Brando

by Marita A. Hansen

  Sasha turned to another guard as the man came to a halt next to him. He barked out, “Where’s Yuri?” asking the guard about his younger brother. The man leaned over and whispered into his ear, making Sasha stiffen. Sasha’s eyes moved to Ivy, hate no longer in them. Instead, they were filled with fear, something that instantly sent chills up her arms.

  Ivy went to get up, wanting to ask him what was wrong.

  Menna grabbed her arm. “Don’t risk it, Ivy.”

  “But Sasha—”

  “You know you can’t speak to him. You’ve caused the poor man enough pain as it is.”

  Ivy jerked her arm free. “I didn’t hurt him, your love did.”

  “Don’t you dare blame, Gregor,” Menna snapped, using the Black Russian’s real name. “You were told what would happen if you consorted with the Black Guards.”

  Furious, Ivy leaned towards Menna. “So that gives your bastard lover the right to hurt Sasha? I don’t think so,” she spat. “You need to learn what the man you sleep with is really like, not the false fairytale he paints for you.”

  “Ivy—”

  “No, you listen to me for once in your goddamn life. The Black Russian is an evil son of a bitch and I’m sick of you being ignorant to that. Just because he chose you to be his bed-warmer—”

  “Ivy!”

  “Oh, I know you think you’re so much more, but you aren’t. Love has blinded you, Menna, so get a grip on reality, because this ain’t fucking Disneyland—”

  The sound of approaching footsteps cut Ivy’s tirade off. The Black Russian appeared through the back door, dressed in charcoal-gray pants and an open-neck dress shirt, the white of the material making his tattoos stand out even more. From his shaved head right down to his feet, he was covered in black tattoos, which mainly consisted of English and Russian words.

  He walked slowly towards Sasha, who appeared twitchy, fear still coloring his gray eyes. Coming to a stop, the Black Russian stooped down low to whisper something into Sasha’s ear, the bastard close to seven-feet tall. Sasha jerked back, his expression horrified.

  The Black Russian grabbed Sasha’s chin. “Acknowledge me,” he snapped.

  “Da,” Sasha said. “I will do as you command, master.”

  The Black Russian smiled. “Today you will prove your loyalty as well as seal your brother’s fate. I trust you won’t disappoint me.” He leaned down and kissed both Sasha’s cheeks, stating loudly, “You are now my number one.” He placed a third kiss on Sasha’s lips, making Sasha go rigid.

  The Black Russian let him go and turned to face the Vipers. “Sasha has now been promoted to the commander of the Black Guards.”

  Ivy turned her attention to Menna, who appeared distressed, the vein in her sister’s neck now prominent. Although Menna had accepted that the Black Russian slept with other people, both men and women alike, she’d been the only one he’d given the title of number one to. But with six simple words, he’d replaced her with a straight male, who hated the Black Russian as much as Ivy did.

  Wanting to give her sister comfort, Ivy took hold of Menna’s hand.

  Menna turned to her, a single tear running down her face. She mouthed, “I’m pregnant.”

  Ivy’s eyes widened.

  “He knows,” Menna whispered.

  Ivy looked back at the Black Russian, who was addressing the Vipers, praising a few of them for doing a good job on their last assignment. She glared at him, wishing she could gut the cold-hearted bastard for hurting her sister.

  His gaze moved to her, a sneer following. “Though, not all of you have been doing a good job,” he said, “in fact one of you has betrayed me.” He waved his hand up in the air. “Bring the cyka out!” he snapped, using the Russian word for bitch.

  Sasha and another guard disappeared through the back doorway.

  The Black Russian resumed talking to the Vipers, “As you know, I am your leader, but since I’m often busy I had to appoint Farah as your acting commander. I was going to make her title official today, however, that is no longer possible after she tried to murder me.”

  Ivy went stiff, what she was hearing shocking her.

  The Black Russian continued, “Instead, she will be punished according to her crime.”

  He turned as Farah and Sasha entered the room. Sasha was pointing a gun at the back of Farah’s head, ordering her to move forward. One of her eyes was swollen shut, while her nose looked broken. Dried blood also colored her cheek, where a cross had been carved into her flesh. Ivy knew what the symbol meant: her sister was sentenced to death.

  Ivy jumped out of her seat, sending her chair crashing to the floor. “You can’t kill Farah!”

  The Black Russian’s gaze shot to her, his expression vicious. “She tried to kill me!”

  Farah stopped partway across the floor, her features even more vicious than the Black Russian’s. “Because you murdered my mother!” she screamed.

  “After she tried to stab me!”

  Looking stunned, Menna pushed up from her seat. “You said she died in a car accident.”

  The Black Russian turned his glare onto her. “Only to spare your feelings, but after what Farah did, I no longer care. If anything, you probably knew what she was up to and lied to my face, pretending you loved me, luring me into a false sense of security. You probably lied about being pregnant too, so I wouldn’t kill you if Farah failed—”

  “I’m not the liar, you are!” Menna yelled. “How could you do this to my family? To me?”

  “I wasn’t the one who started this, your mother did, and your sister continued it. Now, will you be the next one who tries to kill me?”

  Ivy whipped out her knife. “No, I will!”

  “Stand down, Ivy!” Sasha hollered, drawing her attention to him. He cocked his gun, the barrel still aimed at Farah’s head.

  Ivy pointed her knife at the Black Russian. “If you ever loved me, shoot him!”

  “Why would I help you, Ivy?” Sasha spat out. “You’ve caused me nothing but pain and misery.”

  Her eyes moved back to the Black Russian as he headed for Farah. “If you kill my sister you will ostracize the Vipers.” She indicated to the women surrounding the table, some of them now standing, their expressions filled with concern. “Do you truly want to lose all of us just to get vengeance against my sister?”

  “They will do as they’re told or die.” The Black Russian reached into his pants’ pocket and pulled out a...

  A collective gasp went around the table as he flicked open a switchblade. He placed it to Farah’s neck.

  “Banish her instead!” Ivy shouted, desperate to stop him. “That way you’ll keep the Vipers’ loyalty.”

  “I only have their fear, and if the Vipers choose to rebel, so be it, I only like a few of you; the rest can go to Hell.” He drew the knife across Farah’s throat, blood gushing forth.

  Ivy screamed, along with Menna and every Viper at the table. Menna went for Farah, while Ivy charged at the Black Russian, a few Vipers following her. A guard shot in front of Ivy, holding his sword out. Ivy dropped to the floor, sweeping his legs out from under him. He fell backwards, dropping his sword. She swiped it up and jumped to her feet, the sound of gunfire capturing her attention. Sasha was shooting at the Vipers. Two went down, a third one knocking the gun out of his hand. The Viper swung a fist at him. He dodged the strike and pulled out a knife, stabbing the woman in the neck.

  D let out a holler and charged at another guard with a chair, screaming out a war cry. The Black Guards were closing in on the Vipers, all of their swords now drawn.

  Menna yelled at Ivy, “Behind you!”

  Ivy pivoted, using her sword to block a Black Guard’s attack at the last second. She continued to defend herself, getting pushed back with each strike, the man too good for her.

  Menna shouted at her in Arabic to move to her left. Ivy did what she was told, allowing Menna to take over the fight, her sister also having acquired a sword from a fallen guard. With each swing, Me
nna forced the Black Guard backwards, the man struggling to deflect her strikes. Before he could blink, Menna spun around, slicing the blade across his stomach, sending him to his knees, her sister an exceptional swordswoman.

  Ivy’s eyes shot to the Black Russian as he strode towards the exit, leaving his guards to take out the Vipers. She rushed after him, stumbling to the side as someone knocked into her. Righting her footing, she turned to face her attacker, seeing Sasha unsheathing his sword. His knife was buried deep in a Viper’s chest, the woman lying a few feet from them.

  Ivy moved into a defensive stance. “I don’t want to kill you, Sasha.”

  “And I don’t want you killing the Black Russian,” he replied.

  “He murdered my mother and sister!”

  “If anything happens to him, my brother dies.”

  Without warning, he lashed out with his sword, slicing the back of her arm and hand. She cried out and dropped her sword. He lifted his own one, looking like he was going in for the kill. A Viper hollered behind him, rushing in to defend Ivy. Sasha spun around, plunging his sword into Cassidy’s stomach. The Australian Viper collapsed to the floor, her eyes filled with shock. Sasha removed his blade in an upward motion, sending her to Heaven or Hell.

  A scream split the air, Kennedy crying out in distress, the fallen Viper her lover. Kennedy rushed at Sasha, her hands and feet her only weapons. Sasha moved to the side, looking like he was going to bury his sword into Kennedy as well. Another Viper ran at him from behind, Sasha not seeing her. Without thought, Ivy yelled out a warning. Sasha spun around, but it was too late, the Viper stabbing him in the shoulder. He dropped his sword and staggered back, raising an arm to defend himself.

  Knowing they were going to kill him, Ivy lunged for Sasha, ordering the two Vipers to stand down, her heart taking control of her mind. She wrapped an arm around his neck and yanked the knife out of his shoulder, pulling him to her body. She placed the blade to his throat, taking him hostage.

  “CEASE!” she hollered at the top of her lungs, “I have your captain!”

  Within seconds the fighting came to a halt, everyone turning to her.

  “You will either let us leave,” she said, “or Sasha dies.”

  “Ignore her!” Sasha barked, clutching his wounded shoulder. “Follow your orders or suffer the consequences!”

  In the blink of an eye, the fighting resumed, making Ivy yell out in fury. She struck the back of Sasha’s head with the knife’s pommel, knocking him out. There was no way she could kill him, but she couldn’t allow him to kill any more Vipers either.

  Another guard charged her. She threw the knife at him, embedding it in the man’s chest. Within seconds, she had his sword as well as her own, using both to attack yet another guard. She dropped down, slicing the blades across his shins. The man screamed in agony, his breath leaving him as Menna rammed a sword through his back.

  “There’s too many of them!” Menna shouted. “We need to get out.”

  A Viper cried out a warning. Ivy spun around, seeing more guards heading her way.

  “Circle!” Ivy yelled.

  The Vipers started backing up, the ones without swords getting pushed into the middle.

  “Far door!” Ivy shouted.

  They moved in a group, defending themselves from the Black Guards’ attack.

  “Motherfuckers!” an American accent yelled, sounding like Kennedy, the only one not in the circle. A boom followed, flinging several guards back. Ivy didn’t know how the hell Kennedy had gotten hold of a grenade, but for the first time ever she was grateful that the bitch was alive.

  Knowing this was their only chance to get out, Ivy hollered, “Run!”

  The Vipers all made for the door. Ivy charged in front of them, knowing that if more guards appeared she needed to lead the escape. Menna joined her, swinging her sword at a guard as he rounded the corner. She slashed it across the man’s throat and pushed past him. Two more guards appeared in front of them. Menna took care of them without much effort, her sister beyond impressive.

  Distressed cries came from behind Ivy, suggesting more Vipers were dying. Her eyes shot to a passageway that led to a fire escape. She barked at Menna in Arabic, telling her to head for it.

  The both of them sprinted down the passage, the remaining Vipers following them. More guards appeared, but they were new ones, boys still in their teens, no competition for a stampede of fully trained Vipers. A few of the boys turned and ran, the others getting cut down within seconds.

  As they came to the end of the passageway, Menna kicked open the fire escape, setting off an alarm. Ivy ran through the doorway, a blast of cold air hitting her full on. She continued forward, the snow-covered ground making it hard to run. Gunfire started up behind her. D sprinted past her, disappearing into the night, the woman an incredible runner, her powerful thighs chewing up the distance.

  Ivy picked up speed, doing her best to keep up with Menna, now more concerned with running than fighting. Another Viper raced past them, yelling out as a bullet hit her in the back, sending the woman sprawling onto her front. Ivy went to help her.

  Menna grabbed Ivy’s arm, yelling, “Don’t stop!”

  Overwhelmed with emotion, Ivy allowed her sister to pull her along. More than half of the Vipers were dead, along with Farah—her idol.

  They came to a wire fence and quickly scaled it, the barbwire at the top biting into Ivy’s flesh. Ivy continued over it, no longer caring about the pain, her mind on Farah’s death. She dropped to the ground on the other side and glanced back at the Black Russian’s palace, vowing to return ... so she could kill the bastard.

  21

  After Brando had taken Ivy back to her sister’s bedside, he headed down the passage, needing to talk to Vinnie about acquiring some concealable weapons. Palming Cyn’s phone, he entered the lounge, stopping at the sight of Jagger exiting the back of the house. Mira was following several paces behind his brother, desire coloring her features. Brando groaned, knowing he needed to sort Mira out, the girl having obviously locked her sights on Jagger.

  He followed Mira out of the house, spotting her about to disappear around the studio. He called out to her. She turned around, giving him a stunning smile. She was dressed in a pretty yellow sundress, which complimented her hourglass figure, the girl’s waist tiny.

  Brando stopped in front of her. “Are you stalking Jagger?”

  Her smile widened. “Why? Are you jealous?”

  “You have an even bigger ego than I do if you think that.”

  She scowled at him. “I do not.”

  “You certainly do, and you need to show me respect, not lust. I’m your uncle, for Christ’s sake.”

  “You’re not my uncle.”

  “Okay, if you don’t want to see me as such, then understand this: all I see when I look at you is a young girl pretending to be a woman. You’re not the type of female I would ever consider bedding, and if you were, I would ruin you after one fuck.”

  She pouted, her bow lips a glossy pink. “Why are you being horrible?”

  “Because you need to be told outright since you don’t understand polite brush-offs.”

  “Then, if you’re not interested, maybe Jagger will be. I was told he’s only five years older than me.”

  “You shouldn’t go near him, he trains pleasure slaves.”

  Her eyes widened. “Jagger trains slaves?”

  He nodded. “So, go back to your PlayStation, ragazzina.”

  “I’m not a little girl!” Her angry expression disappeared. “And I can prove it.”

  “How?”

  She stepped in closer. “I’ll show you in your room.”

  “Are you offering me what I think you are?”

  She nodded. “I’ll make you come so hard you won’t know what hit you.”

  He bit back a laugh. “Is that so?”

  She gave him a resolute nod.

  “Okay,” he said, wanting to teach her a lesson.

  A smile lit up her f
ace. “You mean it?”

  “Sure, and I know exactly how you’ll make me come.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her against his body, making her gasp. He moved his other hand to her ass, giving it a squeeze. “I’m going to fuck your culo like a cunt, then I’ll fuck your mouth straight afterwards.”

  “No!” She tried to pull back. “Let me go!”

  He let go, smiling as she took off. “Don’t offer favors to men, Mira!” he called out, “because you might get more than you expect in return.”

  She disappeared inside the house, making him wonder whether she was going to tell her father what he’d done. And he’d welcome it, because he would tell Valentino what a little puttana he had in the making.

  Wanting to get back on track, Brando headed inside the twins’ studio. Vinnie peered up from the couch, looking like he was tuning his guitar. He put the guitar down and pushed to his feet. “I heard what happened to Menna. Is she going to be all right?”

  “Cesare believes so, though she will be bedridden for a while.”

  “What about her baby?”

  Brando shook his head.

  Vinnie grimaced. “Dominic was right about Cyn.”

  “The Black Russian blackmailed her into doing the hit, hence why I’m here. I need some concealable bombs and a tranquilizer strong enough to knock the giant bastardo out. I want to bring him back for Ivy to kill.”

  “Ricardo said you weren’t involved in the Viper operation.”

  “Which is why I’m going in alone, so don’t tell him.”

  Vinnie’s eyebrows shot up. “No, Brando, that’s a suicide mission.”

  “I’ll be fine; the Black Russian will welcome me into his home.”

  “I highly doubt that, especially with the Vipers staying here.”

  “He’ll still want me to visit. He’s been trying to get me to perform for him for years.”