Her Crimson Reign

by Tristina Brockway

  No one should complain. Like I said, nuggets of information.

  We both stand there staring at the body for what feels like hours. But in truth, it’s probably been more like twenty to thirty minutes of comfortable silence. Piero understands me. This isn’t awkward silence. No, this is reveling in the aftermath of the man's death. Basking in the peace and serenity that comes with the high of the kill.

  I decide to speak up. “Russians and Mexicans. That’s who keeps coming after me. I know the Italians and Russians have never been on solid ground with the Mexican Cartel but as far as I know, the Russians don’t have a problem with me. My papa thinks I’m in the dark. I know my uncle is the one leading the Russian Mafia. So I don’t understand what’s going on with these attacks. It’s not their work. But it’s definitely some of their men.”

  Piero looks at me like he couldn’t be more proud, and smiles. Just as fast as his smile appeared it disintegrates and his words come out in a serious tone. “He told you?” he asks. I know he’s not talking about my father but instead speaking of Gio and how he told me about Mila and the baby. I nod my head, yes. He breathes in as if there’s not enough oxygen in the world to get through what he needs to say next.

  “Are you going to tell him?” he asks. I look up and grin.

  “I don’t have much of a choice. You know me better than that. I’m not a candy coated kind of girl.” Piero laughs and nods his head in agreement then adds, “Thank fuck for that, huh?”

  I smirk and reply, “Yeah. Thank fuck.” I then watched him retreat back through the door he entered through less than an hour ago.

  I walk over to the rolling cart that contains not only many of the instruments I used on the Russian but also my bourbon. As I pick up the glass, I toss it back and swallow, causing the smooth burn to roll down my throat and the warmth to settle in my stomach. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and make my way upstairs for the first time in almost a week.

  Once upstairs, I take a long hot shower, rinsing the blood from my body. But there’s not enough soap in the world to scrub the stain from my soul. After I shower, I decide to forgo any clothes and slide into my silky black sheets while I crash hard into dreamland, better known as my land of nightmares for a long, overdue slumber.

  Eight Years Old

  Papa sometimes brings me up to the cabin and leaves me for weeks at a time. But I don’t mind. Anything to get away from my mother. He said I’m special. That’s why he has Mr. Moretti teaching me new things all the time, like how to use these fun throwing stars and about all different kinds of knives. Last week I even learned Biology. He taught me all about pain receptors and nerves in our bodies. I think only high school kids learn that stuff, so I know I’m special. There’s not many eight year olds that know about this biology stuff.

  The only thing I don’t like is I never spend time around kids my age. I know Mr. Moretti has kids though. When Papa leaves me here alone, sometimes I follow Mr. Moretti and watch his sons play. The older one is a total brat but the younger one reminds me of myself. He’s quiet unless there’s a reason he needs to talk. Like when he told his brother he wasn’t allowed to talk to me. Only he was. Or he would kill him. I think he meant it too!

  The last time I talked to Giovanni, I told him I killed my brother because he was bad and tried to do things he wasn’t supposed to do. That must be where he got it. Giovanni wants to be like me. I like him so much. He told me his dad says some people have demons in them. Some good and some bad. I told him our demons could be friends even if we can’t.

  We aren’t supposed to talk to each other. His dad said so. But he said we could talk all the time when we grow up because we won’t have to listen to adults. So, I told Gio that when we grow up, we can be the closest friends ever because our demons will already know each other, even if we don’t. He said he thinks our demons will more than like each other. I told him he was just a stupid boy, but whatever. He had to go inside and I had to make my way through the woods and back to the cabin so I didn’t get caught.

  Chapter 23

  Giovanni

  It’s been over a week since I shared parts of myself with Six I hadn’t shared with anyone other than my father and Chance and I’ve yet to hear from her. She shut her fucking door in my face. Who even does that? I know who. Her. A queen on a warpath.

  Apparently Chance can only tolerate me acting like a little bitch for so long because by the time Saturday arrives, he’s hauled my ass across town to one of the dance clubs. I have no desire to go in and dance. But a drink or ten might be just what I need if I want to survive this miserable night out.

  Right away we’re being approached by women. I know I’m nice to look at but once word spreads that Giovanni Moretti is around, the skanks come out in droves. Money hungry whores who think they can fuck their way into a pretty little life with a priceless diamond on their finger. Fuck that and fuck them.

  We’re sitting at the bar and I’m about three drinks in when I can feel Chance smacking me in the arm to turn around for whatever reason. Once I turn around I can’t help but be blown away by the scene in front of me. In the middle of the dance floor I see Kat and Six dancing their asses off. They both have skills when it comes to dancing. You can tell while Kat may dance at the strip club, she’s also incredibly talented, more polished, like she’s taken dance all her life. But Six. Damn. It’s natural talent and the way she’s moving her body is hot as hell.

  Chance and I are both sitting there watching them dance like they’re the only ones in the room when the song fades out and another starts. A couple of guys walk up to them trying to dance when one steps up behind Six and starts to grind against her. I lose any control I may have been faking in that moment and jump to my feet heading towards the girls. By the time I get there, she’s grabbed his arm and twisted him around bringing the guy to his knees as she stands behind him pinning his arm behind his back.

  I can see her whispering in his ear and he looks pissed off. I can’t say I blame him, but at the same time you don’t just approach a woman and start grinding your dick on her ass. I’m an asshole but even I don’t assume you can hump a woman like a damn dog without at least asking permission to come aboard first. Jesus.

  Suddenly he’s pushed face first into the floor with her heel pressing into the back of his neck, holding him down. Security starts to approach, but I pull them back. I may not own this club but I own the man that owns the club and that’s enough to do what I damn well please, which works for me. After a few more minutes, she handed the dickhead his ass and sent him on his way.

  Chance approaches Kat, but Six has already headed for the bathrooms. It’s obvious this is a girl’s night and the last time I saw her she slammed her front door in my face. I know it won’t end well for me to follow her to the bathroom, so I decide to give her tonight with her friend and head back to the bar in hopes of drowning my sorrows without looking like a damn stalker.

  I almost wonder if Chance knew better before bringing us here. But of course he did. This has him and Kat written all over it. I can’t figure out what’s going on with the two of them and make a mental note to ask him about that development. Maybe then, he’ll quit getting into my business with Six. I love him for it. But she’s not the type of woman you try to ambush or set up. Let’s be honest. She’s not a type at all and she’s far too smart for petty shit like that.

  Another hour passes by, and Chance wants to walk them to their car so we follow them out. Like they need our protection, but he insists it’s the gentlemanly thing to do. I can’t help but roll my eyes and trail behind them trying not to look like my puppy’s just been kicked. Fucking hell.

  After we’ve walked away, I notice a man wearing black jeans and a black hoodie pulled over his head making his way towards Six. I spot what looks like a knife in his hand and pull up my gun to aim at the target. As I’m about to warn her she spins with a knife of her own and slices the blade across the attackers throat causing blood to spray all over her, a
s well as the cars on both sides of her.

  I signal to Chance, to let him know to grab Kat and get her out of here while I crouch down and make my way through the vehicles and come up by Six. I call in for a cleanup and immediately start to scan the area for more potential threats. I know she’s pissed that I’m here. She doesn’t speak, but I can feel the heat from her staring a hole through my head.

  With the threat against her growing each day, it’s obvious to see they’re getting braver with each attempt. She bends down and is searching the guy before cleanup gets there to take the body when I feel someone else watching me. I’m now holding a gun in my right hand and a knife in my left when I find myself in the same situation she was moments ago. I spin and find another guy approaching me ready to attack. Raising my knife I stab him up under his neck then withdraw and slash across his neck again for good measure.

  At this rate, we’re both covered in blood and adding to the body count by the second. Not wanting to stand around any longer than we must, we both jump into her vehicle and she floors it, peeling out and onto the main road within seconds.

  It seems like no matter where this girl goes, they find her. What I want to know is how? Are they tracking her? Something to take note of and come back to later. Six is smart. I’m sure she’s already calculating the ways they could be finding her.

  She’s pulled up to my house and we’re sitting in silence with the car running. I know this is the part where I should get out but the whole ride home was complete silence. I can’t stand it. Her not talking to me is pure torture and there’s so many things left unsaid between us.

  I look over to her and catch her eyes for the first time since leaving the club. I rest my hand on her upper thigh and hear her take a deep breath and mumble, “Fuck it.” The next thing I know she’s climbing across the seat and straddling me, twisting her fingers through my inky black hair and pressing her lips against mine with a hungry passion.

  I’m still in shock with my hands in the air, afraid to touch her without a formal invitation. But when she proceeds to moan against my mouth and has her hands sliding down my chest and starts struggling to undo my belt and pants, I throw caution to the wind and accept this for what it is. A fucking miracle.

  Once my pants are undone, I’m thankful she’s wearing a black skirt and fishnets. I run my hand between her legs and with one stroke of my fingers against her pussy I can tell she’s not wearing panties. With both hands I reach down and rip the stockings open at the seam. She grabs my dick and positions me at her glistening wet entrance and as she slides down onto my cock, welcoming me inside and filling her up, we both experience the relief of her finally having me buried deep inside her once again.

  She continues to ride my dick, grinding her hips back and forth as I fuck her hard from below. Hearing the sound of our bodies slapping together and feeling her cum all over me while she screams into my mouth causes me to find my own release, shooting my cum deep inside her only to have it dripping down her leg as she’s about to climb off.

  I can’t help myself. I reach my hand up her inner thigh and smear my fingers through our cum, holding it up to her mouth and rubbing it on her lips. Finally, I stick my two coated fingers down her throat to make sure she tastes the rest of us mixed together. She starts to gag and closes her lips around my fingers. I bring my other hand up and stroke her hair. I can feel her throat closing. “Such a good girl,” I whisper into her ear as she swallows it down like I knew she would.

  As she climbs back over into her seat she throws her head back against the headrest and then rolls her head towards me. Her big gray eyes are full of something I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s not regret but she is hesitant about something. Hiding something maybe? No. That’s not it.

  “We need to talk.”

  Well, that doesn’t sound good. “Do you want to come inside?” I ask.

  “No. You may not want me to after you hear what I have to say. So this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to tell you everything I know. Then you’ll turn around and get out of the car and go inside your house. You’ll hate me. I know you will. It’s inevitable. I can only hope that you don’t hate me forever. And hopefully you don’t hate me enough to put me on your list.”

  “Okay you’re actually worrying me a little,” I say with uncertainty.

  “Once upon a time there was a little girl. She was dark and twisted because life just preferred her that way and she was okay with that. But she didn’t have any friends. Until one day she met a boy. A boy that told her he would be her friend even if they never saw each other again because they weren’t allowed to play. But the boy promised her one day she would be grown and they could be friends again and his demons would embrace hers as his own.”

  I find it in myself to choke out the question. “Anastasia?”

  “Shhh,” she whispers.

  “When she grew up she kept in touch with his father and watched over the boy who had grown into a strong, sexy as sin man. But the man had a woman enter his life. He thought this woman hung the moon. But the girl that had watched over her friend knew this woman was no good for him and had to hurt her before she could hurt him.”

  “No. No! Tell me you didn’t. You killed her? You killed my baby?”

  Six looks away and takes a deep breath and stills herself, then turns back to me and the words that spill from her mouth turn my world upside down.

  “Mila wasn’t pregnant, Gio. She was. But she had long since had a miscarriage and it wasn’t yours. She was faking the pregnancy and hoping to ride into your family with her band of Irish misfit mobsters. She was planted.”

  “No. Mila wouldn’t do that. She was good,” I rasp out like I’m trying to convince myself.

  “Now you know. Like I said, you’ll hate me for a while. But I did what I had to do. Now, please do what we talked about. Get out and go inside.”

  I do as she says. I swallow the lump in my throat that suddenly feels a lot like gravel, then I go inside and sink to the ground with my back against the door and forearms draped over my knees and clench my fists. I try to come to terms with the fact my fiancé was a mole and I’ve been mourning a woman who didn’t love me and a child that was never mine and didn’t exist at the time of her death

  Chapter 24

  Six

  I don’t feel a lot of emotions. When I do, it’s usually rage. But right now I’m choking on guilt, an abundance of it. But it’s not guilt for what I did. I’m perfectly okay with being a little murdery. Okay a lot murdery. I’m cool with it, even if it was someone Gio loved. Ugh! I can’t believe that little cunt did that to him. Just thinking about it gives me the vindication I would need if I was looking for it. But the guilt comes from another place. A place where I put off telling him for this long.

  I should have told him sooner. I know it and he knows it. Piero even knows it. Maybe for the first time in my life I might have felt a little different. Scared to face him, maybe? Worried that he wouldn’t forgive. Not only that, but I was jealous when I heard him call out for Mila in his sleep the night he stayed with me. I never should have held it against him. I had no right to. I guess time will tell. We’ll see if he forgives me for this or not.

  When I get home I take a long, hot shower to wash the blood from my body and then sit at my computer to go over my latest surveillance feeds. I also go through the recordings from the bugs we found a while back and replanted to see if there’s any evidence we can use.

  This whole thing isn’t sitting well with me at all. Gio is about to step up as boss when Piero steps down in a few months. One would think if anyone was being targeted right now it would be him. Not that I have a problem with these incompetent dicks coming after me. Whoever’s sending them either has no idea what the fuck they’re doing or has little regard for their men’s lives. One after the other, they all fall down in the end. But I’m hoping we can get the upper hand soon so we can start playing offense instead of defense. It was fun at first but now it’s just anno
ying, like swatting a gnat that just keeps buzzing around. They can’t hurt you, but they’re annoying as hell.

  It’s about two in the morning when I finally come across something useful from the dark web. While Kat and I are decent hackers, we all know that Piero has the best on his payroll. I decide to throw away any niceties I may possess and give him a call, even at this hour, so he can have someone start digging into this right away.

  “Are you alive?” Piero asks as he yawns when answering the phone. “Obviously,” I reply using my snarky tone, as usual. “Then this better be important.”

  I go on to explain the information I found on the dark web. I found a lot of jobs on there for assassins when people are taking out a hit. I found one that seemed tailored to me. They didn’t come out and say the Crimson Queen but it was insinuated.

  Why in the hell any of us didn’t think to check on the dark web from the beginning is beyond me, or maybe we just didn’t do a deep enough dive. Piero goes on to say he’ll get his contact on this right away to see if they can trace it back to a location or get any more information. I try once again for the millionth time to get him to share his contact with me so I can use them in future jobs, but he shuts me down. One of these days I’ll get him to share.

  After getting off the phone with Piero, I have trouble falling asleep. I’ve had several sleepless nights lately. Most of them because of Giovanni related issues. It always seems to be the same thing. I’m fucked in the head. He’s fucked in the head. We should be perfect for each other but if it’s not my walls going up, it’s his. I know we need to stop fighting it and I plan to do just that if he can find a way to get over what I did to Mila. I’m not sure he even remembered me before I told him about our connection from so long ago.