by Lylah James
“I’m going to ask one last time. Where is Alberto?” I snapped, pushing the chair away as I stood up.
He shook his head several times. “He…didn’t tell…me…pl…please…beli…eve me.”
My fist hit his stomach as Viktor placed the cloth over his face again. It was wetter this time, and I knew the water was filling his mouth and nose, suffocating him.
When I saw his body slowly giving up on life, I nodded at Viktor to take the wet cloth away. I loomed over the man’s body, glaring down at him with all the hatred I felt.
My fingers wrapped around his hand, and I pressed hard, twisting until his wrist snapped under my hold. His eyes widened as a scream tore out from his throat.
“Please…kill…me…” he begged, struggling but too weak to fight.
He knew his death was coming. And he begged for it. What a fucking coward.
My eyes narrowed on him. It always came to this, Alberto’s men begging me for death without giving me the answer I wanted…needed.
Alberto was smart. He went into hiding without telling anyone. I went after his right-hand men, and even they didn’t know.
But there must have been someone helping him stay hidden this long. Whoever it was, I wasn’t going to stop until I found him.
Pulling my gun out, I aimed at his knee. A shot was fired, a bullet piercing his knee cap. He screamed in agony, and I chuckled. I only chuckled on the outside—inside, my monster was roaring with laughter. It demanded more blood to be shed.
More blood from my Angel’s tormentors.
Another shot. Another bullet. Right in his other knee. His scream pierced through my ears, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my spiral knife. The man’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, his whimpers getting louder. He thought I was going to end his life easily.
How naïve of him.
Viktor smiled and pulled out his knife, too. One slice across his neck. Quick and swift. So deep that his blood poured around us and his bones were showing.
The man made a gurgling sound, blood oozing from the cut at an accelerating rate.
But it wasn’t over. Not yet.
Holding my knife tight in my hand, I pulled back and then plunged it into his chest, right in his heart. His mouth fell open in a silent scream, his blood squirting around us. The floor was covered with it. The air smelled of death and the copper smell of blood.
I smirked as he convulsed and then collapsed against the chair, eyes wide open. They were full of fear until he was lifeless. Just another dead body.
Another step toward finding my Angel.
“Now what?” Viktor asked, his lips curled up in a sadistic smile. He rubbed his gloved hands together in anticipation.
“The next man on the list,” I answered, my voice chilling. Anyone else would have pissed their pants at that tone, but not my men. After all, we craved the same thing.
The blood and death of our enemies.
Turning my back from the dead corpse in front of me, I walked out of the room. But not before I saw Nikolay taking his lighter out.
By the end of the day, the corpse would be nothing but ash.
As I stepped into the sunlight, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Like always, I saw Ayla’s smile and shining green eyes. She radiated beauty.
I felt my lips tilt up at the thought of her.
I’m coming, Angel. Wait for me.
***
1 week later
I walked into the room, and the man trembled at the sight of me. He was on his knees, and Nikolay had his arms twisted around his back. Another captive. Another of Alberto’s most trusted men.
“Let’s see what you have to say,” Phoenix said beside me.
“Please…I don’t know anything,” he begged.
My chest rumbled with laughter. What else could I have done?
I didn’t even do anything yet, and he was already begging. I wondered what he would do when I got started.
“I…have…a wife,” he stuttered, pleading me with his eyes. “And a daughter. Please, they need me.”
Scoffing, I walked forward and pulled him up by the hair. “You should have thought about that before messing with the Ivanshovs.”
Nikolay stepped away, and I slammed the man against the wall. His head banged with a crack, and he winced.
“Where do you think Alberto would hide?” I snarled, my fingers wrapping around his neck. I pressed against his windpipe, my thumb moving up and down. He struggled to breathe, his face turning a shade of purple.
His fingers grabbed at my hand, pulling, scratching with the attempt to dislodge my grasp, but it was all for nothing.
I heard a gasp behind me and then a cry. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a horrified woman standing at the door; in her arms was a sleeping baby.
Ah. The wife and daughter.
I turned back toward my captive, and his fearful eyes met mine. He tried to glance at his wife, but my body was hiding his view.
His body started to shake from the lack of oxygen. But that wasn’t all. It was also from fear. For his wife and daughter.
I couldn’t help but smirk. Interesting.
“Come in, ladies. I’m sure you would want to stay with your husband as he takes his last breath. We wouldn’t want him to die alone. Keep him company,” I taunted without glancing away from the man’s eyes.
Releasing my hold on his throat, I stepped away. He fell to his knees, and my heart soared with power. Yet another of Alberto’s men on their knees, bowing down to me.
I turned around to see Phoenix escorting the woman and her baby to a chair. She sat down, but her whole body was trembling like a leaf.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“I am your husband’s executioner,” I replied, my voice deadly. She flinched and held her baby tighter to her chest.
“But…he…” she stuttered, but I cut her off quickly.
“He deserves it.”
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“Your begging only makes me want to hurt him more.” I laughed, pointing a gloved hand at her husband, who was still gasping for breath.
Viktor chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded the woman with keen interest. “Please keep begging. It’ll only be more fun,” he goaded.
“You’re evil. All of you. Monsters. How could you do this?” she cried.
“Ah, I never said I wasn’t evil.” I shrugged when she shrunk back into her chair. Phoenix kept a hand on her shoulders, and she shuddered.
“I’m not that repulsive,” he muttered under his breath.
Shaking my head at the poor frightened woman, I turned back toward her husband. I saw Nikolay holding a baseball bat. He shrugged. “We need to get creative sometimes.”
And then he smacked the bat against the man’s back. “Here you go, Boss,” Nikolay said, giving me the bat as he stepped back.
“Are you going to talk or not?” I asked, looking at the man at my feet.
“I’m telling the truth. Alberto…didn’t…tell me…anything,” he wheezed through the blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
My patience had run thin, and I snapped. I rammed the bat into his legs until I heard bones crunching. He screamed. His wife screamed. The baby cried.
But that didn’t stop me.
It spurred me on. The bat came in contact with his stomach. His ribs broke under the solid wood, and his body convulsed in pain.
“Please stop. Stop!” the wife wailed.
Stop! Please stop! Ayla’s voice resonated through my ears, and I stumbled back in shock. My chest grew tight at her voice as it rang in my head.
Angel. My Angel.
I looked at the man as he writhed in agony, his body beaten up and swelling under the pressure. I stepped away and faced the woman. She was sobbing heavily, and the baby continued to cry.
Phoenix caught my eyes, and he n
odded. I didn’t even have to say anything. He understood what I wanted. He grabbed the woman by the arm and started pulling her away and out of the house.
The wife and the baby would be given a safe place to stay. The innocents would be safe, while the evil would be chained.
“One last chance. Anything you might know. Tell me and I might let you go back to your wife and daughter,” I hissed into his face.
It was a lie. He wasn’t leaving this house alive. He knew it was a lie. We all did.
“I don’t…kn…ow…I rea…lly don’t know. But…please. Don’t…hurt…my wife and daugh…ter.”
I sighed and shook my head. I stood up and faced my men. Viktor looked pissed. Nikolay was ready to murder someone. Artur was glaring down at the man with venom.
Phoenix came back inside, and he rubbed his hand over his face, a sign of fatigue. We were all tired. Dead on our feet. But we were still not giving up. Not until we found Ayla.
I saw Viktor’s eyes widening and then Nikolay’s. “Alessio!”
Guns were drawn, and I swiveled around, my gun pointed at the man in a split second. Five shots rang through the air and the sound resonated around the walls of the house.
Five bullets.
And all five had pierced the man’s body.
One in his chest, two in his stomach, one in his neck, and the last one between his eyes.
One bullet from each of my men. And one from me.
He sunk to the floor soundlessly, the gun he had drawn on me falling limply through his fingers.
“Another stupid man dead,” Viktor spat.
Without a second glance at the dead body, I walked out of the house. My phone rang in my pocket, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
When I saw the caller ID was unknown, I picked up the call, knowing already who it was.
“I left another gift for you,” I spoke before Alberto could say anything.
“Killing my men won’t get you to me,” he mocked.
“Maybe you should stop being such a coward and face me,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
Every day I got a call from him. Every day he taunted me. And every day I was helpless as I listened to Ayla’s cries.
If only his phone wasn’t untraceable. The bastard enjoyed playing with me every day.
It was a game. We were both playing it. It was a dangerous game, and one of us was going to lose in the end.
And I was going to make sure it wasn’t me.
“Ah, why would I do that? I’m enjoying my time with my woman here. We’re making up for lost time.” He chuckled cruelly.
My blood ran cold as my anger burned like lava. It burned under my skin, and my body shook with it.
“I’m not going to let you break her,” I said, my fingers folding into a fist at my side.
“Ah,” Alberto tsked and then laughed. “You’re too late. I have already broken her. I have plucked every single feather off her wings. I took until she had nothing left to give, and still then, I kept taking.”
My heart ached, my stomach rolled, and I almost doubled over in pain. Ayla. Ayla. My sweet Angel.
“So you see, in the end, I have won.”
I refused to believe it. I just had to get to Ayla. I would cast away all her nightmares. I would take away all the bad memories. I had done it before. I would do it again until she’d be whole again.
“No,” I snapped. “You haven’t won yet. Your death is coming, Alberto. Start counting your days.”
I hung up before he could say anything else.
Throwing my phone against the car, I closed my eyes.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Angel. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, but I’m coming.
Chapter 34
3 weeks later
I stared at the piano.
Ayla was sitting there, just like always. Her hair was down, flowing in beautiful soft waves at her back. Her eyes were closed, a small smile on her lips as she hummed and played the piano. For me. For us.
I smiled too. She was so beautiful. My Angel.
Ayla slowly glanced up, and her captivating green eyes met mine. She blew me a kiss, and I reached to grab it. She laughed, and I smiled again.
Suddenly the laughter stopped. Ayla stared down, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
No. Don’t cry, I wanted to say. I reached forward, and just like that, my Ayla disappeared.
I closed my eyes tightly, my fingers tightening around the bottle of alcohol. My head spun, and the heartache never left me. I was drunk, like every other night.
I wanted to forget. But then I felt guilty and ashamed. I couldn’t forget.
Even though she was gone, Ayla never left me. Even when I was too drunk to remember my name, I never forgot Ayla. She was always there. I could feel her. Sometimes I saw her, too.
It had been five weeks since Alberto took Ayla away from me. Five weeks of looking for my Angel like a madman. But she was nowhere to be found.
I just wanted to touch her. Hold her. Kiss her.
I opened my eyes again and stared at the piano. The bench was empty. My Angel wasn’t there. It hurt. It hurt so much that I couldn’t breathe sometimes.
She was gone. And I was alone. All alone.
I craved her. I craved the peace only she could give. I craved her love.
But my Angel was gone. And without her, I was lost.
A broken, empty shell.
Ayla once said I was her peace. But she was mine, too. She was the light to my darkness.
But the light was gone, and only darkness surrounded me. I was used to the darkness, but now it only suffocated me. It only left me broken.
Standing up, I stumbled toward the piano. I touched the keys and thought about Ayla being there right now.
I can’t live without you, Angel. I can’t.
***
Viktor
2 weeks later
I opened the door to the piano room and sucked in a harsh breath at the sight that beheld me. It was the same sight as every night since Ayla had been gone, but it still shocked me to the core.
Alessio laid on the floor next to the piano, his body curled up in a ball.
I rubbed a hand over my mouth and face, trying to hold in the emotions.
I had never seen Alessio so broken. So disconnected from the world. So lost.
Walking forward, I knelt down and wrapped an arm under his arms, pulling him up. He stumbled, his eyes closed. “C’mon, big guy. Let’s get you in bed,” I muttered as his weight fell heavily on me.
I dragged him to his room and pushed him on the bed. Alessio didn’t wake. Of course he didn’t. He drank himself into oblivion.
After removing his jacket, I removed his shoes and threw them on the floor. Sweat broke out on my forehead from the effort of dragging Alessio and taking care of him.
When I was done, I pulled the comforter over the body. His eyebrows drew together in tension, and he mumbled something under his breath.
Moving closer, my heart stuttered when I heard what he was saying. I rubbed my chest, trying to get rid of the ache there.
“Angel,” he whispered.
I sighed and kneaded the back of my neck, rolling my shoulder, getting rid of the rigid muscles. What a fucking mess.
Alessio was the strongest man I knew, the most ruthless, yet here he was…broken over the woman he so desperately loved.
I didn’t blame him, though.
It was impossible not to love Ayla. She brought light into the darkness of our world. She was the light.
I turned away from Alessio but stopped when I saw my father standing at the doorway. He stared at Alessio and then moved his eyes to me.
“I’ve done this so many times,” he muttered. I cocked my head to the side, waiting for him to elaborate.
“For Lyov. When he lost Maria, he was exactly like this, and just like you, I had to take care of him. I had to help him pick up the pieces. But the problem is there are too many pieces. Lyov is still a broken man—” He
paused, pointing at Alessio before continuing. “And now Alessio.”
I looked back at the bed, and I saw Alessio struggling, as if he was fighting in his sleep. Nightmares plagued his sleep every night.
“That’s why Lyov warned him. Don’t fall in love. Don’t let yourself get weak. That was exactly the reason why. I had been through it. Lyov had been through it, and all he wanted to do was save Alessio from the same suffering.”
“We are going to find Ayla,” I shot back, refusing to believe anything else.
He nodded. “I hope you do. For all our sakes. She needs to be saved, and Alessio needs her.”
He turned to walk away but then stopped. Looking over his shoulder, he left me with words I didn’t want to hear.
“Don’t make the same mistake we did.”
With that, he left. And I sank down on the bed.
My eyes caught the photo frame on the night stand. I took it in my hand and looked into the face of Ayla. She was laughing, her eyes shining with so much love.
Rubbing my thumb over her cheek, I looked back at Alessio and then glanced down at her face again.
“Sometimes, I wish you’d never hid under his bed,” I whispered. “And we never knew you.”
My father was too late to warn me.
Because I had already made the same mistake.
Chapter 35
Ayla
My body was strangely warm. I was floating, and a sense of peace surrounded me. My eyes opened, and I blinked several times, trying to get accustomed to my surroundings.
When my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I let out a gasp, my heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird.
I wasn’t in the dungeon.
No, I was in a beautiful room. I sat up, and my eyes widened when I saw Alessio sitting next to me.
Alessio!
He was right there. Next to me. He found me! He came…he really came for me. Just like I knew he would.
My heart soared, and I jumped into his arms with a cry. “Alessio. I love you. I love you. I love you so much. Please don’t leave me. Please,” I sobbed in his chest.