by Fawn Bailey
His parents were there too, and Michael greeted me with genuine kindness and enthusiasm that made me feel marginally better. That is until he leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"We'll be doing your announcement soon," he whispered to me. "The wedding is coming up soon. It's another reason for the get-together. Make sure to smile wide when I announce it."
Moments later, he was clinking on a champagne glass. Max's arm twisted around my hips and he pulled me in closer, beaming down at me. I wondered whether I was the only one who noticed something was so very wrong with this picture.
"Friends and family," Michael began to speak. "We're here to celebrate not only Ophelia Sokolov's return among us but also another joyous occasion. My son Max and this incredible young woman who went through hell are going to tie the knot in just a couple short weeks, and you are all cordially invited right here to the estate to celebrate their marriage."
Everyone whooped and cheered and my cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. I hoped no one noticed, even though a part of me was screaming for somebody to save me from this fucking madness.
I tried to seek out Ryker in the crowd, but I couldn't find him, and from Max's heated gaze I guessed he knew what I was doing.
I was panicking. Michael's speech went on and on and I was transported back to that day five years ago when I was celebrating my birthday. My fingers tightened in the fabric of my dress and my smile twitched and faltered. I felt a panic attack coming on. I'd had them before, especially after what had happened at my party. Kain had taught me how to deal with them. Even now, I could hear the echo of his voice in my head, as if he were still whispering in my ear.
"I need to go," I muttered at Max, but he shook his head at me and held on tighter than ever. "Please, Max... I don't... I d-don't feel well."
At least that wasn't a lie. I was getting dizzy standing there, my knees shaking and my bottom lip trembling.
"Please," I begged, catching the attention of several guests who looked at us with discomfort.
Michael's eyes flashed towards me and I saw something ugly in his gaze, something that scared me to my core. But before I had a moment to think about it, I felt another hand wrap around my arm and someone tugged me away from my fiancé. I knew right away who it was.
"You're a bunch of sick fucking bastards," Ryker spat out at his family, then let his gaze wander over the embarrassed guests. "All of you, fucking scum."
He dragged me away, and for some reason, nobody reached out to stop him. Max looked away, his jaw set and his eyes furious. Michael tried to diffuse the situation by jumping into an anecdote about my father, and I stumbled after the older twin, my knees shaky in the too-tall heels I was wearing.
"Slow down," I begged him. "Please, not so fast."
"We don't have a lot of time," Ryker hissed at me. "And we need to have a long fucking conversation."
I glanced back over my shoulder, but nobody was looking at us anymore. The guests' attention had been captured by Michael, and the only uncomfortableness left in the room lay in Max's hitched shoulders. Why hadn't he cut in? Why did he let his estranged brother take me away?
I was about to find out.
Chapter 16
Kain
The party looked opulent and expensive from afar, and my cold heart swelled with pain when I saw her in the garden with that other Marino bastard.
I never trusted any of them, but Ryker was the worst of all. I was a fool for not getting Ophelia out of there right then and there. But I needed to bide my time, wait until the moment was perfect. Everything needed to be aligned right for what I was about to do, and for the time being, I needed to stay hidden in the shadows - not just for my own safety, but for Ophelia's, too.
Watching her with that man was fucking painful. My nails dug into my palms as I watched them together. He looked at her with a familiarity that I hated. I didn't want him near her, let alone touching her. I could tell how much self-restraint there was in him, his fists tightened at his sides as he stared into my girl's face. He wanted her... Too fucking bad, because she was all mine.
I tore my gaze away and walked back to our spot. Caspar gave me a nervous look.
"Everything alright, boss?" he asked, and I simply nodded, not trusting myself to speak. "Everything's prepared here. We've got a tail on him, and we'll be ready to strike when you are."
"Soon," I growled. "I just need a moment."
I walked away, still hidden in the trees but suddenly so angry I couldn't hold in the rage anymore. These men had taken everything away from me. My freedom, my family, and now my woman. And I was going to get back at every one of them that night, starting with my next victim.
I blamed them for turning me into a cold-blooded killer. I blamed them for turning me into a monster. They took an innocent boy and turned him into their puppet, their punching bag, and their errand boy. But now, it was time for revenge. What I'd been waiting my whole life for, my plan, had been set into motion. And I wasn't going to stop until every one of those men would pay for what they'd done to me.
"He's coming!"
Caspar's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I rushed back to our ambush spot, grabbing a pair of binoculars. He was right. Our target was leaving Max's house with a pretty brunette on his arm, both of them laughing because they didn't have a fucking clue what was about to happen next.
"Everything ready?" I asked Caspar, my voice strained.
"Yes," he confirmed. "Ready when you are, boss."
I placed the binoculars down, taking a deep breath. This wasn't just a regular kill. I was going to take down the man who had betrayed my family. The man who was responsible for the slaughter of everyone I'd ever loved as a child. And God, the revenge was going to taste fucking sweet.
I gave a small nod, and our team moved like shadows behind the merry couple. I moved with them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I soon realized the man was taking his girl into the woods, and she was oblivious to his tastes. I was sure if she knew of his affinity to fuck girls half her age - and she was already too young - she would run a million miles in the other direction.
We waited for the perfect moment, and finally, we struck.
I walked up behind Nicola Rossi and pressed a blade to his throat. The girl started to scream, but Caspar was next to her in seconds, her hands wrapping around her mouth.
"Quiet now," he growled at her. "You won't scream unless you want that pretty little throat slashed."
Nicola thrashed under me, but I was stronger than him. I held him down, my knife digging into his skin and drawing a little blood. It fucking pleased me so much to see the bastard bleeding.
"Do you remember me, Mr. Rossi?" I whispered in his ear while the man struggled to get free. "Do you remember a little boy named Kain?"
I turned him to face me, and his eyes widened with realization when he saw me.
"Don't scream," I warned him. "Or you'll make this worse for everyone involved. Her, too."
"I don't give a shit about her," he rasped. "Please, please, just let me go..."
"You don't give a shit?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows in disapproval. "Tsk, tsk, Rossi, that's not a very nice thing to say, is it?"
I let him go and he stumbled to the ground, getting up right away to run off, but surrounded by my men in a matter of seconds.
"No place to run, old man," I told him darkly before making my way over to his pretty companion. "Hello, sweetheart. What do you think? Should we let this bastard live?"
She turned her eyes to mine, and in her vulnerable gaze, I saw a part of me that I had almost forgotten about. She was just as broken, just as ruined as I was, and she wanted him dead just like I did.
"You want me to kill him," I said out loud. "Don't you?"
She nodded slowly.
I grinned wide and clapped, saying, "You're in luck then, sweetheart, because he's a dead man fucking walking."
Her eyes hardened and a small smile appeared on her face. She was a pretty girl but I only ha
d eyes for one woman, who was currently consorting with the enemy. I cocked my head to the side as I stared at the girl.
"I'll let you live," I told her sweetly, then motioned for my men to surround her while Rossi groaned on the ground. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Carlotta," she said softly. Her voice was heavily accented with Italian. "Carlotta Petrici."
"How old are you?" I asked her next.
"I'm..." she started, her words drifting off into nothing as she stared at me, blushing hard.
"It doesn't matter," I muttered. "And I'd better not fucking know or I'm going to fucking go savage on this piece of shit. Take her away."
I felt her eyes on mine as she was led away. I wondered what would happen to her. But I had more important things to worry about.
I turned back to face the trembling man off the floor. How different he looked to the bastard who'd ruined my life. No longer the Judas, he was just a sad excuse for a man. Even though I was half his age, I'd surpassed him in every way possible.
"You betrayed my family," I told him. "You probably don't even fucking remember. I'm sure it's not the first or last bad thing you did. Do you remember it, Rossi?"
He stared at me with his eyes blank, no recognition dawning in on him, and it only made me hate him more.
"I'm going to kill you tonight," I promised him, and before he had a chance to beg for forgiveness, I shut him up by pressing the blade to his lips. "But I would very much like it if you understood why I am doing this. What do you think, Rossi? Can you remember?"
"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice panicked. "For whatever I did to you, I'm so sorry..."
"Not good enough!" I roared, and my knife sliced through the air and his skin, cutting tendons.
He screamed as his left ear fell to the ground, gripping his bleeding head with both fingers.
"You need to be quiet," I reminded him kindly. "Or you're going to make things a lot worse for yourself. Nod if you understand."
He whimpered like a fucking woman and nodded slowly, tears streaming down his face. What a fucking pussy.
"This is so much better than what they did to us," I told him plainly. "You know that, don't you? Do you know what they did to my family because of you?"
I knelt down next to him, wiping my knife on his shirt while he begged me to stop. I had no mercy for him. All I had was a serving of justice big enough to fucking end his life.
"Everyone was killed," I went on. "They didn't spare anyone but me. But they made me watch them die, every single one of them. And it's because you betrayed us. Because you gave them our location. You, my father's right-hand man. I guess you had your priorities straight, huh? You must like money."
Rossi screamed when I slashed his other ear off. I laughed out loud. They'd turned me into this. A heartless, fucking insane bastard who had no mercy for murderers, child abusers and fucked up men that ran the world.
"I lost it all," I said over the sound of his screaming. "And now you're going to lose everything as well. We started with your ears, what should we move on to next?"
"Please," the man begged. "Show mercy!"
"Did you show mercy?" I roared. "Did you show mercy to my mother? To my brother? To anyone?"
He sobbed quietly and I grinned at him, triumphant.
"Of course you didn't," I went on. "So now you're going to pay."
I carved him like a fucking Thanksgiving turkey. Ears, nose, fingers. I chopped them off one by one until he was a bleeding, barely conscious mess of flesh and blood.
"I hope it was worth it," I told him while I worked on his fourth finger. "I hope it was worth betraying my family because you're going to pay fucking dearly."
I wanted him to suffer before I dealt the final blow, and I was doing a good job of making sure he did. I spoke about family as I did it, about my older brother whom I'd looked up to my entire life, about my bossy mother who wore the pants in our household even though Dad was the breadwinner, the strong one to an outside observant. It was sad how little I remembered them. How the memories had faded over time, rendering me more alone than ever. I couldn't remember the sound of their voices, and that's what hurt me the most. I would've done anything to hear them speak to me again. But just like Ophelia's family, they were all dead and gone, and it was all this man's fault.
By the time I was satisfied and Caspar was shooting me nervous looks, the man was nearly limbless. Pleased with my work, I wiped my blade on his mouth and spat at his shivering body.
"The fact that you don't remember," I said softly. "Only proves how much you deserve this."
God fucking knows how many families he'd done this to. How many friends he'd betrayed. How many people were dead because of his actions. He deserved every bit of pain I was inflicting on him.
I knelt down next to him and tipped his chin up so he was forced to look at me.
"The world will be a better place without you," I told him calmly. "It's time for a different kind of villain. It's time for me to take your place."
I took my time slashing his throat, enjoying the gurgling noises and the look of terror on his face.
Once I was done, I left his mutilated body on the ground and turned towards Caspar with a bright smile on my face.
"All done, my friend," I said. "We can move."
"You sure?" he asked roughly, pointing behind me.
I turned around and grabbed the binoculars. I looked closer to the house, where Ryker was still with my woman. But now, his hands were on his hips and he was kissing her. Ophelia's palms were resting on his chest, and she was trying to turn away, but he wasn't having any of it.
"Fuck me," Caspar muttered when I launched myself forward.
It took three men to stop me from going over there.
Nobody touched my property.
Ryker would die for this.
Chapter 17
Ophelia
"I've missed you, slut," Ryker told me in his deep, commanding voice.
And just as I had suspected, he still had the same effect on me. The same chills went down my spine and my pupils dilated as he stared into my eyes, daring me to tell him to stop.
"You may have changed," he went on. "But you're still nothing but my little slut, aren't you?"
I opened my mouth to speak up, but he pressed his pointer finger against my lips, grinning at me widely.
"You don't have to tell me," he said plainly. "I can see for myself. But now there are more important things for us to talk about. I have a lot to tell you. Come on, let's go out into the gardens."
I followed him outside, my knees shaking as we reached the terrace. We made our way past a few couples standing on it, and I felt their curious eyes on us as we passed them. I wasn't sure how much time we had. Surely Max and his father wouldn't like me spending time with Ryker... But I still didn't know why. Maybe the older twin could finally shed some light on the situation.
We stopped in the semi-darkness of the garden, and he turned to face me. For a second all we did was stare at one another, drinking in each other's features, trying to decipher how much things had changed. He looked like a different man, but I was sure I seemed like a different woman as well.
"Tell me what happened," I whispered, and he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Tell me what happened while I was gone, Ryker, please..."
"I can't tell you everything yet," he said roughly, looking away from me. Was I imagining it or was there a hint of regret, of shame, in his eyes? "I'm going to tell you everything but not yet - even I don't know exactly what's going on. But I know enough to tell you-you're not safe with my brother."
"Why?" I asked softly.
But I already knew he was right. Max was a changed mine. Any trace of the boy he used to be was wiped away and replaced with a tough exterior and a cruel need to hurt the things he cared about most - me being one of them. I no longer felt the connection I'd always had with Max. It had been replaced with fear.
"I can't just leave," I said, my eyebrows knitting t
ogether in worry. "He won't let me."
"I'll get you out of there," Ryker promised me. "I don't know when, but don't worry. I'll make sure nothing bad happens."
"You know they still want us to get married?" I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"I know," he replied tersely, looking deeply into my eyes before posing his question. "Do you want that? Do you want to marry Max?"
I took a deep breath, staring back at him.
"I never wanted that," I whispered. "You know I didn't..."
"Maybe you've changed your mind," Ryker said bitterly. "He's a new man after all..."
I let out a sigh of exasperation and started to turn away when he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.
"You don't understand the danger you're in," he warned me. "You could die. Fuck, I could die for even talking to you. These... men. They're ruthless. They won't stop at anything to fuck you up. Do you understand, Ophelia?"
"No," I said angrily. "I don't understand anything. Stop talking in riddles!"
"I can't," he said through gritted teeth. "The more you know, the more danger you're in. And I'll never forgive myself if something happened to you."
I ripped my arm out of his fingers but he grabbed me again, pulling me tightly against him. His eyes were filled with fury, but behind it all, there was still the hint of the boy he used to be. The boy I'd been in love with for so long... He was still right there.
"Tell me," I begged him, but he merely shook his head and glared at me.
"Soon," he promised after a moment, and I tried to pull away again, but this time, he didn't let me budge a single inch.
He pulled me against him, my body slack against him as his lips found mine.
He kissed me just like he had the first time around. With anger, barely held back rage and need spilling into my mouth as he fucked it with his tongue. I tried to resist him, but he wasn't having it, grabbing my arms and holding me in place as he took what he wanted.