That feeling of being watched, it happens all over again the second we step outside of the store. My eyes quickly dart around to the car that’s waiting for us. The driver has parked all the way at the back of the parking lot. Sweat beads up on my forehead, and I try to ignore it.
“Isla, can you carry the shoes? Elowen, can you take the dresses?” I ask.
I don’t know why, but I feel like something big is about to happen, and I have this sinking feeling that it’s going to happen to me. My heart begins to race, so I press my hands on the center of both girls’ backs.
“Now, go straight to the car. Tell the driver to take you to your dad, okay?”
Elowen’s eyes widen and she looks up at me in surprise. “Go now, take care of Isla,” I whisper.
That’s when it happens. I feel a hard band clamp around my stomach and my mouth. The girls scream, but Elowen does exactly what I asked her to. She takes Isla’s hand and they run straight for the driver. He must see the commotion because the car is headed in our direction. He’s too late for me though. Whoever has me drags me away and I’m thrown into the back seat of a car just a few seconds later.
“Hello, cumdumpster,” a cold voice sneers. “Drive,” he barks.
My eyes find none other than Lucian fucking Blackburn’s. The piece of shit. I should have known that he wouldn’t let it go. I should have guessed that he would come after me when Aidan didn’t give him what he wanted, when we both threatened him. I was stupid. I was wrapped up in my newfound bliss and I didn’t pay enough attention to much else, other than Aidan and his beautiful children.
“What happens now?” I ask. “You have to know that Aidan won’t stand for you touching his property.”
The words fall from my tongue, my false bravado making it easier. His cold, dead eyes look directly at me and I almost crumble. Of all the men I’ve had to deal with, Lucian Blackburn is by far the scariest. He’s mean, soulless, and a downright fucking bastard.
“He might not stand for it, but rest assured he’ll be on his knees watching it,” he chuckles.
I want to cry, but I don’t. Lucian loves tears, he loves drawing emotion from people. I think he finds it interesting because he has no emotions of his own, other than rage and anger. Empathy and sympathy are feelings that he doesn’t possess, then again, so are respect and love.
“I highly doubt Aidan O’Neil has fallen to his knees for much of anything. Good luck with that,” I quip.
Blackburn levels me with a dark glare and then he smirks. “He practically sucks Russian cock, whore. He’ll bend to my will as well.”
I decide to stay quiet. I don’t know where we’re going, or for how long, but engaging with him only makes his crazy show that much more. I have zero desire to converse with him as it is. I only hope that Aidan can get to me sooner rather than later, and that when he does, I hope he brings a fucking arsenal to rid the world of Lucian fucking Blackburn.
AIDAN
My phone rings and I glance down at the name and number before I answer it. My stomach knots at the caller. “Hello,” I shout.
“Sir, I have your girls, we’re coming into the bar,” the driver states before ending the call.
He has my girls. He has my girls. Does that mean that he doesn’t have Giovanna? I throw open my office door and march into the main room. Lachlann is behind the bar, his eyes lift to mine and whatever he sees, he doesn’t like. He quickly moves from around the bar top and toward my side.
“Talk to me,” he demands.
Keeping my eyes plastered on the front door I order, “Call the brothers, something’s happened.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, I watch as my two girls run through the door. They don’t slow down, in fact, they speed up when they see me. I brace for their impact and when they wrap their arms around me they both burst into tears. Lifting my head, I look at the driver. He looks fucking sick, and that’s when I know that whatever’s happened, it’s fucking bad.
“Lach?” I call out. He lifts his head, his phone pressed to his ear. “Call Nola, Keanna, Mona, and Sarah, yeah?” He lifts his chin.
The four women are Mannix’s wife, Shaughan’s fiancée, Lach’s wife, and Rian’s girlfriend. All four of them my girls know well and will feel comfortable with. I want them to feel safe while I deal with whatever the fuck has just happened.
Once my brothers and the women appear, I have them take the girls home where I’ve already dispatched two entire crews as guards for safety measures. Nobody will get into my house, not without some serious fucking armor.
“Talk to me,” I growl at the driver.
He lets out a breath, his fingers fidgeting before he speaks. When he does, his eyes lift to mine, never leaving and never wavering.
He tells me that the girls were shopping, and he was waiting in the parking lot for them. He watched them walk out of the store and head in his direction. When he did, he started the engine and began to creep toward them so they wouldn’t have to walk as far.
He noticed Giovanna handing off their purchases to both girls, and he thought it was odd. He sped up the car a little bit, thinking that there was some type of problem, but before he got there, another vehicle backed out of a stall.
A man stepped out, grabbing Vanna and tossed her into the back of the car. His mission was to get the girls, and safely. He said that he knew if he drew his weapon, there could be a potential for cross fire, so he focused on the girls and got them the hell out of there.
“You did the right thing,” I admit. I don’t want to admit it, but I do. My girls take priority over everything. “Did you get a good look at the guy?” I ask with a sigh.
He shakes his head. “Just a dark suit and dark hair, nothing else. I didn’t recognize him,” he mutters.
“You think of anything else, you let me know. Thank you, I appreciate you getting my girls here so quickly, and uninjured,” I murmur.
He lifts his chin, his eyes glancing around the room as he stands. “I’m sorry, Mr. O’Neil. Giovanna’s a real sweet girl. I wish I could have stopped this.”
I stand as well, extending my palm to the man. “Thank you. We’ll find her.”
“I know you will, sir.” He walks out of the office, leaving me alone with my brothers. They all look at me with different types of concern, but I can read them all, and I feel the exact same way.
I sit up straight, the faster we figure out who this is, the better off Vanna will be. Then, some shit is going to change. Her freedom has officially been revoked, and she’s moving in with me.
“It was one of three people,” I announce.
“Casey’s contact, Blackburn, or the cunt you were married to?” Lachlann guesses.
Mannix grunts. “Absolutely correct, little brother.”
“Oh, yeah, this is going to be so easy then,” Shaughan snaps. “A mystery person, the mayor, or some bitch we haven’t seen in months.”
“Fuck,” I curse.
“No fucking shit,” Shaughan snaps.
Looking around at my brothers, I’m at a fucking loss. I can’t think straight. All I can envision is something terrible happening to Giovanna. She told me herself that Blackburn was an animal, that he’s a monster. What the fuck am I going to do if he’s the one that has her, if he’s hurt her?
Christ, what am I going to do if anybody’s hurt her?
It hits me like a goddamn freight train.
I love her.
“My gut tells me it’s Blackburn,” I announce.
Shaughan lifts his chin, crossing his arms over his chest. “I agree. Now, how do we get to him, how do we get her out?”
I scrub my hand over my face and let out a long exhale. “I don’t know. I think we’re going to have to call Timofei. I want to handle this in-house, but I also know if I try and fuck with the mayor, Vetrov will put a bullet in me, no hesitation,” I mutter.
“I’ll agree on that. Plus, who the fuck knows, he could have some way to get her back, and fast,” Mannix mutters.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and I call him. Thankfully, he answers on the first ring and when I tell him what happened, and who I suspect is the man who took Giovanna, he growls. He orders that we come to his office, all of us.
“Let’s go get your woman back,” Mannix grins, clapping his hand on my shoulder.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
GIOVANNA
I wiggle my wrists trying to break free of the rope restraining them. I expected Lucian to get to work humiliating and using me immediately. What I didn’t expect was for him to drag me into a room, have his lackey tie me up, turn the lights off, lock the door, and leave.
Bastards.
Closing my eyes, I inhale a deep breath before letting it out. When I reopen my eyes, I decide to look around. I don’t even know where I am. I’m pretty positive that I’m not at Blackburn’s home, pretty sure his wife would frown on me being brought into her place. I don’t doubt that I’m at some kind of apartment he keeps in the city for himself.
Most jerkoffs who fuck around on their wives have a place in the city, and I’m positive Blackburn is no exception to the rule. His wife is probably living in some four-bedroom house in the burbs, complete with a white picket fence and a yellow lab.
Biting the corner of my lip, I look around for anything useful. There isn’t a phone anywhere to be seen, but that doesn’t surprise me, most people don’t even have house phones anymore. They’re pretty outdated, and I was surprised when Moriz had one in my condo.
Abandoning the idea of finding a phone, I decide to look around for something that I can use as a possible weapon.
There’s nothing. Whatever he uses this place for, he doesn’t stay in here often, there isn’t much of anything around. I let out a growl of defeat. I’m completely held hostage by this sick fuck, and nobody knows where I am.
At least when he would spend a night with me, Madam Carmella knew where I was, and she was always ready with a guard to storm in and help me if need be, especially when it came to Lucian.
The doorknob jiggles, and I stare at it, holding my breath. Lucian opens it, a maniacal smile on his face. “Are you ready to play, whore?” He grins.
I don’t respond. Instead, I try to retreat inside of myself. I stare straight ahead and attempt to shut down. Lucian doesn’t allow it though, he’s in front of me before I even realize it. His hand wraps around the front of my throat and squeezes, giving me a slight shake.
“You’re not zoning out on me, Giovanna. Not when I have so much planned for you,” he pants.
I close my eyes in a slow blink. I know for a fact his cock is hard right now, as I start to become lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. He releases my throat, leaning down and his dry, chapped lips are so close to mine that I can practically taste his acidic breath.
“What would you do to save his life?” he purrs. “What would you do for me?”
I shake my head, I don’t want to think about it. I would do anything, and fucking Blackburn knows it, too. It’s plain as day, written all over my face that I am completely in love with Aidan O’Neil and his family. He lifts his hand up, and I think he’s going to choke me again, but he doesn’t. His index finger extends and he traces the side of my face, then my lips with it.
“I think you would do anything for him, for his dirty little Mick kids,” he growls. I hold my breath, wishing that I could flinch away from his smell and from his touch. “That’s why when he comes here, you’re going to crawl at my feet, you’re going to refuse to go to him. You’re going to happily suck my cock in front of him. Beg for me, for my touch, and if you don’t…”
“If I don’t?” I ask when he doesn’t finish his sentence.
He smirks. “If you don’t, I’ll take his oldest girl and I’ll train her to be mine.”
I flinch.
He smiles widely.
He knows he’s hit me hard, and now he owns me. Except he doesn’t, Aidan does—literally. My mind begins to race, and I wonder if Blackburn doesn’t know, he must not. He must not realize how all of this really works. I’m not a free woman to stay at his side, even with his threats. There is no choosing which man I want—not that I would ever choose him willingly.
I press my lips together. Two can play games, and when it comes to faking things, I’m a fucking pro—trained and everything.
“Okay, Lucian,” I rasp huskily. “I’ll be yours. You know I’ll be whatever you want me to be. No need to go throwing threats around.”
His brows knit together, and he smirks. “Oh, I thought that he was going to come in here guns blazing and save you? Now you’re okay being mine?”
I tip my chin up and give him my most wicked smile. “I’m sure that he will. But you know how that goes,” I say, attempting to shrug one shoulder.
“What’s that?”
I inhale, puffing up my chest a bit and arching my back to make my breasts appear larger. It works to distract him a bit, Lucian’s eyes drop to my cleavage and he lets out a small moan. “Only the biggest, baddest alpha gets what he wants.”
Blackburn’s smile widens. “And I’m the biggest of them all,” he chuckles.
Biting the corner of my lip, I smile. “Fuck yeah, you’re the biggest.”
It’s exhausting pretending this nasty fuck turns me on, but I don’t care, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Elowen safe. He isn’t wrong. I will pretend to like whatever sick shit he wants me to, as long as the O’Neils are safe.
However, I won’t ever have to worry about choosing him over Aidan. I know without a doubt that Aidan will take care of him, one way or another. Aidan owns me, mind, body, and soul. Lucian couldn’t buy the loyalty of a fucking animal, let alone a person.
“I’m going to untie you, Giovanna. Be a good whore when I do. You know what I want,” he purrs. God, I fucking hate his voice.
He does as promised and unties me. Without hesitating, I strip completely naked. I do know what Lucian Blackburn likes and he is adamant about no clothes, the only thing he and Aidan have in common.
Sinking to my knees at his feet, I do what I know he’ll love. I lower my chest all the way to the floor. Clasping my hands behind my back, I lick the fucker’s shoes.
AIDAN
Timofei frowns, his man standing behind him, attempting to be loose. I can tell that Dominik is pissed off though, his jaw muscles are tight even if the rest of his body is relaxed.
Timofei’s office is full to capacity, and I’m grateful for it. The men that are surrounding me are no doubt the best men that I could have in this moment. This was the right thing, coming to him.
“I have the videos,” Timofei states.
My mouth drops open slightly in surprise. I know exactly what videos he’s talking about. I’m not sure that I ever want to see them, but I’ll also do whatever it takes to get Giovanna back. I want this piece of shit to suffer, and what better way for a politician to suffer, than publicly.
Timofei lets out a heavy sigh. “I haven’t watched them. I was hoping that I never needed to. Giovanna made it clear that they weren’t anything I really wanted to see, ever,” he chuckles.
“Now, we could leak them to the press, but I have a feeling Antonio will come out of the woodwork if we do. There’s something between the two of them, between him and Blackburn but I don’t know exactly what it is.” He rubs his blond beard as he frowns, his mind obviously trying to process everything that’s happened.
“Let’s get Antonio in here then,” I demand.
Dominik snorts. “You think he’s going to just freely give you any information after we refused to play his game and do what he wanted? No way in fuck,” he barks.
“You think he’d play if you said you’d stop supplying him what he wanted? No guns and no pussy? I think a man would do a fuck’ve a lot if he didn’t get what he wanted,” I proclaim.
Timofei’s eyes find mine and he spears me with his gaze. “I think playing games with Antonio Rossi is fucking dangerous. I think it’s a death wish wa
iting to happen. I also think that we don’t have much of a choice, that is unless he wants to play games with Blackburn. We’re better together than apart,” he mutters.
Then he gives me a grin, and it’s terrifying as fuck. “I also think we’ve got him by the balls. We have the videos, and those can make or break the mayor, and the mayor can make or break Rossi, or we can at least make that as part of our deal.”
“Let’s set up a meet,” I growl. I want my woman, and I want her back now.
Timofei leans back in his chair with a smile twitching on his lips. “You claiming Giovanna?” he asks like a true fucking smart-ass.
I want to punch this cocky fuck in the face. Narrowing my eyes, I stand. Balling my fists, I place them on his desk and lean over. “It’s not your fucking business, especially since I fucking own her,” I growl. Timofei doesn’t flinch and his smile stays plastered on his lips, only growing with each of my words. “She’s mine, always.”
He chuckles. “Good, brother. I knew she would make you happy. I could tell from one look at her that she was a good woman. Now, we need to gather up another good woman and bring her with us as backup,” he murmurs, changing the subject.
“Who?” Shaughan asks.
I stay where I’m standing, my body tight and rigid. I need a smoke, and a fucking drink. I drop my head, I need Giovanna.
“I’m calling her Italian madam. Vanna told me that she had even more footage and that she saved everything as an insurance policy.”
Lifting my head, I look directly into his eyes. “Time to pay the fuck up,” I growl.
GIOVANNA
Lucian’s small cock slaps the side of my cheek. His hand is fisted in my hair as he holds my head still for his beratement. It’s not even humiliating for me that he’s hitting me with his puny cock, I’m the one who feels sorry for him.
Bought by the Badman (Russian Bratva Book 10) Page 16
