Reckoning

by Elizabeth Knox

  Jenna swallows abruptly. “He didn’t.”

  “My point remains the same. He could have, and he would have given the opportunity.”

  “You don’t know that,” Jenna hisses out through clenched teeth.

  “I know a lot about men who act when they are in a blind rage. That is what he was in. Don’t get it twisted, sweetie. If we weren’t there you would all probably be dead right now. I don’t care if you think you know him. He found out that Dmitri killed his father. Do you really think he is the type of man to let that slide? The reasonings around it don’t matter to him. He wanted blood, and he was going to get it.”

  “I don’t give a fuck, just leave him alone. Leave them all alone.”

  “Why? Why in the hell would I do that? Ion and I don’t take threats easily.”

  “Because he’s… my…”

  “You don’t have to explain anything to her,” Dmitri tells her, looking over to Mariana “Leave Reed and the Skulls alone. Please.”

  “Why are you both being like this? What is so important about him?”

  “He’s my brother. Kyle and Reed Michaels are my half-brothers.” Jenna blurts it out, none of us knowing what to say to her. I sure as hell don’t. Nothing could have ever prepared me for hearing that.

  We live in a shit show.

  Mariana blinks, nodding once as if she suddenly understands. She is a good leader, intelligent woman, great mother, but I see her for what she truly holds closest to her. Her family. Her compassion and ferociousness both show through her actions. I just wonder which is going to shine brighter in this moment.

  “Okay. I won’t touch him, but if he makes a move for us first, then I must. Neither Ion or I will tolerate any threats being made against the Clans.”

  “Thank you,” Dmitri murmurs while he takes Jenna’s hand and tugs her back closely to him.

  We all stand in the foyer in silence for maybe a minute until Ion speaks again. “As I was saying, we’ve all had a long day and could use some rest. There are a few rooms upstairs, so please feel free to take whichever suits you.”

  “We need to discuss things,” I tell them all.

  “It can wait until the morning, all of us have been through a lot today. We can all speak tomorrow, after breakfast. I think we should listen to Ion and get some rest, there’s no doubt that we need it.”

  The group of us disappears up the stairwell. Junior opens a door and we both walk in. He shuts it closed behind us and locks it. I don’t even really look at the room, all I can think about is the impending stress that is breaking me down slowly bit by bit. I knew what I needed to do to get my family together, but I did not think of everything we would need to do after the fact. I feel so unprepared in this moment. I feel like I have let them all down, not knowing what needs to be done next.

  “I don’t know where I am supposed to go from here,” I tell him, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

  “Viper,” he murmurs softly, wrapping his arms around my back pulling me closely to him as he presses his lips to the top of my head. “All we can do is start tomorrow. Just know you aren’t alone in doing this anymore. Even if you don’t have them, you’ve got me, and we’re gonna figure shit out. Trust me.”

  I do, I trust him more than he can possibly fathom.

  Junior is right, though, we’re just going to have to figure it out tomorrow. All we can do now is rest. There is a war coming for us, whether we are ready for it or not.

  I just have to remind myself, we are Petrovs – we always survive.

  Epilogue

  People are more what they hide than what they show. -Quotes ‘nd Notes

  Katya

  A year later….

  Time never ceases to amaze me, how so much can change and yet at the same time so much can be the same. I guess right now, in this moment, I’m shocked. It’s freezing, raining heavily, and I find myself back in Russia.

  I wasn’t supposed to be here, and never did I think I’d return to my home country. Not since Slash. I have never wanted to be back here, so much has happened. Nothing good. The only good memories I have are of when I was a small child, when my father was alive, and when my family was together. After his death, my life took a turn for the worst.

  “You used to live here?” I look over to my fiancé, whose eyes are roaming around in amazement.

  “Yes. Once upon a time.” Sergei and I had never stayed in Russia much. It was funny, how much those expected us to be here when his business ventures were worldwide, which meant that we were as well.

  For a brief moment, I smile, recalling the happier memories I had in this house. A house that I used to think of as home.

  “Mistress.” Suddenly I am being summoned by one of the men who guarded Sergei. Valm was his name, I can remember this because of how unusual it was. Never had I heard it before.

  We all know why I am here. Slash didn’t want me coming to Moscow, he forbade me to do it. Realizing soon thereafter that no one tells me what to do, especially him. After he took the time to think about what he had said to me, his suggesting tagging along on my unplanned trip. I didn’t dare argue. I would never tell him how much I needed him to be here with me for this, but I did. I needed him more than ever before.

  When I first told him about Sergei’s death, he frowned. He wanted to be the one to take Sergei’s life, and hated that it wasn’t him who did it. I have thought of this moment for a long time, when Sergei would be gone and I would be left with the aftermath of whatever had went south. Only, I never imagined it quite like it is today.

  Valm heads down the hallway, and I follow closely, knowing that he will take me straight into Sergei’s study. He would have wanted his body to be there, for there was never another place he loved more in this house. Sergei was a man who loved to work, and he took so much pride in it, even if what he did was sinister.

  I hear Slash’s combat boots stomping against the hardwood floors behind me, each time he takes a step I want to turn around and scream. Not because the sound is aggravating, but because I might need space. I might need to do this alone.

  Valm stops, putting his hand on the doorway and then looks to me. I nod, allowing him to open the door but when he goes to take a step into the room I stop him. “It is fine. I will see my husband alone now.” It turns out that Sergei never had our divorce fully processed. I find it unusual that he would slack on such a pressing issue. There was a reasoning behind it, for he did not do anything without a reason. I just do not know what that reason was.

  He nods, looking quickly behind me towards Slash. “Don’t you worry. He’s already dead, not much else I can do to him now, is there?”

  I snicker at Slash’s comment while watching Valm’s face contort into disgust.

  Walking into Sergei’s study, I am hit with so many feelings. As I look from the bookshelves that line the walls to the heavy wooden desk in the middle of the room I can see us, what we’d do, where we’d talk. I can see myself sitting on his lap after he’d have a rough day, trying to encourage him.

  My life with Sergei was far from rainbows and butterflies, but it was ours. He was an awful man, there is no denying that, but when he was good – he was great.

  Slash shuts the door behind us, bypassing me, looking at everything. Sergei and I had always appreciated the valuable things in life, so when it came to our homes, we made sure that they were the best of the best. It was an honor to be designing them alongside him. In the beginning, I was supposed to be nothing more than a slave to him. Parts of me had thought that Egor had sold me to his cousin out of spite, only it took me a long time to realize he had done it to save me.

  Every single word Egor told me about Sergei was nothing but the truth. He was quite the man, and an awful one at that.

  Egor had told me two things on that day that resonated with me. I was smart, and I was special. He knew that no matter the circumstance, I would always find a way to make it work in my favor, and I did.

  I wasn’t just the slav
e of Sergei Kolosov.

  I was his wife.

  I was his companion.

  Lastly, I was his protégé.

  Sergei and I had prepared for this day, we were always prepared, for we knew that it was inevitable. He was a man with a prolific status, and one who loved to anger the wrong people. If we hadn’t of been prepared, his empire would quickly crumble. He was a man who cherished his work more than anything in life.

  When he informed me of our impending divorce and essentially threw me to the streets, he made it a point to tell me that the business would always be that – business. Nothing had changed in his decision to appoint me sole ownership. He knew I would take the necessary actions to ensure future success regardless of our personal relationship.

  I wish that I could hate him so much to destroy everything that he worked so hard for. There are no words to express how much I wish I could loathe him that much. He did things to me that were unforgiveable, killing our child being at the top of that list.

  I do hate him, and somehow, I still love him, even with every atrocity that he’s committed.

  I guess that makes me fucked up, that I could still love a man who killed the only child we were able to conceive, a man who took away my ability to bear children simply because he didn’t want me to give something to another, when I couldn’t give it to him when he wanted. Sergei wanted a divorce – because he wanted to advance his status. He was the one who chose to discard me, and I was the one who paid the ultimate sacrifices.

  I take step after step, placing my hand on the wood that lines the walls as I walk further into the room – near him.

  Slash is in here, doing god knows what. In all seriousness, he could be watching me right now, trying to assess how I’m doing. I’m in my own little world, replaying every memory with my husband. In all, I am living through my own personal hell in this moment. Good or bad, the memories don’t matter, they flood into my mind like a disease, taking over every spare inch of space.

  The rain begins to come down so heavily that I can hear it rap against the windows. The sound is peaceful, reminding me of the few quiet days we had here. I know that if I don’t see him now, I won’t. I will remember his face the last time I saw it, the day I told him I wished he died a painful, miserable death.

  I meant it, truly.

  Only, I didn’t take into consideration what it would feel like to see the man who I loved for so long in a casket before me, knowing that he died in the most painful way.

  I wanted to see him like this, but it hurt me more than anyone could ever fathom.

  Somehow my body took me closer to him, with each step I sucked more air in, terrified to come face to face with a dead man. I run my hands over the wood, he would be pleased with the deep mahogany color that I chose. It was fitting for a King, and so it should have been. Peering over I look at him, at the makeup they caked over his body, at how peaceful he seemed.

  He would find much more peace in death then he ever did within this life, and for that I must be thankful. I think and wonder if he is with our child. I know he would be. It is awful to think of this now as I stare down at him, of how he would have been, how badly he wanted to have a son. In my heart I believe that my ice-cold man regretted what he did to me. I had to believe that, for it made sleeping so much easier. I can imagine them now, up above us in the skies, looking over me. He is holding him, I would have opted to name him something strong, something like… Ivan, for a gift from God our child would have been.

  Maybe, just maybe things should have happened the way they did. Maybe, my dear Sergei needed our son to be with him when he passed so he wouldn’t be alone. Tears spill from my eyes thinking of this, of them.

  I take my hand and grab his, holding it firm within my grasp. There was nothing that could have ever happened to prepare me for this day, for the day when I would have to say goodbye to him.

  I loved this man more than I hated him, and I think I always would.

  “Ya skuchayu po tebe. Ostavaytes’ spokoyno.” I whisper to Sergei in our native tongue, telling him that I miss him and hope he rests easy.

  At the end of the day, I am a monster. I recognize my own kind, and no matter what harm has been done or actions that have been taken, we will always show love to those who are like us, for there are so very few.

  A note from Elizabeth

  Want to know what happens with Mariana, Ion, Katya, Slash, Ksenia, Dmitri and Jenna? Stay tuned for Rectified (Skulls Renegade 5.5) which will be available in May of 2019! Get a sneak peek this November in Erotica Authors Against Censorship, an anthology brought to you by my dear friend Iris Sweetwater at Hydra Productions!

  Did I scare you yet? Are you thinking that you’ll have to wait almost an entire year for the next Skulls Renegade novel? Think again my lovely book babes! Reclaimed (Skulls Renegade #6) will be coming soon.

  Yep, all you Kyle lovers are about to love me! Kyle Michaels is about to steal your hearts. Here’s the Prologue of Reclaimed to hold you all over! ??

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  Free Chapter - Reclaimed

  (Skulls Renegade #6)

  Prologue

  You and I will always be unfinished business

  -Anonymous

  Kyle

  It may have been selfish of me to not want to be at the club today, but I just couldn’t. Granted, it’s not the kid’s fault. If it’s anyone’s fault for the way things are now, it’s mine.

  Ryder turned one today. Daisy and Seamus’ little boy is a poppin’, one year old. Our brothers from states away came to celebrate with us, and the party was going to be killer. It was no secret that we knew how to throw a party.

  Call me a selfish bastard, I just couldn’t be around to see them in all their happiness. If things had gone a little differently I would be the one next to her, not Sea. That’s the way things should have gone if you asked me, but I was the one who made big mistakes. I was the one who wasn’t there for her when she needed me the most and while Daisy made the biggest sacrifice I was the one who lost everything.

  I’m not being a victim here; I just refuse to stand back and act like I didn’t lose the best thing in my life.

  Things happen for a reason though, they always do. It’s my job now to figure out exactly what that reason was. Maybe, I’m supposed to take my life in another direction or go on one of those spiritual journeys like those cock suckers do when their life gets thrown upside down. Losing Daisy was not easy, it was everything but that and watching her with him every day in front of my eyes is a torture that I cannot explain. Doesn’t matter though, I did it to myself, so I have to live with it.

  While I was avoiding the club for obvious reasons, shit was going down. Shit that maybe I should have been here for, if I wasn’t such a selfish fucking bastard, and Reed made sure to remind me of that the second I walked through the doors. “I texted you hours ago and just now you show up!” He slams me back against the wall, not giving me an inch. I’ve seen Reed pissed before, angry, but never quite like this. Immediately, I survey the room looking for Elena, praying to God that she’s okay. Without her, Reed is lost. I breathe easier when I see her sitting on a couch with Daisy with Ryder on her lap and Mar all talking amongst themselves. It’s weird to me that Michelle isn’t here today, but as my gaze goes around the room I know why. I see her reasoning for not being here leaning against the pool table with his arms crossed, chewing on a fuckin’ tooth pick.

  Max.

  “Where the fuck were you?”

  “I was out” I tell him, not really appreciating the salty fucking attitude he’s giving me right now. The club is packed quite a bit more than I thought it would be. I notice glass on the ground and pictures on the floor, but I don’t think much of it. I can guarantee that a few brothers have already gotten rowdy from the alcohol.

  “While you were out I found out where Dad was”

  I furrow my brows, “What do you mean? He’s probably been out
galivanting around like usual” It’s no secret that our Dad happened to up and leave. It was his signature move. He’d call out of nowhere with no warning, act like he was going to keep doing it every week and then we wouldn’t hear from him for a year. When he was around, he was around but we didn’t have the same father that we did when Reed and I were kids. As we grew up, Dad’s priorities changed, and I know that I wasn’t the only one to notice that.

  “No, he was buried in a shallow grave in the fucking woods with a knife in his chest. We found the body a few days ago and I wasn’t going to say shit to you until I knew it was him… it’s not like we could have recognized him being…” Reed stammers for a moment before he looks back to me “We don’t know how long he’s been dead, his body was pretty far decomposed”

  “You found a body a few days ago and you didn’t think to tell me any of that?” I hiss, furious with Reed. He may be the Prez, but I am not only his brother. I’m his fucking VP. I don’t give a shit if he didn’t want to tell me because it might have been our Dad. He was obligated to tell me because I’m his second in command.

  “Did you not hear me? I found our Dad in a shallow fucking grave with a knife in his chest” Just then it hits me. Our Dad isn’t traveling across the country fucking women, doing God knows what. He’s dead. He is no longer breathing the same air as me. Never again will we get into fights over pointless bullshit.

  “What happened?” I ask. Maybe it’s dumb of me to ask him that question. I doubt Reed even has all of the answers. He takes a deep breath, raking his fingers through his hair before he speaks.

  “All I know is that I had Siren get one of her buddies at the bureau to run some fingerprints on the knife and it came back matching Dmitri. Apparently, he was arrested when he was with the Vipers and that’s how we know it’s him”

  “What the fuck? Why would Dmitri kill Dad?” As far as I know, they were complete strangers. Obviously, that isn’t the case and I need to know more. I have to know what the fuck is going on.