He watched my concern as he drew his brows together. “A long time ago things were different, unfortunately. I can’t give you the answers you’re looking for, but I do know that’s what happened.”
I nodded. “My parents always seemed so happy. I never would have thought he’d cheat on her.”
Jax shrugged. “Baby, none of that matters.” The soft touch of his hand on my chin comforted me.
“Did you kill her?”
He shook his head. “No, you asked me not to.”
After what she’d done, he hadn’t killed her simply because I’d asked him not to. That was the trust I’d so desperately wanted. I took a deep breath. “I need to take a shower, and I suppose I also need to pack.”
“Yes, pack light. Hopefully, we won’t be gone for long. I need to have a meeting; we can buy anything you need once we get there.”
“A sit-down and all that?”
He cocked a brow. “How do you know what that is?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Seriously? I did grow up eavesdropping.”
He threw his head back with heavy laughter causing a smile to cross my lips. “Yeah, that’s my girl. How many times have you done that to me?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and pinned a smirk to my face. “Not often.”
A smile rested on his lips. “I’m not even mad that you’re lying.”
“Of course, you’re not; you love me.” The lightened mood had helped the nausea in the pit of my stomach, but it still lingered.
“Yeah, I do.” He pulled me into his embrace. “I won’t let anything happen, baby. I’ll protect you from the Devil if that’s what I have to do, and in this case, there isn’t much of a difference.”
“Is he really that bad?”
“Baby… there isn’t any worse.” He dropped his eyes to mine. “He makes me look like a priest, and that’s sayin’ something.”
The thought of someone hurting my family because of me made bile creep up the back of my throat. “I’m gonna get ready. I’m not feeling very well.” Once Jax had admitted what we were up against and all the other things in between, I became sick; fear heated me to my core, and the mix of bile and fear were horrible.
“Take Alessandra with you.”
I had stepped away but turned back to him and nodded.
He followed me through the door requesting that the other men come back into the room so they could continue their meeting.
“Tony!” I said, nodded once I’d had his attention. “Emily, have you spoken with her?” When he didn’t answer right away I continued, “I want her protected.”
“Bella, I don’t think that’s Jax’s concern right now.”
“Are you kidding me?” I yelled, causing everyone to turn. I gave an apologetic smile and quickly returned my attention back to Tony and whispered, “It’s my concern, and if you love her it’s yours too.” I poked his chest. He made some strange noise with his mouth and rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me kick your ass. Make it happen”—I turned my head toward the men in the room—“and if you think my husband will have a problem with it, then tell him to come speak to me because she is the only real thing in my life. You got me?” I quickly walked away feeling my emotions get the better of me. It was extremely difficult finding out that my entire life was a lie and now we had to run. I needed to punch something, and had I not chosen to walk away it would’ve been Tony.
“Isabella,” Alessandra called my name.
I nodded to the stairs seeing she was also a wreck. She was a strong woman, but this was too much for anyone. Having these men in our home was something new. Jax didn’t bring his work home with the exception of the guards, and it was overwhelming because it meant bad things were happening. “Come on.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.
“What’s going on?”
“You don’t know?”
She nodded. “No, I only know we’re leaving.”
“Yes, we are. Are you all packed and ready to go?”
“Oh yes, I’ve been a nervous wreck, and you know I can’t sit still.”
My lips rose into a smile. “That I do know.” We climbed the stairs and entered my room. “Okay, I’m gonna take a quick shower.”
“I’ll stay with you and pack a few things; with this ruckus I want to make sure you’re safe.”
I turned to her. “Alessandra, why would you need to keep me safe? I thought you didn’t know what was happening?”
“Oh, I’m not completely in the dark, but I couldn’t say that with all of those men down there. But trust me, my dear, I know how to get information.” She winked as she disappeared into the closet.
“I knew you were sneaky.” I laughed.
“You have no idea how sneaky I’ve learned to be over the years,” she muttered from inside the closet.
“And that’s why I love you,” I replied before closing the bathroom door.
Fifteen minutes later I was out of the shower and wrapped into a towel. My hair was drenched against my back before wrapping another towel around my head as I watched Alessandra carefully folding clothing into a suitcase.
“Are you packing for Jax as well?” I asked.
“Oh yes. But you can also buy what you both need when we get wherever it is we’re going.”
“Are we meeting Jax’s family?”
She stepped closer and rested her hand on my arm. “No, dear, they’ll stay in a separate safe house.”
I raised my brows with question. “Why?”
“Only those in immediate danger will be relocated to the same place, my love. Now hurry, we must go.” She waved.
Only those in immediate in danger?
They were in immediate danger because of… me. I was the cause of this. What if I contacted this man and told him I wouldn’t leave my husband? What if I demanded that he leave my family alone? Maybe I could reason with him, make him understand where my loyalties lay.
“Oh, Bella, I’ve seen that look on you before. Are you feeling well?”
“Oh, umm, yes, I’m just going to get dressed.” I slipped into the closet and closed the door.
What if I did get his information and contacted him? If he was my father like he’d said, maybe he would understand that I couldn’t leave my husband.
I searched through the color-coordinated closet wondering what one wore when they ran from the Russian Mob. Deciding on a light pink Jersey dress, I quickly ducked inside of it and slipped my feet into a comfortable pair of sandals.
“I’m gonna do something with my hair then I’ll be set,” I said, snapping my watch onto my wrist as I walked through the closet door.
“Okay, I’ve packed the important things in here, next I’ll pack the toiletries,” she said, talking more to herself than to me.
While she was busy digging through the bathroom for supplies, I snuck out of the room carrying my laptop and phone.
Dominic had since replaced the man who guarded the bedroom door earlier. I didn’t want to ask what Jax had done to that man.
“Hey,” he nodded as I walked across the hall, “what’re you doing?”
“I just… uh, need a moment alone.” I shook my head and offered a warm smile.
“Okay.” He nodded, not seeing past it.
I closed the door and locked it. I pulled my laptop onto the bed and logged on waiting for the Wi-Fi. Once it was on I typed in the name that I’d seen in the letter. Quickly, images of an older man with a silver head of hair and beard popped on the screen with the subtitle naming him as the Russian Devil, Mob Boss, Wealthiest man in Russia, most powerful man in Europe. The titles continued and were a bit unnerving, as Jax had already admitted this man was scary even to him.
I clicked on the image of him getting into a black car. He didn’t look at the camera so I was unable to get a good look. The next image, however, clearly showed him, and it was undeniable what I saw looking back at me. His eyes were the very mirror image of my own.
I leaned back reaching for my cheek in shock. I
was his spitting image, I looked exactly like him. How did this happen and why? Was I taken from him when I was an infant? Was I given away to the highest bidder? Why did my father tell Jax I’d been given to him by a Russian price? There were simply too many questions floating around my thoughts. I just didn’t know what to do or to think.
I stood from the bed twirling my wet hair around my fingers as I wondered what he was really like. After all, Jax was named a monster. My father had been called a monster, but to me, they weren’t like that at all. So maybe he wouldn’t be either; maybe he would be kind. Or maybe he wouldn’t be. But there was no way in hell I’d let my family die because of me. I wouldn’t have any of that. If he didn’t see things my way—if he didn’t see that I loved my husband, and I fully intended to stay at his side then… I sighed at the thought. Then I’d do what needed to be done to protect my family. I didn’t know this man. I had no idea he existed until an hour ago. How could he possibly expect me to just leave the only family I’d ever known? Surely he’d be reasonable to the idea that I couldn’t leave my husband.
I sat on the bed and continued to scroll the pages looking for any contact information, but of course, there wasn’t anything. I nervously watched the door knowing they would be looking for me at any moment. In a hurry, I searched his name again only this time through a database that offered phone numbers for nine dollars. I hesitated entering my credit card for fear Jax would see it, but I shrugged off the thought knowing he wouldn’t see it for a day or so. By then maybe I would’ve fixed all of this, and things would be set straight.
After typing his name into the computer, an address of his last known residence in Russia as well as a phone number popped up into a box. I couldn’t imagine it was that easy to retrieve this man’s information. For an additional thirty dollars it said I could also get his criminal history and credit information. How could it be this easy to locate a crime boss?
Glancing at the door one more time, I swiped my phone and dialed the number that stared at me from the computer screen. My heart raced. I knew I shouldn’t have done this without letting Jax know, but he wouldn’t have agreed, and I knew it had to be done. I couldn’t let anyone die because of me. I wouldn’t be able to go on living with myself if I could’ve prevented it.
So I continued to dial the number and waited as the phone rang.
CHAPTER SIX
—Jax—
I sat listening to all the ways we could get rid of Ivan Mikhailov. But we knew, in the end, it wasn’t possible. I knew it, and they knew it. It was just a matter of time before he found her, and I knew that as well.
“Family first,” I heard someone say.
“She is my family, she was also Anthony’s daughter.”
“Apparently she wasn’t.” Tito eyed me cautiously.
I folded my hands together watching him, ready to wrap them around his neck. But he had a point, and I knew that too. I stood to pour another glass of brandy but it was empty. “Get this filled,” I hollered at Wyatt.
“He’s gonna kill everyone! This goes beyond territory, and you know it, Jax.”
I did know it. I shook my head. “She. Is. My. Motherfucking. Wife. And if I have to remind anyone else of that, I’ll put a fucking bullet in your skull.”
“Hey, hey, we get it. She’s family.” Renaldo, my consigliere, stood holding his hands out, tryin’ to bring peace to a shitty situation. “Let’s not go there, Tito; this is family regardless. Bella had always been part of this family, and now she was married to the boss; let’s show some respect.”
Wyatt entered the room with the brandy in his hands. He quickly poured me a drink and then filled everyone else’s glasses.
I swallowed and relished in the burn as it slid down my throat. The brandy had been the only thing keeping me from losing my mind over the last few hours. I was beyond stressed at that moment.
I snapped my attention to my watch seeing it was almost time to leave. “Wyatt, tell Tony to get Bella and Alessandra.”
“Yes, boss.” He quickly left the room returning a moment later.
I took in a deep breath, nervous as fuck that we weren’t going to make it. If she were my daughter, I’d go to Hell and back to find her, so I knew he’d do the same. But if he found her he’d keep her from me, and that wasn’t acceptable. There wouldn’t be an understanding made of something like that. How she got to Anthony was an even bigger conundrum. Anthony believed what he’d been told. I saw it in his eyes, I knew what he’d confessed to me had been the truth, but how? How the hell did all of this begin? I’d love nothing better than to speak with Ivan and come to a settlement that would meet both of our needs, but there would only be one coming out of that alive, and I feared it wouldn’t be me. No matter how vicious I was, no matter how many men I’d killed or had killed, I was no match for him. He was the devil, and I would never agree to Bella having contact with him. I’d keep her and our baby safe with me, even if I died in the end.
I declared the meeting over and approached the door to my office. I turned around for one last look. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
All the men nodded and said their goodbyes as I stepped into the hall. “Wyatt?” I turned, seeing him directly behind me.
“Yes, boss?”
“Get the men ready. I don’t want anyone alone. Have a spotter on the roof and in the garage. One spotter, one shooter, no one alone,” I reiterated. “I also want guards to surround Bella as we enter the garage.”
“There are also multiple vehicles, all alike waiting to follow and split. Decoy… as you requested.”
I nodded. “Good, I wanna be on the plane and in the air before they figure it out.” I’d pulled all the troops in for this one. We had a hundred men in the building and nearby. They waited on roofs, in cars, on the street, here in the penthouse, and throughout the building. They were everywhere waiting for us to get Bella far away.
My brothers were also here playin’ some stupid fucking card game as I approached them in the living room. They quickly stood to their feet as I smacked their cards away. “You bored? You not aware of what the fuck’s going on out there?” I asked pointedly.
“Sorry, damn!” Adam said, disrespecting me in front of the other men and that couldn’t go unresolved, not with everyone watching. I needed to make an example of him, and there was nothin’ more that I wanted to do than to beat the shit out of someone right then. I drew back and landed a punch to his jaw causing him to fall on his ass.
“Pick yourself up. And, Adam… you speak to me like that again and your mother is gonna be visiting your grave, you got me?”
He nodded. “Yeah, boss, I got you.” He covered the bloody gash on his lip as he spoke.
I dismissively passed the men who stood, offering their respect as I walked through to the stairs. I didn’t see Bella waiting. I took two stairs at a time needing to hold her in my arms. Dominic and Tony stood next to the bedroom door when I approached.
“Where’s Bella?”
Dominic pointed to the guest room. “There.”
I wrinkled my brows and reached for the door, but the handle was locked. “Locked?”
“She said she’d be out in a minute.”
“What the fuck is she doin’?”
“I don’t know, boss. She took her laptop into the guest room saying she needed some time to herself.” Dominic shrugged.
“You fucking idiot!” I spit.
“Bella, open the door, now!” I banged, nearly takin’ it off its hinges, but she didn’t respond. Again, I pushed and slammed my knuckles on the wood. “Do you have a key?”
“Yeah.” Dominic wrestled with his key ring locating it as I waited not so patiently. “Here!” He stuck it into the door.
“Bella!” I yelled as the door finally swung open.
She emerged from the bathroom, “Jax? What’s the problem?”
“What are you doing?”
She raised a brow to the guys standing at the door then whispered, “Using the bathroom. Wha
t’s wrong?”
“You had the door locked, and I—”
“And you what? I needed a few minutes alone. This is all too much, you know?”
I waved everyone out of the room and took her into my arms. “Baby, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you doing anything stupid.”
“Like what?” The warmth of her breath was much needed as she rested her head against my chest.
I closed my eyes tight. “I don’t know,” I kissed the top of her head needing to feel her body at least one time before we left, before we were ripped apart from one another.
I walked us into the bathroom and closed the door. “Baby, I need to feel you.”
Her eyes lifted to mine. “Okay,” she breathed as her cheeks reddened. “I want you to feel me, here.” She lifted her dress slowly as she rubbed along her pussy. “I want you to fuck me here like this.” She bent over the sink with her dress raised above her plump, juicy ass.
“You want me to fuck you like this?” I approached, wrapping one hand around her throat and with the other I slid her hair from her silky neck as I ran my tongue over her flesh.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Yes, what?” I pressed my finger into her pulsing flesh.
“Yes, I want you to own me.”
My dick ached with the anticipation of sinking inside her. I knew we needed to leave, but the stress had me on the edge. She closed her eyes as I watched in the mirror. “Open them, watch me own you. Watch as I control your body, and as I control your orgasm.”
Doing as I demanded, she opened her eyes. She rubbed herself against me, teasing me, begging for it as a moan slipped from her lips. “Fuck me hard, Jax. Make me scream. Make me scream so loud everyone hears what you do to me.” I could hear the sadness in her voice. “I want you to tell me where I belong and who I belong to.” Her voice cracked, making me want to fucking kill someone. She was falling apart, and I feared ultimately I couldn’t stop any of it.
Losing control, I unbuckled my pants and my dick slipped out and smacked my stomach. “I’m gonna make you feel better, baby.” My hands rubbed along her hips as I pressed my fingers into her flesh.
Bella: The Ending: A Sagatori Family Saga Page 6