“I’m sorry?” I shook my head.
“Miss, you must dress right away!” She fidgeted and shuffled her feet in the direction of the bed. She’d laid the dress on it before she left me alone, but I had used that time to call Jax. She lifted it. “We must hurry!” She rushed it to me.
“Oh, I was supposed to dress up?” I shrugged.
She spoke in Russian and shoved the dress at me.
“Do you have clean undergarments as well?” They were on the bed. I could see them from my peripheral, but it was in my nature to be a pain in the ass. No sense in throwing all that good talent out the window. When in Rome… or Russia, right?
She sighed and picked them up from the floral duvet. “Now, you dress,” she demanded.
I did but took my time. I’d make this bastard wait for me.
“Miss, hurry!”
“Jesus, what’s he gonna do if we’re late?” I mumbled into the fabric I’d just stuffed my head into.
She gasped, “You don’t want to know.” She continued waving her hands for me to hurry.
The second I slipped into the long sleeve dress, she was behind me zipping it then tugged a brush through my hair causing my head to pull back. “Ouch!” I yelled.
“Oh, miss, please forgive me!”
I blinked rapidly still feeling the piercing pain from my scalp. “I’ll do that.” I snatched it away. I didn’t want to be rude, none of this was her fault; hell, he probably had her captive as well. “Thank you.” I lifted a small smile.
“Yes, miss.” She curtsied.
I brushed through my long dark hair. My hair hadn’t been washed for days; it didn’t look great, but overall I could live with it. I didn’t care what I looked like. “Now, we go!” she said, taking the brush from my hand. Her eyes widened as she remembered that last piece to the puzzle. “Shoes!” She hurried to the closet, retrieving a black pair of pumps.
“How do you know they’ll fit?” I asked as she rushed back to me and stooped to her knees.
Looking up from my feet she said, “Mr. Mikhailov doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Of course not,” I deadpanned.
She’d easily slipped my feet inside of the most perfect black pumps. “Now, we go!” She clutched tightly to my hand and rushed us from the room and into a hallway that was wide and filled with old paintings. The floors were the same shiny wood that had been in my room. I stared at the large chandeliers that hung in a row down the center of the hall. The walls were painted in gold. I hadn't yet given the room or any of the palace my full attention because of my desperation to call Jax, but I’d soak it in during the walk.
My heart bounced against my chest when deep Russian accents came close. Oh my God, they were coming for the phone! I panicked.
Several words were thrown around the minute they turned the corner and headed in our direction. What were they saying? Maid girl didn’t answer and continued rushing me down the hall and not until they began walking behind us, matching our pace, did my heart slow. I sighed with relief that maybe I had a reprieve, if only for the time being.
I needed to know this girl’s name. I couldn’t continue calling her maid girl. No, if I was going to find a way out of here, I was going to need her help, even if she didn’t know she was helping. “What’s your name?” I shifted a smile toward her short body.
She blinked. “Albina.”
Oh, yes, the large man had said that earlier. “Pretty.”
“Thank you, miss.” She smiled.
We rounded the same corner the large men had come from, following the red carpet that trellised throughout the hallway. Immediately, I was led down a wide set of stairs. Those stairs were a different set than we had come up earlier. Seeing them, I was certain we’d come into the house through a service entrance. It made sense, the house was beautifully cared for, with pride in every detail; everything was colorful and bright. But that entrance was boring and cold, nothing like this.
I held the smooth, silky, wooden railing under my shaky palm and descended the elongated curved staircase. My eyes were wide with shock as I examined the art. I’d seen art many times, lots of it. My father had art from all over the world as Jax did. I’d just never seen this much at one time. It was a bit overwhelming to think of the power behind it. I knew they were real pieces. A man as powerful as Ivan would never shed his walls with fakes, not in this multitude; this was a display of his power. I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering what Jax had said about this man. “He decides who lives or dies.” I shuddered at the thought that Jax had been right all along.
“Come.” She tugged snuggly on my hand. I’d been so enamored with the house I hadn’t realized we’d already landed at the bottom. Continuing to pull, she led me to the right of the foyer where another huge chandelier hung. It sparkled like it was made of diamonds and sunshine. Albeit, there wasn’t any sunshine here. We crossed through a double set of golden doors. I wanted to touch them, stroke my fingertips along the curves, but instead, I clenched my fists at my sides.
A black suit of arms hung above the doors’ curved arch leaving me mesmerized. It had to be hundreds of years old, though, this mansion or castle or whatever it was had to have been built hundreds of years ago as well.
“We must hurry,” she insisted.
The hallway we entered was just as large as the last. There had to be fifteen feet of exposed wood from one side of the hall to the other. I’d noticed that no one had stepped on its beauty, they all stayed on the red path. There were more large golden doors and carpets laid horizontal at their opening. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I quickly realized I couldn’t find my way back to the room I’d been in, much less find my way out of this castle.
“Come.” She ushered me to a set of doors.
My eyes shifted to hers seeing hesitation slip. She was terrified of the man she’d taken me to, and yet so easily she fed me to him; I was a sacrifice.
I lifted my hand to the necklace on my chest and stopped myself, remembering I’d hidden it under my dress when those beasts searched me. Instead, I clenched my hand and dropped it to my side once more.
The doors opened hastily by the two men who had walked in silence behind us. The sound of Russian Orchestra music hummed in the background; I didn’t like it. I felt as if I was in a scary movie and the people watching it were screaming at me to run. Oh, and I wanted to run. FAST.
I dropped my eyes as she pulled me over the threshold. “Come,” her voice had dropped to a mere whisper.
Several words in Russian were spoken between her and the monster. I heard him, he was right there, but I couldn’t pry my eyes open; no matter how hard I tried, and I did try. This was my moment to shine, to tell him I wasn’t going to stand for him hurting my family. I would demand he set me free and forget I existed, but I couldn’t. My mouth was dry, and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“Nadia,” His deep accent cradled my body with terror. I hadn’t realized I’d react that way. I wanted so desperately to be strong, to prove to Jax I could do this. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do this at all because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. “Nadia?” His English was very good.
First, I opened my right eye. I saw my feet tucked inside of the black pumps. I opened the other eye seeing his feet only steps away from my own. He wore familiar shoes; perhaps he had his handmade in Italy just as Jax had. I thought to myself as I delayed the inevitable. I drew a deep breath and lifted my head, taking him in with fear.
He held his hands behind his back, and his face was void of emotion. I had to lift my chin to stare at his full height. His shoulders were broad and square draped inside of his black silk suit. I blinked rapidly feeling his power light the room. I needed to get my act together if I was going to do this.
I drew another breath and puffed my chest out, squaring my shoulders while resting my right hand on my belly. Ennio had been sleeping for quite a while which made me nervous. I had convinced myself it was the stress of the travel and that he’d kick soon
. I prayed that was true.
Thinking of Jax, pretending that he was standing near, gave me strength. I imagined how he would handle himself, what he would say to a powerful man, and went with it. “My name is Isabella,” I said pointedly.
He stared me down, making me feel as if the fires from hell were going to reach out and grab me. I swallowed and stared right back, never letting up the strong facade I feigned. It wasn’t my best performance, but it wasn’t my worst either. If I could get my heart to slow and stop pounding so freaking hard in my ears, I’d do much better.
“Ah, yes.” A smile lifted at the corners of his mouth still, even with the smile. His indifference was obvious before he dropped his head and turned. “Come, sit.” His accent was thick, but his English was very well spoken. Had he spent time in the US? Had he spied on me and my family all this time?
My attention went to several chairs in the room, but I decided on the one furthest from where he headed. I would’ve demanded to stand, but my feet hurt so badly in the shoes I wore.
“I know that you have many questions.”
I crossed my legs and puffed my chest out once more, hiding the rise and fall of my shoulders. “Yes, I do.”
“The guards tell me you haven’t eaten.” His brows lifted.
I hadn’t eaten, how could I? The thought of food made bile lift in my esophagus. I just wanted this to be over. “That’s true.”
Ivan lifted his hands. “We will eat.” He clapped them together, and a maid who’d apparently been standing in the corner rushed to another door opening it. This maid was larger, and wore her blonde locks in a bun on the center of her head. I guessed her to be mid-thirties or so.
She led me into a hallway; these having chairs with large tables every hundred feet or so. A large mural painted the ceiling of the otherwise bright white walls.
The piercing click of my not so comfy black pumps hid the thud of my heartbeat. Well, the echo more mimicked the pounding of a Gong than a thud. Whatever it was, I was grateful for the obnoxious noise as it also hid my rapid breaths.
My shoulders sagged the deeper we walked through the palace. I was completely lost. I tried remembering things, anything that would help me get out when the time came.
I had been through desperate times. Were they worse than this? I shook my head. I had jumped from Sam’s window and ran a mile to the highway without shoes, but I was close to home and there was Jax. Jax wasn’t here, he wouldn’t rescue me this time. As much as I wanted to deny that I needed help, I also knew—deep down in the little place I called pride—I needed it, only this time I wouldn’t have it. I. Was. All. Alone.
My will to live was strong.
I was strong.
I had to be.
Because… I no longer had a choice.
CHAPTER TEN
—Jax—
I packed a small leather bag, mostly for Bella because I wasn’t coming home without my her; that was a no-brainer. I jogged down the stairs and stuffed mine and Bella’s passports into the breast pocket of my blazer before signaling the crew I was ready to head out.
Wyatt approached as he finished a call and stashed his phone. Sal, Adam, Chase, Tony, Dominic, Mario, and a few of my guys from Detroit, followed close behind, all carrying a small bag of their own.
“Give me a sec…” I said turning in the direction of my office retrieving something very special from my desk. “There you are, baby.” I tossed the smooth bag on top and tucked Bella’s framed photo in between the clothing.
There were eight of us traveling to Moscow; a total of fourteen hours.
Fourteen.
Fucking.
Hours.
The look Sal gave when he told me it would be fourteen hours? Priceless. He was shaking, scared to death I was gonna gut him. Rightfully so, I was a dick on every possible level. But he deserved to be scared. I’d be an asshole even though I knew he couldn’t help how long it was gonna take.
My wife was gone.
She took my good with her.
I’d had him doin’ my bitch work. Payback, motherfucker. I could’ve had her by now. I shook my head thinking about this entire situation, not understanding how the fuck I let it all go down the way it did.
What could I have done differently?
I ignored Cesar as he held the back door of the black Yukon for me, but I jumped in the front with Wyatt. “You can grab the next one.” I jutted my thumb out to him. I wanted to talk to Wyatt, clear my head without the other fuckers around to listen.
We rolled out of the garage and headed for the airport. We would take an international flight once we arrived in New York. JFK was a short flight from Chicago, but not enough for my taste. I wanted to be there now, yesterday… Fuck, I wished she hadn’t left… No, I wished I hadn’t been a coward and allowed them to take her. What the fuck?
I sat back in the seat wanting to talk to Wyatt, clear some shit up before we had to spend the next fourteen hours of my life I’d never get back, sitting next to people who didn’t need to hear my business. Even my own crew. But…
I couldn’t.
I screwed up.
I failed.
And… I lost her.
—Bella—
I swallowed my nerves and reached for the glass of water the maid had set on the table. Ivan shrugged off his jacket and tossed it in the direction of a chair that sat empty next to him.
He was polite and unnervingly silent, leaving me to question the velocity of things to come. Someone shedding their cards—letting you know where they stood—was one thing I could deal with. Ivan, however, didn’t make his cards known.
I turned my attention to a large window to my left seeing a beautiful bouquet of flowers latticing the sill hiding the dull and darkness that lay on the other side. The gray hue assured it was cold and unwelcoming. Yet here, in this dining room, it was warm and comfortable.
I blinked and lifted my head to my right, feeling the heat of something the maid had again sat in front of me. I silently praised her and slipped my fingers around the ceramic cup, feeling comforted. I observed the swirls of gold that circled into a motif, a crest perhaps.
“Tea.” Ivan lifted his finger, pointing to the cup I admired.
My head had whipped in his direction, as the silence had broken with his deep voice. “Thank you.” I’d be polite no matter how resentful I truly was.
He focused his dark eyes on me, but didn’t respond. I wanted conversation, I wanted him to get to it already. Ivan, however, waited like a snake. I knew he wasn’t to be trusted. The light from the crystal chandelier shined down on him casting a shadow over his left eye, and it reminded me just how dangerous the man who sat in front of me was.
“I trust your trip was a good one?” He unfolded a cloth napkin and tossed it into his lap without leaving my eyes.
I kept my focus, burning my glare into him. I pulled the tea to my lips and snickered. “It was unpleasant at best.” I traced my fingers over the motif.
“My men weren’t accommodating?”
My mouth gaped. “Accommodating? Are you serious? They beat my husband and killed his men.. I don’t call that accommodating.” I shook my head. “They took me from my family.”
Ivan leaned forward in his high-back dining chair letting his focus wander before eventually finding me again. “I gave plenty of warning,” he snarled.
“Warning?” The temperature in my face turned white hot with anger. “How dare you!” I stood, slamming my palms flat on the dining table, clawing at the shiny, smooth wood with my nails as pulled them back.
A few men entered and stood along the whitened walls near the door. Ivan waved his hand, a hollow expression painted over his evil truth.
My anger was anchored to his wicked soul. I was ready to take this son of a bitch on. “I’m not a piece of property, Ivan. Nor am I anything to you.” I pointed
He laughed aloud, gruff and throaty, and his Adam’s apple bounced with pure amusement. His smile was wide, and for a moment
his expression held a soft, non-threatening grace. “You”—he wagged his finger while he caught his breath—“remind me of your mother. Ahh...” His smile faded, and for a glimmer of a second I thought he would cry as his eyes met the ceiling. I was taken aback, confused as he sat there quietly before he bowed his head and lifted his eyes from under his hooded lids.
I wished I knew what he meant, but he didn’t offer more detail. “Would you like to elaborate?” I quietly sat backward letting myself fall into the dining chair as I comprehended his now poised position.
His eyes rested on me, taking me by surprise at how quickly he could change his demeanor. One minute angry, the next almost… tearful. But his power… that never faltered. It was always clear he was in charge. His eyes were level with mine as he waved to the maid who bowed her head. She hesitantly approached standing only feet from Ivan. Suddenly, with shocking surprise, he yelled something I couldn’t understand, let alone repeat, and then the guards also left.
I was now in the dining room with Ivan, alone. I nervously tapped along the carved wood on the edge of the dining table. He leaned forward and tented his hands as he leaned over the shiny wood. “Your mother”—he raised and pulled on his chin before taking down a glass of clear alcohol, I assumed—“is the most beautiful woman in the world. You look just like her. And if you would’ve been allowed to know her... well, you weren’t.” He stopped.
My mother? “The woman who birthed me?” My voice cracked.
Ivan snapped his cold stare toward me, hesitating while he searched my puzzled expression. “She carried you in her womb.” He gripped his stomach. “Loved you so much.”
“What happened to her?” The hot air from my breath whistled past my lips. I was trying to be strong… brave, but my expression was sure to let me down at some point.
He tossed his head from side to side while staring at his hands. “Hmm,” he paused. “She gave birth in the hospital. Delivered a beautiful set of twins, boy and girl.” He stepped away from the table with his glass in hand and walked to the window I’d been staring at. A deep breath filled his lungs as he struggled to find the words. Was any of this true? Could this man be my father? Could she—this woman, his wife—be my mother? “They were the most beautiful babies I’d ever seen.” He shook his head and paused to gulp his drink.
Bella: The Ending: A Sagatori Family Saga Page 10