Vicious Knight: A Dark Mafia Romance

by Amaya Black

  Chapter 3- Lucien

  I had given him enough time.

  More than enough time.

  I’d had one of my men begin searching and putting out feelers. They had spotted him coming out of a tattoo shop and had followed him to a nearby loft apartment in Midtown. I’d taken over from there because I wanted to see who he’d run to. There were rumors that Albert had a sister that always tried to get him out of trouble.

  She wouldn’t be able to save him this time. He had to pay, if for no other reason than for who he was.

  The last rays of the sun shined into my eyes as I sat near the loft apartment waiting. I’d been sent a photo of his sister. She was petite but shapely, with a perfect pout to match. Somehow, she had never been on my radar. Something roared inside my mind as I took in her features on the screenshot from her website that Dimitri, one of my men had procured for me.

  Looking up from the phone, I reached to bring the cup of coffee I had sitting next to me in the center console to my lips. It had grown lukewarm during my wait but I didn't mind. The caffeinated taste lingered along my taste buds. I loved a good coffee from the siren brand.

  I almost chuckled to myself. A member of the Bratva who enjoyed coffee more than he enjoyed handling the sales of cocaine. It seemed like some sort of anomaly.

  My thoughts were soon interrupted when Albert’s sister appeared walking with a coat pulled close around her neck. Her nose seemed to reflect the extreme chill that had filled the air; simply put she seemed to resemble a certain red-nosed reindeer. My own hands felt stiff sitting inside of the SUV that I’d had detailed recently. I’d been sitting in the cold because a running car would have drawn way too much attention.

  Simone Del Lafluer never looked up as she entered into her building. I gave her a few seconds head start, slipping on the leather gloves sitting in the passenger seat.

  And then I followed her.

  The feelings the came over me, made me feel like I was a predator stalking its prey. She never seemed to notice me, as she checked her mail rather quickly and then walked up a flight of stairs. Trailing quietly behind her, the smell of her perfume wafted into my nose.

  The smell seemed to be floral and almost wood-like as it washed over me. It was a very light and feminine fragrance and I almost wondered what it was called. This was an unusual thing as I had never in my life wondered about what perfume a woman wearing, had never cared to.

  The door to the apartment had just about closed into place, and she was none the wiser as I caught it before it shut into place. Years of training as a Bratva soldier had prepared me for moments like this.

  The sound of Albert welcoming his little sister home filled my ears and then it was silence. Their eyes became trained on me in open surprise as they found me waiting. The corners of my mouth turned up. It felt unfamiliar and foreign to smile. I probably looked extremely vicious. I wasn’t known for smiling.

  “Albert, Albert, Albert,” I said already closing the door behind me.

  “Holy fuck!” he exclaimed. “Holy fucking shit!”

  “What the fuck is going on?” his sister question, still clutching the mail in her hands.

  Grey eyes.

  I could see them clearly now and maybe there were some flecks of blue. It was a shame she was so fucking beautiful and I’d have to kill her because of her idiot brother and his gambling. The Glock was already out and in my hand.

  “She has nothing to fucking do with this shit, man!” Albert stated.

  “I bet you thought I’d send henchmen, didn’t you?” I chuckled. “But you’ve done this shit too many times. Gambled with the Italians, gambled with the Irish, even the Blacks. But you fucked up when you ran from the Russians…made me look some type of way. Made me look weak. Do you think I’m fucking weak, Albert?”

  “No! Bro, look seriously I’m gonna pay you back. I just gotta find the money…”

  “Doesn’t’ matter now,” I raised the gun and trained it on him.

  “You can’t just come in here in broad daylight and kill him…I’m standing right here,” his sister spoke up looking between us.

  Disbelief painted her gorgeous features as her brows knotted together looking angry.

  “I know, Sweetheart…you’ll die knowing it's because of your idiot fucking brother.”

  She surprised me then and dropped down to her knees letting go of the mail that had been in her hands. Her hands immediately clasped together, and her plump lips with their perfect cupid's bow did the last thing I expected.

  “If you spare him, sir….if you spare my brother I’ll do anything. I’ll find a way to repay the debt.”

  It took me off guard, and for just a split second...

  Women were fickle; she was really begging for his useless life.

  “But why couldn’t I just kill you both, and get it over with?” I asked her.

  The real surprise that I was still even talking to these people. But Simone Del Lafluer had captured my attention and that wasn’t always a good thing. Her perfect lips seemed to tremble. Albert remained still like the fucking coward he was, his face looked terrible from the beating he’d been given a few weeks ago. There were still shadows of black covering his features.

  Simone looked up at me and I could see the hope in her eyes.

  I went to her and kneeled down, switching the gun to my left hand, and tilted her chin up to meet me.

  Albert took this as his cue to fucking say something.

  “Don’t you fucking touch her you piece of shit!”

  I looked at him, daring him to move a muscle so that I could blow his fucking brains out. “Shut the fuck up, Albert. The only reason you’re still breathing is because I want to hear what your sister has to say.”

  My attention returned to her.

  She was so fucking beautiful up close and those were absolutely flecks of blue that were sprinkled within the gray of her irises. I could tell from the way she dressed that she didn’t like too much attention on her. She was nervous and her bottom lip had started to tremble.

  “Tell me…why should I let, Albert, live? Why should I let you live?”

  Her eyes fearful, she looked me over and I could tell she didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Truth was, I had already made up my mind but I still wanted to hear her answer. Light from the window outlined her and made her look like some sort of fallen winter angel, there seemed to be a glow falling around her.

  “Because I’ll do anything,” a tear slipped down her face.

  “Anything?” I whispered.

  “Yes.”

  “Then come with me,” I said and snatched her to her feet.

  Albert looked as though he wanted to stop me but I turned the trained gun on him. “Stay like the dog you are. Me and your sister have some business to attend to. Simone…say goodbye to this piece of shit.”

  Her eyes were frantic and then everything was a blur as I hustled her out of her apartment and down the steps. The only sounds that I could hear as I kidnapped this woman was my heart beating loudly in my ears.

  It wasn’t until we were pulling into the driveway of my newly bought gated mansion… that I realized Simone was sitting in the front seat, tears pooling down her face.

  “Hush little angel,” I whispered. “It won’t be so bad here.”

  Chapter 4- Simone

  One thing was for fucking sure…the next time I saw Albert I was going to kick his ass my damn self. He had disrupted my peace for the very last time.

  I was done with my brother.

  I’d been kidnapped.

  Kidnapped by a monster.

  One minute I’d been checking my mail and thinking about what I was going to make for dinner after a short day at my shop and the next I was being held at gunpoint. And it was all because of Albert.

  I wanted to scream.

  I wanted to break shit.

  I wanted to shoot, Albert and this deranged ass Russian.

  Why had I begged for my life? Why hadn’t I taken the g
un and shot Albert for him?

  Because he’s your family, the thought twisted around in my mind.

  I starred around the room that the Vicious Beast, as I had nick-named him almost immediately in my mind, had shown me to. It was decorated in deep red hues and black. It looked like something out of a magazine. I was sitting in the same clothes I had arrived in on the bed that was placed up against a wall. My cellphone had been confiscated the moment we’d stepped foot in the dark and dreary cave that he called home. It had to be a mansion on the outskirts of Chicago.

  The curtains were drawn so tight not even an inch of sunlight was coming in. The only words that had left his lips while he had scowled at me were that the bedroom was mine. That there was clothing in the walk-in closet and to dress for dinner.

  Then he had shoved me inside and pushed the door closed.

  The sound of his footsteps falling away as he’d left me alone, made me feel fearful. I had no idea what he had planned for me. I only knew that dropping down to my knees had saved my life.

  A knock shattered my thoughts like a glass bottle meeting concrete. I bit my lip and offered a small, “Come in.”

  I came face to face with a young kid, who kind of reminded me of Albert. They had the same dirty blond hair, right down to a few curls. He seemed shy but then cleared his throat and spoke. “Ma’am, Lucien requests your presence for dinner.”

  “What?”

  “Dinner, ma’am. He wants you there, now.”

  “Tell Lucien, he can eat his dinner in hell, where he belongs…and most assuredly, without me,” I rolled my arms and crossed my arms.

  He said I had to be here; he didn’t say anything about having to eat with him. And who even knew how long I was going to be in this fucking place.

  The boy in the doorway sighed. “Ma’am…please.”

  The way he said it reminded me of Albie so damn much.

  I snapped, “Fine. Lead the way.”

  The boy’s features seemed to relax and I followed him out of the room. He was quiet the rest of the way down and left my side once I was in the dining room. There was a huge table with food prepared already. A housekeeper was seemingly running away from the scene. I supposed the Vicious Beast scared the fuck out of her.

  Well, he didn’t scare me.

  I could feel his eyes burning a hole into my body, roaming over my body. From the corner of my eye, I could see him lick his lips. A chill rode itself over my flesh and I could feel the hairs stand up on my arms. I rubbed at them to get the feeling to go away.

  “I see you didn’t change for dinner as I asked,” he growled from the head of the table.

  My eyes finally darted to him. “Didn’t feel like it.”

  “It’s interesting, Little Angel…you seem to think you have a choice in things. Let me correct you. Nothing is a choice anymore. What you were, down to where you go…it’s no longer a choice.”

  Our eyes finally clashed.

  Who in the hell did he think he was?

  I smirked, “Doesn’t mean I’m going to make things easy for you.”

  He stood up from the table. Of course, my eyes looked for something to stab him with but found nothing that would help.

  He chuckled.

  “I’ve removed all the sharp objects,” he stated.

  “You’re probably in the habit of just taking women…been stabbed one time too many?”

  He was tall.

  I’d noticed earlier but earlier he hadn’t just been starring down on me. Trying to make me feel small.

  “I’ll take you now, Simone. I’ll take you in front of my men. I’ll do whatever I want with you…you belong to me now,” he whispered.

  His hand came up and suddenly he was snatching me and slamming me into the chair next to him. Carefully he leaned down and spoke again, “Eat….or I promise you’ll starve.”

  The need to cry welled up in me. But I wouldn’t let him break me. No man would ever have that pleasure, not even a beast like him. His face was still near mines, daring me to make a move.

  I turned my head and looked him dead in the eye.

  “Have you even considered,” I began to question. “That you kidnapped a business owner? That you if I don’t show up…people will wonder where I am? They will look for me?”

  Up close, his brown eyes seemed to show some sort of hatred towards me. But there was something else behind them. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was but there was a tiny scar that decorated his cheek. A slight imperfection that marred his otherwise handsome features.

  He smelled like danger.

  I hated that thought, that danger had a smell but he did. He smelled like a mix of sandalwood and with an afterthought of pepper behind it.

  Turning away, I picked up the fork and began to stab at the food wishing that it was his flesh.

  “I’ve considered it,” he straightened up and went to his seat.

  The chicken practically melted in my mouth. I hadn’t had cooking like this since…well since my mother had cooked for me as a child. A flash of her smile went through my mind but like always I shook it away.

  “And?”

  “It’s taken care of,” he stated simply and held up my confiscated cell phone.

  “You just thought of everything, huh?”

  He shrugged and began to eat his own food. We fell into a silence. It was only when I had cleaned the plate did I realize that I had indeed been starving. Within a matter of minutes, the lady that had practically run from the room when I’d entered, came and cleared our dishes.

  “It was so good,” I told her.

  She didn’t make eye contact with me, just nodded and left the room again.

  “My staff isn’t to talk to you,” he said simply. “I don’t want you using them to plot your escape. The escape I know you’re plotting.”

  I threw my hands up. “You have my cellphone. You know where I work and you know where I live. Where could I possibly go?”

  He peered at me over the glass filled with an amber liquid I was sure was whiskey.

  “Somewhere,” he replied finally.

  I rolled my eyes and then started staring off into space. It wasn’t long until the woman returned and I tried to take in her features. Two plates were decorating her hands, she chose to sit his down first and then my plate.

  In front of me sat a piece of key lime cheesecake. When I looked up into her face, she gave me a slight wink and then left the room, disappearing for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 5- Lucien

  In truth, I hadn’t thought much about how I’d explain her disappearing act. Nothing since meeting her had made sense. Both of them should have died by my hand. The slide of the gun should have been pulled back and bullets should have entered their skulls.

  Now she was in my house.

  Walking around beneath my roof.

  I was in the sanctuary of my office when I heard the door open. Not even bothering to turn and look, I continued on with my task: looking out into the darkness of the night and waiting for it to swallow me.

  “Are you making an appearance at Frost tonight?” My little brother Gabriel was standing there.

  The fireplace crackled and popped, the smell of fire entering my nose. It transported me back to a time when my mother had cooked many of our meals over a wood stove. Of course, Gabriel was too young to remember those labors of our mother’s love.

  “I should,” I told him. “I should go out and have some pretty little thing suck me off while another bitch dances.”

  Gabriel smiled and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go.”

  “Not tonight,” I said.

  “Is it because of her?”

  “The girl?”

  “Who else?”

  I chuckled and reached for the glass of whiskey I’d poured earlier. Giving it a swirl, I brought it to my lips. Gabriel continued to eye me even after I slammed the glass down.

  “She is not your concern,” I stated.

  “Why did you bri
ng her here?”

  Shrugging, “She begged me to take her to save the life of that worthless piece of shit she’s related to.”

  Gabriel frowned. “You play a dangerous game. I say we kill her and find that piece of shit and kill him next.”

  My little brother was always so eager to inflict pain and torture. It was something we had inherited from our father’s side of the family. We had both been born in Russia; Saint Petersburg to be exact.

  Our family had once been proud, and strong. Until it had been practically wiped from the face of the Earth. I had been born a Bratva prince, but my kingdom had fallen long before I’d ever had a chance to rule.

  Watching my father die, the feel of his blood as it sprayed across my face in the streets. The sound of his body hitting the concrete beneath our feet as we had walked home from a movie.

  “Where’d you go?” Gabriel asked.

  “I changed my mind,” I said. “Let’s paint the fucking town…”

  A gleam entered my brother’s blue eyes and I wondered what he had in mind. Probably the usual, cocaine and strippers. If there was debauchery to be found, Gabriel wouldn’t mind finding it, especially between the legs of a woman.

  We went our separate ways, deciding to meet up within the hour. I needed to shower before I went anywhere and I wanted to check on my house guest. Once I was clean, I dressed and headed to her room. There were no sounds of movement not even the buzz of the television could be heard.

  Without knocking, I entered and found the room pitch black. At first, I thought she might have escaped but then the soft light from the hallway filtered and pushed back the darkness. My eyes adjusted and I found her asleep; the light from the hallway through a line across her features.

  Getting up close, I leaned down watching her breathe.

  What are you doing? The voice inside my head came. Truly, I had no idea what in the fuck I was doing. She was like a goddess.

  A tattooed goddess, came the voice again.

  She was wearing a white t-shirt and where her arms lay, I could see all the ink on her flesh. On her left arm, she was sporting an entire sleeve of artwork. It took everything in me not to brush my hands over her flesh to inspect every line, every single dot. The need to know what the design was almost overwhelmed me.