Knox Brotherhood

by Knox, Elizabeth

  I caught up with Mariana and grabbed her, pulling her to my chest with a thud before we went into the ballroom together. I wasn’t going to let her go running into whatever chaos was going on. I had a bad feeling whoever was shooting was looking for her.

  To my horror, it was even worse than I imagined. The crowd parted, and I pulled my gun, looking in confusion as one of my men, Viktor’s younger brother to be exact, as well as another man with a large automatic weapon, were holding onto a frightened and crying Bianca. This was not happening.

  “I would put that gun down if I were you, Ion,” the man I didn’t recognize suggested. I tried to get every detail I could about the man, right down to his eastern European accent. It could easily be Romanian or Russian. After this was all said and done, I would use what I remembered to find him and whoever he was working for. I was already planning his slaughter in my head as I put the gun down. I was not going to mess with Bianca’s life.

  I held onto Mariana tightly as she began to sob at the idea that Bianca would be taken from her again. I knew if I let go she would go for her and get everyone killed. “What do you want?” I asked with gritted teeth. They were threatening my family and ruining my engagement party. This would not bode well.

  “We want Mariana Vasile. If you give her to us, then her daughter will go to you unharmed. It is a simple trade, and nothing else will save any lives here tonight. Oh, and don’t think you can use that child to regain your power. The rule of the Vasile’s is over,” he said ominously. I knew what that meant. Their plan was not to kidnap and use Mariana. They wanted to torture and kill her, taking away my claim. I didn’t want that to happen, but I knew what the alternative was. These men were serious. The loss of Bianca would weigh heavily on both of us.

  “Ține minte tot ce te-am învățat.” I urged her in her ear to remember what I had taught her. It was the only way she was going to make it out of this. She was strong, and I had to believe that if I made the trade, she could save herself while I found a way to bring her back to me.

  I threw her forward towards the man, and Mariana ran, hugging her daughter tightly before the men yanked her up by her hair. She screamed in pain before going stoic. She said something to Bianca, and Bianca was let free to run to me. I scooped her up and held her close as she cried. “It’s going to be alright, Puff,” I told her as the men took Mariana and left, shooting random bullets into the air on their way out. They thought they had won, but they didn’t know what they were messing with.

  CHAPTER 19

  Ion

  I tried to put on a happy and brave face as I watched Bianca open presents and play with some of the other kids that clan members had. It was her fifth birthday, and she was spending it without her mother; without Mariana. I had not canceled the wedding plans. I had heard nothing to tell me that she was dead, which meant one of two things; either she was being tortured for the hell of it before they got rid of her, or they were having a disagreement on whether to kill her or not.

  Either way, it was buying me time to find her, something that was essential. It was one of the reasons I had also invited all the other U.S. clans to her party. Anton Balan himself, who had two children of his own, had shown up as well as Jan Constantin, to my surprise. He had wanted to assure me he had nothing to do with Mariana’s capture and wanted to offer to help in any way that he could. Despite his stupidity and cocky nature, the guy was not into whatever betrayal was going on. I was going to take advantage of this at my office later, but right now, I needed to focus on the little girl that for all intents and purposes had become my daughter.

  I tugged at her blonde ponytail playfully, hoping to make her smile. I could tell she loved her presents, but that she would rather have her mother. Bianca turned to look at me with those dark eyes of hers, made even darker by the sadness contained in them. I hated that this young girl had gotten caught up in all of this. It was one thing to be a part of this world. We all eventually had children, assuring that our legacy would go on to rule our clans, but we attempted to keep them slightly sheltered from the worst of it until they were older. Very few had to go through the loss of parents and threats the way Bianca was. I hoped that one day I could give her the life she deserved. This pretty princess would never have to rule the clans anyway, as long as Mariana and I could have a son. Bianca would be free to do what she wished with her life as long as I could find a way to protect her.

  Bianca turned to look at me with a half-smile, the best she could muster. “Are you ready for some cake?” I asked her, giving my best version of a smile. I was missing Mariana too, and I felt like the Vasile women had me by the balls. I was catching feelings, but I guess it could only make our marriage sweeter. I remembered the way that Mariana’s parents were with each other. They were more than a marriage of convenience. They loved each other. I wasn’t sure if my parents had that same kind of love, but I supposed it couldn’t hurt to have my cake and eat it too.

  “Yes, Daddy!” she said with a nod, standing up and grabbing my hand. It’s the first time she’s called me that, and I can’t help but feel such joy in my heart. At the same time, I feel joy, I feel heartbroken, wanting Mariana here with us. I will get her back; I have to.

  She looked to her little friends and said politely, “Would you like to join me for cake?” I felt proud. My cousin had been turning her into a smart young lady, homeschooling her while caring for her.

  The kids all got up and followed us to the dining room where a chocolate cake with Bianca’s name and age were on it waiting with five candles for her to blow out. She leaned over, closing her eyes to make a wish. I had a feeling I knew what that wish was for, and I was determined to make it come true.

  ***

  “Thank you all for coming. As you know, Mariana has been taken again, and it is worse this time. I need the clans to come together and be loyal to me at this time. If not, I suggest you prepare for a war because of our engagement, if nothing else, means I can stake my claim as leader of the mob. Do not make the same mistake Jonas did in underestimating me,” I announced to the crowd in my office of clan leaders and members around the United States. I was taking my place as king now to save Mariana. I pulled my gun out and showed it, letting them know I meant business.

  “The Balan clan is with you,” Anton said with a bow of his head. There was a murmur of agreement around the table at that. I could feel the respect coming for me. It was respect I had always commanded but was finally using. There had been a talk at the engagement party of how they enjoyed my authority as well as that of Mariana; that they wouldn’t be opposed to her ruling, even as a female. I didn’t think that those in front of me were the ones who had betrayed me, who had betrayed the mob in general when I thought about it.

  The meeting went well, and I had every single one of them looking for wherever Mariana was being held. Any sign of her would come straight to me. All that was left now was me and Anton. I had asked him to stay back because his job before taking over the clan for his father had given him a particular set of skills that I needed.

  “You want me to look into the attempt on her life, don’t you?” Anton asked, knowing me so well.

  “I do, as well as to keep an eye on my own men. They are betraying me as well as one of the original clans. I need to know who it is so I can shut this down for good,” I told him, pulling a wad of cash from my pocket. “I will pay as much as it takes.” Anton nodded. He would do this for me, I knew it.

  CHAPTER 20

  Mariana

  It was Bianca’s birthday. I had been marking the days off with anything I could while I was captured. I knew the men that took me meant to kill me. But once I had arrived at whatever compound they had, I held in a dingy basement and fed scraps, and whoever was behind the whole uprising was now in a debate. I suspected there was more than one clan involved at this point, and they couldn’t decide if I was worth more to them dead or alive. It didn’t matter, though, because this was the last day of my life I was spending as a slave, a
prisoner, or whatever else these damn men wanted. I was going to escape the minute they brought me dinner or came in to play Russian Roulette, or I was going to die trying. My daughter needed me, and come to think of it, so did Ion. Plus, he finally was beginning to deserve me.

  I knew from life with my father and by watching Jonas and his men how to fight in a physical battle if I needed to, or at least the basics of self-defense. I knew the pressure points and other sensitive areas and the premise of how to get out of a hold of necessary. But those things didn’t work when you had two to three large men after you, and they all had guns. I had a new appreciation for what Ion had taught me, and I knew if I was going to have even a narrow chance of making it out of there alive that I would need to sue all he showed me.

  The sounds of men with large feet stomping around assailed my ears, and I began to frantically tug at the ropes binding my wrists. They were tied well, but I had made sure to get the rope wet many times, and they had not changed it since I got there, confident in their ability to keep me there. I didn’t know if they thought I was weak and pliable because of my time with Jonas or if the compound I had been blindfolded and taken to was completely overrun by whatever can members were involved in this underground betrayal. I thought my father had been rolling over in his grave before, but he certainly was now. The mob was I knew it was falling apart, and I didn’t know who the bad guy even was. They had been incredibly good at hiding it and thought many of the men spoke Russian or Romanian, that didn’t tell me much.

  I could feel the rope pulling away, and though it hurt and I knew my wrists would bleed, I was determined to free my hands so I could take these guys. Just as I saw their shadows coming towards me, I was free. I tried to ignore the searing pain and kept my hands behind my back to maintain the illusion that I was tied up. The element of surprise would be my best bet.

  One of the men that entered was Roman, Viktor’s brother who had directly betrayed Ion. I didn’t understand why he would do that. Ion was so good to his men, and they made a pretty penny. I wondered what exactly he was being offered. I could smell the alcohol on all of them as they came up to me. “It is a shame,” Roman said in his thick accent. “You are so very pretty, even with all this dirt and all the cuts on you. I guess now you will just be pretty in your grave. Tonight is the night,” Roman announced, making the other men laugh.

  Roman came a little close for my comfort, and I suspected what he was after, though it made me want to vomit. I was still in the dress from the party, but my heels had been taken from me just in case I got the idea to sue them as a weapon. My nails had even been shortened. They hadn’t taken many chances, except for the one they didn’t expect.

  As Roman leaned in, sliding his hand up that split in my dress that had given Ion so much pleasure, I had to fit the urge to just kick him in the balls and spit in his eye immediately. I needed him to get a little closer, my eyes occasionally darting to where he kept his gun. I would have to be strategic because it was a revolver; limited bullets and too long to refill if I did find any. I would have to take these three out with one shot each and hang onto the rest, just hoping it was fully loaded.

  He reached my panties, and I tried not to gag. I had to make this work. “Maybe I can at least have a little fun before we let you go. It always did sound like Ion had a blast with you.” His words sounded like they were coming from a snake. What was with these disgusting men just taking what they wanted form women, especially me. They had no idea what they were dealing with.

  I had to pretend I wanted it. “One last hoorah, then?” I asked as sensually as I could manage.

  “Ha! I told you all she was just a whore. It was a shame that Jonas kept her to himself all those years. We could have all had some fun with her.” I looked right into his eyes, pulling him close to me with his tie. I felt his hand touch the lips of my pussy and hated that I was doing this. The only consolation was that he was about to be dead.

  He was so drunk and horny, he didn’t even realize what it meant as I pulled my bloody hands out from behind my back, and he was so fat he was blocking the view of me from the others. I acted like I was reaching for his pants but then pulled his gun out, shooting him right between the eyes. His blood and brains shot out towards me as he fell to the ground.

  The other two looked in shock for a moment, so I managed to get one of them in the chest before the third pulled his gun. I rolled to avoid his gunfire before shooting out his knee cap and running out the door they had conveniently left open. I had no idea what I would find on the other side, but I knew I needed to stay fast and low wherever I was.

  I was surprised when I came out into a parking garage, but it was completely contained underground. I couldn’t see any exits other than an elevator that likely led up to a very public place where I could easily be spotted. I would have to deal with it, and probably acquire more ammo along the way. I got the feeling I was probably going to die in this endeavor, but it was better than dying on their terms I supposed. I said a silent prayer as I ducked behind a car, hoping no security cameras caught me and gave me away too soon. I really wanted a miracle to get back to the two people I called my family.

  I took a deep breath and dared to go to the elevator. I didn’t think anyone else was coming down right now. In fact, I suspected those three men were supposed to have taken me somewhere. I went to the elevator and took it up. I knew better than to try the ground floor since whatever kind of building I was in would have some kind of busy desk or something going on on the first floor. I chose the fourth floor at random, hoping I could quickly find the exit and get out of there. Once out, I would run several blocks and get a hold of Ion.

  But as soon as I came out on the floor, I saw that it was also busy. The place was a boutique hotel, the kind with restaurants and shops in it. I suspected that at least some of the guests were involved with the mafia, and I felt like all eyes were on me as I walked through the halls, frantically searching for the way out. I wasn’t at all surprised when I found myself almost barreling into two men in suits. I shot without a thought, knowing I needed to incapacitate them enough to grab more bullets or guns. I grabbed a gun from one, seeing they were both alive but bloody. I kicked them a few times for good measure, hearing the screams of guests that saw. This was going to be a big mess Ion would have to clean up when it was all over. I couldn’t worry about it, though. I had to find the way out, and as more men came towards me, I realized I needed to go back to the elevator and get to another floor. That’s when I saw it, the door that said “stairs.”

  CHAPTER 21

  Mariana

  I hiked my dress up as I disappeared behind the door, knowing the men would soon follow. I padded down the steps on my bare feet, and it was like de ja vu. I had almost died in a stairwell once. In fact, I had been certain I was as good as dead as I bled to death while Jonas and his men took away my baby girl. This time, things were going to be turning in my favor. I had ammo, and I had a reason to believe there was life outside of the walls around me.

  I had a real life to fight for.

  Just as I knew I had gone down a whole flight, there was commotion from above and below. I got my gun ready as I continued, thinking that they had surrounded me. But as a shootout could be heard below, I realized what was happening. I would know the shout of his voice anywhere. The same day that I tried to escape was the day Ion had found me and come to save me. The best I could do now was make it easier. Though, I fought the desire to call out to him. I didn’t want him to get distracted and get hurt.

  One of the men who was coming down was gaining on me, pulling his gun. I whipped around down onto another flight, coming down to the fight quickly. I hoped I could stay out of range and get positioned with Ion and those at the bottom before I had to face the men who were coming from above. Otherwise, I would lose all my bullets and not even take a man completely down before I joined the war.

  I ran the last two flights, taking two steps at a time until I crashed hard into one of th
e men who had turned the fight physical at the bottom of the stairs. He went careening into the metal door and fell over, allowing Ion to take him out. I couldn’t believe I found myself in the middle of a shootout as I placed one foot on the bottom stair, the gun aimed in front of me. I had a few bullets left to spend in the revolver and then whatever was in the automatic I had taken. There was no time to celebrate that I had been reunited with Ion or to ask if Bianca was at home safe. The two men from before were coming at me with their guns. A shot went past me as I weaved and then shot at them. I also missed. These were the experts they had sent out for me this time, not the dipshits that I had been dealing with in the basement.

  It was an all-out war, and I had the feeling if we didn’t get out of there that more would join. There was something that felt strange about the location of this. I couldn’t believe we were in some ritzy hotel instead of a warehouse or an abandoned home. Even with all the money that the clan leaders had, they were usually more secretive about their business. How could they afford to be conducting seedy dealings and holding prisoners in a public place? This whole thing must have been bigger than Ion or I expected.

  I had a theory, and not a good one. The only people that I know of risky enough to pull a stunt like this are the Russians. I’d hoped I was wrong; I really hoped I was…. but this made sense to me. No one knows of this, but my mother confessed to me on my fifteenth birthday that her father wasn’t her biological father. Her biological father is Fredrik Volkov, Valentin Volkov’s father. Valentin Volkolv is the head of the Russian Mob.

  I’m not just Romanian; I’m half Russian. I have ties to the thrones of both mobs, and I’m wondering if this has been discovered. Why else would I have a bounty on my head?

  I heard Ion scream out in pain behind me, and I knew he had been shot or stabbed. I wasn’t sure how bad it was, but I knew I was the only one who could make sure we got out of there. His men were surely waiting with a car somewhere nearby. All I had to do was finish off all the other men and get him to the car. We would be scott-free and could beef up security, even stay somewhere else if we had to. I wasn’t getting separated from him and Bianca again.