by Bailey, Fawn
I moved my hand and she stared at me, her eyes wide and trusting. I knew it was her then. There was no way in hell this little kid wasn't Ophelia's sister. Behind the fear and shakiness, she was as strong and proud as her sister.
She took my hand and started leading me down the hallway.
She stepped over the body of a deadman as if it were nothing, and it made me wonder what she'd seen in her life if this didn't make her flinch at all. We continued our way down the hallway with the sound of gunshots getting softer and softer, replaced by my own beating hard.
Finally, Vlada came to a stop in front of a door, and led me inside the room.
It was a kid's room, but looked more like a little boy's place than a girl's, which made me assume she was only a guest there.
"Where's papa?" she asked me softly as I closed the door, leaning against it with my back.
"He'll be back soon," I told her, and she started to cry. "Oh no, Vlada, it's okay. What's wrong?"
"I... I don't want papa back," she whispered. "He's mean."
"Okay," I managed with relief, touching my shoulder. "I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you, little one."
"You're hurt," she sniffled, motioning to my shoulder.
Blood was trickling down my arm. One of those bullets must have gotten me, but the pain hadn't even hit me yet. It was probably a delayed reaction, but I didn't feel a fucking thing.
"It's okay," I told her. "Do you have a shirt?"
She went to a closet in the room and pulled out a striped long-sleeve shirt, handing it over to me.
"Thank you," I managed, ripping the shirt and using it as a torniquet on my arm. "Now, I have something important to ask you, little one."
"What?" she asked softly.
"Do you remember your sister?" I asked her gently.
She raised those pretty, strange eyes to mine, and for the first time I noticed they sparkled just like her sister's.
"Ophelia?" she whispered.
I nodded, eager to tell her that her sister would be waiting, even though I wasn't sure if we'd make it out anymore.
"Yes, Ophelia," I said. "Do you want to see her again, Vlada?"
She nodded eagerly, grabbing on to my hand and begging me silently to keep my promise.
"Okay," I managed, my emotions getting the better of me. "I'll take you to Ophelia now, alright?"
Another nod.
"Do you know how to get out of here?" I asked next.
"Papa showed me a way out," she said, and I gripped her hand right away.
"Where is it?" I asked desperately. "Show me, Vlada, please."
She walked over to the fluffy pile rug beneath her bed, and pointed at it.
"There's a door here," she muttered.
It must have been part of the tunnels we'd come in through. My heart soared at the thought, thinking we might even make it out alive. Just then, I heard footsteps on the hallway. In seconds, I'd grabbed Vlada, forgetting all about being careful and pressing my palm over her mouth, physically restraining her so she wouldn't make a sound.
She surprised me by being completely passive to the whole thing, not even struggling a little as I held her still.
The steps drew nearer, and I saw the door open through the panelled closet door. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would tear right through my chest. But the guards just looked inside the room and cursed out loud.
"She's gone," one of them shouted.
"Go to the bastard's house," the other man said. "Ophelia's there with the boss. Let's go, go, go!"
My blood ran cold at the thought. That's where that bastard was. Fucking poisoning my girl's head. I was going to kill him.
Once I was sure the guards were gone, I let go of Vlada and made her turn to face me.
"You have to be very quiet," I said to her, and she nodded solmenly. "Promise not to make a sound, even if you're very afraid or if something hurts very bad."
"Okay," she said, pressing a finger to her lips and prompting a nod from me.
I opened the closet door and quietly exited, making sure the close the closet behind us. Next, I moved the bed and rug until the trapdoor became exposed.
I opened the shaft and offered little Vlada my hand.
"I'm scared," she whispered as she took it.
"Don't be," I whispered, clutching her hand tightly and knowing we didn't have much time left. I wrapped her up in my arms, making sure to protect her body with mine, and then jumped into the darkness.
Chapter 21
Ophelia
“Are you ready to die, princess?” my father whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
I stared at the ground below me. We were standing on the balcony of the top floor of the house. He’d told me I’d have to die, but I thought he’d be the one to do the deed. However, now it seemed as if he wanted me to go through with it myself.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and he grinned at me wickedly as I stared at the ground, finally nodding.
“Go on, Ophelia,” he told me gently. “I don’t have all night.”
I gripped the railing and slowly climbed to the other side of the fence. I could smell death all around us. Would this really be my ending? Would I really sacrifice it all for Kain and Vlada?
Yes, of course I would. I had to. I had no purpose without my Master. And my sister deserved to live.
I ground my teeth together and pushed away from the railing.
Just then, I saw two figures approaching the house and I gasped when I recognized Kain’s voice calling out to me.
“Don’t do it, Ophelia!” he warned. “Don’t jump, dolly, we’re here!”
I turned back to face my father. The smile on his face had been erased, replaced by pure hatred for me and the man I’d chosen to spend the rest of my life with.
“Oh no, you don’t,” he growled at me, reaching for my hands gripping the rail and pushing me forward.
I fell, the sound of Kain’s roar ringing in my head. Somehow, I managed to catch the railing, and I now hung from the balcony, gripping the fence only with a few fingers.
“Kain!” I cried out.
But he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, my father’s enraged face appeared before me and he stared me down cruelly.
“I think it’s time you said goodbye, princess,” he told me. “Let the fuck go.”
“No!” I snarled at him, finding a new purpose now that I knew Kain had made it out of the trap alive. “I’m never listening to you again, you sick bastard!”
“Do I really have to do everything myself?” he growled, making a grab for my hand when Kain’s voice cut through the action.
“Let the fuck go of her!”
“Kain, help,” I begged desperately.
My father disappeared from view and I heard the sounds of a scuffle. I was barely able to hold on anymore, my sweaty fingers slipping. I knew I was going to fall. I guess it’s true what they say about your life flashing before your eyes before you die. In those moments, I saw everything that had happened to me like a slideshow of videos.
Max Marino.
His brother, Ryker.
Their father.
My father.
Kain.
Always, forever, Kain.
One of my fingers let up and I let out a cry as I slid even lower. My eyes closed tightly, anticipating the worst just as Kain’s face appeared above me.
“Hold onto me, dolly," he told me, his voice rough and shaky. “Hold onto my hand, let me pull you up.”
I reached up with my free hand and grabbed him, and he started pulling me up, groaning with the effort.
Suddenly, we were both on the floor of the balcony, shaking, sweaty, scared, but together. That was all that mattered.
I clung to him, my lips finding his and kissing him so desperately he chuckled against my mouth.
“You’re okay, dolly,” he reassured me. “You’re going to be perfectly okay, my pretty little orphan.”
“My father?” I asked shakily
, glancing up. But the balcony was empty with not a soul in sight.
“He ran,” Kain got out through gritted teeth. “He ran off when I came to get you. I’m sorry, dolly, I needed to get to you first, I didn’t run after him.”
“It’s okay,” I managed. “Who was with you earlier?”
He sat up, pulling me against his chest and peppering my skin with kisses.
“I found her,” he whispered in my ear, eliciting a gasp from me. “I found Vlada, dolly.”
“Where is she?” I asked, my hands shaking as I tucked my hair behind my ears.
“She has to be here,” he said, and we both got up, turning around to face the most awful thing I could have imagined.
My father stood to the side of the balcony, a little girl who looked just like him standing before him. He was holding her by the shoulders, his grip too hard, his fingers digging into her skin. He was holding a gun, the barrel tightly pressed against the little girl’s forehead.
“Vladislava!” I cried out. “Come here!”
“Not a single step,” my father growled. “Or I’ll blow her brains out.”
My little sister started to cry as I drank her in. It had been so long since I’d seen her and yet she looked just as she had at my eighteenth birthday party. Those big, unusual eyes - one brown, one blue. The raven hair we both got from our mamochka. She was frail and pale, but still noticeably pretty. It was really Vlada. I was sure of it.
“Let go of her!” I growled at my father. Kain had to physically restrain me, and next thing I knew, my father had clicked the safety off on the gun and Vlada started crying even harder. “Don’t hurt her. We’ll do what you want.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” my father ground out through gritted teeth. “You didn’t do your part of the deal, so Vlada and I are going to leave now. Without you, or your little man.”
My stomach knotted at the thought. I couldn’t let him leave with my little sister. He was a fucking monster. There was no fucking way I was letting him get away now.
“We want the girl,” Kain growled at my father. “Give us the girl and we’ll let you go.”
“Boy, do you think I’m stupid?” my father smirked. “That’s not happening. Now turn your backs and count to a hundred.”
I felt tears welling in my eyes, giving Kain a desperate look and begging silently for him not to let this happen. I couldn’t let my father get away. He was going to hurt Vlada worse than he already had. I knew he’d see me getting away as something he had to punish her for, and I couldn’t let that happen. She was just a little kid.
“Don’t,” I begged him. “Just let us have her. We’ll let you go.”
“I said turn the fuck around,” he repeated, roaring to life. “NOW!”
I turned around, collapsing to the floor on my knees as I started to count. But Kain didn’t.
He ran forward before I could stop him. A moment later, a gunshot rang out and the screaming began. I only realized it was me hours after the fact.
I turned around, taking in the scene before me with terrified eyes.
Kain was wrestling with my father while Vlada was sitting on the floor, crying her heart out.
I made a mad dash for my sister, not giving a damn about my own safety in the process. I crawled closer to her, pulling her into my arms. She settled her body against me, breathing heavily as sobs wracked her body.
“It’s going to be okay, slatkaya,” I whispered in her ear. “I’m going to take care of you, I’m going to make sure you’re okay. It will all be alright. Are you heart, Vlada? Did he hurt you?”
“N-No,” she stuttered as the two men fought behind us. “O-Ophelia?”
I looked into her eyes, feeling tears welling in my own as I nodded.
“Yes, it’s me,” I managed before something clattered to the floor beside us.
We both stared at the gun, but I grabbed it first.
Leaving Vlada on the floor, I got up, wielding the gun and pointing it at the two fighting men.
“Slatkaya, get behind me,” I cried out, and Vlada sniffled before crawling behind me and crouching behind my legs. “Stop fighting! I have the gun!”
The two men broke apart, Kain with a bloody nose and my father bleeding from a nasty gash on his forehead.
“Ophelia, princess,” he said, his voice all sugary sweet. “You don’t want to do this. You don't want to hurt your papa, do you? You would never do that to our family, princess. You would never hurt papa, would you? You love me, Ophelia. Right?”
I stared at him, feeling the hatred I’d been building up over the years getting stronger and stronger until it finally bubbled over in a fit of rage so intense I fired the gun without even thinking.
“Wrong,” I said loudly.
* * *
It took hours for somebody to reach us.
Kain’s men had been effectively wiped up by my father’s team. It was a bloody fucking massacre at the Abbate mansion, according to my Master.
I would never forget those hours, huddled in the living room together, just the three of us. My sister’s frail body clutched to my chest, and Kain’s bloody hand in mine.
We waited until the men came, and they had to repeat everything was fine five times before I let go of my Master’s hand.
I felt numb. Dead inside.
I watched them starting to clean things up without feeling a thing. I listened to the men say Abbate had no issue with us anymore, and would leave us be. The last of my father’s men had scattered, disappeared. They assumed they’d leave us be now that they’d lost their so-called fearless leader.
He hadn’t been fearless when he’d stared down the barrel of his own gun.
He hadn’t been fearless when he pissed his own pants, knowing his crimes had finally caught up with him.
And he sure as fuck hadn’t been fearless when he cried as I sent a bullet through his skull.
But now he was gone. He would never bother us again. Finally, fucking finally, we were safe. And now we had another member of the family with us.
I stayed by Vlada’s side as we cleaned her up and fed her a meal that she ate with her bare hands. It made me wonder how my father had treated her. If he’d even given her food, or any love and attention at all.
My sister kept glancing up at me, her eyes wide and full of feelings she couldn't express just yet. But all I needed was in the palm of my hand - her own hand, clutching to my fingers tightly.
Kain let us reconnect before finally joining us at the dining room table.
“We’ve got a new place,” he told us. “It’ll be ready tomorrow. Far away from all this sh-madness.”
He grinned at me when I shot him a warning look. We’d have to watch our language now that Vlada was around again.
“Will I have my own room?”
Kain and I exchanged glances before turning our attention to Vladislava again.
“Of course," I told her. “Would you like to have one?”
She nodded, saying, “I had one at that bad man’s house. Just for a few days.”
“You didn’t have your own room before?” Kain wondered out loud.
“No,” she shook her head. “I slept on the floor, in papa's room.”
I shivered at the thought. That man had done so much damage. Not just to me and Vlada, but to our whole fucking family. I couldn’t believe what I'd almost done because of him. And after what Kain had told me, I didn’t think he ever planned on my sister and him getting out of Abbate’s house alive.
He wanted us all dead... Look how that turned out.
“We’re going to take care of you,” I told Vlada firmly. “From now on, whatever you want, you can ask me or Kain.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” she asked, and I grinned at her, glancing at my Master who took the bullet for me.
“Her fiance,” he told her.
“Is that so?” I asked with raised brows.
“It is,” he replied.
“Can I stay with you?” Vlada w
ent on, and I hugged her close to my chest.
“Always,” I told her.
Kain joined the hug, whispering in my ear, “And that’s a promise.”
Chapter 22
Kain
3 months later
Things had settled into a new kind of normal.
The hardest thing became adjusting to a life without danger. Still, I found myself looking over my shoulder, constantly anticipating another strike of fate. But the hit never came, and I was grateful for it.
Vlada and Ophelia were together once again, and I saw the change it had made in my dolly and appreciated it deeply. She was a new person with her sister around. She was bubblier, happier than I’d ever seen her. It truly seemed as if I’d found the missing piece to make our life complete. And I’d grown truly fond of her little sister. She was eager to learn, and surprised me on numerous occasions with her warmth and kindness. I found myself appreciating her company, grateful that she’d ended up with us.
It soon became clear just how much their father had fucked Ophelia’s sister up. He’d mistreated her for years, convincing her she was nothing but a pawn in his games. Like her life didn’t matter at all. But we knew that with the right care and attention, Vlada would be the happy girl she deserved to be.
She’d made friends with some of my new guards, which surprised me, but I didn’t stand in her way. If I had, she would’ve been lonely as hell without anyone to talk to. But it was harmless, and after threatening my men in case they hurt her, I felt safe enough to entrust her in their care.
I realized life had to change in order to keep my dolly and her little sister safe. Soon after everything went down, I sold the house which was now riddled with bad memories. I surprised them both by buying a horse ranch about thirty minutes away.
When I took Ophelia to see the property, she was amazed, saying she never pictured me in that kind of role. But I quickly proved to her I was more than capable of taking care of her, Vlada and the ranch. Our guards were replaced by farmers, working hands who could tend to the horses. Our lives had changed completely.