Fury: (Bratva Fury)

by Alexi Ferreira

  “You want to talk about it?” he asks when we are both walking towards the changing room. I know that Nik is like a tomb. Whatever you tell him stays with him, but this is my problem, and at the moment, I don’t even know what to do or why Haley went to the police; therefore, I don’t really have much to say.

  “Nothing to say.” I can see that he doesn’t believe me, but he lets it go. I go into the shower, and when I come out, he is gone. I am buttoning my shirt when Andrei walks in. As my shadow and my oldest friend, he is someone I know understands me.

  “Where did you disappear to today? Your brother will have my balls if he knows you are going out alone,” Andrei says as he takes a seat on the bench. I know that he doesn’t ask out of curiosity but out of concern, but I have always gone where I want when I want, and Andrei doesn’t accompany me as my bodyguard but as a friend. He knows that there are times that I would rather be alone. When I raise my brow at him, he shakes his head in defeat.

  “Did you need me?” I know that Andrei wouldn’t be testing me if something didn’t happen.

  “Yeah, cops went sniffing around the club about an hour ago. Alexei and Dimitri are there, but I couldn’t get hold of you to let you know.”

  Shit, this issue with Haley is messing with my head. I stretch into my locker and pull out my phone to see what messages I’ve received and see two missed calls from Alexei, one from Andrei and a text message from Andrei asking me to call him.

  I dial Alexei’s number; on the second ring, he answers, and by his abrupt greeting, I can tell that he’s in a foul mood. “I heard the cops were at the club.”

  “Get here,” he says, and disconnects the call without saying anything else.

  “We’re going to the club,” I tell Andrei as I slip on my charcoal suit jacket. This will give me time to think about what I’m going to do with Haley. All I know is that I won’t let her go until I know why she did what she did and what she said to the police. Tucking my gun behind my back, I turn towards Andrei and incline my head towards the door, which has him standing. We make our way out of the gym and down to the garage.

  “How’s the training going?” Andrei asks when we are on our way. I sometimes train with Andrei, but I’ve noticed that ever since he jumped in front of a bullet for me, his right hook isn’t as powerful as before; therefore, I try to keep him on the side-lines instead of in the ring. Andrei has proved his loyalty to me. Not only has he saved my life, but he has been right there beside me no matter what.

  “Not as well as I expected,” I say. I should be spending my days at the gym training, but the last couple weeks, there has been a lot of shit going on, and some nights, instead of being at the gym, I have either been with Haley or on the phone with her. Just the thought of it has my blood boiling. I was so stupid.

  “Not long to go. You need to get your mind in the ring.” I can feel Andrei’s eyes on me as I manoeuvre the car into a parking space that is allocated to us, but I don’t acknowledge him, as I know that he can tell that there is something that has my blood up. I didn’t even tell Andrei about the shipment, but I went to tell a woman, all because I was infatuated. That’s the fucking last time I let my dick dictate my life.

  “I know. Just a lot going on at the moment, as you can tell.” Andrei has known me for years; therefore, he also knows when not to push me any longer. I hear him grunt in reply, but he doesn’t say anything else as we make our way into the club. I see the queue has already started to form at the entrance, as it’s nearly opening time.

  We have various clubs throughout, as that is a big part of our income. It is also a good way to money launder. We know that the police have their eye on everything we do, trying to catch us, but they did not have a leg to stand on or anything to tie us to. Now, they will be on us like honey to a bee. Entering the club through the side door, we make our way towards Alexei’s office.

  Knocking, I hear Alexei bid us enter. When I open the door, I see Dimitri sitting on one of the chairs and our lawyer on another. “Why don’t you go have a drink? I’ll call you before I leave,” I say to Andrei before closing the door behind me.

  “What happened?” I ask with a frown.

  “For now, nothing yet, but I’m making sure that if it does, we are prepared,” Alexei says as he rubs his forehead.

  “Andrei said that the police were here. What did they want?”

  “To intimidate,” Dimitri says. “Came in, flashed their badges around, asked a few questions, then left.”

  “I think you should distance yourself as much as possible from all of this. Go away with Jade and the kids for a while. If things blow up, they can’t blame you, as you aren’t around,” I say to Alexei, which has him scowling at me.

  “You think I’m going to run away?” he asks angrily.

  “It’s not running away. It’s about taking a break. They will see you’re not worried about anything if you go away to the beach with your family,” I state, trying to convince him to get away from this as much as he can. I want to be able to take the blame if anything happens.

  “No.” I know that tone brooks no argument. I already knew he was going to refuse. Like me, Alexei will never run from his responsibilities, but I was hoping he would listen to reason.

  “Fine, so what are we doing?”

  “I’ve looked again at all the paperwork used regarding the alias, and there is nothing that will link back to the boss. The only thing they have is someone who knew when the shipment was arriving and says the Bratva was involved, but there is no evidence. They don’t have a case. What I do suggest is that you keep everything quiet for awhile until they forget about this,” our lawyer advises. We have had Thomas on our books for years. He came asking Alexei for help with a situation that Alexei resolved for him. Ever since then, he has been on our payroll.

  “Thanks, Thomas. Make sure to keep us updated if there is any change that you become aware of,” Alexei says as the lawyer prepares to leave. As soon as he leaves, Alexei leans back on his chair and closes his eyes. “I think this will blow over once they don’t find anything. Thomas is right; they’re going to be investigating everything about us. We will stop all shipments of weapons until further notice. I want everything above board.” He opens his eyes when he says that and looks over at me for my confirmation. “Have you spoken to the Elementals?”

  “Da. As soon as Celmund finds something, we will know about it,” I reply.

  “Dimitri, have you had any news?”

  “Not yet, Boss. You know things like this. They keep it to a need-to-know status. I think we might get more information out of the Elementals MC than the guys we have inside.”

  “You know what I think?” Alexei says as he leans forward and looks at both of us. “I think we are paying all these assholes a whole lot of money and they are no use to us.” He is right. We have had a raid before, and no one warned us. Now they confiscate our shipment and we aren’t warned. We need information, and none of them can get us that information.

  “Maybe we are using the wrong tactics,” I state as I approach Alexei’s desk and sit down. “Instead of paying those assholes, maybe we should use force. They might understand that concept better.”

  “We will deal with all of them when this is over. I am tired of paying for assholes who aren’t worth it.” Just then, Dimitri’s phone starts to ring.

  “Talk of the devil, this is one of them.” He stands as he answers and walks out to go talk to the cop who just contacted him.

  “Looks like that one just saved himself,” I mutter as I look over at Alexei and see him frowning at me. “What?”

  “What’s going on with you?”

  “I’ll tell you once I have answers,” I say, and see the consideration in Alexei’s eyes, but he doesn’t push me for an answer, simply nodding in response. How will he ever be able to trust me after this? I let him down, but I will make sure to make this right.

  HALEY 4

  A sound must have woken me. I raise my hand to rub at my te
mples, as they feel like they’re going to explode. I look around and am disorientated when I see the four-poster bed that I’m lying in, and the long mirror on one wall. And then everything comes flooding back, and I can feel the knot building in my throat. How did I get into this bed? I must have fallen asleep on the couch last night while waiting for Vlad to come back.

  I was so mentally and physically exhausted that I didn’t even wake up when he brought me in here. At least I don’t have to be back at work until tomorrow night because of my double shift, which will give me time to try to convince Vlad that I need to go home. I know that he wants answers, but I can’t tell him that Paige is responsible for this.

  How could she go behind my back and do this? I know she’s still young and hot-headed, but this is mean. She did all this just to get Vlad out of my life, but by doing so, she has placed him in real trouble. I know he’s in this trouble because of what he is, but this is all he knows. It is part of what he has always been. I saw a part of Vlad last night that I had never seen, and it frightened me. I can tell that he was hurt, and I don’t blame him. He thinks that I betrayed him, and even though it kills me to let him believe that—because I know that in the life that he leads, it can’t be easy to trust—I can’t tell him the truth, and besides, in a way, it is my fault.

  Paige is my sister, and knowing how much she resented Vlad, I should have said something to him or tried to maintain the two of them apart. Now it’s too late to think of what I should have done and rather think of what I should do. I told Paige last night that I would stop seeing Vlad, but I don’t think that will be a problem now that he thinks I went to the police on him.

  It doesn’t make it easier, though. I have felt things with Vlad that I have never felt with anyone else, and the fact that this will end so badly has me wanting to pull out my hair in despair. How could she do this to me? I have always done everything in my power to make things easier for Paige, always going beyond my means to please her. The least she could have done was tell me.

  I know that in her own way, she thought that maybe she was helping me by keeping us away from each other, but I know that deep down, she was also being selfish, and that is something I will never understand, but that I need to accept about her.

  I sit up in bed and groan as my head pounds. I really need a headache tablet. Looking around, I see a slightly open door that gives me a view to what looks like the bathroom. I’m still surprised at how Vlad lives. Compared to my little house, this is such luxury. Now looking at all this, I’m embarrassed about the meagre belongings I have at home. No wonder Vlad purchased that car for me. He must have been feeling sorry for me.

  Now that this has happened, he will either take the car back or agree to me paying him back. This is such a bad situation; my heart feels like it’s being wrenched from inside me. I hate that he thinks it’s me, but I’m scared of what they might do to Paige if they know it’s her. Walking into the bathroom, I look around, trying to find anything that might have tablets, but don’t find anything. Maybe if I have a hot shower, the headache will go away. I don’t want to do anything that might anger Vlad more than he already is.

  I don’t have any clothes here, but maybe I will find something in the cupboard. I will make sure to wash it and send it back once I’m back home, not that he would miss it going by everything I see around me. I knew Vlad had money, but I never thought he would be this well off. I know that his fights give him a lot of money, but I’m sure some of it also comes from whatever he does in the mafia. I don’t know much about the mafia, but I have a feeling that once you’re in the mafia, you can’t really leave, or they will kill you, or that is what I have heard. Maybe that is why Vlad doesn’t leave, as I’m sure with his fighting, he wouldn’t need the money that he might get from being part of the mafia.

  I walk back out and to the door next to the bathroom. Opening it, I gasp. “Wow,” I murmur as I look around at the walk-in closet. I can see all Vlad’s clothes neatly hanging. There are clothes for every occasion. From jeans right up to suits. Even though I have never seen him in jeans, I have a feeling he will be as handsome in them as he is in a suit.

  Vlad has a rugged look to him that attracts the attention of women. One thing I wanted to do with him that I never got to do was go out with him for dinner or just for a walk. Vlad always said that we would go, but we never did, and I think it’s because he didn’t want anyone to see us together. I know he was keeping me away from his life, but in a way, I felt like he was embarrassed about me, and at the time, I told myself that I was being silly because all he wanted was to keep me safe, but now, when I look around me and see the way he lives and the differences in our lifestyles, I think that maybe he was embarrassed to be seen with a mere nurse.

  I see a neat stack of T-shirts in one corner that, like all the rest of his clothes, look like they have never been used. Taking the top one, I quickly walk back out and into the bathroom. It’s time I have a shower and face Vlad. I know that at the moment, he must hate me, but there is nothing that can be done. I will apologise once again. Maybe one day he will be able to forgive me. I just hope that he doesn’t get into trouble with the mafia because of telling me about the shipment.

  I hadn’t considered that. Will they hurt Vlad because of him telling me mafia business? My heart is racing as I rinse my hair, and a knot is tightening in my stomach again. Oh, Paige, what have you done? If they hurt Vlad because of this, I will never forgive Paige. I hurry through my shower so that I can get this over and done with. If there is anything that he needs me to do to fix this with the mafia, then I will do it.

  After the shower, I slide my bra back on, but I can’t wear the same panties. I will have to wear one of Vlad’s boxers. The T-shirt slides down my body to just below my hips.

  “I see you’ve been making yourself at home.” I jump in fright at Vlad’s unexpected words. Snapping around, I see him leaning against the doorframe like he’s been there for some time.

  “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Clearly.” His sarcastic reply has me tensing. Since meeting Vlad, he has been nothing but tender and caring with me. I don’t like this cold, unfeeling side of him.

  “I will wash it when I get back home, and send it to you,” I murmur, looking down at the T-shirt. I hear him grunt. Lifting my gaze to his, I see the scowl on his face as his eyes run over my body.

  “You won’t be going home for a while.”

  I tense. What does he mean I won’t be going home? Paige is home, and she will start to worry, as she has no idea where I am. Also, I need to go into work tomorrow. I can’t just stay here.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you are going to stay here until I decide to let you leave, or you can make this easy and just tell me why you went to the police and what you told them.”

  I gasp in shock. At any other time, I would have given anything to be where I am now, but not in this situation. I can see the anger in his eyes, the scorn as he looks at me.

  “You can’t do that, Vlad; I have Paige at home. She will worry, and I have to go into work tomorrow.”

  “You should have thought about that before you decided to betray me,” he replies as he turns and walks into the room. I hurry out of the bathroom, stopping when I see him near the bedroom door.

  “I can’t just miss work, Vlad, and Paige will be calling the police if she can’t get hold of me. Don’t you think that the first person she will suspect is you?”

  He stops, as he was about to walk through the bedroom door, and turns to look back at me. “You decided to try to destroy my life. Well, let’s see how you feel when yours is destroyed instead.” I feel my stomach jolt at his words. He wouldn’t, would he?

  “I said I’m sorry,” I state, and he scowls in anger.

  “Do you think that sorry makes up for what you did? Well, if that is how you think, I’m sorry for what I’m going to do to you.”

  I feel the tears burning my eyes. This isn’t the Vlad I k
now. “Don’t do this, Vlad,” I whisper. When he hears me, it seems to ignite his fury, because the next minute, he is before me and his hands are taking hold of my upper arms and pulling me towards him until I’m flush against his chest. His head swoops down, and his lips take mine in a blistering kiss. I try to pull back, but that just seems to infuriate him more, because he deepens the kiss, forcing me to his will.

  One thing I have learnt about Vlad is that he is a master when it comes to women, and no matter how much I want to fight this onslaught, my body and my mind start to give in to his touch. One minute he is kissing me, and the next, his T-shirt is being pulled up and over my head. One of his hands is moving over my body until it is between my legs. His finger starts to stroke my clit until all I can think about is having this man buried deep within my body, and then his finger penetrates my body, moving in and out, making me gasp in pleasure.

  When my body starts to tighten around his finger, he pulls back. I groan in protest, but he doesn’t return the finger. My eyes open, and then I tense at what I see. His eyes are smouldering in anger, which tells me that this was all some kind of lesson. “I have known a lot of loose women, but you manage to beat all of them.” I feel like a bucket of ice-cold water has just been poured over me. “What is your game? How can you go snitch on me and then melt at my hand?”

  “You did that on purpose.” I can hear the tears in my voice, but I refuse to show him that weakness. He purposefully seduced me just to then stop. How am I going to resist him if he keeps me here? He will destroy me. I can’t tell him about Paige, but I can’t submit to his will either, because all he wants to do now is take revenge for what he thinks I have done.

  “Get used to it. This won’t be a picnic,” he grunts as he starts to turn.

  “How long are you planning on keeping me here? You need to let me phone Paige and my work,” I state, but his lips rise sarcastically.

  “I don’t need to let you do anything. You’re not phoning anyone. From now on, the only thing you need to worry about is pleasing me.”