“No, I lost my appetite.”
“You need to eat,” he grunts as he looks at me. Since the appearance of my father, I’m painfully aware of the glances directed at us. I try to answer Alexey lightly when he continues to talk to me, but my nerves are shot and my knotted stomach is making me nauseous.
“Relax, malysh, don’t let him ruin our evening,” Alexey says as he takes my fisted hand in his and starts to stroke with his thumb.
“I’m sorry. It’s just difficult to see him again. I left home because of him. When I see him, all the memories just flood back,” I confess.
Alexey stares at me for a few moments before he pulls back his chair and holds out his hand. “Come, malysh, let’s go home.” Alexey guides me out of the restaurant to his car. I look up and down the road, but I don’t see any sign of my father, which makes me start to relax. Starting the car, he pulls out onto the road. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, trying to calm my nerves.
ALEXEY 19
I glance at Jade and notice that she has fallen asleep. The fear that I saw in her eyes when she realized who it was made me want to walk up to him and put a bullet in his head. Ivan has brought him to the cells in the basement of our building, As soon as I have Jade settled in bed, I will go down and find out who the fuck he thinks he’s dealing with.
As I drive into the garage, I see Vlad walking towards the lifts. When he sees me, he stops and waits. I park and go around the car. Opening the door, I place my arm under her legs and the other behind her back and pick her up close against me. She mumbles but doesn’t wake up as I walk towards Vlad. He smiles as we approach.
“Brat, you’re spoiling her,” he teases in Russian.
“I want her to sleep. She was upset. Her father decided to pay us a visit when we were eating,” I grunt.
“What!” Vlad snaps. “The fucker who thinks it’s okay to hit women?” At my nod, he scowls. “And you let him leave?” Even though Vlad is speaking Russian, I don’t want to talk about this while Jade is around. The less she has to do with her father, the better.
I shake my head as we enter the lift. The action is enough to tell him that I don’t want to talk about it now. He leans back against the wall of the lift. Crossing his arms, he continues scowling. If I wasn’t so angry, I would be amused at how protective he is of Jade.
When we enter the apartment, I tell Vlad to wait for me. Vlad has been looking into who the person selling us out is, and from what he texted me earlier, he might be close. After getting Jade comfortable and she’s sleeping peacefully, I slip out of the room and make my way to the lounge where Vlad is waiting for me.
“We’re going downstairs,” I inform him as I make my way to the door. I see his usual smile cross his face as he follows me.
“I knew you wouldn’t let a piece of shit like that slip away,” he says. When we exit the lift, I see that Nik is already awaiting us.
“You may go,” I say as I start to open the door.
“If you don’t mind, Boss, I would like to be here,” he says. I look over my shoulder at his face and see the anger in his eyes to rival mine. Nik has softened towards Jade and her relentless tactics to get him to become her friend. Nik is the deadliest fucker I have among my men, but Jade doesn’t see that. All she sees is, as she says, the sadness that he carries around. I know that Nik will protect my woman with his life, not just because she’s my woman but because he has come to see her as a younger sister. I nod as I open the door to the cell and enter.
Jade’s father has been tied to the hooks on the ceiling. When he sees us, he moves his arms, rattling the chains. “Let me go. Who do you think you are, tying me up? I’ve got every right to see my daughter and my wife,” he snaps angrily. I look at the man closely, seeing evidence of heavy drinking. His skin is dull, with a purplish tinge. His eyes are bloodshot, and his appearance in general is unkept.
“Your daughter has told you before that she doesn’t want to see you. Why do you insist on coming here?” I ask conversationally even though all I want to do is stick my fist in his face.
“That bitch doesn’t have a say in—” I don’t let him finish his sentence as I throw a punch, busting up his nose. The blood squirts out as I hear the crunch of bone under my fingers.
“Asshole,” he says, so I pull back my arm and let go with another punch, this time to his stomach.
“How does that feel?” I grunt. “Not so good when it’s you getting punched, is it?”
“Fuck off. She deserved every beating, and if I get hold of her again, she’ll be sorry,” he says with a smirk.
“Well, then, you have just signed your death warrant.” At my words, I can see a flicker of fear race across his face, but he soon hides it. I slide my jacket off and place it across the back of the chair that is against the wall. Rolling up my sleeves, I walk towards the table in the back of the room and pick up a long piece of chain coiled there. Approaching him from behind, I swing the chain and strike him on his upper leg. He gasps in pain and starts to struggle again to get free.
I walk around until I’m facing him again. “How does that feel? It’s what you did to Sofia, isn’t it?” I growl as I swing the chain and hit him across his ribs, making him gasp as I hear the bone crack. I continue inflicting wounds that I know he inflicted on his wife and daughter, but I leave the one that affects me the most for last.
As he stands before us bleeding and bruised, I unbuckle his belt and pull it off him. By now, his shirt has been torn off him, so it’s easier to see the wounds. I go to stand behind him with the belt, staring at this abusive piece of shit who thought he had the right to hurt the two people he should have protected and held above all others, even himself. I promise myself that I will do everything in my power to protect and love Jade and our child until I draw my last breath.
No one will ever hurt them as this asshole hurt Jade and her mother. Holding the belt by the leather, I swing the buckle with all my might, hitting him exactly where Jade has her scar. He buckles with pain, but I have no pity for someone who inflicted so much pain on two innocents. Looking over at Vlad and Nik, I incline my head. “He’s all yours,” I say, and see Vlad’s lips kick up. I walk towards the sink on the side of the room and wash my hands of the blood covering them.
I can hear the cries of pain behind me as I get clean. As soon as I’m done, I grab my jacket and make my way to the door. “Vlad, I want to see you tomorrow morning,” I say without looking back, and then make my way back to my apartment. Before heading to our room, I go into the extra bedroom and take a shower. There is no way I will ever bring the blood of the men we interrogate close to Jade.
I will protect her and any children we will have from this side of my life as much as I can. That is why I have to make sure that I end Salazar as quickly as possible. I know that once he’s dead, another boss will be placed in his position, but maybe the other one won’t think he can take me on.
Walking to our room after my shower, I stand in the doorway and appraise the woman who has touched my heart, the woman who has given me her body, her trust, and now a child. I’m going to tell Vlad tomorrow that he’s going to be an uncle. I’m sure my brother will be pleased, but the person who will be very pleased is my father.
He’s been telling me for years that I need to find myself a good Russian woman and have some heirs to our organization. Even though I didn’t get a Russian woman, I got myself a good woman who makes me happy, so he will have to accept Jade. Approaching the bed, I lie down behind her and pull her against my body. I surround her with my heat, my protection. Placing my hand over her still-flat stomach, I close my eyes and smile as peace fills me.
I’m awoken with Jade jumping out of bed. I hurriedly sit up in bed and see her running for the bathroom. The light is filtering through the curtains as I stand and hurry after her. I find her leaning over the toilet, retching. I hurriedly approach her and hold her hair back as she continues to heave. I hate that she has to go through this. I know what the doctor said, b
ut I want this to end. I will make sure to have crackers and ginger ale next to the bed every morning to try to lighten this illness.
When she finally slumps back against my chest, I stroke her cheek gently as I kiss the top of her head. “Do you want to go back to bed now, malysh?” Instead of answering, she nods. I can feel her body shaking gently as I pick her up and carry her back to bed. “I’m going to get you some ginger ale and crackers,” I say as I hurriedly leave the room, not worrying about my naked appearance. If Silvia is already in the apartment, she will just have to close her eyes.
Luckily, I don’t encounter Silvia or Vlad as I collect the items for Jade. Walking back into our room, I see Jade hugging a pillow to her chest as she breathes in deeply. “Here you go. Take a sip of this and then try to eat the cracker. The doctor said this would help.” I help her sit up. Jade takes a tentative bite of the cracker and then a sip of ginger ale. I lean against the headboard and pull her against my chest as I place my hands over her stomach.
We don’t talk as she continues to nibble and drink. When she’s finished two crackers and half the glass, she sighs and leans her head back against me. “Are you feeling better?”
“Mmm,” she murmurs. We continue sitting like that until I realize that she’s fallen asleep again. Rolling her gently onto her side, I get ready for the day, as I’m sure Vlad will already be waiting for me.
Approaching the open area, I hear Silvia and Vlad talking. When I round the wall, I see Vlad sitting at the table as Silvia serves him scrambled eggs. “There he is,” Vlad quips. “Having a woman at your beck and call is making you lazy, brat.”
“You think so?” I grunt as I sit. Silvia pours me my usual cup of black coffee and starts to fill my plate with bacon and eggs.
“Is Jade joining you?” Silvia asks.
“No, I gave her some crackers and ginger ale, and she fell asleep again.” At my reply, I see a smile cover her face.
“What?” Vlad asks around his full mouth. “You have her on rachis?”
“No, what he means is that she’s pregnant,” Silvia says happily. I see Vlad’s eyes widen in surprise, and then he looks at me in question.
“How does what you said mean she’s pregnant?” he asks suspiciously.
“That’s what settles pregnant women’s stomachs in the morning,” she says with a frown, as if it’s something he should know.
“Wait!” he yells suddenly, and then a smile splits his face as he jumps out of his chair. “We’re having a baby?”
“No,” I state, “Jade and I are having a baby.” He woops at my sarcasm and then punches me on the arm, and not too gently at that.
“Brat, you’re going to be a papa,” he says happily, as if I hadn’t realized that yet. I smile at his exuberance as I shake my head in amusement.
“I know, I heard its heartbeat yesterday.”
“I want to go with you next time,” he exclaims happily.
“What? No. Why the fuck would you want to go with me and my woman to see our child?” I ask with a frown.
“I’m the uncle,” he says with a raised eyebrow, as if that gives him all the rights. I shake my head in exasperation. There is no use even trying to decipher his logic.
“Come, sit down and eat,” I state, and see a grin splitting his face as if I had agreed. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“This is so great,” Vlad says as he takes his seat and raises his cutlery. “I will teach him to box.”
“What if it’s a girl?” Silvia asks, and I grin at Vlad’s scowl.
“Alexey wouldn’t do that,” he grumbles as he looks at me in question. Now, how the fuck does he think I can command the sex of my child? I hear Silvia laugh as she shakes her head on her way to the kitchen.
“Just finish eating. I have stuff to do,” I grumble as I continue to eat my breakfast. I hear him grumble, but he doesn’t say anything else until we’re in the office.
“Now, tell me what you found out.” Vlad had been away in Cape Town to meet with our connections in regard to the smuggling of the women being kidnapped by Salazar and his partners. Draco had just informed me last week that the few FBI operatives here in South Africa are in bed with Salazar, but I’ve already made sure that I’ll get enough evidence to bury them.
Salazar might have them here, but I have my fingers in many pockets, pockets that can obliterate the agents here with the right information. “A street gang is involved as we suspected. You know those gangs, and they will be a problem. I did as you asked and placed our men in suspected areas where they will report when they find a trail of the kidnappings.” I nod in approval, but he continues with his update.
“I also heard that after the fire at the hotel, Salazar is in a rage. I think we can expect a comeback soon. Have we got any idea yet of where he is?” he asks.
“No, but we’re closer to finding the person responsible for leaking information about us,” I reveal. “Dimitri leaked some false information to our men. If any of them were the rat, we would have already been attacked at one of our clubs. The info was that we were keeping one of our shipments overnight at Phoenix while we renovate, but no one appeared. Therefore, we’re fairly certain that it must be a staff member.”
“When we find the fucker, we need to make an example of him,” Vlad rasps angrily.
“We will, brat,” I promise. “Now, do you know when your next fight is?” At my question, I see his lips turn down.
“Da, it’s in three months’ time,” he reveals, “with Sanchez ‘The Killer’.” I raise my brows at him. Who organized this fight? Sanchez is one of Salazar’s men, and there will surely be problems if this goes ahead.
“Who organized the fight? It will be a bloodbath if it goes ahead.”
“I won’t retreat. I have never lost, and I’m not going to now by throwing the fight,” he grunts. His muscles tense as he looks at me.
“This fight will go ahead. There is no way the Bratva Mafia will give the Catalonian Mafia the fight,” I promise. There is a gentle knock at the door as I finish my sentence. “Da,” I call out.
“Alexey,” Jade calls as she pops her head around the door. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”
“No, no, kapacota, come in,” Vlad says excitedly as he rushes towards her. Before she can step inside, he has hugged her and is swinging her around.
“Put her down,” I roar as I move around my desk and towards them. He has stopped swinging her around but is still holding her up.
“Congratulations, kapacota. You made me very happy,” Vlad says happily. I see a splitting smile on Jade’s face, so I hold back my anger at him for swinging her around. I must really talk to him about being more careful now that she’s pregnant.
“Thank you, Vlad,” she says. “Do you think you could put me down now?” He laughs as he lowers her to her feet. I take the opportunity to grab her hand and pull her against me.
“Are you feeling better?” I murmur as I push a strand of hair that fell forward behind her ear.
“I’m fine. Thank you for the crackers and the ginger ale. It seems to really help,” she says with a smile. “I came to let you know that I’m going to Lara’s place. I’ve tried to get hold of her, but she’s not answering, and I know she was flush, so I just want to make sure she’s fine.”
I don’t like her going out, especially while Salazar is still in the wind. “I’ll come with you,” I state. I have a few things I really need to do, but it will just have to wait.
“Oh, no, it’s okay. Nik is coming with,” she says hurriedly, and I can see a flush on her face, which makes me frown in suspicion.
“I don’t want you to go alone with Nik. It’s too dangerous at the moment. Therefore, I’m going.”
“You’re so stubborn,” she huffs, which makes me raise my brow at her. “You can’t come with. Someone told me that your birthday is coming up, and I need to get you something. Happy now!”
“I will go with Jade, brat. After all, I need to guide her on what not to buy you f
or your birthday,” he teases. I still don’t feel at peace letting her out of my sight, but I’m sure she’ll be fine with Vlad and Nik. I can see her pleading look as she stares up at me.
“Fine, come past the club when you’re finished, and I will bring you home,” I say as I kiss her forehead. “And, malysh, you don’t need to get me anything for my birthday. I don’t really celebrate it.”
“Well, now that I’m here, we’ll start to celebrate it, because there is nothing more important than the day you were born,” she states with a glint in her eye, which I’ve come to realise means it’s useless arguing with her because she’ll just go behind my back and do it anyway if I disagree.
“Brat, she’s pregnant, so no more swinging her around. Understand?” I order, and see his nod as he walks towards the door.
“Of course. Jade, shall we go?” he calls with a smile on his face. “I want to also be the first one to buy my nephew something.” He grins, making me shake my head. Knowing Vlad, he will probably buy the poor kid boxing gloves.
“Or niece!” Jade corrects with a teasing smile.
“The two of you must stop saying that. It’s going to be a boy,” he states with a frown as he steps out of the office.
“Be careful. Listen to Vlad and Nik,” I order as I kiss her lightly on the lips.
Before I can step back, she brings her arms around my neck and whispers, “I missed you in bed this morning when I woke up. Maybe when we get back, I could give you another massage.” My dick twitches at her suggestion, and I pull her tighter against me, remembering the last time she gave me a massage.
“After I eat you out first,” I grunt before taking another kiss, this one more demanding, leaving us both breathless when we’re interrupted by Vlad calling Jade from the other room.
“Sometimes I hate my brat,” I grumble, which makes Jade laugh as she leaves.
JADE 20
Vlad knocks on the door and we wait for Lara to answer. I still have a key, but I don’t want to use it without her knowing that I’m coming. “Lara, it’s me. Open up,” I call. Is it possible that she isn’t home? But I saw her car downstairs; maybe she’s really sick and can’t get out of bed. Fishing in my bag, I pull out the key. “Here,” I say as I give the key to Nik to open the door.
TORMENTED: Bratva Fury (book 1) Page 16