than what she let me see."
"He's a sick man," Ryker said, emptying his drink. "A sick fuck. I watched him beat Ophelia around, just like her mamochka and her siblings. The man knows no mercy."
"I know he beat her," I muttered, my hands forming fists at my sides. "I heard what happened at Vlada's birthday party. You were there, right?"
"I was," he said. "And I couldn't do a fucking thing to help Ophelia. She was always so protective of that sister of hers." He glanced at me curiously. "So you really think she's still alive?"
"The evidence we have suggests so," I told him. "But if she's been with Vladimir this whole time..."
"She must be in bad shape," he finished for me. "We need to get her away from that sick son of a bitch before he kills her, too. Have you ever met Vladimir?"
I was transported back to that room where Michael had been hiding me. To the slap Vladimir had delivered to my face. To the burning hatred in the pit of my stomach when I thought of him.
"Briefly," I ground out through gritted teeth. "Not the nicest man out there."
"No," Ryker muttered. "You need to get rid of him before he gets his claws into Ophelia again. He seemes surprisingly good at that."
"I don't know why she lets him," I grunted.
"I don't think she has a choice."
I looked up into Ryker's eyes, prompting him to go on. He sighed.
"Tell me what you were going to say," I insisted, and he nodded.
"Look," he started. "You of all people should understand this. Didn't you feel something for our father too, despite the horrible way he treated you? You wanted to please him, didn't you? You wanted to give him what he wanted."
"I did," I muttered. "But that's only because-"
"It doesn't matter why," Ryker interrupted me. "He'd put a spell on you, and you wanted to obey him, to please him. It was the same with Max and me. We both wanted his approval, just like you did. And just like Ophelia does from her own father. Do you understand?"
I hesitated before finally nodding.
"How can I stop it though?" I asked. "How can I stop him from having this... grip on her?"
"I'm afraid there's not much you can do," Ryker admitted. "But the man needs to get the fuck away from Ophelia and you. Do you know for sure he has Vlada?"
"We're pretty sure," I admitted. "I'm worried he's going to use her to blackmail Ophelia. He won't let her have her sister back unless she does his bidding."
"Don't let her see him without supervision," Ryker told me. "I can't stress that enough. Always be there when they're together. Don't let him play mindgames on your girl. She belongs to you now, not some deranged Russian ex mobster."
"He still has people listening to him," I muttered. "And he's still getting money from some-fucking-where. Otherwise he wouldn't be this influential. And I still don't know how he managed to escape the day of Ophelia's eighteenth. I fucking chopped his head off myself."
"I'm guessing a body double," Ryker said. "My father had one as well. They must have switched places before you noticed."
I cursed myself inwardly for letting him get away in the first place. Next time, I'd be more careful, and Vladimir Sokolov wouldn't be so fucking lucky.
"You need to get going," Ryker said, getting up from his chair. "It's important you're with Ophelia now. He could be using any opportunity, any chance, to get inside her head again."
"I won't let that happen," I muttered. "Never fucking again."
"Good."
We got up and Ryker clapped me on the back again. But he seemed distant, his eyes clouded over as he stared at me.
"You might not see me for a while," he said as I made my way to the door.
"Oh? Where are you going?"
"Work stuff is taking me overseas," he said with a soft smile. "I might be gone for a while."
"A few weeks?" I asked.
"A few years," he muttered, and I stared at him, feeling like the carpet had been pulled out from under me.
I'd been alone for a long time. This relationship I had with Ryker was still so fresh and strange - but it was the closest thing I'd had to a family in fucking years.
"I'll miss you," I managed, and he gave me a wide smile.
"I'll miss you too, brother," he told me. "But we'll be in touch. You can even fly over with Ophelia once things settle down a bit."
"Where are you going?"
"Venice."
I grinned, saying, "I hear it's beautiful."
"It better be," he said. "I need to forget about Ginger."
After a moment's thought, I pulled him in for a hug. It was a little awkward, but I was glad I'd done it nevertheless. Finally, I pulled back and raised my hand in a goodbye.
"Kain," Ryker called out after me.
"Yeah?"
"If you have to," he said, giving me a grave look. "Kill that bastard. Kill Vladimir Sokolov. He's hurt Ophelia enough, and someone needs to stop him before he wrecks everything again."
"Don't worry," I said with a wicked smile. "I had no plans of letting him get away with this, anyway. He's fucking dead."
"Good," Ryker grinned. "Now go back to your girl. I'll see you soon, brother."
Chapter 17
Ophelia
"Are you sure you're ready?"
I looked up into Kain's eyes, swallowing thickly before nodding.
"More ready than I'll ever be," I muttered and lifted my shirt so he could finish attaching the microphone.
I was about to meet my father, the first time I'd actually told Kain about the meeting in advance. He'd insisted I wear a microphone for my own safety, and I barely managed to convince him to let me go to the forest without taking a weapon with me.
Once he was done, he smoothed my dress back down and gave me an encouraging look.
"Remember the safeword," he said. "If you say red, we'll know something's off, and we'll be right there, dolly. You'll say it if you feel uncomfortable. Okay?"
"Okay," I muttered.
I shifted from one foot to the other as Kain spoke into his walkie-talkie, making sure everybody was ready around the perimeter of the forest. This time, they were going to make sure my father didn't get away
A moment later, I felt his lips pressing to mine as he whispered my name.
"Dolly... you're going to be okay, I fucking swear," he muttered. "We'll be right there for you. Remember, we can hear everything. We just need a sign from you, and we'll jump in."
"Okay," I said again, feeling unsure.
When my father's message arrived, it felt almost too good to be true. Kain saw it too, and he seemed to be suspicious as well. Why would my father be willing to give up Vlada now? There had to be a hidden plan at stake.
Kain kissed me again, harder this time, his lips demanding mine give him what belonged to him alone. When he pulled back, his eyes held pro
mises I wasn't sure he could keep. I knew my father better than he did, and only I knew what he was capable of.
"Let's go," Kain told me, and the doors of the van opened.
I stumbled outside to the property that belonged to Kain. I was supposed to meet my father in the same clearing as before, and Kain's men had parked on a dirt road a little way off. My father had already threatened to kill me if he found any of Kain's men around the clearing, so I had to be sneaky. The microphone would keep me safe, but I had to do this. It was the only way of getting my sister back.
I waved to Kain, feeling more alone than ever standing there by myself. He stared at me long and hard before disappearing back inside the van, and I felt the loss like a neverending pain.
Finally, once I could breathe, I started walking in the direction of the clearing. Long blades of grass cut my skin as I made my way into the forest. But this time, it felt different.
I felt eys on me, not just Kain and his men, but my father's people, too. And once I made my way to the clearing, I knew he hadn't been lying. I was surrounded by people, shivering and shaking in fear as I looked at their intimidating weapons.
"Princess!"
My father emerged from a car parked on the clearing, and I stepped toward him, trying to hide my fear.
"I'm so pleased you came," he told me with a grin. "And alone. Such a good girl."
"Where's Vlada?" I managed, and he laughed in response.
"Cool it," he reminded me. "Let's sort a few things first."
He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me toward him roughly, so much so I stumbled and nearly fell to my knees.
"Now, Ophelia," he said, eyeing my dress. "What a pretty little outfit you're wearing. Did the little son of a bitch who slaughtered our family give that to you?"
I stared at him defiantly, but his eyes turned thunderous, and I was worried he'd hit me, bringing Kain out of hiding. I couldn't risk that happening.
"Y-Yes," I muttered.
"Yes," he repeated in a mocking tone.
He took a step closer and pressed a finger to his lips. I stared in horror as he lifted my dress, deep shame washing over me as his eyes noticed my lingerie, then settled on the microphone beneath it.
