I see that Vlad and Nik have suspicious looks on their faces; Vlad pulls me behind him as he steps back with a gun in each hand. Nik pulls out one of his weapons and slowly opens the door. “You guys are going to frighten Lara to death,” I mutter.
Nik disappears inside. He can’t have taken more than a few steps inside when he calls out in Russian. I start to move around Vlad, but he holds up his hand, holding me back as he shakes his head. “Net, Jade, there’s something wrong,” he whispers.
“Lara,” I say quietly. “Vlad, is she okay?” I’m holding on to his upper arm as I ask. My heart is racing in fear. Lara has to be fine. She’s my only friend. I’ve known Lara since she was a teenager, and she’s helped me through all the issues with my dad. She has to be fine.
Nik calls out again, and I see Vlad tense. “What did he say?” I ask. “Vlad, what did he say?” I ask again when he doesn’t answer immediately. Vlad places one of his guns in the holster near his ribs but still holds the other. He turns to look at me, a frown on his face, but it’s what I see in his eyes that concerns me.
“Jade, Lara has been hurt. Her guard has been killed. Nik has called for help.” I look at him in shock at what he’s saying. “I’m going to take you to the club now.” Only then do I snap out of my trance. No, I can’t leave Lara when she’s been hurt. I yank my arm away from his hold and run around him and through the door before he can react. As I walk in, I see blood splattered on the wall and a trail of blood on the floor.
My hand covers my mouth as I gag; strong arms come around my shoulders and turn me around into a hard chest just as I see a man’s body on the floor. “Why did you let her in here?” I hear Nik’s angry voice from above me as he strokes my back as I realize that I’m gasping for breath. I hear Vlad swearing, and then he’s snapping in Russian to Nik.
“Lara.” I gasp as I start to pull away, but Nik grabs my upper arms and holds me still as he looks at me.
“Jade, it would be better if you go with Vlad. Help is coming soon for your friend. You shouldn’t see her like that,” he states softly, but I’m already shaking my head as I try to pull away.
“Please, Nik, I need to see her. I need to be with her,” I plead.
“Fuck,” he says angrily. “You shouldn’t, but I will take you. Close your eyes.” I feel him picking me up against him and carrying me. I hear the main door close and Vlad’s steps behind us. Nik lets me down and then turns me around; I open my eyes and gasp at the sight before me.
“Lara,” I call, but she doesn’t move. Lara is lying on her bed, a duvet covering her. I can tell that Nik must have covered her, as I see her bruised unrecognizable face, her hair matted with blood, and her clothes scattered around the room.
I sit on the bed next to her and lift the duvet to touch her hand, but cry out when I see the cuts and bruises on her body. She’s naked under the duvet, and there are cigarette burns on her breasts and something engraved on her stomach. I gag again, and this time, I have to rush into the bathroom before I empty my stomach.
I hear Vlad say something to Nik in Russian and mention Alexey’s name as I retch. I sit here for a few minutes before I get the courage to stand. Turning to wash out my mouth, I stop in horror as I see bloodied letters across the mirror. “She’s next,” it says.
Lara was hurt because of me; this was all because of me. I hurriedly wash out my mouth and walk back out just as the doctor who was with me when I got shot arrives. “Please go outside,” I plead of Nik and Vlad. I’m sure Lara won’t be happy to know that they saw her like this.
“Are you okay, kapacota?” Vlad asks with concern as he gently touches my cheek. I nod and turn back to look at Lara. I hear the bedroom door close behind me and know that the two men have stepped outside as I asked. The doctor pulls back the duvet, and I once again find myself covering my mouth at the sight before me.
“Oh, Lara, I’m so sorry,” I whisper. Even though she can’t hear me, I feel the need to tell her. I move towards the other side of the bed and sit down, taking Lara’s hand in mine. “Lara . . . I’m here. You’re going to be fine,” I murmur as I look up at the doctor as she inspects all of Lara’s wounds. I feel the tears coursing down my cheeks in anguish. There are cuts on her legs that were clearly done with a blade. I can see sperm on her thighs and want to scream in anguish, as I can clearly guess what those animals did to her.
Lara was such a happy-go-lucky kind of person. How can this happen to someone like her? “I’m going to have to get her moved to the clinic at the apartment building. I will stabilize her as best I can, but I don’t have everything I need here.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“There’s still a lot to be done. I won’t lie to you. Her vitals aren’t good, but I’ll do the best that I can, but even if she does pull through, remember that something like this will traumatize her. There will be a lot of damage done that isn’t visible, and that is the worst, as it takes longer to heal.” I nod at the doctor’s words; Lara is strong, and no matter what, I will help her through this. She will get better. She has to.
The doctor continues to clean out wounds and prepare Lara to be moved. I don’t know how long has passed before I hear the door open. I don’t look back, as I’m scared that if I look away, Lara might give up and die. I’m startled by the feel of hands on my shoulders. “You shouldn’t be here, lyubov moya.” I barely understand what Alexey says, as his Russian pronunciation is so strong. I lift my free hand to his one but feel the roughness there. Looking sideways, I see the scrapped skin and bloodied knuckles.
“What happened?” I ask as I lift my head back to see his face. I see him shrug before he bends and kisses my forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers against my forehead.
“They say I’m next.” I feel him tense behind me. His hand on my shoulder tightens before he lets go.
“How do you know this?” I point towards the bathroom and hear him grunt.
“I’m ready to have her moved,” the doctor interrupts as she packs her items in her bag.
“Da, I have my men ready. Come, malysh, let’s go,” he says as he places his hand at my elbow and helps me get up.
“I want to go with her,” I say as I look at Lara wrapped in a white sheet.
“No, you will come with me. We will get there first, and you can make sure everything is ready for her. Yes?” I know everything will be ready by the time we get there, but if I’m there by the time Lara gets there, then it’s fine. I nod, but before I allow him to guide me away, I bend down and kiss Lara on her forehead.
“Hang in there. I love you,” I murmur against her skin before I stand and walk with Alexey. When we step outside, I notice Nik and Vlad are standing just outside the door as if waiting for us. I hear more men talking from the direction of the lounge, and I cringe when I remember the dead guy there. Nik says something in Russian, and Alexey snaps back in anger. I can feel his body vibrating in anger next to mine; I wonder what Nik said to him that has made him even angrier than he already was.
Suddenly, I’m being lifted. “Close your eyes, malysh,” he growls as he starts to walk. I hear the voices that were coming from the lounge area suddenly silence as I’m sure Alexey appears, and then I feel the air from outside on my face. Opening my eyes, I see Andrei and Ivan standing next to what I’m guessing is Alexey’s Mustang; they don’t look at us but keep their attention trained on their surroundings.
Vlad steps before us and opens the passenger door for Alexey to lower me into the seat. When we are already on our way, I notice how tight he’s holding the steering wheel. His scrapped and bloodied knuckles are white, “What happened to your hands?” I ask. “You didn’t get to tell me.”
“I got angry when they told me they let you into the apartment,” he grunts. “You shouldn’t have gone in there.”
“That doesn’t tell me how your hands got like that,” I insist.
“I punched the wall a few times at the office; I needed to get my anger under control bef
ore I could leave,” he confesses. I understand now why he didn’t want to tell me. Alexey always displays a wall of control. Losing control is something he wouldn’t want his men to see.
“I’m responsible for Lara being hurt. It’s me they wanted,” I say, changing the subject of his anger. I look out my window in dejection as I think of the pain Lara must have gone through. My heart hurts when I think of her state of mind when she awakens.
“Don’t say that,” Alexey grunts in anger. “You’re not responsible for any of this.”
“They wrote on the mirror . . . in Lara’s blood,” I whisper as tears course down my cheeks. “She’s next.” I feel the car suddenly swerve, and concentrate on the exterior, seeing Alexey pull up onto the side of the road.
“Listen to me.” His voice is low with rage, his eyes snapping with untold violence. “This was the act of sick men. What happened today has nothing to do with you but with greed. Salazar started this war because he wants what I have. I don’t ever want to hear you say that any of this is your fault. You are innocent in all of this. Do you hear me?” His hands come up, and he strokes the tears away from my cheeks before he lowers his head and kisses me lightly on the lips.
“They raped her,” I whisper.
“I know, malysh. Trust me when I say that I will find who did this and they will pay.” With those words, he pulls back into traffic, and soon, we arrive at the underground parking of the apartment building. When they bring Lara in, we’re there waiting for them.
“I need you all to wait outside while I examine her and do what I need to do,” the doctor demands as she starts to pull out all the items she will need. I see Betty preparing Lara for an IV, and I know that she’s in good hands, and at the moment, I can’t do anything except be in the way, so I allow Alexey to guide me outside. My hand moves to my still-flat stomach, and I stroke it gently. I’m still queasy, but that’s understandable after the day I’ve had.
“You should go relax, malysh. I’m sure all this stress isn’t good for you and the baby,” Alexey rumbles as he places his arm around my shoulders and tucks me in against his warm and muscular body. When I’m in his arms, I feel safe, like nothing can happen, but I realise that reality isn’t like that. Will that be me one day, or will Alexey be able to protect me and our baby from all this ugliness?
I know that I should go rest. My body is starting to shut down with the horror of today and all the stress. “Will you come with me?” I ask as I glance up at him.
“Of course, and I will get someone to come tell us when the doctor is finished,” he promises. I nod, allowing him to guide me to the lift a few minutes later.
A week and a half after the incident, Lara is moved to my mother’s apartment, where she will stay. My mother offered to look after her while Salazar isn’t caught. Since waking up, Lara hasn’t uttered a word. She sits by the window, looking out at the city below us. My heart weeps at the anguish and horror that I see in her eyes.
Most of the wounds have healed, but as the doctor said, the worst of the wounds is internal, and that one will take a long time to heal. I have spent nearly all my time with her, talking about my baby and even letting her know that my marks came in and I passed. Lara doesn’t show any signs of even listening to me; Alexey says that it takes time. She was badly traumatized, and I need to be very patient.
Today, for the first time, we are going to see a councillor. Alexey wanted him to come here, but he suggested that it was better that Lara get out and integrate into the day to day of life again. I insisted on going with her; therefore, Alexey is also coming. Since what happened to Lara, he hasn’t let me out without him.
He was protective before, but now he is unmovable when it comes to my safety.
ALEXEY 21
I have had every rock turned, but still, we haven’t found any sign of Salazar. I have destroyed most of his empire. His men have dwindled down to only a few, and those will be gone soon too. I know that he will show his face soon, as he won’t be able to hold out for much longer. I will be the one to kill him, for his audacity in attacking me but mainly for threatening Jade.
We have just left the doctor’s room after Lara’s consultation when my phone rings. “Da,” I answer, seeing that it’s Dimitry. Today we’re in the SUV to accommodate Lara, Jade, Nik, and myself. Nik is driving, leaving me free to answer my phone.
“Boss, we know who the rat is,” he states. I can feel my heart race at that.
“Who?”
“Maria,” Dimitry reveals. “We managed to retrieve some of her old messages.” At the revelation, my anger rises. A woman? Why the hell would she be willing to do this when she knows that if she gets caught, she will be killed? No wonder she kept trying to seduce me. I told her last week she was being transferred to another club, and she was devastated. Now I know why.
“Where is she now?” I ask. We’re nearly at the club, as I arranged for lunch to be delivered there so that Lara and Jade could get out a bit. I want to get hold of Maria as soon as possible and find out what she knows, so if she’s at the club, I can leave Jade and Lara to have lunch while I deal with her.
“At the Ace of Spades,” Dimitry replies.
“I’m nearly there.” With that, I disconnect the call. “We know who the rat is,” I say in Russian to Nik, and see his hands tense on the steering wheel, the only sign of his anger. I hadn’t noticed my own hands are fisted until I feel Jade’s hand over mine, stroking gently as she continues to talk quietly to Lara.
We pull into the parking of the club. Andrei and Ivan stand by the doors to the SUV as we get out. I help Jade out as Nik opens the door for Lara. When we enter the club, I walk Jade and Lara to where they will be having lunch and see that everything has already been set up. “I will leave you two to enjoy the meal. Take your time. I have some stuff to do,” I murmur as I kiss Jade lightly.
“Aren’t you having lunch with us?” Jade asks with a frown.
“Not today, malysh.” I kiss her once again before turning. I look at Ivan and indicate that he needs to keep an eye on them. I need Nik with me if we’re going to get any information out of Maria. “Come,” I grunt to Nik and Andrei as I make my way downstairs where I know Dimitry will have Maria.
Walking into the basement, I see the door to the last room open. “Where is he?” I hear Dimitry ask.
“I’ve told you I don’t know,” Maria says just as I walk in, followed by Nik and Andrei. “Alexey, I’m so glad you’re here. Tell him he’s mistaken. You know I wouldn’t do something like that, don’t you?” I don’t answer as I approach her where she’s standing. I can see the fear in her eyes at the rage on my face.
My hand shoots out, and I grasp her around her throat, pushing her back until she’s against the wall, gasping. “Why?” I ask deceptively soft. Her face is red with shortness of breath.
“I did nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she yells. “Those messages weren’t mine.”
“Nik, I want answers and fast,” I grunt as I let her go. I know that Nik will have her singing in minutes. He steps forward and stands where I was, not moving for a few seconds as he stares at her, and then his hands shoot out and I hear a snap. Maria screams in pain as her arm breaks. Tears stream down her cheeks.
“Either you start talking or you are in for a lot of pain. And believe me, in the end, you will talk,” I promise. When she just continues to cry without saying anything, I nod at Nik. As he starts to lift his arms to inflict more pain, she finally talks.
“No, I’ll tell you. Please, I’ll tell you,” she pleads.
“What were you tasked to do here?” I ask.
“Find out anything I can and report to Salazar,” she says hurriedly.
“What did you tell him?”
“I planted the bugs on Vlad’s and your phones, and I told them everything I would hear in regard to the transport of weapons. I also told him about your woman,” she confesses.
“Where’s Salazar?” I ask, and instantly realize th
at she knows, as her eyes lower to the ground. I nod to Nik, and this time, he pulls up the broken arm, which makes her gasp in pain, and snaps her index finger.
“Please . . . please, no more,” she cries.
“Where is he?” I roar, which makes her jump in fright.
“He’s . . . he’s at my house.” What? We have been looking everywhere for the son of a bitch, and he’s been right under our noses.
“If you’re lying to me, this will get worse.” I take out my phone and text Vlad to meet me at the club and bring men. “Find out what else she knows,” I grunt in Russian as I walk out of the room and make my way upstairs to see how Jade is doing.
“How’s lunch?” I ask as I approach the table. Jade looks up, and a radiant smile appears on her face.
“It’s really good. You don’t know what you are missing,” she teases, but then her smile disappears. “What’s wrong?” Her hand lifts and takes mine in hers.
“Nothing’s wrong, malysh. I just have to go out for a little while, but I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, let Ivan know.” Her hand tightens on mine as she looks deep into my eyes. I know she can see the rage that I’m trying to hide, and I wish I could spare her from this. The last thing I want is for her to get upset. I bend down and take her lips in a blistering kiss. When I stand, her lips are swollen and moist.
“Enjoy lunch, lyubov moya. I will be back soon.” With those words, I walk away towards my office to prepare for when Vlad and the men arrive. We’re going hunting, and I hope we find him this time, because I need my child to be born into peace.
Twenty minutes later, we are leaving and heading towards Maria’s house. When we’re a block away, we park the cars and continue on foot. As we approach, two of Salazar’s men are sitting outside in a sedan, another leaning against the frame of her gate.
TORMENTED: Bratva Fury (book 1) Page 17
