"Yeah, I slept like shit after we got back. I kept thinking how Gunner must've been hearing about what she'd been through. If that was my sister that was kept from me and used the way she was, I'd seriously be livid. We need to keep a mind to that, and hope he doesn't go all half-cocked."
Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway, and I immediately knew something was up. Gunner ran into the room, causing me to jerk my head to the doorway. "Charlie just called. Reggie's been shot, and they got Alex."
Fuck.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alejandra
I tried to sleep. I really did. Once Ace left, it was useless. I didn't know what was going on, and I was worried, so I tossed and turned. Sighing, I eventually got out of bed and was surprised to see Gun sitting on the carpet in front of a coffee table watching TV.
"What are you eating?" I asked.
He looked up at me, surprised. "You're up! Mom said I needed to be quiet because you were sleeping. I'm eating Lucky Charms. Have you had it? It's so good."
"I can't say that I have."
"Mom!" Gun shouted.
"Gun, what is it?" Charlie rushed in.
"Auntie Alex has never had Lucky Charms. Can you get her a bowl?"
"No. That's okay. You don't have to," I protested.
"It's not a bother." She began to move back to the kitchen.
"Seriously. You don't have to wait on me. I can get it." I followed her into the kitchen and watched as she took a bowl down from a cupboard, then took a sip of her coffee that was sitting on the counter.
I saw the red box labeled Lucky Charms sitting on the marble countertop. I poured a few pieces into the bowl and tasted it. "It's so sweet." I wanted to try it to make Gun happy, but I'd never eaten anything as sweet as this.
"It is. Don't feel like you have to eat it. How about coffee instead? Gun, Alex is not in the mood for cereal. Sorry, bud." She yelled the last part, and I was grateful not to see the disappointment he surely wore on his face
I winced, hating to let him down. My nephew, I thought on a sigh. "I would love some coffee. Has it been a while since they left? There's no clock in the room, but it feels like so much time has passed."
"Hardly. They left about twenty minutes ago."
She poured coffee into a mug, and steam rose from it filling the air. "I have a good sweetener in the fridge, or I have milk if you take it that way."
"Black is good, thank you."
"I don't know how you drink it like that."
I grabbed the mug and took a sip. "It's delicious. I appreciate it."
"No problem." Charlie shrugged, and I noticed again how pretty she was. Her hair was so long and sleek. I had dark hair like hers; however, mine could never get that straight. She wore a light blue fuzzy robe, and I could see the faintest hint of lace peeking out over her chest.
She seemed so nice and normal. It was odd for me to think of her as my sister-in-law, but she was.
"Are you doing all right this morning?"
We talked a little last night, and I relayed what happened with Ace. She was incredibly supportive, so much so, I hugged her before we parted ways.
Me? Hug someone?
It was so unlike me. This whole place made me feel out of my element, but in a way that I could get used to.
I thought about her question. Was I all right? "Truthfully, I'm nervous. They were so rushed, and Ace looked concerned. The way they left this morning, is that normal?"
"Not all the time, but the club has stuff come up. You get used to it. I try to just trust that Gunner knows how to handle himself, and it's out of my hands. It's hard to make that adjustment, but you have to trust," she said, sipping her coffee. I knew what she meant. Going from the captive way we both had been to learning to trust. We had touched on that a little last night as well.
"I'm afraid," I offered. It wasn't just how quickly they left that morning that had me afraid; it was everything. "He came to me last night, and was sincere and apologetic, and for the first time, he made me have hope that this would all work out." I took a deep breath, and I was about to continue when we heard Gun yell out.
"Mom, someone's at the door!"
Charlie moved towards the living room, and as she did, she yelled, "Don't answer it." I followed her to the living room, but we were too late.
A man I didn't recognize dressed all in black held a long, black pistol to Gun's temple.
"Alejandra," the man said, and my body went tight. I recognized the accent right away. This wasn't one of my grandpa's men.
"Let him go," I commanded, my voice sounded strong and steady.
"You come with me quietly, I'll let him go. If you give me a hard time, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in his head and then shoot your friend too."
Oh, God. Oh, no. I couldn't believe they had tracked me here.
"Don't do anything rash. I will come with you. Just leave him alone."
The man sardonically smiled at me.
"Gunner, baby. It's going to be okay. Stay calm. Look at me, baby." Charlie's voice trembled beside me. I stepped forward and locked eyes with Charlie.
"I'm sorry." she mouthed.
I gave her a small nod, accepting that this was my fate. I wouldn't let them hurt Gun. I took another step, and then another until I was within reach of the man. He reached out and grabbed me, then let Gun go and focused the gun on me.
"Let's go." He dragged me out the door, and I heard Charlie yell, "They'll come for you. Stay strong."
A large black SUV was in the street, not fully parked. As we rushed to it, I saw Reggie slumped over his steering wheel, and my stomach roiled. No, not Reggie. He was so kind to me. He didn't need to pay because of me. Sadness coursed through me, and I prayed that he wasn't dead.
The man holding me opened the back door. "Get in."
I shivered since I was only wearing the T-shirt and shorts that I had borrowed from Charlie the night before. "In," he said again, shoving me inside the car.
A phone ringing came through the speakers, and I realized the driver must've called someone on Bluetooth. "I have her," he said in Russian.
"Good. Good. Bring her to our meeting point. I'll be there shortly."
I knew the voice on the other end. My body went taut, and a cold fear washed over me. Mr. Sokolov, one of Santos's business partners, was here to collect me. I'd always known he'd had a small obsession with me, but I hadn't guessed that he would come for me.
The car lurched forward, and I briefly looked out the window and saw Charlie squeezing young Gun. I put that sweet boy at risk. I put my sister-in-law at risk. I was sent to spy on my brother, and I thought at the time that I would walk away, and everything would be fine—that I could leave them all, and I would have some freedom. How wrong I was. Reggie was hurt and maybe dead because of me, and Gun had had a gun held to his head. What if they hurt him?
I felt shame and guilt as we rode away, and I hoped Charlie was wrong. I hoped they didn't come for me and that no one was dumb enough to try. They couldn't go against the Bratva.
We stopped under an underpass. A silver Town Car that reminded me of the cars Uncle Enrico or Grandpa would often ride in, sat idling. We came to a stop beside it, and my door was opened. I was ushered into the waiting Town Car. It all happened so fast. One minute I was in one car, and the next, I was being roughly shoved into another.
"Alejandra," Mr. Sokolov said my name on a sigh. I turned and noticed he was next to me. My entire body locked up. I wasn't prepared. How could I ever really have been prepared?
"Hello, Sokolov."
"My dear," he said, squeezing my thigh. "What on earth are you wearing? You look so... so average." His Russian accent was thick as he spoke. The sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine.
I schooled my features and found it was harder than it used to be to not give anything away. I could feel the tremble in my voice before the words even came out. "Mr. Sokolov, you caught me just waking up. I apologize."
"We'll have a
ccommodations tonight, and then we'll leave for my home. Your home now. We'll find something suitable for you to wear. I don't like to see you like this." His grip on my leg grew tighter, and I was sure there would be finger marks if he'd ever remove his hand. "I'm displeased with you for making me have to retrieve you. Tonight, Alejandra, there will be punishment. Do you understand?"
What could I say? I understood perfectly. "Yes, Mr. Sokolov."
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alejandra
I was in a hotel room. We'd driven for so long, and in so many different directions, I couldn't be sure where we were headed. I did get the impression that we would only be here for a short amount of time, and then we'd go to Russia.
"Shower!" Sokolov said in a curt tone. I kept my mouth shut, knowing not to argue. I moved to the ensuite bathroom. "Leave the door open."
I willed myself to stay calm and to be the Alejandra I once was. God, was it really such a short time ago that Ace took me away from this world?
I undressed, knowing his eyes were on me. It couldn't matter. I had to shut it off. This was what it was going to be. I should never have believed in the fantasy of freedom. I closed myself off and washed my hair with the cheap hotel shampoo and conditioner. I tried to not think about the gun held to Gun's head. I tried not to think about Reggie. And mostly, I tried to put Ace out of my mind. I had to. There was no way that I could hold on to both Ace and my current situation. If I thought about him and the promise of him, I didn't know if I could survive.
On autopilot, I turned off the shower and grabbed the nearest towel. It was large and soft, and I realized we were in a more upscale hotel. I must've been so caught up in my head that I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. Maybe I could figure out where I was and find a way to let Ace know. No, I had to stop. This was my life. Even if Ace found me, could I really put anyone else in jeopardy because of me?
I had to stop and forget about Ace, Gunner, Charlie, and Gun. That was the fantasy. I stared at myself through the fog-covered mirror. I knew Sokolov watched me. It had always been that way. If I was in the room with him, his eyes were on me. I had to let go of the dream that Ace promised. I had to remember who I'd always been, and that was Alejandra. I smeared my hand across the mirror so I could no longer see my reflection and said goodbye to Alex and became Sokolov's whore.
I played the seductress well. I left the bathroom and moved to Sokolov like we were together, and what we had was real. I cupped his rugged, aged face and placed a chaste kiss along his jawline.
"Did you find something for me to wear? I want to please you."
He grabbed a handful of my wet hair and twisted it, making my scalp sting. "Why did you leave Colombia?" he demanded, shocking me.
I felt unsure of what the right thing was to say. I didn't want to fill him in that Gunner was my brother. He might already be aware of this, but the more I could leave him out of it, the better. "I was not safe there. My grandfather's men... Then my father showed up and told me someone was going to rescue me."
He roughly tugged my hair so that his face was in my neck as he hissed, "You were mine. Your grandfather knew it—that filthy scum Hades knew it—no one should have touched you. When Enrico died, I bargained with the old man, and the amount of money he received to keep you safe until I collected you meant you should've been protected." It almost sounded like remorse in his voice.
This information was shocking to me. Is that why my grandfather's men were after us? because I was already bought and paid for by Sokolov? I should've known it was something like that. I was confused by the role my father played in all of this, and I was not going to freely offer any information on Gunner or Ace.
He nipped my neck then walked me to the bed, still fisting my hair.
"I did not know this, Sokolov," I purred. I knew I needed to play whatever role he wanted me to play, or things would end very badly for me. I needed to survive.
"You should not have run and with a man," he spat. I knew just being with Ace was cause for punishment in his eyes.
"You have to understand, Hades..."
"Enough!" he shouted, cutting me off.
I was tossed on the bed, my towel falling loose.
"You will be punished for your disobedience. Rollover," he commanded. I thought I knew what kind of punishment I would receive. Sokolov had always been one to punish. He would paddle me, or spank me, or tie me up. I could handle this. I always could. Enrico's rule was that Sokolov wasn't allowed to leave scars on me. I rolled over like he told me.
"When I paid for you, you became mine. Do you know what that means?"
I didn't answer.
"Answer me!"
I still didn't say anything, too afraid of what he would say next.
"Answer me, dammit," he growled again.
"No, Sokolov. I do not know what that means," I answered, although I feared that I did.
"It means I make the rules now. I decide what happens to you and how I can punish you."
I laid perfectly still, not knowing what would happen to me but knowing that I needed to endure.
He smacked my ass hard, the sting undoubtedly leaving a welt. "Your skin looks so pretty with my handprint." I didn't cry out or even make a sound. I tried to let my mind go somewhere else, but he spoke again, making me listen.
"Which one of your grandfather's men touched you?" he asked, sounding jealous, which was strange because I doubted that Sokolov had any real feelings for me. It had to be more like when a child plays with the toy you want.
I didn't wait to answer this time. "I did not know his name, but the man Hades sent to retrieve me put a bullet between his eyes."
"That is good. Saves me the trouble." He came close to my face, and I could feel his breath against my lips. "How about that, man? The one who took you. Has he been inside of you?" My heart beat rapidly. He knew something about Ace and me, but at least with this, I could be honest with my answer. "No, Sokolov. He was not inside of me." Even as I said it, I regretted it. I resented that Ace hadn't been inside. It would've been my one shot to have that freely, now I would never know what that was like.
"I can see that you are telling me the truth, but your eyes hold regret. You wanted to." He was angry. I should've hidden my feelings better. Everything was too fresh.
He pulled away from me, and I felt another sharp sting against my ass as he smacked me even harder. This one, I was sure, would bruise.
"Alejandra, look at me."
I moved my eyes to Sokolov and watched as he unbuckled his belt and slid the expensive leather through each belt loop. Fear trickled through me. I knew he could hurt me and probably would. I shivered. I wish I could've contained it, but it just happened.
Once his belt was free, he doubled it up and hit it lightly against my flesh. The small crack made me jump. I closed my eyes, wanting to go somewhere else because I knew that crack was only the beginning.
"Did I say you could take your eyes away from me?"
I immediately opened my eyes, "No."
"No, what?"
"No, Sokolov."
The next strike came down hard and fast across my back, making me cry out unexpectedly. He'd never hit me there.
"That's it," he cooed. "Feel what I can do to you."
Another strike came down, and this one was across the backs of my thighs. I had no doubt that it broke the skin, and tears pooled in my eyes. Another strike across the backs of my calves and again, I couldn't help but cry out.
"Move down to the end of the bed. Heels to your ass."
I did as he said and hated how listening to him so easily made me feel. I had to do this. I couldn't fight. I needed to be exactly who I had always been. He knew that Gun was a weakness to me, and if I fought, I had no doubt he would use that weakness against me. The hardest lessons in life often had consequences. And I had little doubt that this lesson was going to be a hard one.
Another strike. This one on the soles of my feet. "Shit," I cursed. I had no idea that much pai
n could be felt there.
"Stretch your arms wide over your head."
I did as I was told, and I waited for another strike to begin. My eyes stayed on Sokolov, but I tried not to watch as he pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me. I pictured the sun setting over the Caribbean as Ace sat behind me. I tried to go there mentally. I wanted to fixate on that beautiful, peaceful moment. I wanted to feel the sand against my toes and the salt in the breeze. I tried to not let it penetrate what would happen to me next as Sokolov sat down and began to stroke himself. I tried to go somewhere else during what happened next. I tried to pretend, but the thing about pretending was it wasn't real, and the things Sokolov did to me next were very real.
By the end of it all, I felt truly broken. All the recent goodness that I'd experienced, that was all a dream. It couldn't have been real. I was Alejandra. I was made to be this, made to do things that repulsed me, and hurt me, but this was me. I had to harden myself and not think about him or some fantasy life that I wish I could've had. I had to give up on any idea of freedom. From then on, I had one job. I needed to survive, and if that meant I closed myself off and did as Sokolov commanded no matter how much pain it brought me, I did it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ace
"Pete. Please tell me you have something. I'm freaking out."
"Never thought I'd see the day that something had you freaked," Pete said, looking over his shoulder. We were standing in the stairwell of St. Vincent's Hospital. I didn't like meeting here either, but Reggie was undergoing his fifth hour of surgery, and I had nothing. I was going out of my mind with worry. There was nothing at all that I could find about who took Alex.
Charlie told us he had a Russian accent, but I had no idea why the Russians would want her. Or which Russians it was, for that matter. I called every single contact I had, and as the hours ticked by, the more that pit in my stomach began to deepen. Guilt coursed through me that I hadn’t protected her, when I told her over and over again that I would. I feared what could be happening to her. After what Charlie had been through and what Alex had already told us she'd been through, I didn't know how much more she could take, and I was losing my fucking mind.
Explosive (A Bleeding Scars MC) Page 15
