by Lylah James
This couldn’t be happening.
Not after everything we had been through. After coming such a long way, this couldn’t be the end.
My palms met the grass, my knees hurting as I looked at my lap. My baby was going crazy, moving around wildly. It was like she could feel my stress. She knew something bad happened.
Oh baby.
There was yelling. I could hear people fighting, but I chose to ignore everything.
When someone grabbed my shoulders, my eyes snapped up to meet Alessio’s blue ones. I could see the panic and shock there too, but all his attention was on me.
“Are you okay?” he asked in panic.
I nodded and looked over his shoulders. “But he…he…”
Alessio closed his eyes tightly. After taking a deep breath, he stared at me again. “Can you stand up?”
“I think,” I muttered. Alessio helped me stand up, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered in my ears.
“No. It’s not. You father…” I trailed off, my words catching in my throat. “How…why…?”
Isaak knelt down beside Lyov. He coughed into the grass. When I saw blood, I pushed away from Alessio. “We have to help him! Oh my God, we have to help him. He’s bleeding badly…and he’s coughing blood.”
My fingers tightened around Alessio’s arm. I looked around wildly, looking for something to ground me. My skin itched with uneasiness and my head was pounding.
When my eyes made contact with the scene behind Lyov, my lungs constricted.
Alberto was on the ground with Nikolay on top of him. Viktor was standing beside them, his gun pointed at Alberto’s head.
It would take only one bullet to end his life, but Viktor made no effort to do so.
I saw Nikolay landing furious punches in Alberto’s face. He tried to cover his face, to evade the ruthless punches, but there was no escape.
The only thing I could hear was the sound of knuckles making contact with skin. It sounded harsh. Bringing my hands up, I covered my ears. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to think of it.
My eyes moved back to where Lyov lay, unmoving. My breathing came out harder and harsher. “Alessio, we have to help him!”
“Ayla, calm down! You shouldn’t be stressing out like this. It’s not good for the baby,” Alessio snapped, his hand molding over my stomach protectively.
My eyes widened, and I pushed his hands away. “Are you crazy? Your father has been shot! He took the bullet for us. How can you be worried about me and the baby right now?”
Without giving him a chance to answer, I ran to Lyov’s side. I felt a hard kick and winced when I knelt down beside him. Lyov’s eyes were closed, his breathing labored. I choked back a sob when I saw his bloodied stomach.
There was so much blood.
His face was pale, his eyes pinched closed. I saw the line of stress on his forehead. My palm pressed against his clammy skin, and I tried to soothe his aggravated movement.
“Please don’t move. You will only hurt yourself more,” I said softly.
I heard Isaak swear. Alessio came to stand beside me. “Let’s move him,” he muttered.
I stood up and moved out of the way. Isaak and Alessio helped Lyov stand up.
“Ayla, walk in front of us,” Alessio ordered. His tone held no room to argue. His eyes begged me. I knew what he needed.
Alessio needed me in front of him. His eyes on me. He needed to make sure I was safe. Giving them a final glance, I turned around.
The others were already gone. I had tuned them out and didn’t even realize they had taken Alberto away. I breathed out a sigh of relief, my shoulders sagging.
Alberto had finally been caught.
***
We made our way to Sam. Even Ivy was there. Maddie and Lena were standing in front of the door.
Isaak and Alessio dragged Lyov into the room and pushed him on the bed. Before I could go in, Maddie grabbed my arm. “I think we should wait here,” she suggested in a gentle tone.
My eyes went to Alessio and saw him coming my way. He opened his arms for me, and I went into them gladly. Burying my head into his chest, I let out my worst fear. “Will he be okay?”
When I heard no answer from him, my arms tightened around his waist. That was when I noticed his arms trembling. It was a slight shake but enough to tell me what he was feeling.
I felt his lips on my temple, and my eyes stung with unshed tears. I placed a kiss over his beating heart, not wanting to let him go.
We stayed locked in an embrace. In that moment, I was his strength. “He’s going to be okay, Alessio. He promised that he will hold Princess. Lyov needs to meet his granddaughter.”
The words were hard to speak. My voice came out scratchy as I tried to keep the tears at bay. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t be weak. Not now. I had to be strong.
Lyov saved us…he took the bullet for us.
I had to be strong for all of us.
Now that Alberto was captured, everything would be okay. We were safe.
Fear. Anger. Relief. Sadness. Disgust. Shock.
At the moment, my feelings were a dormant volcano. I buried everything inside and concentrated on Alessio and Lyov.
“Ayla.”
My name brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked at Maddie. “Why don’t you go rest? When Sam is done, we’ll call you.”
I shook my head and hugged Alessio tighter. “No. I’ll stay here until I know he is perfectly fine.”
“Ayla,” Alessio warned.
Before he could say anything, I pulled away and stood on my toes. Bringing my lips to his, I kissed him softly. “I’m not going anywhere, Alessio. Please, let me stay here,” I whispered against his lips.
He sighed, his eyes closing. “You are so stubborn.”
“I know,” I muttered back, hugging him again. “We will wait together, Alessio.”
And that was exactly what we did.
The air around us was heavy with uncertainty, like a dark cloud settling over us.
With every minute that passed, I grew more scared. I felt chilled to my bones at the thought of Lyov not making it out alive.
“Ayla…Ayla…wake up.”
I groggily blinked my eyes open and stared into Maddie’s smiling face. Rubbing the sleepiness away, I went to stand up. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep.”
“Sam was able to take the bullet out. Lyov is okay. He’s resting now,” Maddie said excitedly.
My mouth fell open, and my heart leaped at Maddie’s words. When I felt a kick, my hand instinctively went to my stomach.
I rubbed soothing circles around my belly. Turning, I looked for Alessio. His tensed back was to me as he faced the wall. I walked over and placed a hand over his shoulder.
He instantly relaxed under my touch, and I heard him release a long, painful breath. “He’s okay, Alessio.”
He gave me a sharp nod. “I know.”
“Do you want to see him?” I asked when silence fell upon us.
I moved in front of Alessio and palmed his cheeks. “What are you scared of?”
I sucked a harsh breath when I saw the pain in his eyes. “I thought he never cared, Ayla. He wasn’t really a father. After I lost my mother, he never acted like a father. I was just a forgotten son most of the time.”
Alessio bent his head, burying his face in my neck. “I don’t know how to look him in the eyes and thank him for saving you. He took that bullet for you.”
Wrapping my arms around his head, I rubbed my fingers on the back on his neck. “You’re wrong. He saved us. If it wasn’t for him, you would have gotten shot. In that moment, I don’t think he cared who he was saving. Whether it was me, you, or Princess. He’s a good man, Alessio. Just a little lost and broken, but a good man.”
I felt Alessio’s sigh against my skin before he pulled away. “Let’s go.”
I smiled, looking into his captivating blue eyes. Taking hold o
f my hand, he intertwined our fingers together before pulling me into the room.
Lyov was on the bed with Isaak beside him. When we approached, his gaze went to us. His face was a mask of pain, but he sent us a smile. “Glad…you…are…both okay.”
I gave him a wobbly smile. “Thank you…thank you so much.”
He chuckled but quickly gasped, his face turning pale. “Don’t…thank me.”
Isaak looked at us before standing up. “I’ll leave you guys alone,” he muttered before leaving the room.
I took his place on the chair beside the bed. Taking Lyov’s hand in mind, I looked at his stomach.
He was covered with the bedsheet, but I grimaced, remembering the bloodied scene from before. “Does it hurt really bad?”
Lyov shook his head. “Not at all.”
Alessio huffed. “No need to act all tough, old man.”
Those were the first words he spoke since we came into the room. His voice sounded gruff, and I looked up to see him glaring at Lyov.
In fact, they were both glaring at each other.
A tense moment passed between both men before they lost their glare. I sighed when they both stayed silent. We had a long way to go.
Alessio walked around the bed, coming to stand beside me. “Ayla, let’s go. You need to rest. I also need to…” Alessio trailed off, his expression turning furious.
I understood what he meant.
Alberto was captured, and Alessio was itching to have his revenge.
I saw his hands tightening into fists. Taking them in my hands, I placed a kiss on his knuckles. “You go. I will be here. When I get tired, I will go up and sleep.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but I continued. “I’ll be fine, Alessio. Really. Please go. Do what you have to do.”
This was me letting him know that I was okay with anything he had planned for Alberto. I refused to think about the Devil, because that brought up all the memories I wanted to bury. My eyes met Alessio’s. Blue to green. I smiled, taking strength from his furious stare.
After a long moment of silence between us, he wavered. Bending down, he kissed my lips. “I will come for you,” Alessio declared before pulling away.
I smiled, knowing he would keep his word. He brought his hand up and brushed his thumb over my cheek. His touch was soft; his stare held the same gentleness.
Alessio pulled himself away. I stared at his retreating back when he suddenly paused.
I felt my eyebrows furrow when confusion bloomed inside of me. His shoulders tensed before he spoke. The words were softly spoken, but they were just as shocking to me as they were to Lyov.
“Thank you for saving us.”
With that, Alessio walked away.
I couldn’t help but smile. My brooding man. He was so stubborn.
I looked back at Lyov to see him staring at the closed door. “Am I dreaming?”
This time, I laughed. “No. You are not.”
He closed his eyes with a sigh. “I never thought I would hear my son say that.”
My throat closed up, and I looked down at my lap. It was such a beautiful moment. I wanted to capture it and hold it in my heart forever. I still remembered when father and son once hated each other.
“You should rest,” I whispered, adjusting his bedsheet.
His eyes were already closed. A few minutes later, his breathing evened out. I knew he was asleep. It wasn’t long before my eyes started to get heavy. The last thing I remembered was staring at Lyov’s sleeping form, thinking how much father and son looked alike.
I woke with a jolt when I felt someone wrap their arms under my knees. My eyes widened when I was swept up in Alessio’s arms. He cradled me to his chest, and I instinctively laid my head on his shoulder.
I hummed sleepily and closed my eyes again. “I told you to go to bed, Angel,” he admonished. “You’ve been sitting in this chair for hours. You never listen. It’s not good for you or the baby.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, holding on to his neck.
“I’m taking her upstairs,” I heard Alessio say. Opening my eyes, I saw Lyov was awake. He nodded at Alessio and sent me a small smile.
Alessio didn’t wait for me to say good-bye; he was already carrying me out of the room. “You are so stubborn. How many times do I have to tell you? You need to take better care of yourself. Did you even eat? Fuck, Ayla. Please tell me you ate something.”
I winced at the reminder. He was going to be angry. “Ayla,” he growled in warning. “Did you eat?”
I pressed my lips together, refusing to answer. He huffed in frustration but stayed silent. I peeked up at his face and saw his lips were thinned in an angry straight line.
I placed a kiss on the side of his neck. “Please don’t be angry.”
“I’m not.”
I closed my eyes. He definitely was.
When he reached our bedroom, he didn’t turn on the lights. Alessio placed me on the bed and pulled the comforter over me. He climbed in bed and pulled me into his embrace.
With my back to his front, he held me. His hand laid on my stomach, and I laid mine over his.
There was one question burning in my head.
He was gone for hours.
“Is he dead?”
The question was whispered in the dark, but my heart hammered painfully in my chest.
“No,” he replied.
My breath left me with a loud whoosh. My hand tightened around his, my chest feeling tighter.
“He is not going to have an easy death, Angel.”
I bit on my lips, closing my eyes against his words.
I didn’t know if it was relief I was feeling or something else.
“Go to sleep. I don’t want you to think about it. We will not speak of him in our bed,” Alessio said. His voice was soft in my ears, but I knew anger was fueling inside of him.
He was an angry man, driven by fury and vengeance. I didn’t know what he was capable of, and in that moment, I didn’t want to know.
So I did what I was told. I slept.
Held safely in Alessio’s embrace, I fell asleep while the man who hurt me for years was held captive in the basement—being mercilessly tortured.
Chapter 19
The bowl was placed on the ground between us. He kicked it away a few feet.
“Eat.”
He kept his eyes on me when the simple command was given. The tone of his voice held a hint of rage, but it also held no space for questions.
I sat up and stared at the bowl a few feet away from me. Without wasting another second, I got to my knees obediently. That was what he wanted.
When I reached the bowl and bent down to eat, he kicked it a few feet away again. I crawled again. He kicked the bowl again.
This process was repeated until I had used all the length of my shackles and I was straining against them to reach the bowl.
Still on my knees, I bent down and licked the soup.
It was tasteless, but I still ate. It was the only thing I could do.
The devil unzipped his pants, and I waited for what was to come.
I sat up with a start, my mind foggy with sleep and the nightmare.
No, it was my reality.
The memories flashed behind my closed lids in rapid images. Everything hurt…even my soul.
I didn’t want to remember, but it was impossible. The memories always came back to haunt me.
I always heard the Devil’s laughter in my ears. No matter how much I wanted to tune him out and forget, I just couldn’t.
It always came back to this. Remembering. The painful memories. Reliving them over and over again.
When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I flinched. My mind went black.
The Devil had found me again.
My stomach rolled, and I tasted the bile on my tongue. My lungs constricted painfully, and I closed my eyes tightly.
“Ayla, it’s me.”
The soothing voice penetrated through the black fog. I opened my eyes to
see Maddie sitting beside me. She gave me a gentle look and brought her hands up in surrender.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Alessio had to go, but he didn’t want to leave you alone,” she explained quietly.
I felt my muscles relax, my breathing returning to normal.
The Devil wasn’t here.
He was captured, waiting for his fate. His death.
A sudden surge of energy went through me at the thought of Alberto.
“I want to see him,” I announced.
I struggled out of bed, and Maddie followed me. “Alessio?” she questioned.
“No.” I shook my head, making my way to the door. I didn’t wait for her. My brain turned off…every thought was gone except one.
I wanted to see the Devil one last time.
I wanted to see his face…I wanted to see the fear in his eyes. The same fear he had instilled inside of me, I wanted to see the same reflecting in those soulless eyes.
I wanted to see my Savior rise above him.
My heart hammered as I walked down the stairs. Maddie was hot on my heels. She was talking, but I didn’t hear her.
I concentrated only on my destination.
I wanted to feel safe…and the only way for me to feel that way was to see him captured.
When I reached the basement, I saw two men at the door. Their eyes widened at the sight of me, and they took a step forward.
“Miss Ayla. You shouldn’t be here.”
I looked past their shoulders, staring at the closed door. “I want to see him.”
“Boss said nobody was allowed,” one of them replied, giving me a strange look.
The air around us was colder. It was heavy with the essence of death. The atmosphere felt vile and suffocating.
A shiver went through me. I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the chills. “Please let me through. I want to see him.”
“Miss—”
Maddie cut them off. “Let her. She needs to do this.”
All four men looked at each other. An apprehensive look appeared on their faces, and I knew they were worried about Alessio’s anger. If they disobeyed his orders, they would pay severely.