Pakhan's Salvation (Pakhan Duet Book 2)

by V. F. Mason

  My vision blurred, but I had to stay awake and find some way to help Jake. Then expensive, black leather Italian shoes came into view, as the person stopped next to Ciara. “Cara mia, I knew you’d make it.” The excitement in his voice disgusted me. “You brought your uncle his greatest wish?” Was it… Ercole? Meeting his gaze as I lifted my head, he grinned, licking his lips. “Sorcha’s daughter.”

  Blinking a few times, trying to take in painful breaths, I struggled to focus on the conversation.

  My mother. What did my mom have to do with it?

  Ercole crouched next to me. “She was a beauty, your mom. No one like her existed. Her family promised me her.’’ I almost threw up right there at the idea of him hurting my mom. “My greatest love.” Then his eyes turned cold and annoyed, and he slapped me hard, so much my head swung. “Sorcha ran away and married Don and had you. When she was supposed to be mine.” Then he got up, patting Ciara on the arm approvingly. “Thankfully, Ciara included me in her plan to acquire rights to your body. I just gave Dom a little hint, so we could speed up this process.”

  Ciara gasped, clearly as surprised as me. “It was you?” So much venom and hate in her voice.

  “Of course. A wedding to Oliver didn't have this adrenalin rush.” He leaned forward to kiss Ciara, but she ducked him and then took out her gun, shocking both of us.

  “I hate you as much as all of them. Hilarious how all you did was speed up your own ending.” With that, she shot his dick while his agonized scream of pain echoed in the house, scaring even me.

  He held onto his appendage, dropping to his knees. He wasn’t able to move due to the bullet hitting sensitive nerves and blood flowing everywhere. Then Ciara turned her attention to me.

  “The piece of shit was actually that delusional,” she laughed. “Really thought I’d give him you as a gift after everything he put me through. As stupid as Alfonso. Because of you,” she spat.

  Moving strands of hair from my sweaty forehead, blood smeared on my face, but I didn't care. So she was the mastermind behind all this? She had ruined my life and felt completely justified in doing so. I whispered, “Why do you hate me so much?”

  “My father married my mother. She was the spitting image of yours. He had loved my mother so much, even though he was part of this business.”

  “Business?” Each word hurt me more than the previous one, and I was losing more blood by the second.

  “Child prostitution.” My heart stilled. “But then Daddy died in a car accident….” Her voice trailed off.

  “With your mother, I know.” Dominic filled me in on the Rossi family history, but she shook her head frantically.

  “No! Lies! Lies! Lies created by Ercole, because she reminded him of Sorcha. He hid my mother in his ring and raped her daily, calling her Sorcha, making her dress according to the picture he had of your mother. And he called me Rosa.” She stressed my name, as if mocking it. “But then Mommy couldn't handle it anymore and committed suicide in the bathroom. But I was six years old, old enough to entertain him and his clients. He got off on bringing me pain, because I was Rosa, Don’s daughter, the man who took away the love of his life.” She addressed Ercole, who breathed heavily on the floor. “Son of a fucking bitch.” Then she fired and fired bullets into his chest until he stopped moving completely and his head fell to the side, his eyes wide open and lifeless. “I could still smell them, see them, experience their touches.” She shivered as her voice lowered.

  “Why did he make you part of the family?” Based on the information given, I thought he brought her in right after the accident. But it didn't add up with what she was saying.

  “He only declared them dead several years after the accident, and then he took me in, because he liked to inflict his sick desires on me until I turned fifteen. Then I don’t know who took care of his needs.”

  “Angelica?”

  “Oh, he never touched her,” she replied bitterly. “No one dared harm Vito’s favorite niece. She acted nice around folks, but was mean as fuck to me, always reminding me where my place belonged. That’s why I had no remorse in killing her as part of my plan to eliminate you. I found out your great-grandmothers were related, so that makes you what? Long lost cousins or something?” My soul chilled, as I struggled to keep awake despite the loud buzz in my ear.

  “What?”

  “I was ready to put all this behind me when I won the gold medal, but then your daddy and you showed your pretty faces in New York, and how come you deserved all this happiness while I suffered? So I’ve made sure to destroy your life.” At this point, I didn't even care what her plan or intentions were; the only reason I kept all my focus on this conversation was so it would give Dom and the rest more time to find us and save Jake.

  “Alfonso?”

  She snorted. “Idiot always wanted to be liked in the mafia despite his sociopathic tendencies. I got him addicted to our brand of sex, then we stayed friends, but not before I offered him the perfect plan. He did everything according to my command. Down to replacing Angelica that night and raping her, instead of you.”

  “What?” Did this mean those men never touched me? And as bad as Angelica sounded, she didn't deserve such a death either.

  “No, there was no time for it. Trust me, I would have stayed to watch. Oddly enough, you were too similar not to use this opportunity to get rid of both of you. She knew about Ercole’s business and never stopped him.” Oh my God, what the fuck was wrong with this family? Who didn't report it? “Only Mom was in the dark, and she was kind of nice to me, so she gets to live. Long story short, I needed Rosa Giovanni dead so you could marry Oliver.”

  “But what were you gaining in marrying me off to him?”

  “On the wedding night, you’d be transferred to a ship for human trafficking.” This woman was insane, nothing like the girl who liked and helped me through everything. Then suddenly she changed her tone, as her gun lowered. “During this year… you were so nice… understanding… always talking and including me in everything. Becoming my best friend, the one I never had. And I hated you for it even more, because you evoked emotions inside me. You had no right to charm me as you charmed everyone else, including the man I wanted for myself. Dominic.” Then she said, “It doesn't matter anymore. The game is over.”

  As strange as it sounded lying there in a pool of my blood, hate wasn't an emotion that spread through me, but overwhelming sadness for the child whose parents failed to protect her. Then a family took her in, only to harm her more. How could I reason with her?

  You could not reason with a person who never knew love because they didn't understand the concept, only despised it due to never being on the receiving end.

  So whatever it was, this time, I was indeed powerless to stop the evil.

  Dominic, I’m so sorry.

  Maybe her plan would have been a better option. Then my family, friends, and the love of my life wouldn't have to struggle with losing me again after they had just gotten me back.

  Dominic

  The vehicles circled the house as the car with listening devices gave us access to the conversations going on inside, and everyone froze at the horrific story Ciara spilled to Rosa.

  The FBI had their guns ready, while Melissa once again explained the plan in detail and assigned the shooters and snipers around the property and through every door so Ciara had no chance of escaping. They would have burst inside sooner, but because of Jake, they couldn’t. They struggled to come up with a plan that wouldn't put the kid in danger.

  “No fucking way!”

  Melissa exhaled an exhausted breath. “Radmir, you reject every plan. This scenario is the best. We don’t have time to waste.”

  Grabbing him by the nape, I punched him right in the chest. “Shut the fuck up! Your kid is safe upstairs in the room. She won’t have time to rush to him. The chances are minimal. In any case, it’s your fucking fault he’s even here.” My sovietnik fucked up with his moody attitude, not seeing straight in his rage for
revenge. As much as I understood his desire to keep his kid safe, at this rate, none of them would survive. I addressed the agents. “Proceed with the plan.” As much as I disliked cops and the law, as they never could properly help anyone in the system, they dealt with shit like that on a daily basis.

  “In five minutes.” Then I caught the eyes of my brother, who jerked his head then hid behind the back of the building while motioning for me to go inside. If he thought we had no time, then we needed to act now.

  “Hold on, Rosa. Just hold on.” I chose the moment when the FBI were in a circle deciding from which angle to attack on Melissa’s command, while FSB—the Russian version of the FBI—joined the party, essentially stopping the operation, as the FBI couldn't act all high and mighty on foreign land. The Bratva backed me up with Konstanciya holding a sniper mark on the door, Vitya trailing behind me, covering me from any unexpected shots, and the byki guarded the outskirts of the property.

  So many people involved because of some fucked-up woman who thought Rosa was to blame for her unhappiness.

  Then I heard it.

  The loud cry of a boy who lost all hope, and nothing could have stopped me in that moment.

  Rosa

  Choking on my own blood, I held my stomach where the knife still pierced me, and tried to breathe through the pain, which proved to be an almost impossible task.

  Laugher echoed in the house as black leather boots stopped a few inches away from my face. I lay on my side as droplets of red quickly transformed the old dingy white carpet to crimson. My exhausted body needed rest, but it was a luxury I couldn't afford.

  After kneeling beside me, Ciara grabbed my hair painfully, making me cry out as she raised me half off the floor. “See what happens to perfect little girls who don't know how to behave? They get punished.” The slap to my cheek was harsh, leaving my skin burning while my head plummeted to the floor with a loud thud. Piercing pain exploded through my skull, the hard floor cracking something inside me. Dizziness overtook me, and everything suddenly looked blurry, as my lids felt too heavy to keep open.

  The darkness called to me, and I almost smiled, welcoming the relief that would come with it.

  Anticipating it even.

  But I couldn't help but wonder what kept me alive for so long.

  What knowledge had I forgotten?

  And then I heard it.

  The loud cry upstairs, a cry that made it impossible for me to succumb to the darkness.

  Because I had to save him.

  Jake, Radmir’s son.

  Using the last bit of strength my body possessed, I placed my palms on the floor and rose enough to roll to the wall, and then rested my back against it while blood trailed after me like a curse that wouldn't go away. Agonizing pain from my ribs and leg threatened to finally undo me, but I had to get the little boy the hell out of here.

  “Why won’t he stop crying?” Ciara asked, running her fingers through her hair, sadness washing over her for a second and then changing to indifference. “Let him. You privileged babies think life is a rainbow. And it’s not.” She waved her gun in the direction of upstairs, where the child was locked in the dark room. “If he knew what a nightmare it could be for him, he’d be grateful for my mercy.”

  Gulping as much breath as possible, I rasped weakly, “Let him go. Don’t hurt him.” I couldn't believe I was subjected to this treatment for the third time in my life. I found it quite ironic that a Cosa Nostra princess and pakhan’s woman, who was supposed to be protected at all costs, suffered this much. But why would I blame the mafia houses for it? My upbringing wouldn't have made a difference for people like Ciara, since I was bad by default because she blamed my mother for everything going wrong in her life. “He has nothing to do with it.”

  “You were the one who insisted on bringing the boy with you.” Guilt like tiny little ants scratched my skin as regret settled deep inside me, because she was right. He just seemed so lonely at the headquarters with his parents arguing all the time, and skating in the park sounded like a good idea.

  The last thing I expected was for my “sister” to turn all psycho on us. Her own confessions confirmed she was a deeply traumatized child who had pushed her abuse to the far ends of her subconscious. When she saw my family during a visit to the States, it had triggered her memory, bringing all the pain and imprisonment back. I probably should have been angry or wanted to kill her, but oddly enough, she reminded me of Damian and Dominic, who went through the same thing. They dealt differently, but then again, that was probably in the eye of the beholder.

  “Please, Ciara.” My begging pleased her as she smiled genuinely.

  “How does it feel to be at someone else’s mercy? Awful, right?” Then she huffed in annoyance and in record time reached upstairs. The click of the door could be heard in the distance, and in a second, she dragged Jake by his shirt as he struggled against her, crying his heart out, and I ached to soothe him. No child should ever be subjected to this nightmare. “Sit near her and shut up!” He sobbed, but curled into a ball next to me, while she faced me.

  “You know what’s funny? I don’t even feel satisfaction in knowing I did this to you.” She paused, staring blankly into space, having her own moment. “You were all sweet after waking up in the hospital. We had those chats that I never did with Angelica… friendship even. Sometimes I could even pretend you were Angelica, and I could freely love you. But then Dominic showed up and shattered it.” She wiped the tears sliding down her cheeks, shifting back and forth, her boots making slosh, slosh sounds in the pool of Ercole’s blood. “The evil had to be punished.” Suddenly, she stopped, exhaled heavily, and pointed her gun at me. I stilled and closed my eyes, hoping this would go quick.

  Third time was the charm, right?

  Dominic

  Rushing inside, ignoring the calls behind me, I removed the gun from the holster and scanned the place, while the FBI and CIA surrounded the building, flashing their warrants to the FSB as if they could act all high and mighty in a foreign country. The stupidity of some people sometimes really surprised me, although maybe it shouldn’t.

  Ciara stood, pointing a Browning Black Label Mark III handgun at Rosa, who rested her back against the wall, blood leaking from both her side and her mouth onto the floor. Ciara jumped, scared at seeing me, her eyes widening as she shifted her focus on me. “Stay back, Dominic.” Her voice was cold and disgusted. She reminded me little of the seductress who tried to get in my pants back in Italy. Her makeup-free face and bare arms held scars that only a harsh belt and self-harming could inflict, and the energy of desperation reeked from her. “I will kill her and you.” She gripped the weapon harder with both hands as they trembled slightly. “You don’t deserve it as they do, so don’t make me do it.” Only then, I noticed a barely breathing man on the floor with blood pooling all around him, his white shirt completely soaked in it, and he had several bullets in his chest.

  Ercole, the monster who destroyed her life.

  “Ciara, put down the gun.” Although it would have been easier killing her in this moment, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not after knowing her full story and the fact he had put her through child abuse.

  She laughed bitterly, pulling the strands of her hair behind her ear. “If you’d just loved me that day on Arbat Street… if you’d just changed your mind.” Her whisper made me frown as I questioned where I would have seen her, when it clicked for me.

  Vasya, around seven to eight years ago, held a meeting with the Italian and Irish mafias in the center of Moscow, and one of them showed up with a girl. Since she wore glasses and a hat, I wouldn't have recognized her, and honestly remembering women wasn't even on my radar back then. I fucked, and that was about it.

  My eyes noticed the movement at the other end of the house as Damian slowly, like a leopard, hid behind the banister to have the best aim on Ciara. He gave me a silent nod to continue distracting her, so he could ambush her from behind. “Rosa is not at fault for what happened to y
ou, Ciara.”

  “She is!” Her scream could have woken the dead. “If Ercole hadn't been obsessed with her mother, my mommy would have been safe, and he wouldn't have used me or given me to those men.”

  Fuck, just the idea of a little girl being subjected to what we had been, it threatened to snap my control, and I would look closely into his dealings once this shit was over. Rosa coughed, but I didn't dare look at her. For one, not to anger Ciara, and I wasn't sure I could handle seeing her beaten up again without coming to the rescue.

  Damian was only inches away from Ciara, but she didn't notice, as she added, “I had to suck dicks and kiss older men, while she basked in love and attention! How is this fair? It should have been her!” The truth of the matter was, it shouldn’t have been anyone. No child deserved the past she, Damian, and I shared. The anger of unfairness would always be there in the heart, but while Damian and I directed it at the people who deserved it, she directed it at Rosa.

  Her next words were cut off as Damian kicked the gun from her hand and then wrapped his arms around her. He pushed the needle with sedative into the side of her neck, and in a second, she was out, swaying in his arms as he put her on the couch.

  He kneeled in front of Ercole, checked his pulse, shook his head, and spoke into the small mic against his cheek. “All clear.” People barged into the building as I scooped Rosa into my arms, holding the knife in place, as we couldn't predict what would happen next. Radmir hugged a sobbing Jake close, patting him soothingly as if it would take away this nightmare. Regret was deeply etched on his face, as it should be. What the fuck was he thinking bringing his son to headquarters?

  Rosa groaned, squeezing my arm tighter, digging her nails into my skin. “Dom… I don’t think I will make it,” she whispered, stopping every second to catch a breath as her eyelids drooped, almost closing, and I shook her slightly.