Bratva Dark Allegiance: The Complete Collection

by Raven Scott

  Which was great, because Reece didn’t actually work for me. He was just somehow inserted into this by some strange course of events.

  “I try not to let personal conflicts interfere with work, but if it’s obvious that two parties are unwilling to resolve the conflict for whatever reason, I’d try to avoid overlap. If that’s not possible, I would consider replacement if it comes to that. For a professional conflict, I would sit them down together and try to resolve the issue. If a resolution isn’t possible, I’d again consider replacement. For either situation, I believe work ethic shouldn’t be compromised over petty or outside squabbles.” Once again, David was fairly concise, his voice never wavering. He had a deep, calming voice, an air of authority about him but not an authoritarian. Maybe, he realized that his attention needed to be split, because he started watching Reece and I with one eye each.

  “Mr. Everette—” Jane started.

  David coughed roughly in surprise.

  Jane shot him a slight frown of disapproval.

  He simply covered his mouth and ignored her, wide, blue eyes meeting mine questioningly.

  Jane trudged on. “I agree that people shouldn’t bring personal problems into the workplace, but I would prefer to uproot the problem before it escalates to creating tension.”

  “Let’s say, in this hypothetical situation...” Reece cast me a slimy look as he waved his hand. “You’re receiving reports that one of your employees feels as though he or she is experiencing gender discrimination and being ignored by another employee. How would you handle the situation?”

  This time, at least, Jane raised her hand before opening her mouth.

  David lost it. He snorted, ducking his head and covering his mouth.

  I arched a brow as he muffled his laughter behind the back of his palm.

  “I’m so sorry. Excuse me.” Quickly composing himself, David cleared his throat.

  Jane seemed to struggle not to glare openly at him.

  Really, it was quite interesting how she acted. She was quite a bit older than everyone else in the room and this could’ve been a slam dunk position for her.

  If she hadn’t just breezed past me, assuming I’d been a secretary.

  “I would definitely try to figure out both sides and see where the misunderstanding happened.” Jane didn’t say anything else.

  David inhaled deeply from his chair next to her.

  Reece arched a brow at him quizzically.

  David once again, turned his attention directly on me. “I can’t say what I would do. I’ve never experienced gender discrimination in the workplace or have only experienced it second hand after the fact.”

  I didn’t really want to continue this interview further and I looked to Reece to get his attention.

  He simply waved his hand, having far too much fun.

  Well, I could just check out mentally. Wandering over to the sofa, I sat back and crossed my legs to stare blankly at a particularly long carpet fiber. At least, I’m not freaking out about my plan to kill the guy that raped me. I mean, I spent ten years on this plan. Slowly. Methodically. I poured effort and resources into this that probably could’ve been better spent in therapy or something.

  First, it was the man that videotaped it. I went after him first, with a heavy hand from Carlyle because I really didn’t understand the complexities of finding someone, grabbing them, and then torturing that person to death. For him, I had used one of Carlyle’s cells at his complex upstate.

  But by the time my chance came to grab the second man, the one that had orally assaulted me, I was pretty practiced. Shocker. There were a lot of rapists in New York City. Who would’ve guessed!

  The second man was easier. Easier logistically. Easier to torture. Easier to get rid of when I was done.

  Now, I had one little piggy left and I’d saved my favorite form of slaughter for him.

  “What’s seventeen times six?” Reece asked the pair of them.

  Blinking hard, I looked over as David instantly whipped out his cell phone while Jane just gaped in surprise. He answered the question quickly, as Jane’s jaw ticked when she closed her mouth.

  “I think we’re done, here. What do you think, Ness?” Reece asked me.

  “... I think you’re having too much fun with this than is appropriate.” Work probably isn’t the best place to think about my revenge. It’ll happen when it happened. I couldn’t rush kidnapping the man that had so drunkenly, effortlessly, ruined me. And, really, I should be grateful. When I left home, I didn’t have anyone or anything. Without that, I may not have met Carlyle, worked my ass off, owned the number one marketing firm in the States, or any of the other businesses I took over.

  “Thank you for taking the time, sir.” David shook Reece’s hand firmly.

  The interview wound down in an instant, and I stood up. Shaking my head slightly to shirk the shadows of my thoughts, I rubbed my palms against my outer thighs absently.

  David stepped closer to me.

  Now, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

  Holding out his hand, his smile was warm and professional, but there was this slight sense of intimacy he exuded— as if every action was more than it was, even a simple handshake. His thumb circled the back of my palm, but it was obvious he didn’t even realize it. “I appreciate being given this opportunity, Ms. Everette.” A little, devilish glint sparked in his blue eyes.

  Tingles raced up my arm under my thin shirt sleeve. My lips picked up in a faint smirk.

  Behind David, just in my field of vision, Jane tensed and sucked in a sharp breath that echoed in my otherwise quiet office, and twisted to stare at me openly.

  Releasing my palm, David shot me a wink.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back to arch a brow at Jane. She looked so dumbfounded that I couldn’t stop myself from giggling a little. “You would think someone applying for such a senior position would know that the CEO of this company is a woman. Google is an amazing tool and you shouldn’t be ashamed to use it.”

  Jane leapt to her feet, her face tinging red up to her ears at my declaration. “Why did you act like he was the person in charge!”

  Blame shifting. Not a great quality in someone overseeing over a dozen employees.

  Jane shivered with anger and embarrassment as she pointed at me accusatorily. “I wouldn’t want to work for someone that so callously lies and manipulates employees!”

  Surprise at her absolute gall, my brows rose. “You walked right past me and addressed Reece with my name. Did you think a CEO is incapable of opening doors? Do you think I have someone to wipe my ass for me, too?” I waved a hand in dismissal.

  Her face turned tomato red at my bland tone, then she glared at me, lips thinning, eyes watering from how angry she was as she desperately tried to come up with argument.

  I calmly explained, “I would’ve rather not wasted my time, but I was wondering if you’d figure out that Reece doesn’t even work here. He’s not my employee. Even then, if I was just an underling... you didn’t treat me with any respect. You didn’t acknowledge me at all. If this is your best behavior for an interview, I can only imagine how it might be to work with you, and the way you treated me during this interview shows me how you’d treat your subordinates.”

  “How was I supposed to know any of that?”

  Jane’s aggressive question really threw me for a loop.

  Reece chuckled lightly to grab her attention.

  She whipped around to face him, her shoulders tight and high.

  I glanced over at David who’d been hovering between myself and the door.

  He didn’t look very amused, but he wasn’t uncomfortable, either.

  “The point Ness is trying to make,” Reece jumped in. “Is that everyone, no matter the role, deserves respect. Just because you are higher on the greasy pole, doesn’t mean you can dismiss those in lower positions. Everyone serves a purpose, and even if you don’t appreciate the purpose, you should still respect it.” Rou
nding my desk, Reece smiled broadly, politely, as he swept past Jane and stared at me. “We’re still going out to dinner for your birthday on the 19th, right?”

  “Yes. Let me know how your lawsuit goes, once Landry’s gets a hold of it.”

  Reece nodded at me and then again at David as he left the room.

  Jane stormed off rather than be stuck with me.

  Bemusement tickled my ribs as she huffed and puffed then shut the door behind her.

  David shuffled from foot to foot.

  I inhaled deeply through my nose and raked my hand through my curls. “Let me show you out. My company goes on holiday in two weeks, so expect a callback sometime then.”

  4

  Vanessa

  “I’m going to tell Sarah and see what happens.” I shrugged lightly. “Either she calls him out, or she ignores it. I don’t particularly want to ruin her life, but she’s collateral damage.”

  Jerry’s bushy brows rose high as he turned away from his wall of monitors. “... You’re one coldhearted woman, Vanessa.”

  My lips twisted into a frown.

  Jerry smirked broadly with amusement dancing in his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on the fiancée, but you have to do something for me.”

  “What do you want?” I wasn’t surprised, as Jerry never did something for nothing, and I rocked back on my heels. Curiosity sparked in my chest.

  He just shrugged and waved at me with a flick of his wrist.

  My frown darkened and I huffed a little through my nose. “Fine. I’ll owe you a favor that’s within my capabilities.”

  “Cool! Give me a few days to get you what you want set up and I’ll drop it off at your apartment.”

  Our conversation right before I went with Carlyle to Oregon slowly gave way to the real-time audio blasting from my laptop speakers.

  Blinking hard, my thumb glided along the mousepad of the laptop Jerry had supplied me. I had every text that woman sent and received, audio files of all her phone calls, GPS information‒everything she did‒I saw. Jerry was good at his job and owing him a favor wasn’t as ominous as it seemed.

  Finally, all of my waiting had come to an end. She finally called the man she was marrying, the same man that raped me and asked him if it was true.

  And as I knew, he tried to deny it until she told him there was video proof. The silence on that call was damning, and I paused the audio file to grab my phone. Dialing the number of the team that was going to snatch him, I leaned against the foot of my bed and flopped my head back.

  The line rang once, twice, before a soft click sounded.

  “Do it.” My whisper echoed in my ears and the call ended within a second of starting. I’d spent so long wondering what would happen. I spent so long hoping that this woman wouldn’t just go into denial or something, so I dumped every piece of evidence I had on her. A good quality video of her fiancé and his two friends raping me on the train. A Transit card statement proving he and his friends were on that train. The eventual call a few days later to a crisis hotline and the transcripts where he admits to what he did. Anonymously, of course.

  But nothing was anonymous from Carlyle, especially when my lovely boss had already tapped that monster’s phone.

  Now, I could make that man’s disappearance look like he was running away because he’d been caught. I could do whatever I wanted with him once he was nabbed, and no one would bother looking for him. He was a disgrace, a pariah, unworthy of anything but scorn.

  At least, that’s what this woman’s family had to say. To be perfectly honest, I was surprised that they didn’t spill the beans and blast him. It’d been just a few days since I went to Vegas and dropped that packet in her lap, but she still took longer to call him than I expected.

  When I closed my eyes, I no longer pictured the first or second man. Not their leering smirks or disgusting mocking, or even their moans. Not the color of their shirts or the smell of their cologne. I didn’t taste tears and nastiness on my tongue anymore.

  Now, all I heard was their tortured screams and rasping pleas to stop. Of course, it went both ways. Both men had tried to tell me I was crazy, a bitch. I was drunk! I would never do that if I’d been sober!

  But none of that mattered because... they weren’t sober. They did what they did, and they paid the price.

  Really, I owed Carlyle far more than I could ever repay him for. He tapped all their phones, gave me access to all I needed to watch their online activity, and never once made me feel like I was going too far. Too far, for me—wasn’t far enough.

  Slowly closing my laptop, I slumped against the foot of my bed to inhale deeply and hold my breath. All my fantasies played behind my eyelids and I took solace in knowing that they wouldn’t compare to the real thing. This man would join his buddies in hell, forever chained to the car that had been the catalyst for my life.

  Pushing myself up, a hard sigh escaped me as I made my way to my closet to strip out of my pajamas. A soft knock on my bedroom door pulled my attention from my all-consuming revenge and I poked my head out of the closet. “Come in?” The door opened at my call and I frowned slightly as Landry slid into my room. “You again. What’s up?”

  When I was younger, I used to think Landry was awesome. Handsome, successful, a gentleman. It never really hit me how much I craved a man— the unhealthy kind of crave— until Carlyle pointed it out to me.

  “I heard through the grapevine about what you were doing in Vegas, and I wondered if you wanted some support, Vanessa.”

  My brows rose in surprise.

  Landry smiled tenderly at me with warmth blazing from his deep, dark brown eyes. “I’m going to be on this side of the country for a while I sort out this mess with Igra and the other Commies. I always have time for you though, Ness.” His eyes danced merrily.

  Flames licked up my cheeks and I retreated into my closet. He didn’t mean his words in any type of way romantically, but... I couldn’t remember the last time someone said something even remotely close to that. Grabbing a random tank top and a pair of high-waisted jean shorts, I climbed into my clothes.

  He spoke up again, “How did you enjoy Oregon? Oran told me a little bit of what happened, but he refused to comment on Igra and Darren’s... feud...”

  I scoffed loudly at that, rolling my eyes as I stuffed my arms into my shirt.

  Landry chuckled lightly. “I suppose you have some opinions on that?”

  “I think Darren’s a pussy and not worth the money. I don’t like Delilah either. She’s a stuck-up bitch. It’s her way or the highway.” Walking out of my closet, I buttoned up my shorts and sat heavily on my bed to rake my hands through my hair. Irritation enflamed my lungs while just thinking about Delilah and her snooty, self-centered attitude. “She’s so friggen dramatic. It’s embarrassing.”

  “Love makes people afraid.”

  Swiping my sandals out from under my bed, I frowned.

  Landry walked over to sit beside me. “I agree that Darren was hyped a bit too much and fell far short, but Carlyle did it for a reason, us mundane peasants can’t understand. That’s going to have to be good enough, I suppose.”

  “Yeah. Everything has been really peaceful... and I hate it.”

  Softly, Landry rubbed my back; he was like the protective older brother I never had growing up.

  I snapped the strap of my sandal with a frown. “I feel like everyone around me is living in a fairy tale where there’s no bad guys, no danger, but because they’re no longer watching out for it, and... I’m just here, with this awful sense of impending doom that’s been looming over me for 13 years.”

  “Do you feel like you shouldn’t have peace when this is over? You deserve it, Ness. Some people are fortunate enough to be able to move on somewhat successfully after being attacked, but others... not so much. I hope you’ve realized by now that killing the men that hurt you may not make you a monster, but it doesn’t make you a saint, either.”

  “I don’t want to be a saint.” Glancing up to
catch his eye, I pursed my lips thinly as emotion tightened my throat. “I want this nightmare of a life to end. Why does everyone else get to be happy, and I-I just can’t? Why do other people get to enjoy each other and all I feel is shameful and disgusting after? I’m tired, Landry. I’m tired and tired, and... I may not let myself think of it, but this... this is the end. My life ended in that train car and my ghost is going to be put to rest there, too.”

  I had never uttered those words before, not to myself or anyone else. But, now, the time had come to end it all.

  Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, Landry pressed his lips to my crown.

  At his gentle support, my eyelids fluttered shut. Even to my own ears, I sounded like a whiny brat and it made me hate myself a little bit more. All I owned, everything I did, was to distract myself from this moment of acknowledgment.

  5

  Vanessa

  “Why are there two of them!” My blood boiled and I didn’t give my guy time to open his mouth and spit out some lame excuse. Reaching over the table, I grabbed a plain knife and slashed him across the face. He let out a cry that barely rose above the drumming in my ears and irritation gripped my heart in a vice. “Get the fuck out! And you’re not getting paid, you useless piece of shit!”

  The metallic scent of blood blossomed in the stale air and he shot me a nasty smirk under his hand. Blood gushed from the slice on his cheek and down his arm, staining his shirt.

  I pointed the tip of my knife at him, a silent warning that if he didn’t fuck off right this instant, I would kill him.

  Slowly backing out of the abandoned train car, he held up his free hand in surrender.

  His blood had spurted onto my shirt and across my collarbone and I set down my knife to rake my hands through my hair violently. Disgust roiled my stomach and my mind raced frantically as I paced the length of the car. I couldn’t believe this guy had botched my job and grabbed an extra man.