Deceptive Love: A Dark Mafia Duet (Mackenzie & Volkolv Book 1)

by Elizabeth Knox

  “We’re?” I question.

  “Who do you think I am, love? Do you really believe the Mackenzie men are so kind to an older woman? While they are lovely, they wouldn’t be this chatty with a member of staff. No one outside of our family knows this and if you so much as breathe this information to anyone I can assure you I will be the one fileting you like a steak, not my boy or husband. I go by Maeve, but my name is Clodagh Fiona Mackenzie. I’m Desmond and Cara’s mother, as well as Fionn’s wife.”

  I blink a couple of times. “That is what Desmond meant by his remark earlier . . .” I murmur quietly.

  “I don’t believe you’re like every other mafia daughter, Sofia. You and I are very similar. We adapt to our surroundings or situations and rise from the ashes. Sweetheart, you will rise up from this. Of that I’m sure. Right now I know so many things must be running through that mind of yours . . . but believe in yourself. You’ll be just fine.”

  “Thank you,” I’m in so much shock that I don’t have another response.

  “Now, let’s get a move on. It looks like you’ve lost a decent bit of blood. I want to fix you up and then you should get some rest for a bit. Lord knows you need it.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Some people don’t change. They just find new ways to lie

  ~ Unknown

  Desmond

  “I thought I’d find you both in here,” Mother says to my father and I as she comes into his study, shutting the door firmly behind her. It’s late in the evening and I’m surprised she’s still awake. Usually she turns in quite early.

  “It’s not like you to be awake this late, love.” My father, Fionn Mackenzie speaks up. He rises as she approaches him like she always does and goes over for a kiss. It amazes me that even after all these years they’re still in as much love as the very day they were married.

  “Yes, well we’ve had a busy day. I needed to tend to things and make sure everything was moving smoothly.” She replies.

  I cock a brow, “What does that mean, mother? Are you weaving your webs again?”

  “Desmond, don’t ask such silly questions. I’m only but a woman. What could I be doing?” The way she plays coy constantly causes my father and I to laugh. Mother is . . . one of a kind, that’s for sure. We both agree she’s the smartest Mackenzie there is. However, she’d never act like it. In our world the women are supposed to be beautiful things on our arms. One day I’m sure the role will change, but it hasn’t as of yet. So, Mother does what she must.

  “How are our newest household members?” Father asks, looking to Mother.

  “The boys are sleeping sweetly, not a worry in the world. Sofia on the other hand. Hm, I don’t know. She’s fierce, yet has a heart. I walked in on her crying in the study when you fetched me earlier, Desmond.”

  “She cried?” She must be joking. Sofia seems like a rock, solid, dense and dangerous.

  “Yes. It makes me believe our assumptions are correct.”

  “Fuck,” Father curses, clenching his fists. “Why must the Volkolv men always put their hands on their women? What is the point in not only hurting your family, but tainting the trust between man and wife?”

  “They aren’t man and wife,” I correct him.

  Mother gives me a look, and before she even speaks I know what she’s going to say. Here she goes, weaving her web. “You’re interested in the girl, Desmond?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” Both Mother and Father say at the same time while they laugh in unison.

  “Saoirse hasn’t been dead but a year. Please don’t insult me by suggesting I move on with Sofia. For fuck's sake, she’s engaged to Valentin. She’s only here because he wanted her and his sons to be safe.”

  “Son. He only sent Aleksei here to get rid of him. Don’t fool yourself. If it weren’t for Aleksandr he would’ve killed Aleksei too.” My mother states.

  I want to argue with her and say she doesn’t know Valentin, but she does. When we were kids I never would’ve envisioned he’d turn out this way. What’s the old saying: the apple never falls far from the tree? Yes, that’s it and the accuracy is uncanny. Valentin is turning into another version of his father. Something he vowed never to do when we were kids.

  Valentin only sent Sofia and the boys here because I’m the only one he can trust not to harm them. They’ve pissed off entirely too many people over the last few years. I don’t see it getting any better.

  “The Ramirez girl would make a great match for you,” Father adds, looking to me as if we’re honestly discussing this right now.

  “We aren’t talking about this. She’s engaged to Valentin.” I argue.

  Mother scoffs, “Do you honestly think that’s stopped anyone before? One bullet would cause her to be available to you.”

  My mother is a fucking psychopath, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love her. “You’re lucky she’s not married.” Father adds.

  I roll my eyes and take a seat in front of his desk. “What are the two of you suggesting?”

  My father sits up a little straighter, bringing his arms on top of his desk and clasps his arms. I scan my eyes over his face, paying attention to the way he draws his thick gray eyebrows together. Whatever he’s about to say is going to be serious. That I can already tell. Lines span across his forehead and he looks to my mother. A minute must pass us by before I finally get irritated with all of this.

  “What in the bloody hell is going on?” I snarl.

  “Tell him, love. It’s time. Desmond needs to know.” Mother says, placing her hand on the side of his face.

  Father grabs the glass of scotch in front of him and downs what was left before he has the courage to look at me. “Desmond, I’m afraid I have grave news to tell you.”

  I blink in silence waiting for him to continue but can tell whatever he’s about to tell me is troubling him.

  “Son, I know we’ve prepared you for the day you’d take over the leadership duties of our family business. Although, I’m afraid I thought we’d have more time. If anything I expected at least five or ten more years of teaching you . . . however, I regret to say that’s not the case. Desmond, I’m dying. It’s likely I won’t live through the year.”

  “Is this a joke?” I ask while my heart pounds in my chest. This has to be a joke. We’ve had too much loss over the last couple of years. My sister Cara has been estranged from the family.

  Meanwhile, my wife died. We have a now four-year-old son, the same age as Aleksandr and my father is telling me he’s dying. No, I refuse to accept this.

  I look to Mother who’s eyes are becoming glassy, her impending tears telling me the ugly truth. “No!” I stand up, knocking the chair over behind me.

  My father nods, “Yes, son. It’s true, and while I hate to bring this up . . . I have to. The security of our family depends on it. Saoirse came from a prominent Irish family, but they provided no security we could use. You married for love once and I hate to do this to you, but your next marriage must be political. Your options are scarce. The only ones who could offer some security would be one of the Romanians or the Ramirez girl, and she’s here.”

  “No, I can’t. She’s marrying Valentin.” I state.

  “Desmond, if you think she’ll let that man get close to her ever again you’ve lost your head. He beat her, boy. He harmed her so badly she refused to take medicine to relieve some of her pain. Do you know why a woman would do something such as that?” Mother asks. Even now, she’s using this to teach me a lesson.

  “No, I don’t.” I admit.

  “Desmond, she wanted to use the pain to remind her never to go back to him.”

  “Fuck,” I curse, covering my face with my hands. I wish I was just a normal man who didn’t have things such as this to worry about, or to even consider. But I’m not so lucky. Saoirse was my love, and now here I am presented with a task . . . a task I’ll likely need to fulfill before my father’s death.

  “You said a year?
” I question.

  “If I’m lucky.” Father confirms.

  “No, if we’re lucky,” Mother corrects us both.

  “Are we going to reach out and tell Cara?” I ask.

  My father shakes his head, “No. Cara made her choice, and she’ll have to live with it. She didn’t want to be part of this family any longer. So, she isn’t. Now, if you’ll leave us be, your mother and I need to have a private discussion. There is much we have yet to go over . . . and with our timeline not being predictable—”

  “I understand. I’ll see you both in the morning,” I state, picking the chair back up and walk over to the door. I exit the room and close it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Every night her thoughts weighed heavily on her soul but every morning she would get up to fight another day, every night she survived.

  ~ R.H. Sin

  Sofia

  Even though I tried like hell I couldn’t get one minute of sleep. Too many thoughts were plaguing my mind. At a point I got up out of bed and pondered going downstairs to find some alcohol. A strong tequila usually puts me straight to sleep, although I doubt Irishmen would be the type who had a decent tequila. They prefer whiskey if I’m not mistaken.

  Aleks and Aleksei are in the room across the hall from me. Their room is massive, with two twin-sized beds. Their sheets are the same deep blue that matches the walls, while the quilts on top of them are a plaid type pattern. Toys scatter across the room from racecars to a small TV hooked up with a video gaming system. This might seem silly, but Alejandro and I would play Diddy Kong back home. I wasn’t supposed to because I’m a lady and whatnot, but Al would let me sneak in a game or two without telling our father.

  It’s rather early in the morning, possibly five or so. I’ve been lying down in bed staring at the extravagant canopy that hangs over my bed. It’s a soft pink color, showing the elegance of the Mackenzie estate. It’s early enough for me to get up, so I do and head toward the door of my bedroom. While it’s not too early for me to be up I won’t wake the boys. They need loads of sleep after all the changes. I’m sure their little bodies are stressed beyond belief.

  I open the old wooden door and spot a suitcase on the floor. Bending down slowly I place my hands on the luggage and bring it into my room, shutting the door behind me. I walk over to my bed and place it on top, unbuckle it and open it up.

  Within the suitcase is a couple of dresses, as well as sweaters, jeans and some shirts I even see a couple cardigans but when I lift them up I see there’s an array of panties and bras. It’s not much but it’ll surely get me through the next few days. Valentin did say he’d send money to Desmond so the boys and I would be properly taken care of. Even if he doesn’t I can call Alejandro and we could sort something out. My father would refuse to take care of me since I now belong to Valentin. It’s sad, but it’s the reality of being a kingpin’s daughter. We’re viewed as objects, much like a pair of their favorite cufflinks, or an imported cigar they choose to savor over time. It’s not their responsibility once we’re handed off to a suitor. We now become our fiancé or husband’s duty.

  I change out of my blood ridden sweater and put on a bralette, along with a white camisole and a muted gray cardigan. Nothing feels comfortable against my back right now, but I’d take this over what I was in before. The stitches were pulling against my sweater and sometimes it became unbearable.

  I take off the pants I’m currently wearing and opt to put on a pair of light blue jeans before I head back to where I kicked off my shoes and slide them back on my feet. I head out of my room, shut the door behind me and go down the stairs.

  The light in the foyer is on and is the only bit of illumination in the entire house from what I can tell. It’s still dark out, but I imagine shortly the sun will begin to rise and everything will begin to get brighter.

  “I didn’t take you for an early bird,” Desmond’s husky voice says from beside me. I’ve just made it to the bottom of the stairs and he startles me so much I jump. Somehow, I start to slip but he places his hands around my arms and holds me upright. “So sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “Who stands in the dark like that?” I chastise him, rolling my eyes.

  “To be fair, I wasn’t in the dark. I was simply standing on the edge of the light, getting ready to head out to the stables.”

  I furrow my brows, surprised at what he’s insinuating. It’s rare someone in a family like ours takes the time to tend to their livestock. It’s what stable hands are for. For a moment I realize I must be mistaken. “Oh, you go for a ride this early?”

  He snickers, “No, Sofia. It’s time for me to feed them.”

  “Ah,” I mumble, taking a step back so his hands aren’t around my arms. He gives me an egotistic look and continues with his chuckle.

  “Not all of us have a stick stuck up our arses you know.”

  “I wasn’t. I mean, I didn’t intend to—” For some reason this man is really good at getting me flustered.

  “Relax. We’re still getting to know one another. I’m sure everything will become normal in good time. You should be here for a while it seems.” I know I should feel sickened at hearing Desmond say that, however I don’t. Instead I feel quite the opposite— a sense of relief floods through me.

  “Valentin said a month,” I inform him.

  Desmond brings his hand up and rubs his hand over his chin, “Valentin isn’t always the most forthcoming. I’m sure you can attest to that.”

  I glance over Desmond’s grassy green eyes in silence. He might not realize it, but he’s correct. Hell, he probably does realize it. He and Valentin are friends after all.

  I pull my shoulders back a bit, trying to strum up a little bit of the strength my mother always told me to have. “What are you trying to say, Desmond? I’m tired of the way you hide behind your words. Just say what you mean.”

  “Where’s the fun in that? You know what I mean. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have gotten so flustered. You realize what he is. Don’t you, Sofia?” He muses, leaning against the archway.

  Every memory I have with Valentin courses through my mind. It feels like an old movie where scenes flash before me. Each one after the next is slightly paused with blackness before another memory appears. From the first day I met him at the restaurant, to how he defended me, how he appeared to be trying to befriend me. Introducing me to the boys, parading me around town, taking me out to extravagant dinners, but every fond memory I have of him is erased when I see him in the bathroom.

  I remember the darkness in his eyes. Something that was so foreign to me. He became someone I didn’t recognize with one action, but then proceeded to show me he wasn’t the man I thought he was. Nor was he the man he tried to be. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least, although everything is starting to settle. The man in the bathroom, the one who beat me silly and shoved me against a glass table— that has always been Valentin Volkolv. He was simply playing a part, wanting me to believe he was something he wasn’t. A better person than he could ever be.

  But I’ve learned a very hard lesson here. In this life there aren’t good people. There are only those who survive. I’d be a fool if I didn’t realize how callous being in the mafia can make us. Once upon a time I suppose he was a decent person. Although, once upon a time I wouldn’t have ever had this pivotal moment.

  The moment I realize I too need to change. There’s no place in this world with me believing the best in people.

  I have two boys I need to look out for, so I will do as my mother taught me, and I will become hard as stone.

  I look right at Desmond and nod only once. Pursing my lips, I speak in a monotone voice. “I realize what we all are.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “She’s been through more hell than you ever know. But, that’s what gives her beauty an edge . . . You can’t touch a woman who can wear pain like the grandest of diamonds around her neck.”

  ~ Alfa

  Desmond

&nbs
p; I’m growing rather tired of simply pretending Sofia was harmed in a home robbery when my mother has obviously figured it out. Even if she didn’t, history has a tendency to repeat itself and we all know about the horrors Valentin put his first wife through. Bloody hell, he’s the one who ordered the hit. One that happened in front of Aleksei and Aleksandr no less. If I remember correctly, Aleksandr was in the stroller and Aleksei was walking alongside his mother.

  “You shouldn’t allow your experiences to turn you cold,” I rip off the band-aid of being nice to this woman and call it like it is. I may have only known her for a day but I saw how she was soft and kinder a mere twelve hours ago. Now all of a sudden she’s becoming harsh, callous. If you ask me— she’s growing similar to Valentin.

  Sofia blinks a couple of times, keeping her lips in the same pursed fashion they’ve been in for a minute. She remains quiet, so I continue speaking.

  “Everyone in this house knows there wasn’t a robbery and the more likely scenario is Valentin laid his hands on you. We’re not feeble, dumb people, Sofia. He’s acted in this manner before, as has his father.” I watch as her irises widen and she takes in a deep breath through her nostrils. It appears Sofia Ramirez didn’t know this information. I wonder what’s running through her head right now. If I were a woman I’m sure I’d be curious if my father had known about the Volkolvs’past before he handed me off to them. Unfortunately for her, every father knows about the man their daughter is getting into bed with. It just appears he didn’t have a problem with it.