Because of my past, I was afraid of sex. More importantly, of intimacy. It’s because I didn’t know what intimacy was. I’d only experienced brute, disgusting need. Through the course of the night, I can honestly say I know what it’s like to be made over by a man.
I go over to Liam, taking the seat across from him. He uncovers the plate and reveals toast, eggs, and bacon. There’s a cup of coffee there as well. I pick the coffee up and take a sip, allowing the strong taste of the coffee beans to flood over my senses.
“Your expression is adorable.”
“What do you mean?”
Liam shrugs. “You just look like you’re having an orgasm over coffee.”
“I might be. You exhausted me.”
He chuckles, turning a little red in his cheeks. “Well, I hope you get used to feeling exhausted.”
“Why should I get used to it?” I tease, shoving half a piece of toast into my mouth. I don’t care if I look like a pig right now. I’m famished.
“Because I plan on doing all of that, over and over again.”
Now I’m the one blushing, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” I confess, trying to keep my inner bitch in check.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Liam cackles, looking down at his watch. He furrows his eyebrows. “Fuck. I need to get going. I have a meeting in Swords I’ll be late for if I don’t leave in a minute.” Liam rises from his chair, already dressed from being a damn early bird and presses his lips against mine. “Caprice, Táim ag titim i ngrá leat, lómhar.” He changes from English to the language he’s always speaking. His words come out in a rugged, breathy tone causing me to think there was some meaning behind what he said.
“What did you say?”
Liam gives me a half-smile. “I’ll tell you later. Malone is going to come take you back to the house. Stay here in the room. He’ll have a keycard to let himself in. I don’t want you leaving the hotel room when we don’t know what the hell your father and Sergei are up to. Malone should be here in two hours.”
I nod. “You got it.”
Liam is quick to get out the door and go to his meeting. I realize I didn’t bring any additional clothes and almost freak out when I notice a bag on the couch. Liam is quite the thoughtful man. I go into the bathroom and take a relaxing shower considering I have a bit of time.
I sink further down into the tub, allowing the warmth of the water to comfort me. I’m a bit achy from how much Liam and I fooled around last night. Closing my eyes, I doze off a teeny bit but am shocked awake at the pressure being forced down against my shoulders.
When I open my eyes, I see a distorted view of one of the men who I’m supposed to be protected from. I’m only left with two thoughts— how am I supposed to get out from under this water, and how the hell did Sergei get in my hotel room?
34
When the right spirit walks in, the wrong spirit gets nervous.
~ Enlightened Consciousness
Liam
I barely missed getting hit by another batch of rain on my way into the small café I’m meeting Emilio in. As soon as I saw an open table with a bit of privacy I walked over, sat down and proceeded to look at the menu. I’m not too hungry, but I could go for some coffee and some sort of semi-sweet pastry.
Every time someone approaches the doors, I look up to see if Emilio has arrived. Turning my wrist, I see he’s ten minutes late which isn’t like him. He’s one of those annoying individuals who are always fifteen minutes early to everything.
My phone vibrates on the small wooden table in front of me. Choosing to ignore it, I keep looking over the menu since I’ve never been to this particular café. The vibrations stop but then start back up again.
Frustrated, I pick it up off the table and put it to my ear. “Yes?” I growl, already aggravated with whoever it is on the other line.
“Liam, I apologize, however, I can’t make it to meet you. It’s not safe,” Emilio shoots out, sounding nervous as all hell. You know when people talk so fast you naturally assume they’re on drugs? It’s how Emilio sounds right now. Knowing him, he wouldn’t ever touch that stuff.
“What’s going on, friend? You sound shaken.”
“Volkolv found out about what I was doing for your family. He knows, Liam.”
I furrow my brows, not sure what he’s referring to. I don’t even know why Emilio is bringing up Volkolv in the first place. Those two shouldn’t ever cross paths. “What are you talking about?”
“I tried getting in touch with your father, but he hasn’t been answering his phone. I’m sorry to come to you. I should be going to your father since he was the one who gave me the assignment . . . but if I don’t tell you what I’ve discovered, you two may not see the threat headed your way.”
“Alright. Now, will you tell me what’s got you so rattled? Start from the beginning.”
“Yes, of course. Your father sent me to Los Angeles to conduct surveillance on the twins. I saw something I never expected. Liam, Greer was just given an amazing opportunity with an investment backing, but you’ll never guess who works for her investor.” Greer graduated with her degree in fashion design and management about a year ago if I’m correct. I never ask too much about her because it upsets our father, but she’d been interning for another designer. I had no idea she wanted to start her own line.
“When the hell did you start running surveillance?” I ask, baffled this was kept from me. Emilio worked on our estate feeding the fucking horses. What the hell is he doing halfway across the world watching my sisters?
“Five months ago. I’m certain your father will bring you up to speed, but he’d been getting anonymous threats against Greer’s and Sloane’s lives. Instead of hiring a company that he didn’t trust, he sent me. Luca had been training me for months beforehand. Working as a stable hand was only a front for the last bit of time.”
Well, there’s my explanation. “Okay, somehow I feel as though you haven’t told me what you’ve discovered.”
“Correct. I apologize. I haven’t been this nervous in quite some time. The Russians . . . they’re everywhere, Liam. Los Angeles, here in Ireland . . . I don’t know what Volkolv is planning, but from what I’ve witnessed, I believe he’s trying to get his son close to Greer. He works as legal counsel for her investor.”
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Aleksandr Volkolv is the legal counsel for the couple who have decided to invest in your sister's designs. From the intel I’ve gathered, they want to steamroll the start of her career. I was able to hack into their system and get the contracts. They’ll own fifty-one percent of her company, while she’ll have the remaining forty-nine percent. Although it states clearly in the contracts that they have silent investors who help bring capital to their company and because of privacy reasons, they can’t name who the other investors are. Liam, I saw Volkolv meeting with the couple.”
“Aleksandr? I assume he would, he works for them.”
“No, Valentin. I believe Aleksandr doesn’t know anything about his father’s involvement with the company.”
“Why would you say that?” I ask, obviously missing something.
“I broke into Aleksandr’s apartment when he and Aleksei were gone. He left his phone behind so I cloned it and have been able to read his text messages. To say he and his father are on the outs is a dramatic understatement. In one of the texts, Aleksandr asks when he’ll be meeting with his father. Valentin lied to him. He said he was in New York. Now, why would a father lie to his son unless there was something to hide?”
I nod. “True. It raises a red flag.”
“Aleksandr has been getting extremely close to your sister, Liam. It makes me uncomfortable. I can’t help but feel like this is some elaborate plan Volkolv organized.”
“It doesn’t sound out of character. He’ll do everything he can to get back at my family for what happened with my father and mum.”
“I know, which is why I needed to tell you. I was able
to get back to Ireland, Liam, but Aleksandr caught me snooping. I left abruptly, took the soonest available flight I could back to Ireland. He must know their game is being blown up.”
Aleksandr has never been like his father, but knowing he’s getting close to Greer is making me uncomfortable. There have been whispers about his father handing the bratva over to him. I imagine he’d have to do something insane before that happened, though. “Thank you for letting me know. From the sounds of it, you got mixed up in some heavy shit. You know where to go, so go.” I end the call feeling optimistic about the amount of information Emilio gave me.
Just as I start to place my cell phone back down on the table, another call comes through. This time it’s my father. “Liam.” His tone of voice instantly tells me something is wrong.
“What?”
“Malone went to stand guard outside of your hotel room door. When he got there, it was broken, as was some of the furniture. . . ” The rest of what he tells me goes in one ear and out the other.
I interject, needing to know. “Caprice. Was she . . . ” I can only imagine she’s dead. Sergei would’ve killed her. I don’t have a doubt about it.
“No, the bathroom is soaked. It looks like he grabbed her from the bathtub.”
“We need to get access to the security cameras,” I say, already hearing my father mumble in the background.
“We’re going to find her, Liam. I promise you. We will find her.”
I scoff, ending the call. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, old man.”
35
Make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you. Know your worth even if they don’t.
~ Lovethispic.com
Caprice
I wake to the scent of burning wood, my eyes fluttering slowly as I take in where I am. My wrists are tied to the hard wooden chair I’m sitting on, so I try to move my legs but see my legs are confined as well.
I appear to be in a living room, and an old one at that. The white is yellow on the edges and peels from the walls. There doesn’t appear to be any electricity in this place because I can’t spot a light or switch. I wonder not only where I am but when this was built. The rest of the room is empty besides one more chair sitting next to a window, which is the only thing allowing light into the room. It gives me a picturesque view of the Irish countryside. If I weren’t tied to this fucking chair, I might even enjoy being here.
Rain pounds down on the roof and I see droplets of water coming down one corner of the room. There must be a hole in the roof. From the corner of my eye, I see something is sitting in the fire. It’s long and extends into the flame. Not only that, but there’s a point in the dark object where it suddenly turns orange.
My mind shifts to whatever it could be, but I’m startled when a heavy hand is placed on the back of my shoulder. “I had a feeling you’d notice the brand first, pet,” Sergei spits out in a sickening tone.
I can’t face him and there’s no use in fighting in any way. It’s not like I can do anything right now, so I need to be smart and keep him busy. With no way to tell how much time has passed, I can only pray Liam figured out I was missing and is on his way to find me. “Why are you doing this?” I ask, keeping my voice monotone. I have to act like I don’t care, like none of this matters, and most importantly, as if this man isn’t terrifying every bone in my body. He strikes me with fear, but I can’t let him see it. If he does, he’ll know about the amount of power he has over me.
“Why? Are you stupid, girl? Hmpf. Maybe this is why your father wanted to get rid of you.” He cackles, coming around the chair to face me. Sergei shifts his hand from the back of my shoulder to my throat, closing his hand into a fist.
I do everything in my power not to freak out, however, it’s a natural reaction for the body. When you feel pressure closing around your neck, your body instinctively wants you to take a breath and when you can’t, anxiety pours over you. Like the sick bastard Sergei Kolosov is, he snickers at my pain, smiling widely as I struggle, but as I get dizzy, he yanks his hand away, snickering.
“We could have been amazing together, pet. You and I, we could have had everything.”
“Like you and Katya were?” I question him, allowing my anger to slip through a bit. Everything I’ve heard about him and his ex was good until he started the divorce process and ripped her ovaries out. She was pregnant when he had his mad doctor do it. All I can think is how he didn’t blink when he gave the order for one of his men to harm her in that way, to kill the child they created together. He was fine doing it to her, which only means he’d do the same to me given the opportunity.
Sergei seems surprised I know her name. “Katya and I were good while we lasted, but she was never the end game for me. You see, I’m a man with big-picture goals.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Meaning you had nothing to gain with her. Unlike what my father promised you.”
“You are a smart girl, pet. Now if only you weren’t married. Tsk. You had to go and ruin everything we would’ve had.”
“It wasn’t about you, Sergei. I only followed my heart,” I state, sticking to the lie that Liam and I were having a secret relationship.
“No. I don’t believe this elaborate lie you’ve created with Mackenzie. I saw the way you looked at him when he called you his wife in the bar. You were shocked. Girl, you had no idea what he was doing. Let me explain it to you. Mackenzie saw the same benefits in marrying you as I did. So, he beat me to the punch. He didn’t care. He only wanted you for your name. Same as me.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I seethe, thrashing in my chair.
Sergei chuckles. “I know more than you think. I even know about your little girl. The one you had with Rafael. Oh, pet. How I would have ripped your daughter straight from Rafael Ramirez’s hands. I’m sure you already know this, but that man is bad for my business. I imagine it must be difficult for you to be without your sweet Pippa.”
“Piper,” I correct him.
Sergei smiles even wider, making me think of a demon in those horror films. “Seems Rafael didn’t like what you named your daughter. Regardless, we should change the subject. I won’t help you retrieve her now. You’ve put the nails in your own casket. I have come to teach you a lesson though, girl. According to your father, I own you. I kept thinking about what I would do to you, how I would punish you for defying me. But . . . then I thought I couldn’t just punish you. I had to think of a way to punish Mackenzie as well, and it hit me. My brilliant idea!” Sergei walks over to the stove, putting some sort of glove over his hand and walks over with the iron. It’s more evident than ever.
He was heating up a fucking brand.
“I’m sure you know what I’m going to do to you. I want you to look in the mirror every day and know I own you. Neither you nor your husband will forget about this day. I thought about killing you . . . although it’s too merciful to do that. Instead, well . . . ” Sergei grabs the back of my hair and pulls it back so far I can’t move my head at all. Bringing the iron closer to my face I not only see the orange pigment from laying in the fire but feel the heat starting to burn my skin.
He shoves it toward my forehead and before it even makes contact with my skin I feel it incinerating through my flesh. I scream bloody murder, attempting to thrash in my chair but it’s no use. The one thing I will never forget from this experience is the expression on his face while he marks me like a cow.
36
Be careful who you trust. Salt and Sugar look the same.
~ Unknown
Liam
What a damn fool. It’s hard to know this man somehow got through life being so fucking stupid. Does Kolosov not realize everyone in my country owes my family? Unlike other mafia families, we’re not the enemy. We’re the one citizens run to when they’re having trouble. Though I shouldn’t complain, his idiocy was able to help me find my sweet Caprice sooner than I thought was possible. If I’m lucky it means
she hasn’t been harmed, but based on the screams coming from the old farmhouse Brennan has on his property . . . I’m too late.
I didn’t have time to call Luca or Malone, so I’ve come here alone, which is a major no-no. You always bring backup. It’s practically a golden rule, however, none of it matters if she’s dead. I won’t apologize for rushing over here and not waiting for extra backup.
I pull my gun from my shoulder holster that I always hide under my suit jacket, pull back the safety and rush into the house with my gun drawn, throwing the door open.
Immediately my eyes shift to Caprice, who looks lifeless with her body limp in the chair she’s tied to.
Sergei sees me coming, goes for his own gun, but I fire a shot, ensuring to count how many I unload into this sick fuck. The bullet flies through his hand and he lets out a holler. I shift my wrist to the left and fire again, watching as he puts the same hand I just blew a hole through over his shoulder. I feel as though I’m in some slow-motion action movie, firing round after round into his chest and stomach. He stammers backward from the impact, so much so he falls against the only window in the room. His body breaks the glass and he goes through it.
I want to head over to Caprice, but I need to make sure Sergei isn’t going to get up and run off. He’s lying face up, snickering as blood pours from his mouth. “They didn’t want me to k-kill her, s-so I d-didn’t,”
“Who?” I demand to know, but I think we already know who demanded this of him. I had a feeling Sergei wouldn’t have taken her on solely his own account. He’s notorious for doing others’ bidding, as well as their dirty work.
Sergei laughs, coughing up blood in the process. “F-family doesn’t mean s-shit to the I-Italians . . .” I’ve witnessed men die in the flesh numerous times before, so as his eyes go blank in front of me I know his time has come and the reaper will be taking his soul down to hell. As an Irishmen, I want to believe God forgives us all, but if he forgave Sergei, I wouldn’t be able to believe in him any longer.
Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection Page 59
