by Lylah James
A tense moment passed between both men before they lost their glare. I sighed when they both stayed silent. We had a long way to go.
Alessio walked around the bed, coming to stand beside me. “Ayla, let’s go. You need to rest. I also need to…” Alessio trailed off, his expression turning furious.
I understood what he meant.
Alberto was captured, and Alessio was itching to have his revenge.
I saw his hands tightening into fists. Taking them in my hands, I placed a kiss on his knuckles. “You go. I will be here. When I get tired, I will go up and sleep.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but I continued. “I’ll be fine, Alessio. Really. Please go. Do what you have to do.”
This was me letting him know that I was okay with anything he had planned for Alberto. I refused to think about the Devil, because that brought up all the memories I wanted to bury. My eyes met Alessio’s. Blue to green. I smiled, taking strength from his furious stare.
After a long moment of silence between us, he wavered. Bending down, he kissed my lips. “I will come for you,” Alessio declared before pulling away.
I smiled, knowing he would keep his word. He brought his hand up and brushed his thumb over my cheek. His touch was soft; his stare held the same gentleness.
Alessio pulled himself away. I stared at his retreating back when he suddenly paused.
I felt my eyebrows furrow when confusion bloomed inside of me. His shoulders tensed before he spoke. The words were softly spoken, but they were just as shocking to me as they were to Lyov.
“Thank you for saving us.”
With that, Alessio walked away.
I couldn’t help but smile. My brooding man. He was so stubborn.
I looked back at Lyov to see him staring at the closed door. “Am I dreaming?”
This time, I laughed. “No. You are not.”
He closed his eyes with a sigh. “I never thought I would hear my son say that.”
My throat closed up, and I looked down at my lap. It was such a beautiful moment. I wanted to capture it and hold it in my heart forever. I still remembered when father and son once hated each other.
“You should rest,” I whispered, adjusting his bedsheet.
His eyes were already closed. A few minutes later, his breathing evened out. I knew he was asleep. It wasn’t long before my eyes started to get heavy. The last thing I remembered was staring at Lyov’s sleeping form, thinking how much father and son looked alike.
I woke with a jolt when I felt someone wrap their arms under my knees. My eyes widened when I was swept up in Alessio’s arms. He cradled me to his chest, and I instinctively laid my head on his shoulder.
I hummed sleepily and closed my eyes again. “I told you to go to bed, Angel,” he admonished. “You’ve been sitting in this chair for hours. You never listen. It’s not good for you or the baby.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, holding on to his neck.
“I’m taking her upstairs,” I heard Alessio say. Opening my eyes, I saw Lyov was awake. He nodded at Alessio and sent me a small smile.
Alessio didn’t wait for me to say good-bye; he was already carrying me out of the room. “You are so stubborn. How many times do I have to tell you? You need to take better care of yourself. Did you even eat? Fuck, Ayla. Please tell me you ate something.”
I winced at the reminder. He was going to be angry. “Ayla,” he growled in warning. “Did you eat?”
I pressed my lips together, refusing to answer. He huffed in frustration but stayed silent. I peeked up at his face and saw his lips were thinned in an angry straight line.
I placed a kiss on the side of his neck. “Please don’t be angry.”
“I’m not.”
I closed my eyes. He definitely was.
When he reached our bedroom, he didn’t turn on the lights. Alessio placed me on the bed and pulled the comforter over me. He climbed in bed and pulled me into his embrace.
With my back to his front, he held me. His hand laid on my stomach, and I laid mine over his.
There was one question burning in my head.
He was gone for hours.
“Is he dead?”
The question was whispered in the dark, but my heart hammered painfully in my chest.
“No,” he replied.
My breath left me with a loud whoosh. My hand tightened around his, my chest feeling tighter.
“He is not going to have an easy death, Angel.”
I bit on my lips, closing my eyes against his words.
I didn’t know if it was relief I was feeling or something else.
“Go to sleep. I don’t want you to think about it. We will not speak of him in our bed,” Alessio said. His voice was soft in my ears, but I knew anger was fueling inside of him.
He was an angry man, driven by fury and vengeance. I didn’t know what he was capable of, and in that moment, I didn’t want to know.
So I did what I was told. I slept.
Held safely in Alessio’s embrace, I fell asleep while the man who hurt me for years was held captive in the basement—being mercilessly tortured.
Chapter 19
The bowl was placed on the ground between us. He kicked it away a few feet.
“Eat.”
He kept his eyes on me when the simple command was given. The tone of his voice held a hint of rage, but it also held no space for questions.
I sat up and stared at the bowl a few feet away from me. Without wasting another second, I got to my knees obediently. That was what he wanted.
When I reached the bowl and bent down to eat, he kicked it a few feet away again. I crawled again. He kicked the bowl again.
This process was repeated until I had used all the length of my shackles and I was straining against them to reach the bowl.
Still on my knees, I bent down and licked the soup.
It was tasteless, but I still ate. It was the only thing I could do.
The devil unzipped his pants, and I waited for what was to come.
I sat up with a start, my mind foggy with sleep and the nightmare.
No, it was my reality.
The memories flashed behind my closed lids in rapid images. Everything hurt…even my soul.
I didn’t want to remember, but it was impossible. The memories always came back to haunt me.
I always heard the Devil’s laughter in my ears. No matter how much I wanted to tune him out and forget, I just couldn’t.
It always came back to this. Remembering. The painful memories. Reliving them over and over again.
When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I flinched. My mind went black.
The Devil had found me again.
My stomach rolled, and I tasted the bile on my tongue. My lungs constricted painfully, and I closed my eyes tightly.
“Ayla, it’s me.”
The soothing voice penetrated through the black fog. I opened my eyes to see Maddie sitting beside me. She gave me a gentle look and brought her hands up in surrender.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Alessio had to go, but he didn’t want to leave you alone,” she explained quietly.
I felt my muscles relax, my breathing returning to normal.
The Devil wasn’t here.
He was captured, waiting for his fate. His death.
A sudden surge of energy went through me at the thought of Alberto.
“I want to see him,” I announced.
I struggled out of bed, and Maddie followed me. “Alessio?” she questioned.
“No.” I shook my head, making my way to the door. I didn’t wait for her. My brain turned off…every thought was gone except one.
I wanted to see the Devil one last time.
I wanted to see his face…I wanted to see the fear in his eyes. The same fear he had instilled inside of me, I wanted to see the same reflecting in those soulless eyes.
I wanted to see my Savior rise above him.
My heart hammered as I walked down the stairs. Maddie was hot on my heel
s. She was talking, but I didn’t hear her.
I concentrated only on my destination.
I wanted to feel safe…and the only way for me to feel that way was to see him captured.
When I reached the basement, I saw two men at the door. Their eyes widened at the sight of me, and they took a step forward.
“Miss Ayla. You shouldn’t be here.”
I looked past their shoulders, staring at the closed door. “I want to see him.”
“Boss said nobody was allowed,” one of them replied, giving me a strange look.
The air around us was colder. It was heavy with the essence of death. The atmosphere felt vile and suffocating.
A shiver went through me. I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the chills. “Please let me through. I want to see him.”
“Miss—”
Maddie cut them off. “Let her. She needs to do this.”
All four men looked at each other. An apprehensive look appeared on their faces, and I knew they were worried about Alessio’s anger. If they disobeyed his orders, they would pay severely.
“I will tell Alessio that I forced you. He won’t say anything,” I tried to bargain.
The men parted to let me through. “Are you sure, Miss? This is not the place for you.”
“I’m sure,” I replied.
No, I wasn’t sure. I was scared of what I was about to see, but I knew I had to do this.
The door opened, and my heart hammered. I thought it skipped a beat because of how hard it pounded against my ribcage.
My hands trembled, but I clenched them into fists. I walked inside to see Alessio swiveling around, facing me in shock.
I flinched at the sight in front of me.
The first thing I noticed was how bloodied his clothes were. His hands had blood on them too.
The second thing I saw was Viktor, Nikolay, and Phoenix staring at me with wide eyes. They had blood on them too.
And the last thing…was Alberto.
He was strapped to a chair, his arms tied behind his back. His head hung low, his chin almost touching his chest.
He looked dead.
But I knew he wasn’t.
I could hear his labored breathing.
Blood was everywhere. The copper smell of blood in the room made me nauseous, and my stomach rolled painfully.
“Ayla,” Alessio breathed. He took a step toward me, and my lips wobbled, trying to keep the tears in.
“What…?” He shook his head, dropping his knife to the floor. My eyes followed it. There was blood on the blade too. Actually, the whole knife was covered in blood.
My eyes went to Alessio’s hand. The same hand that held me gently and loved me.
I should have been scared, but I wasn’t.
Because I knew these hands would keep me safe. They were bloodied for me.
I looked at Alberto again.
He moved slightly. The Devil raised his head with great difficulty.
And when his eyes met mine, my heart found its way to my throat. It felt like sharp knives were piercing me. His stare made me sick.
This man broke me. Humiliated me in the worst way possible. He was my nightmare for so many years. The Devil in my life.
I quaked as I kept my eyes on him. He represented every ugliness in my life.
I wanted to sink to the floor. I wanted to sink and sink into a pit of darkness. To shut out everything. Every pain. Every hurt the Devil caused me.
I wanted to fade away into nothingness.
I didn’t want to feel. My legs felt numb, and my whole body felt heavy.
It hurt so much. Everything hurt.
In front of me, I saw the Devil. But I also saw every painful memory.
Every rape. Every sinister laugh. All the torture I went through. I remembered being shackled to the wall, being fed, beaten, and then raped.
I remembered the years he let his men take me over and over again until I would fade in and out of blackness. Until I would feel nothing but pain.
I saw everything. I felt everything.
The agony made me dizzy.
All those emotions that were dormant inside of me, they all erupted.
Fury, disgust, sadness, pain. They coursed through me, fueling something deep inside of me. Something I didn’t even realized I was capable of.
Without thinking, I lunged forward. Alessio reared back in shock when I grabbed his gun.
I held the gun in my hand and pointed it at Alberto.
I saw Viktor moving forward, but Alessio stopped him with a raise of his hand.
My hands trembled around the gun, but my grasp never slipped. I just had to pull the trigger.
I wanted him to hurt, just like he hurt me.
My eyes moved back to Alessio for a second. His gaze was already on me. He looked shocked but proud.
When I saw him smile, I relaxed.
It wasn’t a sweet smile. No, it was a smile filled with promises of darkness. A sadistic smile.
“You want to shoot him?” Alessio asked, walking toward me. His steps were deliberately slow. He looked powerful and ruthless. Alessio Ivanshov looked like the King he truly was.
He appeared like the very monster he was described as. The monster everyone feared.
I nodded my head, keeping my eyes on Alberto.
Alessio stopped beside me. “You really want to do this?”
I nodded again.
I wanted to shoot him. But now that the gun was in my hand, I couldn’t move.
I froze, my throat closing up, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Viktor,” Alessio growled. Viktor looked at Alessio before nodding. He untied Alberto and hoisted him off the chair.
Viktor held him by the nape and dragged him across the floor toward me. Wiping the tears away, I felt a sudden fear rake through me.
Viktor kicked Alberto’s leg, making him kneel in front of me. I stiffened, taking a step back. My back hit a chest, and I knew it was Alessio.
When did he move behind me?
I sucked in a breath and held the gun tighter. My finger feathered against the trigger, but I couldn’t do it.
“Angel, you don’t have to do this,” Alessio whispered in my ears.
I shook my head wildly.
“No,” I replied brokenly. “I want…to…”
He swore under his breath. “I’m letting you do this only because you want to. Only one shot, Ayla. That’s it.”
My gut clenched as I stared at the Devil kneeling in front of me. I held the power, yet I couldn’t do it.
“Alessio…” I begged.
He sighed and wrapped his hand around mine. We held the gun together. “I’ll help you, Angel.”
His voice was gruff in my ears, almost impatient but filled with so much pride.
The gun was pointed at Alberto’s kneecap. “One bullet, Angel. But don’t kill him. I’m not done with him yet.”
When I didn’t move, Alessio urged me. “Go ahead.”
Our fingers latched onto the trigger.
Bang!
My ears rang, and I winced, closing my eyes.
Alberto screamed so loud it echoed around the chamber. My heart leaped, and my breathing came out harsher.
His scream of agony kept on going. When I opened my eyes, I saw him writhing on the floor. Blood was everywhere, even on my dress.
Before I knew what was happening, Alessio was in front of me. The gun was taken out of my hand, and I was being pushed back.
Alessio put his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest. Alberto was still screaming as Alessio half-carried me out of the basement.
The door closed with a bang, and I flinched. It sounded so much like the gunshot.
I shivered from cold and pain. So much pain.
I didn’t think the pain would ever end.
I cried in Alessio’s chest. He smelled of blood. He was covered with it.
But I was covered with it, too.
The thought made me gag, and I pushed away
from Alessio.
I just shot another person.
How…?
My baby moved, and I felt a hard kick. My princess.
Alessio pulled me into his chest again. “Don’t pull away from me, Angel.”
“I hurt him,” I whispered. “I hurt him, Alessio.”
“I know. You were so brave in there. So beautiful. Like an avenging Angel,” he whispered. “I’m in awe and so fucking proud of you.”
I felt light-headed and sagged against Alessio, all energy deserting me.
“I never wanted you to see him like this. I know you want to kill him, Angel. But you won’t be able to live with it,” Alessio said, his voice low but filled with understanding.
“Killing someone is never easy. It will haunt you forever. Your hands will always be tainted with his blood. I know you. Even though he deserves it, you won’t be able to live with the fact you took another’s person life,” he continued.
I hiccupped back a sob and held him tighter. He understood me. Of course he understood me. Alessio could read me like an open book.
Sometimes I felt like he knew me better than I knew myself.
“I don’t want you to dirty your hands as long as I am alive. Let me do this.” Alessio paused and palmed my cheeks. He tilted my head up, staring into my eyes.
“Let me be your monster. Let me kill for you, Angel.”
I nodded silently. Bringing our lips together, we kissed. Softly and gently. A contrast of what was happening around us.
Pulling away, I placed my hand over his beating heart. It matched the rhythm of my own. We breathed together, our eyes never leaving each other.
“Make him pay, Alessio. I want him to hurt…like he hurt me,” I whispered. “Does that make me a bad person? For me to wish death upon someone else?”
Alessio shook his head. “Never. He deserves everything he got and will get. By the time I’m done with him, he won’t even be able to beg for his death.”
I wiped my tears away. “I just want to be safe from him. I want our princess to be safe from him.”
“He will never hurt you again,” Alessio promised. We kissed again, our tongues dancing together. Alessio deepened the kiss, and I held him tighter.
Princess landed a hard kick to my side, and Alessio pulled away, looking down at my stomach. “Damn, that was a hard kick. Is she practicing in there?”