Knox Brotherhood

by Knox, Elizabeth

  I smiled and nodded, glad she was picking it up. I didn’t know what the future held for us, and I needed to know she could pick up and shoot if the situation called for it. She could easily save more than her own life in that instance, and I hoped it would give her an added comfort that I wanted to let her protect herself. She wouldn’t be a sitting duck anymore.

  “Now, pick up the automatic,” I ordered her, pointing to the very one she was just referring to. She reached for it. “Don’t ever hesitate. These weapons can save your life, but only if you take charge. Otherwise, they become something that another person can use against you.” She jumped at my harsh words, but it was the truth. If she couldn’t use it, someone else could and would.

  I got behind her and helped her properly position the gun, placing her dominant hand at the back with her thumb up. "There will be a kickback. They don’t show you this in the movies. You have to have the solid grip to keep control and keep from getting hurt or losing the gun entirely," I explained, breathing down against her neck. I could see the goosebumps forming. I didn’t know teaching someone to shoot a gun could be so hot.

  Then, I placed her other hand wrapped around that one at the bottom to make sure again that she could handle the kickback and aim precisely.

  "Look down the top of the gun, straight at your target. Make sure you have the sights lined up. Then, you fire." Mariana pulled the trigger, as I held her shoulders straight for her, making sure she could weather her very first kickback. She hit the target with perfection.

  "Not bad for your first try," I complimented.

  "Thank you for thinking of this for me," Mariana told me, turning so that her lips were almost on mine. "But I wish you would tell me the extent of the danger we are in."

  I shook my head before taking her lips to mine for just a moment. "Let me worry about that, Ana."

  CHAPTER 17

  Ion

  I’d thought long and hard about bringing Mariana to where my men had Jonas held up, but it was time. We didn’t know who was behind the threats and after my chat with Dalca, I’d realized that whoever must’ve had a lot of help. He was the one after all who kept Mariana Vasile captive for eight years, without one lead to her whereabouts until a few short weeks ago.

  I took Mariana’s hand in mine as my men opened the metal door to the abandoned factory just outside of the city where they had kept Jonas. She squeezed a little harder as we walked through the doors, she had every right to be nervous. I don’t know what she was expecting, but I will tell her that her pre-conceived ideas are nothing but wrong. This will be brutal, it will be nasty, and she will remember it for the rest of her days. “It’s okay to be nervous my love, but do not let him see this from you. You need to be fearless. You are a Vasile after all; it shouldn’t be too hard.” I gave her a small smile at the end of my statement, she returned it and nodded at me.

  I pressed a soft kiss to her temple, “Come, my draga, let’s go deal with Jonas.”

  She walked with me through the factory. I looked over to Gene, one of my best men who nodded to the left, telling me that’s where he had Jonas locked up. “Got a little mouthy this morning, had to rectify that,” Gene told me, by that I knew he meant they beat him – Jonas deserved much worse and would get no sympathy from me. I opened the door to the small room where Jonas was; he was tied with rope and handcuffed to a metal chair. His cuffs were so tight that blood was dripping. I did not care.

  “My, my, Ion Petran himself.” Jonas coughed, glaring at me until he saw my Ana. His eyes lit up with excitement when he saw her, like looking at his most prized possession.

  “Jonas,” She said, looking up and down his frail frame. I was worried she would be sickened by the brutality that we had to enforce amongst him, but she was not. She looked at the cuts, the swelling surrounding his face and the bruises – not once giving any indication she was afraid, or disgusted. My Ana dressed the part, she wore a long tight fitting black pencil skirt with a white blouse, jewelry hung from around her neck, and her earrings were something I had gifted her a few days before. She looked exactly like a mob boss, a mob queen.

  “Mariana. I’d imagined you survived that horrible accident, can’t say I’m glad you did though puppet” I saw her cringe at the word, she recovered quickly, walking around the room. Her heels clacking against the cement floor were the only thing we could hear until she spoke “How the mighty have fallen, Jonas. It was bound to happen one way or another, but I’m curious. Who helped you all those years? I know you didn’t do it alone. You couldn’t of. You’re just a slimy little bottom feeder who hopes to get to the top. It’ll never happen Jonas, never. And you know something, I’ve figured it out. All those years with me and you never made any moves; you never made any move to marry me and take the throne for yourself. I’d wondered and wondered why that was until finally, it clicked.” She turned around and stared at him, looked right into his dark eyes.

  “You were never authorized to marry me. You were – as you are now, a bottom feeder doing the dirty work for your boss. All that time I thought you were the boss when you were nothing but a babysitter. Who’s your boss?”

  When he didn’t answer, she looked back to me, before turning her attention back to Jonas, “I never forgot you know.”

  “Forgot what, puppet?” She didn’t cringe this time. Instead, she smiled.

  “What you always said to me.” I didn’t know what she meant; I could only imagine that it had something to do with her time with Jonas. They both understood what she meant, so it didn’t matter if I did or not. “You’ve been bad, Jonas. It’s your choice, burn or cut?”

  ***

  I was on edge as I poured over every tip and idea I had. The idea that one of the original clans was betraying us was mind-blowing to me. I expected them to be a little selfish after they all had announced they wanted a chance to date her, but she had chosen. The engagement would be officially announced to all of the clans as soon as Mariana gave the go ahead, which I hoped would be soon. Despite the threat, I was sure the closer she got to me, the safer she would be. Everything would be as it should be, and maybe whoever had their damn panties in a twist over me staking my claim to Mariana Vasile would let it go, seeing they had already been defeated.

  My mind was also preoccupied with worry about Bianca. I knew that Bianca was the key to many things; the Vasile line, Mariana’s reason for being alive, and the only thing that would keep Mariana with me. I had no qualms about caring for her like she was my own. She was beautiful and sweet and had nothing to do with Jonas as far as I was concerned. I couldn’t help but let my heart fall for the little four-year-old who was getting to experience life outside of captivity for the first time; she made me feel like a child again sometimes.

  But I also knew she was vulnerable.

  She was the chink in the armor that someone could use against myself and the Petran clan. I was going to have to be vigilant and count on my allies. My mind automatically went to my father. I hated to disturb him now that he was living it up with my mother safe in the laps of luxury, but he might have some insight into who would want to do this. He’s been living off the grid for years; I only hope that he doesn’t hate my sudden intrusion into his new life.

  I looked at the clock and saw that it was still morning. I needed a good workout, firstly to clear my mind, but also because I had been slacking since Mariana got there. I quickly got changed, pulling off my shirt and pulling on some shorts and headed for the gym. It was a nice one, a room in my home with all the equipment I could ever want. I had seen Mariana admiring it a few times, and she had started to use it a couple of times a week since the doctor gave her the go ahead. We were poised to be the Ken and Barbie of the mafia.

  The thought made me laugh as I climbed on the treadmill, always liking to start there first. It got a good sweat going and got me pumped before I started with the weights.

  I began with a quick walk and a small incline, making it more challenging with each three-minute interval
that went by. I had just broken out in a fast run, sweat dripping from my brow and down my back when Mariana came into the room. I slowed down the treadmill but didn’t stop.

  “I am sorry to bother you. I can come back later,” she said, sounding more insecure and shy than I could recall her ever being. There was something on her mind.

  “No, it’s okay,” I said through a slight pant. “You can talk to me while I work out. I guarantee the view will be better,” I teased. She laughed and shook her head as she came in and shut the door. She came over and sat down on top of the bike that was next to me, letting both her feet dangle off one side.

  “I wanted to talk about the engagement,” she said, and I almost tripped and fell right off the treadmill but quickly recovered. This wasn’t a subject she usually brought up. She had seemed resigned to the whole thing but was the first time she had directly wanted to talk to me about it. I decided it was best to stay supportive in my silence and just let her get whatever it was off her chest in case it was in my favor. “I realize that there is more danger, something going on, even though you won’t tell me everything. I also know it would be safest for Bianca and me to go ahead and align ourselves with someone. I think it is time to announce the engagement and get the ball rolling on the wedding, set a date and all of that.”

  “I think that’s a very smart move,” I responded carefully, not trying to show too much elation or manipulation in the matter. I was glad she was coming around to it. “I will send out the word immediately. We can throw an engagement party in a few days, and we can pick a date in the Spring.”

  “Oh, I thought you would want to do it sooner than that, but Spring is great. I bet it will be beautiful,” she said shyly. I could tell there was something else. “But before we make all these announcements, I need your help explaining this to Bianca.”

  And there it was. She was worried about what Bianca would think about it all. “I would be happy to help. Let me get done here and get cleaned up. Then, we can tell her together.” Mariana nodded and left the room. Suddenly, I wanted my work out to be cut short. I couldn’t believe Mariana was finally getting on board. A warm fuzzy feeling I wasn’t used to came over me. This was a little more than the power it would give me now. I was about to have a family.

  After my shower, I found Bianca and Mariana playing together in Bianca’s room and went in, all of us sitting down on her little bed together. She was about to be five soon, her birthday landing close to Mariana’s, but I didn’t know her capacity for understanding things. I hoped we could get something across to her. “Mama and Ion have something to talk to you about, Puff,” Mariana began, taking her daughter’s hand.

  Bianca looked back and forth between the two of us and then nodded. “Okay. Is it bad?”

  I chuckled a little. “I don’t think so, no, Puff.” I reached out and tickled her under her chin to make her giggle. “We want to know what you think about something.” I looked to Mariana for help.

  “I know that you like living here,” Mariana stated, getting a smile and another nod out of Bianca. “So, how would you like to stay here forever?”

  “Yes, mama, can I?” she asked, wiggling in her seat.

  “You can if Mama marries Ion. Do you know what it means to marry someone?” Mariana asked her.

  “It has something to do with a dress and a ring. Would it make you my daddy?” she questioned, looking at me with those big doe eyes. She was more perceptive than I gave her credit for, I guessed.

  “Well, I can be that if you want me to be. And you can wear a pretty dress and stand next to your mother while we tell everyone that we like each other. What do you think?” I asked her, feeling amused at my attempt at an explanation. It was pretty rough, but Mariana didn’t seem to protest.

  “I like it!” she squealed, clapping her hands together before hugging us both. I knew that if I had won over Bianca, then I had won Mariana. Things were going to get better now. They had to.

  CHAPTER 18

  Mariana

  “Is this really what we should be doing before our engagement party?” I asked, only slightly annoyed by him being with me in such close quarters. His touch always got me excited now, adrenaline pumping through my veins like I was on a drug. But here I was in a silver, shimmery ball gown and heels, my hair tied in some complicated knot, while Ion gave me yet another shooting lesson.

  “I told you, any woman of mine needs to know how to shoot, especially with the danger we are in. I will not ever leave you unprotected,” Ion said possessively, pointing at the target yet again. I had not missed the last two times he had taken me to the shooting range, but he still insisted that I practice. Maybe he could still sense the nerves I felt with a gun in my hand. I didn’t like it. It shouldn’t have bothered me, being the daughter of a Vasile, but it just did. I guess I didn’t like gaining power through death and fear.

  “Can’t we do this tomorrow, after the party? I am in heels, Ion,” I complained after I took the shot and set the gun down. A smirk turned up the corner of his mouth, and his hand went for the daring split on the side of my dress, feeling up and down my freshly shaven leg.

  “I know that you are in heels, and it makes these legs of yours look even longer and sexier than they already are,” he teased with a growl, dipping me over to plant a kiss on my lips. There were some benefits to being with Ion Petran, and those were growing on me, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. I could save it for the wedding day. I didn’t need it to go to his head.

  I squealed and pushed him off of me as he pulled me back up from the dip. “C’mon, let’s get to the party. We don’t want to be late to our own engagement celebration,” I told him, taking his hand and leading him out.

  He quickly switched our positions, making himself the one in front, but he led me out to the car where Bianca was waiting along with three of his men to protect her. Bianca never went anywhere without them now. Neither did I for that matter. “Are you ready for the party?” I asked her, pulling her into a hug. She was playing with the lace at the bottom of her pink dress, something she was thrilled to be wearing. Ion had presented her with three choices for the party, and that was the one she had picked.

  “Yes, Mama!” she said, kicking her feet out under her because she was so happy she couldn’t be still. It made me smile, and my eyes met with Ion’s right then. It made me want to slap myself, having those moments with this man I was supposed to be convincing that his behavior with me was too domineering. How was I supposed to win our battle if I was melting like butter?

  I figured I could throw it out for the night. It was our engagement party, and when we walked into the hotel party room Ion had booked for the party, I was taken aback by the look of it. It was half ballroom and half restaurant with sparkling chandeliers above us and champagne overflowing the cups. Everyone was dressed in dazzling designer-wear, and he had even let some others bring their children to play with Bianca.

  “This is amazing,” I told him with a small smile.

  “It’s all for you,” he whispered in my ear, catching my shoulder with his breath. It sent a chill down my spine, and I found that my body was thinking about being with him all night, even as we wined and dined with the other clan members and even a few from other clans that had come to celebrate the new era that would soon begin.

  As the night wore on, I couldn’t believe that I couldn’t focus on all of these important conversations with people. I knew I needed to help Ion’s case so that he could protect me, but all I wanted to do was find a dark corner. I glanced over at Bianca who was with some of the bodyguards and a couple of other children. They were having a good time chasing each other around. So, I turned to Ion and ran my hand down his arm before squeezing his hand.

  He excused us from the crowd, and I started walking him towards a closed off hallway, darkened and away from the party. “Where are we going, Ana?” he asked me, though I could tell by the amusement in his voice that he knew.

  I started to pick up my pace until we we
re finally in the dark, away from prying eyes unless they came into the hallway as well. If they did, they would probably be after the same thing I was.

  “Take me,” I told him, feeling breathless as his hands slid up my body, one of them taking advantage of that split yet again.

  “With pleasure,” he answered in my ear before his hand found my thong; sliding inside to rub the sensitive skin underneath. I had been so afraid after Jonas that there would be no sexual pleasure for me, even with an attractive man like Ion. He was turning my world side down, though, showing me things I hadn’t dared to hope I could ever have again. He wanted me so badly to believe he was this bad ass, and he was, but he wasn’t a Jonas or any other man like that. He was more like my father, caring fiercely about protecting his own while being a nightmare for his enemies. It was exactly what the clans needed to bring them back together.

  My wetness grew with his slow movements, and I wanted more. I reached my hand down to his zipper and pulled it down, reaching inside his boxers to feel his growing shaft. He gasped at my sudden touch as my nails trailed gently up and down his now rock-hard member. I leaned my neck back, my head rolling up against the wall as I felt his fingers slip inside of me, feeling my soft flesh.

  I grabbed his shaft and ran my hand up to the head of his cock and back down, enjoying the feel of his baby smooth skin. He tensed underneath my touch, and I knew it was driving him crazy. His fingers began to pump into me, searching for my G-spot as I picked my leg up and placed it on his hip for easier access.

  He hit the right spot, and I began to rock my hips into him, sliding my hand over him faster. I was so close to coming right there in that hallway, but then we were interrupted by the sound of gunfire and the screams of guests.

  We pulled away from each other quickly, and I took off running, not thinking of anyone but Bianca.

  ***

  Ion