Caught in the Trap: A Reverse Harem Academy Bully Romance (Mafia Lords of Knightswood Academy Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  A scoff escaped Paris. “You let your goons capture that kid over this? Is it really so suspicious for tech people to carry stuff like hard drives?”

  “I apologize,” I grated through clenched teeth.

  I’d been so certain Skye had stolen files from our data center to hand them over to Nikolai or some other man who wanted to destroy our business. After checking the empty pen drive, there was nothing to support my suspicions.

  “What have you done with her?” demanded Paris.

  “Nothing.”

  “Then where is she?”

  “You should calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down!” she shouted. Nikolai got to his feet and came around to stand next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder before fixing me with a piercing stare.

  “Take us to her, Dimitri,” he said in a cold, commanding voice. “Let’s end the matter here before you needlessly ruffle more feathers.”

  He left me no choice but to agree. “Please wait here. I will get her for you.”

  “I’m going with you,” said Paris at once.

  I glanced at Nikolai, hoping he could keep a leash on his girlfriend but he made no remark or gesture to rein her. Part of me was impressed with him. While most men in our circles liked to lord over their women, Nikolai exuded his superiority by silently supporting Paris. We both knew that no matter how rude she got with me, no one would be able to lay a hand on her.

  “Fine,” I said with a drop of my shoulders. “But it’s best if Mr. Ivanov stays here. Please trust me on this.”

  Paris arched a brow. “Take me to her right now.”

  Getting to my feet, I made my way toward the closed doors of the bedroom. Skye would be completely naked in there if she hadn’t ventured inside the bathroom to grab a robe. Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and pushed open the door.

  My heart stuttered to a stop at the sight that waited for me inside.

  Skye’s naked body was slumped on the bed. Rivulets of crimson ran down her hand to soak into the snow-white sheets underneath her, causing it to turn a deep red. Her thick, black lashes looked darker against the pale skin of her face.

  So far, I never had trouble differentiating Skye from Maria. The soul that stared back at me from Skye’s crystal blue eyes was different from the girl I’d grown up with. However, at that very moment, the difference between them ceased. I was revisiting a nightmare I’d struggled to suppress for a long time but it was playing out before my eyes now.

  It felt like I was being forced to see Maria’s lifeless body once again.

  I’d wanted to protect Skye from a similar fate but the result was the same. Were both these women, born with the same face, cursed to die from my hands?

  I felt someone push me aside and run into the room.

  Paris’s screams brought me out of my momentary stupor. Next moment, she’d thrown herself at me. Grabbing me by the collar of my shirt, she shook me. “What did you do to her?” she shouted.

  Nikolai was beside us in an instant, pulling Paris away from me.

  “She is still breathing,” he said in a low, urgent voice. “We need to hurry and get her to a hospital. Call for 911 while I bind her wrist.”

  “You’re right.” Paris was on her phone instantly.

  Nikolai moved toward the bed. Shirking off his jacket, he placed it over Skye’s body, partially covering her nakedness. Next, he sat on the edge and began bandaging her wrist with his handkerchief.

  I was left to stand there, questioning everything I’d done. While it had never been my intention to truly hurt Skye, she was dying just the same. I wanted to be the person to protect her, someone she could trust and depend on. Instead, I pushed her so far away she might never come back to me.

  It was a while before the paramedics arrived. The handkerchief binding Skye’s wrist was already soaked through by now. I couldn’t believe Skye did this to herself while we were all sitting in the next room.

  As I watched the nurses carrying Skye’s body away on a stretcher, I still couldn’t help but wonder what secrets she was hiding. She may not be working for Nikolai but there was definitely something serious enough for her to choose to die instead of revealing it to me.

  “I’m not letting you off the hook.” Paris’s angry voice made me turn around. “You really are a monster.”

  “Paris,” Nikolai’s voice held a hint of warning now.

  “What?” she asked, rounding on him. “Don’t tell me I’m being unreasonable. He killed Maria with his own two hands. We were there the night it happened. No one thought she was guilty but she had to die. And he did it himself. Looked her in the eye while she told him she loved him and then shot her dead.”

  “Calm down, Paris.” Nikolai wrapped his arms around her and brought her against his chest. Next moment, she burst into tears, mumbling incoherently while he soothed her.

  I had no idea Paris had been there that night…the night that changed the course of both mine and Andrei’s life forever.

  A year ago

  The atmosphere in the living room of Volkov Manor was visibly tensed as I walked in and sunk into a couch. My dark hair was tousled from the wind that had buffeted it while I was driving with the side window down. The sleeves of my shirt were rolled up to my elbows. Bending down, I loosened the ties of my shoes and kicked them away.

  Mama made no fuss. Usually, she would chase me away to my quarters to wash up and get ready for dinner. I was home for the weekend but neither she nor Maria seemed to notice my presence that evening. Sounds of heavy footsteps made us all look up.

  My father came to stand before us. From the grim expression on his face, I immediately knew something had gone very wrong. The age lines around his eyes and mouth deepened as he looked toward Maria.

  “Everyone knows what you did,” said Father. “Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to you?”

  Maria’s gaze was firmly stuck to her knees as she gave a nod. Her fingers were tightly clutching her skirt.

  “What has she done?” I asked, looking between my father and mother. Maria wasn’t the sort of girl who got in trouble. She was soft-spoken and compliant toward everyone in the family.

  “Records show that she’s been stealing millions of dollars from the syndicate account,” said Father. “We had people investigate the source and without a doubt, they have originated from her account.”

  My mouth morphed into a smile but quickly turned back into a frown. The three people before me didn’t look like they were joking. Their ghastly expression was proof enough.

  “That’s impossible,” I said. “There’s no way Maria would do something like that. I mean, she doesn’t have the capabilities to be getting into our networks. She’s no tech genius to be able to do that.”

  “The evidence is irrefutable,” said Father. A heavy breath escaped him as he slowly sat down into the armchair beside Maria. In a low, gentle voice, he said, “Tell me what you know of the matter, dear. Give me something. I want to help you.”

  Maria still refused to look at him. Silent tears streamed down her face and fell in thick drops on her hands.

  Stealing was one of the most serious accusations in our circle. And if what Father said was true, she wasn’t simply going to be in trouble. She was going to be dead. Stealing from the mafia was never forgiven, no matter who did it. Even the most powerful man would be pulled down from his throne and be subjected to our laws.

  “Maria,” I called to her. When she didn’t look up, I got up and walked toward her. Dropping down to my knees before her, I bent my head to look at her. “Stop crying and tell Father what he wants to know. You don’t have to take the blame for something you never did.” I laid my hands on hers. “Please, Maria. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She shook her head. “No one can help me,” she said in a voice choked with tears. “I will accept whatever punishment waits for me.”

  “You can’t say that!” Mama shouted. She was the calmest woman in my life but right
now, she looked enraged. Red veins covered the whites of her eyes as she glared at Maria. Wisps of her dark hair escaped the neat bun on her head. “You are our child!” She shrieked. “Or have we not treated you well enough all these years? You hold our hearts in your hands. Why would you do this?”

  Father was quick to get to his feet and reached my mother. “Don’t scare her, June.”

  My mother suddenly broke into tears, clutching onto the front of Father’s jacket. “Do something, David. We can’t let them take our baby away.”

  Father was barely able to calm my mother when Joleena, our housekeeper, came running into the living room. She looked at the end of her tethers as she reached my father.

  “Sir, sir…” she panted, completely out of breath. “They are here. They…”

  Father glanced at me. “Take your mother to her room.”

  “What about Maria?”

  “Let me worry about her.”

  I grabbed Mama’s arm, letting her lean on me. She was still weeping but was calmer now. She let me lead her out of the room. Just as we were leaving, I heard the sarcastic voice of Egor Romanoff, Andrei’s elder brother. My teeth ground together. He hated me and had always been abusive toward Maria. While my family had adopted and accepted Maria as our own, he never let her forget the fact, teasing and demeaning her even after she’d grown up.

  “Come, Mama,” I said, helping her up a staircase that would lead us toward the upper floors. My gaze counted the armed men standing guard on the corridors, hoping they would be enough to keep us safe in case trouble broke out.

  Taking her inside the master bedroom, I made her sit on the bed. Bending down, I took out her blood pressure and migraine pills from the bedside drawer.

  “Take these,” I said, dropping the tablets in her hand. Mama wasn’t really looking, so I slipped in a sleeping pill in the mix. Next, I poured her a glass of water from a jug on the bedside table. She seemed calmer, so moving closer, I loosened her hair from the bun and unfurled the short, silky strands around her shoulders. “Lie down, Mama.”

  “I feel so tired.”

  I gave a nod. “Have some rest. I’m sure Father will take care of everything.” He had to, I thought. We were one of the most prominent families making up the mafia syndicate on the east coast. His word had to mean something to the others. Deep down, though, I knew he couldn’t do anything if the evidence was solid enough to implicate Maria.

  It was another quarter of an hour before Mama was asleep. Covering her with a blanket, I closed the door of the room behind me and walked down the corridor. Everything seemed quiet and calm. Part of me felt relieved but the other knew nothing good could come with having Egor Romanoff in our home this late in the evening.

  Reaching the family parlor room, I looked around. It was empty except for Father who was seated in his armchair, staring into the distance

  “Where is Maria?” I asked.

  “Egor took her.”

  “What? You let him take her?” Fear pulsed through my veins. Maria would not be safe with him. It was like Father had given her up to the wolf.

  “Everyone knows what she did,” he said in a calm, collected voice. It chilled the blood in my veins. This was not his usual tone. “If we let things go any further, they will want to question her. Maria won’t tell me what happened to the millions that were deposited into her bank account. It’s completely empty.”

  “I don’t understand. Where could she have spent it all?”

  “The bank said she was the one who withdrew the money every few weeks,” said Father in that same dead voice. “If we let Maria fall in the hands of the other families, they will not spare her.”

  “Was Egor here to help her escape?” Doubt clouded the small ray of hope within me.

  “In a way.”

  “Explain to me, Father,” I said, sitting down next to him. “Where is he planning to take her?”

  “The Docks.”

  “What? No!” I was up on my feet, breathing hard, knowing what the “docks” meant. It was the place where thieves, backstabbers and betrayers were taken to be executed. Only the most prominent members of each mafia would be present to stand as witnesses.

  “It’s either that or days of torture on her.” Father stared up at me, his hazel eyes a cold shade of jade under the bright lights of the room. “We either give her a quick end or a prolonged one where she will lose her tongue, fingers, and eyes. You choose.”

  I fell back into the chair, grabbing my hair as tears pricked my eyes. My mind screamed her name, wishing she could hear me once more while I coaxed her into telling me what led her to do everything.

  She’d been acting strange over the past year. I thought it was part of her growing up, that it was best to let her have her privacy. I had my own world at the academy as well as among my father’s business. It was only natural that Maria would like her freedom too. She was homeschooled and too closely watched by everyone. Without me or Andrei around to keep her company, she was bound to feel lonely.

  I just never knew she would end up getting caught in a trap that would end her life and take her away from us all.

  “Egor will take her to the docks,” said Father after a while. “And I am going to call upon you to carry out the sentence.”

  “You want me to be the one to kill her? Why, Father?” The pain inside my chest was making it difficult for me to breathe.

  “Who else will you trust to do a clean job? We make her death as painless as possible.”

  I stared down at my shaking hands, wondering if I could really do what Father demanded. These were the hands Maria held when she was cold, the same hands that comforted her countless times, the same hands that pushed a diamond ring on her finger.

  “We will leave in an hour,” said Father, gripping my shoulder hard. “Prepare yourself, Son.” He left me in that vast room and walked out. The bright lights felt too harsh, reflecting off the gold gildings on the walls and ceilings.

  I stood up and moved toward my bedroom. It was almost an involuntary action to seek out a hideout where I could be with my innermost emotions without any witnesses. I wanted to sob, scream and tear my heart out if only it would ease the pain throbbing in my chest.

  Maria was as important to me as my parents. Even if we didn’t share blood, we shared our lives. Even if I wasn’t attracted to her as a woman, I’d decided to marry her. Even though I was barely eighteen, I was sure of one thing. I would protect her with my life and be responsible for her well being for as long as I lived. Among us mafias, loyalty mattered more than blood and heart.

  “I would take your place, Maria,” I whispered through the choking sensation in my throat. “If it would help keep you safe, I would do it.” I punched the wall by the door in a bid to stop feeling the pain twisting my heart. My knuckles left bloody imprints on the stark white wall but the pain barely registered through the haze of tears in my eyes.

  I almost reached for the crystal decanters in the corners. The amber and rich brown liquors sang out to me, promising to drown out all my pain.

  “No,” I whispered, tearing my gaze away. I couldn’t be drunk and end up shooting her somewhere that would prolong her pain. Father had said I would get only one shot.

  Swallowing hard, I moved toward the wardrobe on the other side of my bedroom. Opening it, I selected the suit and jacket that would suit my role as executioner tonight. Laying them on the bed, I pushed the knob hidden among the hanging shirts and trousers. The entire wardrobe slowly slid to the side, revealing my dimly lit personal armory.

  Arrays of my favorite dirks and daggers mounted on the wall came in my view, their sharp blades glinting under the lights. Ignoring them, I gazed toward the shelf below them that boasted my collection of pistols and rifles.

  “You shouldn’t make me do this, Maria,” I whispered. These weapons were never meant to be used on her. They were there to only be used against our enemies for our protection. Something cold and poisonous flowed through my veins, bringing out hat
e from the depths of my grief.

  You’ve betrayed me, Maria,” I thought silently. You’ve gone without leaving a single explanation, punishing me with the task to execute you. I hate you.

  My fingers closed on the cold hilt of a pistol. I held on to the rage and hatred coursing through me in a desperate attempt to keep away my pain. It was the only way I could rein in my emotions when Father presented me to the rest of the families.

  Shedding the academy uniform, I donned the black silk shirt and trousers, pairing them with a black jacket. My face looked paler against all the black but I didn’t care. The dock wouldn’t be well lit enough for anyone to notice. It will also hide my throbbing, bloody knuckles.

  Pocketing the pistol, I walked out of the room.

  Father waited for me in the entrance hall of the manor. His eyes were shrouded in an impenetrable expression. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Both our tones were cold and dead.

  “Then, let’s go.”

  All through the ride, I held on to the feeble hatred my mind mustered against Maria. Deep inside, however, I knew she was trying to protect the people she loved. Maria always gave, never demanded. I had no idea who or what she was trying to save by sacrificing herself but part of me felt angered that she was demanding a sacrifice on our end too. Father and I would hold strong despite our bleeding hearts but what would happen to Mama? She doted on Maria like her own daughter.

  The miles between our home and the dock ended all too soon.

  Climbing out of the car, I followed Father into the circle of light that illuminated the area. Black waters glittered around the periphery of the dock. Wisps of fog rose from the water’s surface, casting a hazy curtain over the scene. The silhouette of a large ship was visible further ahead.

  A few figures were visible nearby. They kept their heads lowered and whispered amongst themselves. No one came forward to greet my father or me. This wasn’t that kind of situation. Over the next half hour, more cars arrived, bringing in more families to the execution ground.

  “Hold strong,” said Father in a low tone. His fingers gripped my shoulder hard.