by S F Draven
“It’s nice of you to finally join us, Volkov. Things were starting to get a bit boring around here,” said Edik, from across the room before moving to tower over me. I wondered for a moment if he was going to finish the job right there, but I knew better than to think he was going to let this perfect opportunity pass him by.
Chapter Twenty: Irina
I felt his hands around my neck, squeezing tighter every time I squirmed under him. I felt his fingers press deeply into my collarbone, traveling back up to my throat, while eyes stared back at me with satisfaction. He loved that I had nowhere to go, that I wouldn’t be able to escape this time, and in that moment I began to worry that I’d made the wrong decision by willingly falling back into his trap.
“You really thought that I wouldn’t have found out that you reconnected with your grandfather, Irina? How foolish do you think I am?” he asked me, but I wouldn’t give him a straight answer. I tried my best to scream, but his grip around my throat grew tighter, so tight I thought his fingers were going to pierce my skin. “You thought that you could outsmart me? After all this time, you really thought that you were going to get me right where you wanted me. I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but this is going to be over very soon,” he said, whispering in my ear.
I heard the sound of a gunshot coming from the doorway, and I turned my head to see what it was, watching as Aleksandr came charging through the door to come save me, but it was too late. Edik was always one step ahead, cocking his gun back with one hand still holding me down, so he could put a bullet in the love of my life. I tried to break free from his grasp, but I couldn’t manage to move from under him. The fear settled into my eyes, looking down to see Aleksandr bleeding out on the floor before me. Edik got off of me, making sure I couldn’t move or escape before checking to see how much of a number he’d done on Aleksandr. I felt so helpless, trying to climb off of the dingy mattress he’d laid out especially for me.
“You’re not going to get away with this!” I screamed at him, but it just made him laugh louder. The truth was, I didn’t know if we were going to make out alive now that our plan had failed. Aleksandr tried to gather his strength, pulling Edik to the floor with him, the gun falling out of his hands. They both fought it out, Aleksandr punching Edik straight in the mouth as the blood trickled from Aleksandr’s lips, but Edik fought back, driving the heel of his shoe into his bullet wound.
“Doesn’t that feel familiar, Volkov?” he asked.
“You’ve been watching this entire time, Ostrovsky. I’m surprised that you had that much time on your hands to keep such a close eye on us. This isn’t over, and I’m going to make sure that you don’t walk out of here alive,” I heard Aleksandr say.
“How are you going to do that? You’re bleeding out, and there’s only so much fight you have left in you,” said Edik, while I managed to quietly move from behind them both, taking the gun into my hand, and firing off right into Edik’s lower abdomen.
“Here’s the little problem with that theory, Edik,” I said. “You’re constantly getting distracted, and forgetting that the people you were able to take advantage of in the past, simply live different lives now. How does it feel? To have the woman you’ve been grooming for years, finally get the chance to tower over you for a change?” I asked, looming over him while he grabbed for my legs, throwing me off balance, but Aleksandr caught him at the right moment, sending another punch straight into his jaw.
“Do not fucking touch her,” he warned, getting on top of Edik, his blood trickling down onto Edik’s body, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care that he was slipping away from me again, because all he wanted was to finally see the moment that Edik took his very last breath. I struggled to my feet, managing to get out of my bindings before retrieving the gun.
“Edik, you’ve taken a great chunk of my life away from me. You’ve cheated, lied, and stole, used me as a pawn in some of the most gruesome acts I could think of. All because you wanted to be the most powerful mafia boss this country has ever seen, but what you don’t realize is how deep your flaws go. They’re rooted in your greed, in your inability to see clearly because you’re blinded by your desire for power. You wish you could be half the man that Aleksandr is, and it’s clear to me now that I’m going to make you suffer before you finally lay here dead in front of me. You had your chance to rip me apart, strip me of my freedom, but what you don’t have is loyalty. No one is going to come to rescue you, no one is going to save you from this terrible, untimely death that you’re about to face.” The gun was shaking in my hands because I’d never been so close to having what I wanted for so long, and I didn’t know what to do. I had to be strong, I had to keep my head on straight to make sure that he wasn’t going to get away again.
“You fucking bitch. I’m going to fucking kill you!” he screamed, crawling towards me, while I took another shot in his shoulder, glancing down to see him keel over in pain.
“You’ve just lost everything, Edik. Your precious empire can’t exist without a leader, and each and every one of your men will be out of work. All of that money you had hiding around the house, rationing out to me whenever you deemed my behavior good enough, will be in the possession of Aleksandr and I. I have to admit, that you were smart enough to keep me out of the deal with my grandfather, but it seems that you couldn’t outsmart the rightful leader, the mafia boss who is going to command this country the way you’ve dreamed you could. Hurts, doesn’t it?” I asked sarcastically, as I fired off another shot. He tried to crawl away, the realization of what I was about to do washing over his face.
“You held me hostage, made me believe that you loved me, took everything away from me! You were strong when you were hiding behind that army of yours, but look around, Edik. There’s no one left to do your bidding. It’s over. It’s finally the end of the line for you,” I said. He put his hands up in defense, waiting for the next shot to find its way through his skin, and I stood over him, making sure that the next one was going to hurt. I saw him reach into his shoe, pulling out a piece of metal, but before he got the chance, Aleksandr tackled him, holding him down so I could finish what I started.
I bent down to him, retrieving that knife. It was a knife I’d seen countless times before, because it was the one that Edik always used to threaten me whenever I “got out of hand”. I took it between my fingers, feeling an unimaginable amount of power course through me, and I slashed into the skin of his face like he had threatened to do to me when I didn’t please his guests. I cut around his collarbone, where he’d promised to cut into when he snatched away the diamond necklace he’d given me, telling me that “whores shouldn’t have nice things”. At that moment, I was reminded of every bad thing he’d ever done to me, and I sat on top of him, driving that knife deep into his chest, feeling the pressure while it pierced into his flesh. I pulled it back out, doing it again, and again until I felt satisfied.
It wasn’t long before he’d lost enough blood, before his skin grew pale under me. His body convulsed, squirming under me the way mine had done for him whenever he tried to choke me out, and it felt good to finally be the one calling the shots. I stabbed him one final time, leaving the knife secure in his chest, near the heart he certainly didn’t have. It was the most empowering moment of my entire life, and I realized then that he’d been holding me back from my true power for so long. I had crime in my blood, I understood what it meant to take out the men who took advantage of the innocent, who ruined the lives of the women who stuck by them. I knew that wasn’t going to happen again, because now Edik laid dead before me, and I could finally have the happy ending I’d been chasing since I first made my escape.
I ran over to Aleksandr, pressing my lips into his, kissing him passionately for everything he’d done to protect me, for how much he’d lost in all of this. I knew he was barely hanging on, that it was up to me to get him out of there, but I had to thank him for everything.
“I love you, Aleksandr Volkov. I love you so much,” I said, cryi
ng into his chest.
“I love you too, Irina. Thank you for being so strong,” he said, as his eyes started to shut, but I couldn’t take him slipping away from me again.
“Aleksandr, I need you to stay with me. I need you to stay with me, please. It’s finally over, baby. We’re going to make it out of here, I promise,” I said to him, holding his head in my lap just as I heard footsteps coming from the hallway. It was there I saw Viktor and Jack approach the doorway, making their way inside as they took one look around at the mess I’d made. I was covered in Edik’s blood, his body laying there lifeless, with a bluish hue that burned a hole in my brain. The uncertainty of it all scared me, because even though we’d finally managed to take him out, it didn’t mean that we were in the clear. Living a life of crime was always going to have surprises laying around every corner, but it was a fight I knew we could all handle together if we tried. Right now, I just had to focus on getting Aleksandr back to health, because I didn’t know what I would do if I lost him. He’d been through so much to protect me, fallen victim to Edik’s schemes, been drugged, beaten, and tossed around so much it was amazing he’d managed to hold out for so long. Just a little longer, baby. You’re going to make it through this. You have to make it through this, I thought, brushing the hair out of his face as I ran my fingers down his beard, planting another kiss on his lips before the boys hauled him out of there.
We were finally going to make our escape, leaving Edik’s body behind. I turned around one last time to see what I had done to him, how much I’d ripped him apart, and it was at that moment that I understood I had a darkness inside of me that I didn’t realize I had. I was capable of so much more than I ever thought possible, but I was content enough to go back to living a simpler life. It felt good to know that I was able to protect myself when it mattered most, when the walls around me began to close in, and all hope was nearly lost. Aleksandr would’ve been able to haul me out of there alive and well, if Edik hadn’t heard him coming. He’d done unimaginable things to save me, time and time again, but the one thing I had to thank him for the most was unlocking an inner strength inside of me that made this all possible.
Viktor let me know that my grandfather was alright, and that he wasn’t hurt when he pulled up at the pier to pass off the money. His men were able to get him out of there before anything truly bad could happen. I was so thankful for that.
I sat around in Viktor’s mansion waiting patiently while his doctors tended to Aleksandr’s body. He was out cold for hours, and I was afraid that he wasn’t going to pull through this time. We finally managed to take Edik out, and we now had the opportunity to build a life together however we wished. I truly didn’t know what I was going to do if he didn’t make it because he was the only thing keeping me going. He made me feel alive, he made me feel like a new woman every step of our journey, and I refused to believe that there was even a chance that he wasn’t going to come back to me. He always promised to protect me, but I didn’t get the opportunity to tell him that I was going to do whatever it took to make sure that he was just as safe. He laid down his life for me, let his men die for me, and loved me unconditionally in a way I’d always dreamed of. I wanted nothing more than to feel his arms wrap around me one more time, telling me that everything was going to be okay, even though I could feel the worry begin to surface inside of me. There’s always a possibility that he may not make it, but I have to be hopeful. He’s sustained so many injuries in the last few days I can only hope that he manages to fight one last time. I need him. I need him to come back to me, I thought, resting my head in my hands as I let myself cry.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, glancing up to see Jack staring down at me with a cup of tea in his hands. I took it from him, thanking him kindly, trying to distract myself with a few hefty sips. He looked at me like he wanted to console me, but I could tell that even he was worried about the probability of Aleksandr making it through. He was just going to tell me what I wanted to hear, so I found myself shutting him out before he could even speak, but it was when Viktor came out of his makeshift emergency theater that my ears perked up.
“How is he?”
“They’re going to do whatever they can, Irina, but there’s no guarantee right now. The bullet did an extensive amount of damage internally, and he’s already been through so much, we’re all just hoping he pulls through. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but we have to have a little faith. He’s done everything he can to protect all of us, and this is the time we have to return the favor. We did what we went out there to do, and I truly believe that he’s going to come back to us soon. You’re safe, and that’s all that he ever wanted. He told me time and time again how much you mean to him, and that he wished he could just steal you away from here, giving you the life you’ve always deserved. I know how he felt, because I dealt with a very similar situation with my wife. In this life, things are going to get difficult. Things are going to become scary no matter which way you look at it, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. He’s going to be okay,” said Viktor, embracing me, and it felt good to have a hug when I felt so terrible.
Hours passed, and the surgery was finally complete. One of the doctors called for Viktor to join them inside, and when he came back out he looked relieved. I felt the same relief wash over me, as he nodded, telling me that Aleksandr was going to make it. I burst into tears immediately, feeling the weight lift off my shoulders because now I finally got the chance to live out the rest of my days with the man I loved. I knew it was going to take time, and his recovery wasn’t going to be easy the second time around, but we had the opportunity we were looking for.
“Thank you, Viktor. Thank you, Jack, for everything you’ve done for me. For us. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it all means to me,” I said, and they both smiled back at me.
“You’re family now. Family protects family,” said Viktor, and I cried into his chest.
It was the happiest I’d been in such a long time, feeling the unfamiliar sense of freedom and calm take over, leaving me rather confused, but enjoying every minute of it nonetheless. I couldn’t believe that we’d made it this far, that everything was truly going to be okay again, because there was a part of me that had believed all hope was lost.
I sat by his bedside every day waiting for him to wake up, telling him stories about the life we were going to live once he woke up. I filled his head with all of the dreams I’d had, everything I’d wanted to do before my life got tangled up in a dangerous mess that almost cost us both everything. It was now time for new beginnings, exploring each other on an entirely different level. We were in love, we were happy, and we finally had a chance to see where life was going to take us.
Epilogue
One year later.
I woke up to warm, strong hands wrapping around my naked body, feeling the lingering brush of his fingertips remain while they traveled up and down my arm. It was the first time we’d had any alone time in quite a long time because Aleksandr had been pretty busy running his new empire. All of the trouble we’d been through in the past now felt like a distant memory, and we could focus on each other for a little while. It was all I could really ask for, because I’d had my life turned upside down far too many times without my knowledge. It was time to embark on a new journey, one I could control.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered in my ear, and I turned around to gaze into those big, stunning eyes of his.
“Good morning,” I replied, feeling his kisses trail down from my cheeks, to my neck, to my breasts, making their way down to my stomach. We were both the happiest we’d been since we’d known each other, finding time to embrace the newfound command of a life of crime, but still managing to have time to get back to the things that mattered. I looked over as a small stream of light trickled in from behind the curtains, the clouds thickening in the sky, preparing for a thunderstorm. It was the perfect time to stay indoors, to remind ourselves that we finally had everything we wa
nted. Aleksandr was now the biggest crime boss in Russia, leading businesses across the globe from the comfort of his home. He had men who admired him, men who looked up to him every step of the way with a good balance of fear and adoration.
I knew who he was behind closed doors, and the man I went to bed every night with reminded me that we were one and the same. We were a package deal now, and he never felt the need to cut me out of the difficult times, because he was well aware that I could handle whatever life had to throw at us. He saw a different side of me that day when I fought off the man who had made my life a living hell for so long, he saw the kind of power he admired, the kind that he appreciated. He reminded me every day that I was the reason he was still alive, and in all his efforts to make sure that I stayed out of danger, I was the one who made sure we had a future together.
I turned over, climbing on top of him in my cotton nightie, his fingers brushing against the bare skin underneath. Every time we got into bed together, it felt like the first time all over again, because in a life like ours, the stakes were always much higher than any of us realized. I let him take control, pulling my hair back as he ran his fingers up my thigh.. It felt different now that we were on the same page, that I was no longer scared of the outside world, and of bursting our little bubble. He was the strongest man I knew, the one that would scare away anyone that would come near me, and I couldn’t wait to see what adventure was laying in wait for us next. Right now, I just wanted to be with him. I wanted to feel his skin on mine so I could remind myself that I was really capable of having it all. He had opened new doors for me, and it all began right when we first met..
