by J. L. Drake
I stared at the beige walls. Mark’s house was homey. Toys were spread out over the carpet.
“So far, Alberto’s made no move toward the clubs I’m taking care of,” Mark said. My attention returned to him as he leaned back against his sofa. “I’m surprised. They are the most popular places. If he wanted to go big, those would have been his first targets.”
Alberto had some kind of plan, but every lead my men followed brought them to a dead end.
Every time we made a move, he was ready for them. Whoever the insider was, he’d been getting the information back to Alberto quickly, barely giving us time to put our plans in actions.
“What are you going to do?” Mark asked.
I scoffed. “The question should be, what am I not going to do?”
He raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. “Well, you definitely have something planned.”
“Always. I want you to keep a close eye on all the clubs. Every single one of them. If you can’t do it alone, I will send one of my man to help,” I said, my voice hard.
“I can handle it. I have been doing this for years, boss. But I think it would be better if you send another man. This way, we can keep a better watch.”
Nodding, I sat back against the couch. Just then, a small girl came running in the living room, a bright smile on her face.
She was wearing a purple dress, her short black hair hanging loose on her neck. She smiled up at us.
“Sophia,” Mark admonished softly. “You aren’t supposed to come in here.”
But the little girl paid no attention to her father. She was only two years old. All her attention was fixated on Nikolay, who stood stoically beside me.
Sophia took a step closer toward him and stopped right in front of him. I looked up to see his jaw twitch at how hard he was grinding his teeth.
He moved his eyes down to the small girl in front of him and I saw him swallow hard. Sophia raised her arms and said, “Up.”
When Nikolay didn’t move, Sophia lost her smile and she demanded again, “Up. Up.”
Mark rose to his feet. “I’m sorry, Boss.” He looked embarrassed. But just when he was about to move toward Sophia, Nikolay bent down and pulled the girl into his arms.
“What the fuck?” Viktor muttered beside me, voicing what I’d been thinking.
Sophia giggled. “Hi,” she said.
Nikolay didn’t answer, instead he glowered at the girl in his arms. But Sophia didn’t seem affected by his glare.
Instead she turned her attention to his scars, and her hand moved to cup his cheek, her tiny palm right over his scars.
“Shit,” Mark muttered.
But instead of Nikolay erupting in anger at the girl’s touch, he stayed still, tense, and completely silent.
“Boo…hurts?” Sophia asked.
I heard a gasp and turned to see Bree, Mark’s wife, standing at the doorway, her eyes wide.
But I quickly turned my attention back to Nikolay and Sophia.
When he didn’t answer, Sophia repeated her question again.
“She is asking if it hurts,” Bree translated. Nikolay swallowed hard and then he shook his head.
“No. Not anymore,” he said.
“Good. No hurt,” she replied with a smile, and then started to twist around in his arms, clearly wanting to be let down.
Nikolay set her down and then she was running to her mother, who gave us a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. I was busy and she ran before I could stop.”
“It’s okay,” I said. I got up and Viktor followed. “I will see you next month,” I told Mark.
“Sure, Boss. I will keep you updated.”
Nikolay was still visibly shaken by what had just happened. Fuck, even I was. That took us all by surprise.
We were almost out of the door when something caught my attention. Stopping, I glanced at it. Flowers. They were different from what Maddie had given Ayla but they still reminded me of her.
“Nice flowers,” I said dryly, trying to appear disinterested.
Bree smiled. “Thank you. Mark gave them to me for our anniversary.”
Nodding, I looked away from the flowers and walked out, followed by Viktor and Nikolay.
As Viktor drove us back to the estate, all I could think about was the flowers. And the beautiful smile on Ayla’s face when she was looking at them.
Flowers. Ayla’s smile. And Maddie’s words.
Sighing, I asked out loud, “Where do you get flowers?”
“What?” Viktor asked, confused.
“Where do you buy flowers?” I asked again.
“Flowers? What the fuck do you want to do with flowers?” He glanced back at me in the rear view mirror before moving his gaze back to the road.
“Nikolay,” I said, my voice hard.
“Yes, Boss.” He nodded and took out his phone. I saw him typing something and after a few minutes, he passed me the phone.
“I already dialed the number,” he said.
Placing the phone to my ear, I waited for someone to pick up.
“Hello, Starbright Floral Design. How can I help you?” a woman said.
“I want flowers,” I said abruptly. I heard Viktor chuckle from the front seat and I glared at the back of his head.
“Okay?” I waited, but she didn’t say anything else.
“I said, I want flowers.”
“Yes. I heard you, sir. But what type of flowers?”
“Any flowers,” I muttered impatiently.
“Any flowers? But, sir—”
“Just give me the best flowers you have,” I snapped.
“Okay. How many?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration, I leaned my head against the back of the seat. Why the fuck was ordering flowers so damn complicated?
“Twenty, thirty…” I growled into the phone.
“I need an exact number, sir.” The woman sounded impatient. That was an understatement of what I was feeling.
“Damn it, just give me thirty.”
“Okay. When do you want them del—”
“In an hour.”
“An hour? Sir, we can’t do it in an hour—”
“I said, I want it in an hour.”
“Just give me a minute.” I heard her talking in the background and then she was back. “Okay, sir. Give me your address.” I quickly rattled off the address and then hung up, throwing the phone on the seat next to me.
“So, flowers?” Viktor asked.
“Not now!” I growled in warning before closing my eyes.
When the car lurched to a complete stop, there was a van outside the gate. The words Starbright Floral Design were written boldly across the side of the van.
“Nice timing,” I said when the driver stepped out of the van. He had a large bouquet of pink and white flowers in his hands.
Walking toward him, he nodded in greetings. “Sir, were you the one who ordered the flowers?”
“Yes,” I replied sharply.
“Here you go. You need to sign here.” He pushed a paper in my hand. After signing, he handed me the bouquet. The very big bouquet.
I looked down at it curiously. “Did I really order this much?”
I heard Viktor cough beside me. “If I remember correctly, you ordered thirty. That looks like thirty to me.” Glaring at him, I realized that I asked that question out loud.
I flipped him the finger and nodded at the guard to open the gates.
I didn’t care if it was five or thirty, as long as Ayla loved them. That was all that mattered.
Chapter 39
Ayla
I was lying in bed completely lost in the book that I was reading, when my door opened without a knock. Sitting up with a start, I dropped the book. It fell on my mattress soundlessly while my heart was beating loudly against my rib-cage.
Maddie walked inside, her face bright and in her hands was a large bouquet of pink and white flowers. “Alessio got you flowers!”
Again?
My ey
es went wide as she got closer and I was able to take a better look at the flowers. Holding my hand out, my heart danced with excitement. Maddie gave me the flowers and I gasped.
They were so beautiful. Even more beautiful than the flowers he gave me before. And it was such a large bouquet.
Pulling it to my chest, I smiled up at Maddie. “What are they called?”
“Peonies. They are beautiful, aren’t they?”
I nodded, completely speechless. They were breathtaking. And the mixture of colors made the bouquet even more gorgeous.
I couldn’t help it. I was smiling hard and then a small giggle escaped my lips. “I can’t believe he got me flowers again,” I whispered.
My heart was going wild in my chest and my stomach was filled with butterflies. Holding the flowers close to my chest, I sighed in contentment.
As I held the flowers, all I wanted was to see Alessio. I wished he was the one who gave them to me. I wished he was here, so I could thank him.
I wished he was here, so that he could see how happy he made me.
Looking up at Maddie, I saw her smiling down at me. “He can be a romantic sometimes,” she teased with a wink.
I heard myself giggle again. I was giggling. Unbelievable. Placing my hand over my mouth, I looked down at the flowers and then nodded.
“He kissed me,” I admitted, my smile so wide that my cheeks were hurting.
Maddie gasped. “What?” she squealed.
I ducked my head shyly and bit down on my lips as Maddie went crazy beside me.
“He kissed you? Alessio kissed you? When? How?”
Closing my eyes, I inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers. “Yesterday. When he brought me to the creek.”
I could still feel his lips on mine, moving gently as he held me in his arms. The kiss and our sweet moment at the creek, that was all I could think about since it happened.
And I would never forget the way he held me or kissed me. As if I meant something to him. As if I was precious. I would cherish it forever in my heart.
“Oh, Ayla,” Maddie breathed beside me. “I can’t believe this. You have no idea how happy I am.”
“I am happy too. Deliriously happy,” I whispered, my eyes still closed. “He makes me so happy, Maddie.”
Opening my eyes, I glanced up at her. “I should go thank him for the flowers!”
“Now?” Maddie asked. I nodded enthusiastically. She laughed and then stepped back.
“Go ahead, babe. He was downstairs the last time I saw him.”
“Thank you,” I replied, quickly putting on my flats, still holding the bouquet in my hands. I ran out of the room, feeling giddy. My heart was doing several flips.
I slowed down when I walked down the stairs and saw Viktor and Nikolay engaged in a heated conversation.
They stopped mid-sentence when I approached them. “Ayla,” Nikolay said in greeting. Viktor nodded and then looked at the flowers in my hands, his eyebrows going up in surprise.
“Do you know where Alessio is?” I asked softly.
I saw Nikolay’s eyebrows furrowed before he replied. “He is in his office.”
“Oh. Okay, thank you,” I gave them both a smile before walking back up.
“Wait,” Viktor called out.
Stopping in my tracks, I turned back around. “Yes?”
“Where are you going?” Nikolay asked.
“To Alessio’s office. I want to thank him for the flowers.”
Their eyes widened and they looked at each other. “No,” Nikolay quickly snapped.
“Huh?” I flinched at his tone. His expression softened at my reaction and he looked sheepish.
“That won’t be good idea,” Viktor swallowed nervously. What are they talking about?
“I won’t disturb him, promise. I will just say thank you and then leave. That’s it.” I really wanted to see him. I felt…desperate. And strangely, I had missed him.
“Maybe you can go later. He is busy right now,” Nikolay argued. Viktor nodded quickly in agreement, his expression almost pained.
My shoulders sagged in defeat and I looked down at the flowers. “Okay,” I whispered. Looking back up, I saw Nikolay and Viktor sighing in relief. Why did they look so tense?
Shrugging it off, I smiled at them again. “I will go later.”
“Yeah. Later,” Viktor agreed. Turning around, I walked back upstairs, feeling wistful. I wished I could see him right now.
Bringing the flowers to my chest again, I shook my head. “Oh, well. I will see him later,” I muttered, before burying my face in the bouquet. The feeling of defeat left me and I felt myself smiling again.
When I reached the top landing, I turned to my left toward my room, but something caught my eye to my right.
Alessio.
Swiveling around, I was about to call him when I saw someone else. Not just anyone. But Nina.
My smile was lost in an instant.
His back was turned to me so he didn’t see me. But Nina saw me and she smiled. It was devilish. It was one that was filled with triumph. She brought a hand up and laid it on Alessio’s arm and moved closer.
“Alessio,” she crooned enough for me to hear.
He was saying something in return, but I didn’t hear him. All I saw was how close Nina was. She was practically plastered to Alessio’s body.
My stomach twisted almost painfully and I took a step back. My arms fell limply beside me as my nose stung.
All the happiness, everything that I felt just seconds ago evaporated, leaving me empty.
But then I felt something I never felt before boiling inside of me, like waves crashing around me. My chest grew tight, squeezing as I continued to take steps backward.
Why did he do this?
He let me play the piano. I played for him every night. He shared the creek with me. He kissed me. He held me in his arms. And he gave me flowers. I thought we had something special.
I thought it meant something. I thought I meant something to him.
I realized I was crying. I swiped the tears away.
My heart was hurting.
Placing a hand over my mouth, I muffled any sounds that might emerge.
“I would describe it as a wave. It comes crashing in your heart with so many mixed feelings…it hurts.”
Maddie’s voice rang through my mind as I stared at Nina and Alessio. When I saw them walking into his office, I quickly turned around and blinked away the tears in frustration. I placed my hand over my chest, where my heart was raging.
I couldn’t understand. Could Maddie be right?
Was I…jealous?
Chapter 40
Under the layer of hurt and disappointment, I was angry at Alessio and at myself.
Why did I care?
It was a foreign and weird feeling coursing through my body. Anger. I didn’t remember the last time I let myself feel such emotion. I had learned how to turn off all my emotions, becoming numb to everything and everyone around me. Yet I felt hurt, disappointed, angry, and jealous.
Alessio gave me laughter, smiles, and peace. And now, in my heart, it hurt. It felt like he had taken all of that away.
I wasn’t supposed to care, but no matter how hard I tried to keep myself from getting emotionally involved, I had failed.
Looking away from the door, I stared down at the bouquet in my hand.
A sigh filled with dejection escaped past my lips, and I turned away from his office, slowly making my way to my room. Walking inside, I found Maddie sitting on my bed, with my book on her lap. Her head snapped up when she heard me.
“Ayla?” Maddie questioned, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Placing the book on the bed, she motioned me to come forward. “What’s wrong? I thought you were going to see Alessio.”
Swallowing hard against the ball of sadness, I shook my head and brought the flowers close to my chest. “He was with Nina.”
There was silence at first and then she erupted. “What?” she said, getting up angrily fr
om the bed. “That little—”
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He didn’t see me.” The image of them flashed before my eyes, causing a sudden wave of anger inside of me. I looked at the flowers and then without thinking, I threw them on the bed.
“Aww, baby…” I heard Maddie whisper beside me, her voice almost soothing. Swiveling around, I faced her, placing my hand over my chest.
“What is this feeling? I hate it. Is this what it feels like? Jealousy? If it does, then I don’t like it.”
Maddie’s eyes reflected sympathy and understanding. She walked closer and placed both hands on my shoulders. “Was does it feel like?”
“It hurts. I feel hopeless. Sad. And then angry. Maybe at myself, because I hate feeling like this.”
Looking back at the flowers that I had carelessly thrown away, I felt guilty. Another confusing feeling. Bending forward, I grabbed the flowers again and pulled the bouquet close to my chest. Burying my face in the soft petals, I closed my eyes with a sigh.
A tear escaped the corner of my eye, falling onto the petals. “I thought what we shared together meant something to him.”
“It did. I know it did. He is just too stubborn to admit it,” Maddie argued.
But I shook my head in response.
She released a tired sigh from behind me and then I felt her hand on my shoulders.
“Tell me something,” she whispered. “Why do you think you feel this way?”
I shrugged.
Maddie smiled at my response. “You feel something for him,” she stated confidently.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart fluttering at her words, while my stomach twisted in knots. Her words were shocking yet so true.
Maddie was right. I did feel something for Alessio. Whenever he was near, my mind and body felt like they weren’t my own anymore. When he was close, I felt light and liberated. And when he was far, my heart called out to him, wishing he was close again.
I didn’t want to admit it but Alessio had become the reason for my happiness. He had given happiness that I had never felt before. He made me smile, without even trying. My heart was at peace when I was with him.
I refused to admit that Maddie was right. She let out a small laugh, her eyes twinkling with mischief.