Aleks’ narrows his eyes in on his father, “Yes.”
“Do you want it more than your child?” Valentin chuckles, “More than Greer Mackenzie’s life?”
Aleks’ eyes go wide, and I know the decision he’s being faced with. He’s the eldest in his family, the eldest son of a Volkolv, which means the throne to the bratva is rightfully his.
“I will not kill my child because you’re a bored old man,” Aleks’ sneers, coming closer to me.
Valentin wiggles his fingers, “Ah-ah. Don’t take a step. You make your decision here and now. Do you want the bratva, or do you want Greer Mackenzie to breathe air?”
The intensity between both men is astounding, Aleks’ looks down to me, stares right into my eyes and speaks. “I want the child we created to live.” Aleks’ fires his gun and I find myself shutting my eyes and lunging to the ground.
Suddenly, arms are being hooked around me and I’m lifted up. I open my eyes and see Aleks’, never being more thankful for him scooping me up and rushing me to safety. “Are you real?”
“What? Of course, I am.” He huffs, running down the hall until we reach what I believe is a stairwell door. He yanks it open and proceeds to run down flight after flight of stairs.
“You’re not a dream?” I question, wanting to be sure this is real.
“When we get to safety I’ll plant a kiss on you and show you how real I am,” He says sweetly, looking into my eyes for just a moment before he yanks open another doorway and rushes through.
Glancing around I spot cars parked side-by-side, telling me we’re in some sort of parking garage. He rushes over to the sounds of a running car and as we approach the door is pushed open for us. Aleks’ jumps right in with me in his arms, turns back to shut the door and holds me close against his chest.
“My god, Greer!” Leti cries.
I scan the car and see she, Sloane and Aleksei are all here. “Thank fuck you’re okay,” Sloane whispers. I could barely hear her, but I’m so glad she’s here. I don’t know how I’d get through this without her.
“Get us out of here, Aleksei.” Aleks’ tells his brother, but Aleksei’s one step ahead of him. Tires screech as he drives through the garage, ready to plow down a gate if he has to.
“Tell me you killed the fucker,” Aleksei grumbles back to his brother.
“I shot him, but I don’t think he’s dead.” Aleks’ replies.
I’ve never wished ill will on anyone, but there’s a first time for everything. I really, really wish Valentin Volkolv was dead. And one day I hope it comes in the most gruesome of ways.
Chapter Thirty
And you were like the moon, so lonely, so full of imperfections. But just like the moon, you shine in times of darkness.
~ Quotes ‘Nd Notes
Aleksandr
Greer is exhausted and rightfully so. The entire plane ride she was eating and drinking after telling me my father nearly starved her to death. The sad thing is I’m not even shocked by that. It’s typical. Monsters act in vile ways. She pretty much ate a bit, drank some water and fell asleep. I still have yet to wake her because she’s so exhausted. Her body needs solid rest after what she’s been through, and our baby needs it too.
Besides that, everything has been relatively uneventful. Our flight wasn’t horrible until the last leg of it. We were flying over a storm so the turbulence was a bit awful right before we landed. But after that, it was smooth sailing. Liam had a car waiting for us when we arrived, and Greer was still asleep, so I carried her inside and buckled her up. She stirred for a bit and woke up for about five minutes but zonked out again. Hell, even when we got to the house she was passed out, so I carried her in and put her in a room upstairs.
When I was doing that, I met Caprice, Liam’s wife, who’s also pregnant. I’m sure Greer will be ecstatic that there will be another baby around here when ours is born. Hopefully it’ll unify the family a bit more as well and make being here a lot easier for her.
Sloane completely bypassed her father, so Aleksei ran after her to run recon. No one can blame the girl for being pissed. I certainly wouldn’t. Imagine living your entire life the way they did . . . shit. I don’t think anyone would wish for it.
I’ve been standing downstairs in the foyer talking to Liam for the last ten minutes when Desmond finally comes back out. He has stress lines on his forehead that I’m sure are from what Liam’s told him. I briefed him shortly on what Greer went through, but I didn’t give him any additional information, or go into graphics.
But he has a daughter, and I’m certain knowing they were hurt in such a way is not easy.
Clearing my throat, I speak up. “Desmond, if you don’t mind, could I steal you away for a chat while the girls get settled in?”
He gives a curt nod. “Of course. Liam, you come, too.”
The three of us enter Desmond’s study and Liam shuts the door behind him. Desmond moves behind the desk and I sit in an armchair in front of it, positioned so I can see both Desmond and Liam.
“Desmond, I need your help and I’m hoping you’ll be able to provide some.”
The patriarch of the Mackenzie family cranes his neck to look at me. “What is it you need?”
I take in a deep breath, knowing this won’t be an easy task. “I need you to help me get my sisters away from my father. I fear for their lives, for what he or Maxim may do to them. I know I don’t have much to offer you, but I’m desperate. I don’t want them to experience anything like Sofia or Greer have, and I will beg you if I must.”
Desmond waves his hand in front of me in dismissal. “Begging isn’t necessary. You’ve risked so much for my daughter, in fact for both of them. I’ll help you in whatever way I can. However, I will need your help in finding their locations for my men to extract them.”
“Of course. I’ll give you whatever they need, and I mean anything. As long as my sisters get yanked out from underneath him.”
“Sure. How would you like to handle this? Bringing them here might only create a bigger issue between our families.” Desmond states, and he isn’t wrong.
But, I speak from the heart. “I don’t think it’ll even matter. We’re always going to have a war between the Volkolvs and the Mackenzies, but just know the Volkolv standing in front of you, and his sisters have absolutely no part of it. As well as my brother Aleksei. We are allies with the Mackenzie family, and we will always be.”
“And what of Maxim?” Desmond asks, cocking a brow.
Liam looks between his father and I from where he stands in the study, curious as to what I’ll say.
“Maxim made his own choice. I might not be able to save him, but I will save the girls.”
Desmond nods, “I understand. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss with me?”
“Yes, your daughter’s hand in marriage. I know I don’t have much to offer now, sir, but I love her. Greer is my damn future and I know it. The same way you knew it with Sofia when we were here as children.”
Desmond smiles brightly, “If she could see you now . . . she’d be so proud of you. Sofia always called you her gentle heart, the one who’d be most likely to do the right thing. She was right about you, Aleksandr.”
Hearing that from him offers me a bit of comfort. “May I please have Greer’s hand in marriage, Sir?”
Desmond chuckles, “I appreciate you asking me, but I think you’d better ask her. Her entire life she’s made decisions for herself. She’s never lived under my roof, under my rules, and I have no right to make this decision for her . . . especially not when it’s so important. You ask her, and she will tell you if she’ll have you.”
I smile and nod, knowing I will ask this woman to marry me soon. As soon as I fucking can, but dammit, I need to make it special.
Epilogue One
She couldn’t inch a little closer to him he was fire . . . and oh how she longed to stay warm.
~ N.R. Hart
Greer
Two Weeks Later . . .
> For a while I thought we were going to have a Shakespearean level war between the Mackenzies and the Volkolvs, although it never happened. It was shocking at first, but Aleks’ told me since his father knew I was pregnant he might’ve decided to put it to bed. Apparently, nothing means more to the man than extending the Volkolv line.
I don’t buy it. Not for one fucking second. The last two weeks have been the most stressful of my entire life and for some reason I can’t put my finger on it. This is the part of life where I should be happy. I’m reunited with my family, and I’ll soon be going to visit my mother for the first time, yet . . . an eerie feeling seems to swarm over me whenever we leave the Mackenzie estate.
Like today.
Aleksei, Aleks’, Sloane, Leti and I are on our way to a shop in downtown Dublin. My father wants to invest in my fashion line by opening our first ever store, and after speaking to Katarina and Mauricio, they’re both on board. The European fashion market is always evolving and Dublin gets so many tourists from that market. But that doesn’t mean the United Kingdom women aren’t fashionable. They’re the queens of cardigans, sweater and overall fall looks. As a matter of fact, I’ve been getting inspired while being here.
I don’t have much outerwear for my line but considering how chilly it can be it’s making me want to develop a line. I’ll probably start with a couple light jackets, dusters, maybe some army styles, too. What I envision is having them look fashionable as hell, but they’re also going to be practical. I often find that jackets don’t keep you warm at all, they’re simply for show. Not with me, and not with my line.
“I can’t wait to see this!” Leti claps her hands, bringing the joy like she does with everything in her life. She just can’t help it. It comes natural to her. No matter what else is going on, she’s always finding a way to have the positive spin on it. I envy her for that and hopefully one day I can look at life the way she does too.
“Me too. How many properties are we looking at today?” I say, asking Aleks’. He’s been helping me manage a few things. To say pregnancy brain isn’t real is such a lie. I’m one of those women who feels like half their brain has just suddenly fallen out of their damn heads.
“There are three on the list, but I told Aleksei to take us to the nicest one first.” He replies.
“So, she can see how shitty the other two are after?” Sloane cackles, finding it hysterical.
Leti joins in on the laughter and I see Aleksei smirking in the rearview mirror. “Maybe,” is the only answer we get from Aleks’, which just causes the entire SUV to bust out into laughter. This is one of those few moments where I don’t feel terrified, like the ball’s about to drop or whatever the saying is, but I know as soon as this passes I’m going to have that gut wrenching feeling in my stomach again.
Aleksei makes a sharp left on one of the main roads that heads down into Dublin. Everything is still so new here, but I’m doing my best to adapt as quickly as I can. The whole driving on the opposite side of the road thing is enough to throw me off.
But just as he turns, two popping sounds ring out of nowhere. It sounds like a tire that’s been blown, and like in a slow-motion movie, we start rolling straight for a telephone pole. The car crashes into it, causing us all to jolt forward from the pure impact.
I find myself blinking over and over again, looking around while trying to take in a deep breath, but my heart is beating a mile a minute. The passenger side door is open and I see Aleks’ kneeling, looking around with his gun pulled out.
Holy shit.
This can’t be happening.
This cannot be real.
“Greer’s fine!” Sloane hollers, pushing her way to the front seat. She manages to get up there and straddles Aleksei while a look of pure terror crosses her face.
Did Aleks’ even ask how I was? I didn’t hear him.
“Leti okay?”
“I’m fine, I think . . .” Leti responds loudly while she looks to Sloane. “What’s going on?” She asks.
“Stay down ladies, okay?!” Aleks’ calls back to us, but he turns and sees Sloane on top of Aleksei, doing something, but I’m not sure what. “Fuck!” He hisses.
I can hear Sloane speaking to Aleksei, or at least I think she’s speaking to him, but I have no fucking clue what she’s saying.
“How is Greer?” Aleks’ asks again.
Sloane looks back to me for a split second, “She’s fine. She’s breathing . . . it’s Aleksei. We need to get him to a hospital right now!” Sloane screams while loud popping sounds ring out in the air.
Leti and I both scream from pure fear and push our bodies down between the seats. I knew something was coming, but I had no idea when or where it would happen. The only thing I know is how I want this to be over as soon as possible. I grab my cellphone from the seat and call our cousin, Luca, who’s the head of security for the Mackenzie estate. He needs to get his guys here, and he needs to get them here fast.
Who knows how long Aleks’ will be able to hold these people off?
But from the look on Sloane’s face, I’m more worried about Aleksei.
Things are bad.
Things are very fucking bad.
Epilogue Two
And those who are heartless once cared too much.
~ Unknown
Aleksei
One Year Later . . .
A pounding head and sore neck is what wakes me from my sleep. I wish it were blissful, but it wasn’t. My body feels like I’ve been run over by cars numerous times and the headache running through my head is on the same level of pain. Although, I’ve felt much in my life. As with everything, I will overcome it.
After all, the pain only hurts until it goes away.
I manage to open my eyes and blink them a bit while adjusting to a strong strobe light maybe a foot or so away from my head. Upon tugging my arms, I realize I’m strapped down. It looks like thick leather over my forearms and I’m tied to some sort of chair.
Okay.
Breathe.
I take in a deep breath and lean forward. There have been many times I’ve been in circumstances like this before, where I wake up tied to a chair. While I wish they were hot, they weren’t. I’d much prefer it if a certain woman was walking around me in silky smooth lingerie, but alas, beggars can’t be choosers. All I have to do is manage to stand up and use my body weight to slam the chair against the wall and break it. At which point I’ll be close to being free.
Though, as I lean forward, there isn’t the slightest bit of movement. It causes me to look down and see the metal my feet are setting on. The metal goes up, and I follow the lines until I see my arms. Motherfucker, this isn’t a flimsy wooden chair. Instead it’s practically some sort of tank. If my guess is right, it’s anchored into the wall behind me.
I glance around the room and notice the thick twelve by twelve white squares. They’re everywhere, over every single inch of this room that I can see. Turning my head to the right and left, I see them on both sides. So, naturally I stretch my neck out to the right and use my head as a way to feel the texture.
I’m met with softness, but a bit of firmness in it as well. Christ. I’m in a padded fucking room.
Inhaling deeply through my nostrils, I do my best to not allow emotions to take over me. This has happened before and I know it’s only inevitable. When your brother is in line for the Bratva, it unfortunately comes with the territory.
The last thing I remember is Sloane holding her cardigan against my chest, pressing on the wound, telling me to stay with her. And as I think over the events, it all comes rushing back.
“You can’t go. You look into my eyes and you stay here with me, you stubborn brute.” Sloane growls at me in a firm, yet terrified manner. It’s not in the way she speaks, but her body language. Her shoulders are tense, and she’s clenching her jaw while she pushes against my chest.
“If it’s my time, it’s my time.” I say so matter-of-factly. There’s always been so much danger in my life. I’v
e often assumed whenever I die, it’ll be like this. This is the way I’m supposed to leave this earth and I know it.
A striking burning sensation covers my cheek, pulling me out of it. “I said stay awake, damn it! Aleksei, you stay the fuck awake.” Sloane hisses while tears roll down her cheeks.
“How is Greer?!” My brother’s voice calls from outside the vehicle.
“She’s breathing, she’s okay. It’s . . . it’s Aleksei. We need to get him to a hospital now!” Sloane screams back to him while the sounds of gunfire ring through the air.
Shit. This isn’t good. I need to help him.
I lean forward and Sloane grabs me by the throat, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Lean back against the seat, Aleksei. Fuck.”
I feel pressure against the outside of both my legs, so I peer down to find Sloane straddling me. I don’t hold back my chortle, “Never thought you’d be doing this again. Didn’t you say last time was the only time?”
I cackle, finding this funny as fuck but the laughter is too much for me. My chest rises and falls while my laughs are replaced with coughs. But they don’t feel normal. They’re wet. I inhale deeply, or as deep as I can and stare at Sloane.
But she starts changing.
Suddenly, she isn’t so clear and she becomes muted. It’s not long before the blurry vision in front of me is replaced with darkness.
Clapping hands jolt me from my memory. It’s repetitive, over and over again, getting louder with each one. “Bravo, my star. Bravo.”
“Valentin,” I snarl.
Corrupted Love: A Dark Mafia Romance (Mackenzies Book 2) Page 14
