TORMENTED: Bratva Fury (book 1)

by Alexi Ferreira

  “Excuse me,” I say angrily, and hurriedly turn and start walking away before he can say anything. I hear Vlad say something in Russian, but I’m too upset to care what it could be.

  ALEXEY 5

  “Let her go, Brother. Today has been a hard day for her,” Vlad says, his hand on my bicep, as I’m halfway out of my chair to bring Jade back to the table. I take in a deep breath and sit back down. She will have to learn that I will not accept her walking away like that, but Vlad is right. Today was a long and hard day for her; therefore, I will let her go.

  When she revealed why she was uncomfortable in Andrei’s presence, I wanted to cut his hands off. When I asked him to collect her things, I didn’t even think that he would be touching her underwear. The image of him holding, touching the things that have been against her, so privately, makes me see red. What I said to her is the truth; I will not have her wear anything that another man has touched.

  The only one allowed to touch them is me; she will soon understand that she now belongs to me. Looking over at Vlad, I see a wide grin on his face. “What’s so funny?” I grunt in annoyance.

  “You like this one, hey?” he says. “Life has just become very entertaining around here.”

  “You don’t want to eat here anymore, do you?” At my words, his eyes twinkle in mischief.

  “You can’t do that, especially now. Her food is so good,” He grumbles playfully as he butters himself another piece of bread. He’s right; her food is good. I never expected this when she asked to cook. I can see that this is one of her passions, and I will make sure that she cooks anytime she wants. I will speak to Silvia to make sure she gets anything that Jade might want or need to continue to bake or cook the way she wants.

  I shouldn’t let her get under my skin. She will be a weakness, and I don’t do weaknesses. In my life, a weakness can be exploited by my enemies. Setting down my fork, I look over at Vlad and see that he’s been looking at me this whole time.

  “Let’s go,” I order as I pull back my chair. Andrei came to tell me that they have Sloan downstairs in the cells. It’s time to make him talk, and he will talk. Making my way towards the door, I hear Vlad behind me. When I walk outside, Ivan and Andrei are waiting. “Stay here,” I state to Ivan; even though I know she won’t be able to leave, I will not have her unprotected.

  We make our way to the basement where I have the cells, and I see two of our men standing outside one of the cells. When I approach, they both lower their heads in respect. Opening the door to the cell, I see that Sloan has been strung up, his feet barely touching the ground, but he hasn’t been touched. I look over at Nik and see him leaning against the wall with a bored expression on his face.

  Nik doesn’t say much. He’s one cold son of a bitch, and that’s why when it comes to torture, no one beats him. He’s methodical and always gets the information out of whomever we need. When I need certain jobs done, I send him.

  “Where did you find him?” I ask as I look at Sloan. His eyes are bloodshot, and I can tell that he’s been drinking. There is a frightened look to him, and he’s right to be frightened, because he won’t be leaving here.

  “At the casino,” Nik replies.

  “You’re very stupid or very brave. You try to kill me and then you go gambling?” I state.

  “I didn’t try to kill you,” he says. I pull back my fist and punch him in the gut.

  “If you lie to me, it will just be worse. Did Salazar order the shooting?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He gasps, and I punch him again.

  “I found this in his pocket,” Nik says as he hands me a piece of paper. Looking down at the paper, I see it has the time and location of where our shipment was attacked. I pass the paper to Vlad.

  “How did you get this information?” I ask, but he just shakes his head. I’ve had enough of this asshole. Pulling my gun from the back of my waist, I shoot him in the knee. He screams in agony and buckles against his restraints.

  “Shall we try this again?” I say as I point my gun at his other leg. “How did you get this information?”

  “One of Salazar’s men gave it to me.” He gasps in agony; I move my hand behind me and place the gun in the waist of my pants, and then I move forward and place my hand around his throat and squeeze.

  “Now listen carefully, because I will not be repeating myself. You are going to tell us how you got that information and who gave the order to kill me. If you don’t, you will die very painfully,” I murmur, as my face is close to his ear as he gasps for air. Moving back, I let go of his throat. “Do you want to tell us anything?” I see his eyes widen. He knows that when I threaten, I follow through with what I say.

  “I don’t know how they got the information. That’s the truth. Marco gave it to me; I was to send the info to the truck driver,” he confesses. “Salazar found out I was working for you, and he gave me an ultimatum. I was to organize a meeting where they were to kill Vlad.” At his answer, my anger rises. Son of a bitch. So, they were trying to kill Vlad, not me.

  “Why Vlad?” I snap.

  “Salazar wants to hurt you before he kills you, and he knows that killing Vlad would do that.” Salazar is a dead man; he thinks to go after Vlad. I will burn his prostitution houses to the ground. I will destroy him, and then he will die by my hand.

  “What does he want with our weapons?” Vlad asks.

  “Don’t know.” I punch him again, but this time, in the face. His lip starts bleeding, and there’s a cut on his cheek. I pull out my gun again and see him pale. His eyes widen. “No, please, please, I’ll tell you everything I know,” he says hurriedly.

  We continue interrogating him for a couple hours. Looking at my watch, I see that it’s one thirty in the morning, and I have an important meeting in the morning. “Nik, take over. Get everything you can from him, and then I want him gone,” I say in Russian. Nik nods and approaches. He pulls out the black gloves he has in his back pocket and slowly puts them on as he looks Sloan up and down as if trying to think where to begin.

  “No . . . Mr. Vasiliev . . . please, I told you everything,” he pleads as he looks with horror at Nik. Everyone knows Nik’s reputation. If you’re unfortunate enough to be his victim, you know you’re going to suffer. Sloan is already bleeding from various wounds inflicted by me and Vlad, but I’m sure that by the time Nik is finished with him, he will have double what he has now. “Mr. Vasiliev, please. I know more stuff. I can . . . help you.” Nik walks behind him, Sloan’s head turning to see what he’s doing.

  “You betrayed me,” I rumble. “You knew the consequences.” With that, I walk out and hear him scream just as Nik plunges a knife into his thigh. Making our way back upstairs, I see Ivan sitting outside my door. “Any problems?”

  “No, Boss,” he answers.

  “You can go. You, too, Andrei. I’ll be leaving at seven tomorrow morning,” I update as I put in the code to open my door.

  “Night, Boss, Vlad,” they call as they leave. Each man has his own apartment in the building, so they just need to go down a floor. Vlad is the only one on the same floor as me. The highest ranking are on the floor below, and then we have others on other floors depending on their ranking. The ones with wives and kids also have apartments if they so desire. Most of my men prefer to stay in the building with their families because we have tight security throughout. No one we don’t know about goes in or out.

  I don’t always stay at the apartment; I also have a two-story house just outside the city where I sometimes stay, but the apartment has been convenient. Walking into the apartment, I see that the food we left on the table has been packed away and the dishes have been removed.

  Jade must have come out and cleaned up. Why would she do that if she was upset with me? The woman is confusing, but I will figure her out. “Damn, I was hoping the food was still out,” Vlad grumbles. Looking over my shoulder at him, I shake my head. I can’t understand how he can eat so much. I move towards the drinks cabinet and
lift the vodka bottle. Picking up two glasses, I move towards the couches. Pouring vodka, I give one to Vlad and take the other.

  “I don’t want you to take unnecessary risks until we have this situation under control,” I state.

  “I’m not going to hide away from this fucker, Alexey,” Vlad says with a scowl.

  “You will do as I say,” I order, my eyes boring into him. Vlad knows when to push me and when not. He looks at me and then grunts. Taking the bottle from the table, he fills our glasses again. He knows that no matter what, I will not have him at risk.

  “What are you going to do?” Vlad asks. After the answers we got from Sloan, we now understand that Salazar is trying to break into the armament deals. He thinks that by stealing my weapons, I won’t be able to deliver on time to my clients, and that will help him steal them from me. The fucker. There is no way I’m letting him steal from me.

  Sloan also said that Salazar has joined forces with someone else, but he’s not sure who. I’m going to have to find out who. Judging by his bravery, it must be someone with resources that can help him.

  “I want to know who Salazar has joined forces with, and then I’m going to burn down his prostitution houses.” I see Vlad nod in agreement. “When I have him where I want him, he will be dead.”

  “Tomorrow, I’m getting Boris home. I will also get our men to find out anything they can about this partnership Salazar has going.” I nod at Vlad in confirmation.

  “I’m going to meet with Draco tomorrow morning from the MC club; I want them to start making all the runs for us.” We’ve worked with the Elementals’ MC for a long time now and never had a problem with them. They collect and deliver on time with no hiccups.

  “Can you trust them?” Vlad asks with a raised eyebrow.

  “We shall see,” I answer, and then change the subject. “I want you to bring Jade to the Ace of Spades tomorrow afternoon.” I will take her to buy lingerie myself. Vlad, knowing that we will not be talking anymore work, rises from the couch, ready to make his way to his apartment.

  “Sure, goodnight, Brat,” he calls as he leaves.

  “Goodnight,” I call as I lean back on the coach and look out at the view of the city below. My mind wanders back to Jade and how her eyes light up when she’s angry. A smile crosses my face. That woman is courageous. No one contradicts me, but she does it all the time, and I must be honest; I’m feeling more alive than I have ever felt before. She will either make me very happy or be the death of me.

  JADE 6

  I was still angry at what happened yesterday and how presumptuous Alexey was. After pacing for nearly an hour last night in my room, I finally gave up on trying to be calm and marched into the lounge to give Alexey a piece of my mind but found that there was no one there. Still fuming, I packed the food away and cleaned the dishes, but by the time I was finished, there was still no sign of anyone, so I made my way back to my room and prepared for bed.

  I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but as soon as I dropped into bed, I was out. I step out of my bedroom this morning, prepared to fight with Alexey, but to my surprise, his office door is open but he’s not there. I hear a noise in the kitchen and make my way there, finding a woman of about fifty singing softly to herself; I take in her dark hair tied in a bun, an apron tied around her full figure. She has a friendly face, one that seems to smile often.

  “Hello,” I call out. The woman jumps in surprise as she looks around to see me, her hand going to her chest. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “That’s fine, dear, don’t you worry. I was distracted,” she says with a smile. “You must be Jade. I was looking forward to meeting you.” She moves towards me and hugs me close. At first, I stiffen at her friendly greeting, but then I find my arms going around her waist, and I’m hugging her back. “Vlad couldn’t stop talking about you this morning; I don’t know what food you gave those boys last night, but they sure loved it.” Some of my anger dissipates at hearing how they were raving about my food.

  “Have they left already?” I ask.

  “They sure did. Those two are usually up at sunrise and out the house as soon as they’ve had breakfast,” she reveals as she walks back to unpacking some cupboards.

  “Can I help you?” I ask.

  “Oh, no, dear, just sit right over there and I will bring you breakfast in a jiffy. What would you like for breakfast?” she asks.

  “Don’t worry about my breakfast. I will just have some toast, and I can make it myself. You just go ahead with what you’re doing,” I suggest as I walk towards the coffee machine and start pouring myself a cup of strong coffee.

  “I’m just getting rid of all the nuts and ingredients that have any kind of nut components in them,” she states as she goes back to reading the back of a biscuit package. My stomach flutters when I realise she’s doing this because of me. Suddenly, she lifts her head and looks at me again. “You must show me where your injector is just in case you need it some day and I’m around.” My body warms at the caring I feel from this woman.

  “Thank you,” I murmur, trying not to show her how all of this touches me.

  “Don’t thank me, dear. I can tell you’re a sweetheart. I think you’re just what this house needs,” she states with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Oh, I’m not going to be here that long,” I say as I pop the slice of bread into the toaster.

  She looks at me for a moment and then turns back to what she was doing before. “I wouldn’t start packing just yet,” she murmurs. “By the way, dear, Alexey mentioned that you love to cook and bake and that we should get you everything you might need or want for the kitchen. Just make a list, and I will get one of the boys to pick up everything for you.” At her words, my stomach drops in surprise. Alexey wants me to get anything I want. Why is he being so nice? The anger I was holding against him disappears.

  “Is it okay with you if I cook and bake?” I know that she usually cooks for them, and I don’t want her to think that I’m intruding on her work. She turns her head to look at me and gives me an open smile.

  “You would be helping me. You see, I only work here half the day, and with the cleaning, washing, and cooking, I’m rushed off my feet. Not that the boys complain, bless them,” she confesses.

  “I can help you while I’m here,” I offer. I don’t like to sit around doing nothing, and if Alexey insists on me staying here, I may as well make myself useful.

  “Thank you, dear. You have a good heart. By the way, my name is Silvia,” she says as she returns to work. I eat my toast and then rinse my dishes. When I’m finished, I ask her what I can help with, but she looks at the clock and I notice that it’s eleven thirty already.

  “Don’t worry about helping today, dear. Just go ahead and get ready. Vlad should be here in the next half hour or so to pick you up,” she says. I didn’t know I was supposed to go out, but I’m more than ready to leave this gilded cage of mine. I rush towards my room and quickly change from my drab jeans and T-shirt to my black tights and dark-blue off-the-shoulder top. I rummage in my bag and find my high-heeled black boots.

  Once I’m dressed, I rush to the bathroom and start by applying foundation and eyeliner, which is usually the only makeup I use unless I’m going out. Leaning down, I toss my hair forward and fluff the curls a little before standing and tossing my hair back. Looking at myself in the mirror, I turn slightly and shrug. This is as good as it’s going to get. Making my way towards the bedside table, I pick up my phone and leave. Closing the door behind me, I walk to the lounge just in time to see Vlad walk in.

  He sees me as soon as he enters and stops. Looking me up and down, he grins and then whistles playfully. Instantly, my cheeks flame with colour at his playfulness. “I did not know you were so cruel,” he states with a grin.

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “The men won’t be able to resist looking at you, and then my brat will kill them for looking at his woman,” he teases, making my he
art lurch.

  “I’m not your brother’s woman, and you’re being silly. No one will look at me,” I snap, glaring at him. Vlad throws back his head and roars with laughter.

  “We will see, kapacota. We will see.” He opens the door again and motions for me to precede. We ride the lift down to the garage, and Vlad guides me to his car. “Buckle up,” he says, waiting for me to put on my seatbelt before he starts his car.

  “Vlad.”

  “Mmm?”

  “What does malysh mean?” I know I butchered the word, but I need to know what Alexey keeps calling me. Looking over at him, I see him grinning as he stops at a traffic light.

  “Baby,” he says.

  “What? It means baby?” My cheeks instantly warm at his words. Alexey has been calling me baby this whole time. I huff and turn my head away, looking out the window for him not to see my face. Is that an endearment or does he think I’m a child? I’m still pondering about all the possibilities when Vlad pulls into a parking lot. Looking up, I see a sign that reads Ace of Spades. I’ve heard about this night club. Apparently, it’s very sought after. Lara and I wanted to come here once, but she told me that sometimes we have to stand for hours in a queue to try to get in.

  “Why are we at a club?” I ask suspiciously. If they think I’m going to be involved in some mafia business, they are hugely mistaken.

  “Alexey is inside waiting for you.” My stomach flutters knowing that Alexey is inside and that I will see him in a few minutes.

  “Isn’t the club still closed?” I ask, looking around at the deserted parking lot.

  “The staff are already inside. There’s a parking lot below the club where all the staff park,” he explains as he opens the car door and makes his way around the car to open my door. Walking towards the bar, my heart starts to beat erratically. Why am I so nervous about seeing Alexey? I have never been so flustered over a man as I am now. What is it about him that triggers this reaction from me? Am I attracted to violence? I’ve always hated violence because of my father, and I promised myself that I would never be with a violent man. Then why am I so attracted to the most dangerous man in the city?