“Is she okay?” Cori asked genuinely concerned.
“Yeah she’s doing okay… I’ll be back though, I’m sure your family wants to see you since you’re finally awake.” Will slowly walked towards the door and reached for its handle before Cori called out to him.
“Will…”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Cori.” And with that, he exited the room.
A short while later, Alyona, Monica, Sofia and her girls all came to visit her. They were so excited that she had finally woken up and come back to them. While the women gathered and reunited with Cori, Will took the time to step out into the hall and place a call to the Romanov men. Stepan answered on the third ring and informed Will that he was currently in the middle of something but when Will mentioned that Cori had awakened, the world stopped. Stepan quickly ended the call by saying “I’m on my way” and turned to tend to the prey in front of him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stepan wiped sweat beads from his brow with back of his hand as he turned back around to face Brando Marino. His brother Marlo was lying next to him on the floor already dead and he knew he was next.
“You would think by now you Marino men would realize that the Romanov family is not to be messed with. Many have tried, all have failed and the very few who have lived to tell the tale do so with the assistance of an oxygen tank.” he began as he circled Brando who was bound to a wooden chair in the middle of the kitchen. Brando was the more hot headed of the Marinos therefore they planned to make his death slow and painful. Alexei had already hit him over the head with the butt of his pistol but even that didn’t deter his hatred. Gathering a glob of saliva in his mouth, Brando spat at the ground in front of the Romanov men and neither was pleased about his actions. The back of Alexei’s hand collided with the side of Brando’s face so hard spit flew from his mouth and surely a few teeth had cracked.
“You royally fucked up trying to go after my daughter. Do you have any final words, Brando?” Stepan asked as he walked over to the butcher’s block and ran his hand over the Ginsu knife selection.
“She got what was coming to her. And mark my words, you two are next; my father will make sure of it!” Brando threatened. Alexei and Stepan both looked at each other blankly and then burst into a fit of laughter.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re the ones dishing out doses of karma.” Alexei pulled a cell phone from his pocket and fiddled with it for a second before he began streaming some live footage. Brando looked at the screen and his eyes grew as big as saucers. His father was on his knees execution style as a Romanov family associate stood over him with a gun pointed to the back of his head.
“Riposa all'inferno, gli uomini di Marino.” Stepan spat in Italian before releasing a Ginsu knife through the air that quickly pierced Brando’s heart at the same time that a single shot rang out from the gun and entered Vincenzo Marino’s skull.
“Let’s go, brother. Cori has woken up.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stepan and Alexei made it back to the hospital in record time. When they arrived, Stepan was greeted by Will out in the hall who quickly briefed him on everything the doctor had said thus far. Alexei knew Stepan needed some time alone with his daughter, so he took his wife by the hand and walked over to the vending machine with her.
Stepan knocked on the door twice and opened the door before Cori could even reply. When their eyes locked neither spoke but the room immediately filled with happiness.
“For a moment there, I thought you were trying to bow out.” Stepan said as he slowly made his way over to Cori’s bedside.
“I could never. I have too much to do to just walk away from it all.” Cori smiled as she tried to sit herself up by using her forearms. Stepan placed his daughter’s hand in his and kissed it.
“I’ve missed you.”
“So, I’ve heard.” She added tossing a knowing glance. “How long have you been here in the States?”
“I’ve been here ever since Will called me.” A thin smile spread across Cori’s lips and Stepan immediately picked up on it.
“You know, it’s funny how all of this worked out.” Stepan began and Cori looked at him with confusion etched in face until he continued speaking.
“Well had it not been for that phone call I received from Terrence, you would’ve never met Tari. You being at that meeting with Nefertari is what brought you and Will back together… It’s been a year, Cori. And I’ve never been one to meddle in your affairs but I don’t think Will is going anywhere this time around.” Stepan smirked. Cori giggled at her father’s notion. With the way Will had been attentive to her in the last couple of weeks she knew her father’s words were true and if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t have plans on letting him go either. Before she could reply, Stepan’s phone began to ring. Stepan quickly glanced down at his caller ID and smiled.
“I can already tell this call is for you.” He said as he answered and placed the phone to his ear.
“Who would be calling me on your phone?”
“Hello, mother.” Stepan answered.
“Stepan, your daughter is driving me nuts.” His mother giggled.
“What is she doing?” Stepan asked with a bit of confusion twinging his voice. Naya wasn’t a bad child by any means so he wasn’t sure what she was doing while he was away.
“Oh no, it’s not anything bad but she really just wants to speak to her sister but every time I call Cori’s phone, it just goes to voicemail. I even think she’s got poor Maxim trying to get ahold of her.”
“Are you near her?”
“Yes.”
“Could I speak with her please?”
“Of course.” Stepan’s mother stepped away from the phone and handed it over to Naya who was sitting barely five feet away from her patiently waiting.
“Hi papa.”
“Hello Princess. Are you giving your grandmother a hard time?”
“No.” Stepan could tell Naya was on the other end pouting so he asked her again.”
“Princess…”
“I’m behaving Papa... I just want to talk to Cori. I haven’t talked to her in days and I miss her.”
“I might be able to help with that.”
“Really?!” Naya exclaimed into the phone. Stepan took the phone from his ear and pressed the button to place the call on speaker.
“Hello Princess.” Cori sang into the phone.
“Cori!”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too. Did you get enough rest?” Naya yelled excitedly.
“I did, Princess. But you know what I missed the most?”
“Noooooo.” Naya sang into the phone before blushing and giggling which caused Cori to giggle along with her.
“I missed my Princess kisses. You know I can’t sleep right without them.”
“I told Daddy!”
“It’s getting kind of late, Princess. Do you have your clothes out for school in the morning?”
“Not yet. Maxim said he would help me pick an outfit.”
“Okay. Well go ahead and get ready for school and then head to bed. I think I’m going to go lay down now too.”
“Okay sissy. Are you still going to come and visit me soon?” Naya asked, a tiny bit of sadness evident in her tone.
“Of course, I am. As soon as I get finished with my work here, my first stop will be to you.”
“Yayyyyyy! I can’t wait!”
“Me either, Princess… I love you more than anything in this world.”
“I love you too sissy.” Both Romanov girls hung up the phone and Cori looked up at her father.
“You should really try and get some rest. I know you’ve had visitors popping in and out all day.”
“I welcomed all of it though.” Stepan leaned down and kissed the crown of Cori’s head before brushing a piece of hair out of her face.
“I love you baby girl.”
“I love
you too.” A knock on the door interrupted Cori and Stepan’s father-daughter moment.
“Good evening, Ms. Romanov. Don’t mind me, I’m just here to check your vitals.” The doctor announced as he entered the room. Stepan said his final goodbyes to his daughter before making his exit. The doctor made idle chit chat with Cori while he checked her vitals and then he was on his way. A few moments later, Will entered the room with a black duffle bag in his hand.
“Hey, what’s in the bag? Are you breaking me out of here?” Cori laughed. Will turned around and looked at her with a scowl.
“Don’t even play like that. I told you you leave out of here when the doctor gives you the green light.” Cori scrunched her face up and asked about the bag once more.
“The bag is for me to have a fresh change of clothes in the morning.”
“Will, visiting hours are over.” She tried to remind him.
“That’s nice to know, good think I’m not a visitor though. You thought just because you’re finally out of that coma I was just going to up and leave? Nah, I meant what I said earlier – we have some things to talk about and I’m not leaving here until you do. Lay down and get some rest. I need to take a shower.” Will placed a gentle kiss on Cori’s forehead before making his way into the bathroom. Cori knew better than to argue with him so she didn’t even bother to try to. Heeding his advice, Cori laid back on the bed and began to rest her eyes.
Chapter 42
Elise walked through the hospital doors with a pair of dark oversized sunglasses covering her face. It was well after visiting hours, almost a quarter to one in the morning and she knew she wouldn’t have to deal with any run-ins with people visiting Cori by coming this late. She had called Brando, Marlo and Chelsea all evening and got no response; she figured they had all chickened out and skipped town on her and it was cool. This was a family matter anyway and she felt much better going to address it by herself. She bypassed the nurse's station and headed straight for the elevators. She glanced around as she waited for the doors to open. Elise noticed a nurse behind the desk staring hard at her. She gave her a smile and walked on to the elevator. When the doors opened again on the floor that Cori was on she stepped off.
"Now what room did they say she was in again?" She thought to herself. She tried to recall the call she had overheard between Chelsea and Marlo earlier, but it wasn’t coming to mind. As she continued to walk down the corridor, she didn't have to wonder for long. It was obvious which room Cori was in when she noticed a tall muscular man standing guard outside of a room door.
"That must be it. Of course, Stepan would have someone guarding his precious princess." She mumbled to herself.
Elise walked up to the door and smiled at the man. She watched as he looked her up and down.
"Can I help you?" He asked flatly.
"Yes, I'm here to visit my niece Cori. I'm her aunt Elise Romanov, I just got in town." She made sure to stare him directly in the eyes when she said her last name. Because of her family’s reputation, a simple mention of the name Romanov usually sent chills throughout a person's body. No one wanted to go against the Romanov family. No one except her and the Marino family of course.
"Can I see some ID please?" he asked not the least bit phased by her legacy.
Elise frowned at him. "I need to show my ID in order to see my niece? Did you not hear me when I said that my last name was Romanov?"
Zel, the guard at the door, just shrugged his shoulders. "It's important that I check everyone before they enter the room. Those are the rules set by her father. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you take it up with him."
Elise rolled her eyes as she dug in her purse and pulled out her ID. She frowned the entire time as he looked at it. When he handed it back to her and stepped aside, she snatched it out of his hand.
"Fucking Americans." She mumbled as she made her way inside of Cori's room. She looked around the room and shook her head. "They have you set up in here as if you're home. You don't deserve to be comfortable." She walked over to the bed.
Cori looked as if she was sleeping peacefully and Elise hated that. "My poor dear niece. You weren't supposed to be in this hospital bed. You were supposed to be dead. I guess that's what happens when you send men to do a woman's job. You should know all about that, huh?" She brushed a piece of Cori's hair out of her face.
"Being in a coma is too good for you. Your father killed the only man I ever truly loved. Joseph and I were going to run away together and be happy. Stepan ruined that though. You would've thought that he would've chosen to help and protect us because I was his sister. He should have wanted me to be happy but no, not my dear brother. Money has always been his motive. Well, that was until he met your mother and she had you. I hated the sight of you. Not because you were ugly because that's the farthest from the truth. In all honesty, you are very beautiful to me. If things were different you and I would probably share a strong bond. But I hate you because you make your father happy. You're important to him and because of that, I can't let you live. He had taken someone important taken from me and it's only right that I return the favor."
Elise snatched the pillow from under Cori's head and was about to place it over her face. She got the shock of her life when Cori's eyes popped open and she punched her in the face.
"I'm glad you finally revealed how you truly felt about me." Cori said as she tried to sit up. Punching Elise in the face took a lot out of her and trying to push herself up was starting to seem futile.
Elise took that moment to rush her again. She tried to wrap her hands around Cori's throat and she was able to succeed since Cori was still a little weak and in pain from the explosion. She was struggling to remove her hands from around her throat.
Cori glanced around and saw the container of food that Will had bought her to try and get her to eat. She saw the fork and spoon next to it. Using one of her hands she reached out for the fork. She struggled for a few seconds until she got a good grip on it.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Elise screamed out as she stumbled back with the fork sticking out of her left eye.
Zel rushed into the room on full alert. When he saw Elise with a fork sticking out of her eye and Cori breathing hard while rubbing her neck, it didn't take long for him to piece everything together. A few seconds later Will ran into the room holding a bag from the gift shop. When he saw Elise and Cori, he dropped the bag and ran over to her.
"Baby, are you okay? What happened?" He asked as he looked her over.
"I'm okay, don't let her get away." Cori said as she glared at her aunt.
Will nodded towards Zel. He walked over to Elise and took her into the bathroom that was inside the room. Will them turned his attention back to Cori.
"Who the hell is that?"
"My aunt, and yes, she just tried to kill me."
Will didn't say anything else after that. He pulled his phone out and dialed a number. Cori watched him the entire time. When the person on the other end picked up, he spoke quickly.
"You need to get back up here to Cori's room. A woman she says is her aunt just tried to kill her. I figured that you would want to handle this one."
"I'm on my way." The person said before they hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" She asked when he put his phone away.
"Your father."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elise was removed from the hospital by a group of Russians. Will didn't ask any questions, but Cori had plenty. When she tried to get her father to take her with them, he refused. He told her that it was something that only he needed to have on his conscious. Once she saw the look in his eyes she knew exactly what he meant.
Stepan and Alexei stood in a room with their only sister tied to a chair in the center of it. She was moaning in pain from the injury to her eye.
"Alexei please, I am your only sister. You have to help me." She cried.
Alexei stepped forward and stood in front of her. When she glanced up at him, he slapped her across the face. "We
are family, and this is how you show your loyalty? You tried to kill your own fucking flesh and blood!" He spat.
"He killed Joseph, Alexei. I loved him so much and he took him away from me. He took my son's father away from him. Why should he get to be happy and I don't?" She cried harder.
"So, you finally admit that Dante is Joseph's son and not your husband's son?"
Elise bit her lip and put her head down. "Yes."
"You are a disgrace to this family. You chose to kill your own family over a man who was sleeping with you and a bunch of other women!" He shouted.
Elise's head shot up at those words. Alexei noticed and chuckled. "Yes, my dear sister, you were not the only woman in his life. Did you know that he has a child the same age as Dante? No, of course you don't."
"You tell lies!" She yelled.
"I have no reason to lie."
Stepan stepped forward and stood beside his brother. "Elise, you are my sister and I love you. I would never want to see you hurt. You continue to accuse me of killing your lover and that is not true." He said. When she looked up at him, he continued.
"You hate me so much that you would take the one person is this world who means the most to me. Your own niece, who has never done you any harm. Because I love you, I will not make this long and painful. Even though that is what you deserve. I feel that since this is your last day on earth you deserve to finally know the truth. I did not kill Joseph Marino. The man you promised to love and cherish ‘til death do you part did."
When her one good eye widened with shock, he nodded his head. "Yes, that is correct sister. Your husband is the one who killed your lover not me." Before she could open her mouth and plead for her life, he sent a bullet through the center of her head.
Stepan stood there for a minute and stared at his sister's lifeless body. He didn't come out of the trance he was in until Alexei placed a hand on his shoulder.
Status Quo_The Last Ones Standing Page 19
