“I know, which is why I needed to tell you. I was able to get back to Ireland, Liam, but Aleksandr caught me snooping. I left abruptly, took the soonest available flight I could back to Ireland. He must know their game is being blown up.”
Aleksandr has never been like his father, but knowing he’s getting close to Greer is making me uncomfortable. There have been whispers about his father handing the bratva over to him. I imagine he’d have to do something insane before that happened, though. “Thank you for letting me know. From the sounds of it, you got mixed up in some heavy shit. You know where to go, so go.” I end the call feeling optimistic about the amount of information Emilio gave me.
Just as I start to place my cell phone back down on the table, another call comes through. This time it’s my father. “Liam.” His tone of voice instantly tells me something is wrong.
“What?”
“Malone went to stand guard outside of your hotel room door. When he got there, it was broken, as was some of the furniture. . . ” The rest of what he tells me goes in one ear and out the other.
I interject, needing to know. “Caprice. Was she . . . ” I can only imagine she’s dead. Sergei would’ve killed her. I don’t have a doubt about it.
“No, the bathroom is soaked. It looks like he grabbed her from the bathtub.”
“We need to get access to the security cameras,” I say, already hearing my father mumble in the background.
“We’re going to find her, Liam. I promise you. We will find her.”
I scoff, ending the call. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, old man.”
35
“Make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you. Know your worth even if they don’t.”
~ Lovethispic.com
Caprice
I wake to the scent of burning wood, my eyes fluttering slowly as I take in where I am. My wrists are tied to the hard wooden chair I’m sitting on, so I try to move my legs but see my legs are confined as well.
I appear to be in a living room, and an old one at that. The white is yellow on the edges and peels from the walls. There doesn’t appear to be any electricity in this place because I can’t spot a light or switch. I wonder not only where I am but when this was built. The rest of the room is empty besides one more chair sitting next to a window, which is the only thing allowing light into the room. It gives me a picturesque view of the Irish countryside. If I weren’t tied to this fucking chair, I might even enjoy being here.
Rain pounds down on the roof and I see droplets of water coming down one corner of the room. There must be a hole in the roof. From the corner of my eye, I spot something is sitting in the fire. It’s long and extends into the flame. Not only that, but there’s a point in the dark object where it suddenly turns orange.
My mind shifts to whatever it could be, but I’m startled when a heavy hand is placed on the back of my shoulder. “I had a feeling you’d notice the brand first, pet,” Sergei spits out in a sickening tone.
I can’t face him and there’s no use in fighting in any way. It’s not like I can do anything right now, so I need to be smart and keep him busy. With no way to tell how much time has passed, I can only pray Liam figured out I was missing and is on his way to find me. “Why are you doing this?” I ask, keeping my voice monotone. I have to act like I don’t care, like none of this matters, and most importantly, as if this man isn’t terrifying every bone in my body. He strikes me with fear, but I can’t let him see it. If he does, he’ll know about the amount of power he has over me.
“Why? Are you stupid, girl? Hmpf. Maybe this is why your father wanted to get rid of you.” He cackles, coming around the chair to face me. Sergei shifts his hand from the back of my shoulder to my throat, closing his hand into a fist.
I do everything in my power not to freak out, however, it’s a natural reaction for the body. When you feel pressure closing around your neck, your body instinctively wants you to take a breath and when you can’t, anxiety pours over you. Like the sick bastard Sergei Kolosov is, he snickers at my pain, smiling widely as I struggle, but as I get dizzy, he yanks his hand away, chuckling lowly to himself.
“We could have been amazing together, pet. You and I, we could have had everything.”
“Like you and Katya were?” I question him, allowing my anger to slip through a bit. Everything I’ve heard about him and his ex was good until he started the divorce process and ripped her ovaries out. She was pregnant when he had his mad doctor do it. All I can think is how he didn’t blink when he gave the order for one of his men to harm her in that way, to kill the child they created together. He was fine doing it to her, which only means he’d do the same to me given the opportunity.
Sergei seems surprised I know her name. “Katya and I were good while we lasted, but she was never the end game for me. You see, I’m a man with big-picture goals.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Meaning you had nothing to gain with her. Unlike what my father promised you.”
“You are a smart girl, pet. Now if only you weren’t married. Tsk. You had to go and ruin everything we would’ve had.”
“It wasn’t about you, Sergei. I only followed my heart,” I state, sticking to the lie that Liam and I were having a secret relationship.
“No. I don’t believe this elaborate lie you’ve created with Mackenzie. I saw the way you looked at him when he called you his wife in the bar. You were shocked. Girl, you had no idea what he was doing. Let me explain it to you. Mackenzie saw the same benefits in marrying you as I did. So, he beat me to the punch. He didn’t care. He only wanted you for your name. Same as me.” His accent comes out even thicker through his anger.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I seethe, thrashing in my chair.
Sergei chuckles. “I know more than you think. I even know about your little girl. The one you had with Rafael. Oh, pet. How I would have ripped your daughter straight from Rafael Ramirez’s hands. I’m sure you already know this, but that man is bad for my business. I imagine it must be difficult for you to be without your sweet Pippa.”
“Piper,” I correct him.
Sergei smiles even wider, making me think of a demon in those horror films. “Seems Rafael didn’t like what you named your daughter. Regardless, we should change the subject. I won’t help you retrieve her now. You’ve put the nails in your own casket. I have come to teach you a lesson though, girl. According to your father, I own you. I kept thinking about what I would do to you, how I would punish you for defying me. But . . . then I thought I couldn’t just punish you. I had to think of a way to punish Mackenzie as well, and it hit me. My brilliant idea!” Sergei walks over to the stove, putting some sort of glove over his hand and walks over with the iron. It’s more evident than ever.
He was heating up a fucking brand.
The type of brand that’s used on livestock to claim ownership, to show other farmers it belongs to them and not a neighbor.
“I’m sure you know what I’m going to do to you. I want you to look in the mirror every day and know I own you. Neither you nor your husband will forget about this day. I thought about killing you . . . although it’s too merciful to do that. Instead, well . . . ” Sergei grabs the back of my hair and pulls it back so far I can’t move my head at all. Bringing the iron closer to my face I not only see the orange pigment from laying in the fire but feel the heat starting to burn my skin.
He shoves it toward my forehead and before it even makes contact with my skin I feel it incinerating through my flesh. I scream bloody murder, attempting to thrash in my chair but it’s no use. The one thing I will never forget from this experience is the expression on his face while he marks me like a cow.
36
“Be careful who you trust. Salt and Sugar look the same.”
~ Unknown
Liam
What a damn fool. It’s hard to know this man somehow got through life being so fucking stupid. Does Kolosov not realize everyone in my
country owes my family? Unlike other mafia families, we’re not the enemy. We’re the one citizens run to when they’re having trouble. Though I shouldn’t complain, his idiocy was able to help me find my sweet Caprice sooner than I thought was possible. If I’m lucky it means she hasn’t been harmed, but based on the screams coming from the old farmhouse Brennan has on his property . . . I’m too late.
I didn’t have time to call Luca or Malone, so I’ve come here alone, which is a major no-no. You always bring backup. It’s practically a golden rule, however, none of it matters if she’s dead. I won’t ever apologize for rushing over here and not waiting for extra backup.
I pull my gun from my shoulder holster that I always hide under my suit jacket, pull back the safety and rush into the house with my gun drawn, throwing the door open.
Immediately my eyes shift to Caprice, who looks lifeless with her body limp in the chair she’s tied to.
Sergei sees me coming, goes for his own gun, but I fire a shot, ensuring to count how many I unload into this sick fuck. The bullet flies through his hand and he lets out a holler. I shift my wrist to the left and fire again, watching as he puts the same hand I just blew a hole through over his shoulder. I feel as though I’m in some slow-motion action movie, firing round after round into his chest and stomach. He staggers backward from the impact, so much so he falls against the only window in the room. His body breaks the glass and he goes through it.
I want to head over to Caprice, but I need to make sure Sergei isn’t going to get up and run off. He’s lying face up, snickering as blood pours from his mouth. “They didn’t want me to k-kill her, s-so I d-didn’t.”
“Who?” I demand to know, but I think we already know who demanded this of him. I had a feeling Sergei wouldn’t have taken her on solely his own account. He’s notorious for doing others’ bidding, as well as their dirty work.
Sergei laughs, coughing up blood in the process. “F-family doesn’t mean s-shit to the I-Italians . . .” I’ve witnessed men die in the flesh numerous times before, so as his eyes go blank in front of me I know his time has come and the reaper will be taking his soul down to hell. As an Irishmen, I want to believe God forgives us all, but if he forgave Sergei, I wouldn’t be able to believe in him any longer.
I want to go over to Caprice, but I can’t yet. I won’t be able to live with myself unless I make sure this man’s life ends. He’s not only caused chaos and torment to my precious Caprice, but to many others. I kneel down on the ground and wrap both my hands around his neck, slowly increasing the amount of pressure I’m applying. He thrashes his legs over and over, trying to get away from me, but it’s no use. This man will die today, if not by my hands, then definitely from the bullets I unloaded into his body.
Blood begins sliding from the corner of his mouth and dribbles down his chin, onto my forearm. I could care less. As his face begins to turn beet red, showing me I’m getting somewhere, I begin to feel a sense of pride . . . though I quickly check myself. I shouldn’t feel anything until I know his heart has finally stopped beating.
He grabs ahold of my forearm and tries to shove me away, but he cannot. “You k-know they’ll c-come for h-her.” He rasps. I can barely make it out, but the man who’s obviously trying to intimidate me has given me the answers I needed.
Her father did this. He told Sergei to keep her alive. Sick fucking bastard!
Sergei suddenly stops struggling and I see the life disappear from his eyes. Releasing my hands from around his throat, I wait for what feels like minutes to see if he begins to breathe, but he doesn’t.
Turning around, I run over to Caprice who is still motionless in the chair. I assess her, seeing the blood oozing from her forehead and smelling the burning of wood. Looking around, I notice the fire, but I see where the smell is coming from. A brand is on the ground, burning the floorboards.
Caprice isn’t just bloody. She is raw from the ropes digging into her skin. I pull my knife from the back of my pants and cut her free, realizing I haven’t waited to see if she was even breathing. I stare, waiting for what feels like a century until I see her chest rise and fall. Thank you, God!
My phone rings so I answer it, knowing it’s most likely my father. “Have you lost your damn mind?” Yep. I’m right.
“Possibly. I got to her in time and Sergei is dead. I need the doc, though, as soon as possible. She’s bleeding badly from her head. Looks like he branded her.”
“Fuck.”
“Can you get the doc to the house quickly? I don’t want to take her to a fucking hospital, not after everything she’s gone through . . . and Dad, her father ordered this. Sergei told me before he died how the Italians don’t treasure family anymore. He said they’d come for her. This is war,” I change the wording a bit, but I’m sure he knows what I’m saying.
“Yes. Cecilia is already here. I called her after the nurse stated there was a change in one of your mum’s machines.”
My heart drops into my stomach. There is only one reason a change would happen, and we were told that chance was so extremely low . . . that the only thing we should ever do was prepare for her to be like this for the rest of her life. “Is she waking up?”
“I don’t want to confirm it, but something is going on with your mum. Cecilia has a colleague bringing a machine over so they can run a test. It will confirm whether or not we should get our hopes up.”
“I’m sure everything is touch and go.” From everything we’ve endured, we know not to expect too much.
“Yes, now get my third daughter back home where she belongs. I imagine she’ll have a long road ahead of her after what she’s gone through.”
I hang up the phone and scoop my wife up into my arms. “You’d better be okay, darling. I told you I was falling in love with you, so you don’t get to die on me now.” Now, we’re off to the place where I know she’s the safest. All of this will be behind us soon enough.
37
“You never know how strong you are until you have no choice but to be strong.”
~ Unknown
Caprice
A pounding sensation pulses through my head, not like a headache, but an annoying thump repeating over and over again. I flutter my eyes and as soon as they’re open I wonder if I’m dreaming, or if I’m dead. I’m in the bedroom I share with Liam . . . but have no recollection on how I arrived here.
“Thank God you’re awake.” His thick Irish accent causes me to glance to my left, seeing him sitting in the chair with a beaming smile on his face. Though, I can tell he’s worried. His eyes always give away how he’s truly feeling.
“If this is a dream, just do me a favor and end it now.” I mutter out in defeat, exhausted as can be.
Liam crosses the distance between us, leans down and kisses me with more passion than he ever has before pulling away. “If this were a dream would I be able to do that my love?”
“If it were a good one, I suppose.” I reply, allowing the reality that I’m safe to fully sink in.
“How are you feeling?” Liam questions, looking at me with nothing but concern.
“I’m . . . okay, I think.” The truth is I don’t know how I am. I might even be in shock. “How’d I get here?”
“I brought you back.” He replies, taking a seat beside me on the bed.
“What happened to Sergei?”
“He’s dead.” Liam responds back coldly, but flashes a smile. “But we don’t need to go into that. The important thing is that you’re here and you’re okay.”
“Save it. Tell me what happened, Liam. I deserve to know after everything I’ve been through.” I tell him, determined to get the answers I seek. I know he wants to protect me, to save me from thinking about that horrid man any more than I need to, but I have to know. I can’t quite explain it other than needing closure. I don’t even know if that’s the proper word for it.
Liam sucks in a deep breath and shakes his head, showing me he disagrees. Though, I know he’ll fill me in. “When I got into the
cottage you were already out cold. I saw Sergei and shot him numerous times. He fell back against the window and was bleeding out, but I . . . I needed to make sure he died. So, I dealt with him. After that I scooped you up and brought you back here. Had Cecilia look at you, give you IV fluids, a sedative, and pain medicine to keep you comfortable. She treated your wound so it wouldn’t become infected. I’ll apologize in advance for the horrible bandage.”
“What happened to his body?” Liam seems taken aback by my question, maybe almost even angered, but I need the answer.
“I had some of our men go pick it up. We’ll dispose of it. There’s no need for you to worry about such things.”
I take ahold of Liam’s hand and rub my thumb over the top of his. “Liam. We’re not animals. That’s not to say that others aren’t, but we’re better than that. He had a wife who loved him, and he has a daughter in the Romanian Clans. We must return his body. It’s not only the right thing to do, but if either Katya or Natasha are angered by Sergei’s death they will come after us. If we send his body back we might just avoid a war. It’s a peace offering, for them to properly put him to rest, even if he was a disgusting man.”
Liam grimaces, “Have you lost your mind?” He jolts and stands up, perplexed by what I’ve just said.
The door to our bedroom comes swinging open and I see Desmond come in sporting a bright smile. “I thought you were awake. How’re you feelin’ lass?”
“I’m okay, thank you.”
Desmond looks to his son, and then back to me. “Who shit in his oatmeal?”
I have two options here. I can either tell Desmond Liam is simply upset because of everything I’ve endured, or I can tell him what I believe should be done. I’m so worried about there being another conflict stirred up with a mafia. The Clans are one of the strongest mafias in the entire world, and we’d be stupid to fuck with them. To be honest, I’m exhausted when it comes to there being someone either after us, or screwing with us. I’m ready for a break. Hell, we all need it.
Forbidden Love: Book 1 in the Mackenzie Series (Leave Me Breathless World) Page 14