Savage Beginnings: A Dark Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance
Page 29
Elena giggles, and the sound zings straight to my cock. “Are you bargaining with me, husband?”
“It’s not a bargain. All I want is for you to be happy. She obviously makes you happy. Therefore, I will have her brought back to the mansion.”
“I would love that. I won’t lie. I was really angry when you ended our honeymoon and sent her away.” She peers down at the tablecloth as if she’s too ashamed to look at me.
“I’ll make it up to you,” I promise, and the waitress walks in with the bottle of wine, then. She pours us two glasses and leaves the bottle sitting in a bath of ice on the table.
“To new beginnings,” I toast, staring into Elena’s dark green eyes.
Our glasses clink together, and my gaze is drawn to her full pink lips as they touch the rim of the wine glass. I want to taste them, bite them, mark her, so everyone knows she is mine. The possessiveness I feel toward her is something I doubt will ever fade.
My need to lock her up and keep her away from everyone outweighs all logical thinking. Every part of me says lock her in the cage and throw the key away, but in doing so, I take the very things I love so much about her and squeeze the life right out of them.
When it comes to Elena, I know I would do anything to keep her by my side. Is that love? Or is what I’m feeling just an abnormal need for control?
I know she loves me now, but will she still love me when I end her father’s life?
When all the dominoes fall, and the blood of my enemy is shed, will she still want me? I guess only time will tell. It doesn’t matter. I’ll never let her go, never let her leave me.
“This is nice, normal. I wish we could do this more often,” she whispers, taking another sip of her wine.
“As soon as your father is taken care of, we can. After the incident on the island, I thought someone had gotten to you. I was reliving the moment you fell down the stairs at the mansion. I never want to feel that way again.” I reach for her hand without thought and cling to it.
“It doesn’t have to be that way. I can tell my father to leave us alone, tell him that I want to be with you and to stop trying to take me away.”
I almost laugh. “It doesn’t work like that. Your father is as determined to get you back as I am to keep you. This will only end in bloodshed. There is no other way around it. Your father never should’ve gone back on our agreement.”
Elena’s face sours. “I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”
She doesn’t know how horrible of a man her father is. The difference between him and me is that I don’t pretend or hide what I do from Elena. She knows I’m a killer, a criminal that has done horrible things. Her father spent his entire life sheltering her.
The waitress interrupts us, bringing our food to the table, stopping me from responding to what she’s said. Then again, maybe the waitress appearing isn’t such a bad thing. I don’t want to ruin our date any further with talks of her father.
“Let’s eat. We can talk about this later.” I force myself to smile.
Elena nods, and we dig into our homemade ravioli. Stuffing our faces, eating, and drinking, the conversation slowly slips from my mind. By the time we’re finished with our meal, I am ready to return to the mansion and cuddle up beside my wife in bed. I feel satisfied with the choices I’ve made today, taking her out to dinner, and even offering Marie her job back.
Things should return to normal for a short while, or at least until Zeke finds Romero, then everything will explode again.
I pay for our meal and leave a tip on the table.
“On the way here, I saw this little ice cream shop that was about a block away. Could we walk over there and get a scoop?” Elena pleads, batting her dark eyelashes at me.
“You still have room inside your stomach for dessert?” I ask astonished.
Elena’s lips curve into a grin. “I always have room for dessert. Please? Pretty, please?” Her voice drops to a seductive tone on the last please, and I hear the word in my cock. Holy hell, when we get home, I’m tying her to the bed and fucking her into submission again.
“Fine, we can get ice cream,” I finally agree, acting as if she twisted my arm backward to get me to go.
“I’m so excited. I haven’t had ice cream since I was a child.” In an instant, an emotion I’m unaware of slams into me, and I swear I’ll do anything in the world to keep her happy, to make sure she has everything she wants and needs.
Taking her hand in mine, I lead us out of the restaurant. I don’t realize how careless I am as we leave the restaurant and start down the street to the ice cream parlor. I’m so caught up in the joy on Elena’s face and the happiness radiating from her, that I don’t notice the man following a short distance behind us, not until he is almost on us.
As we pass a dark alleyway, I grab Elena by the arm and drag her down it, hoping to shake the guy off us.
“What’s going on?” Elena asks, her voice a whisper of worry.
“We’re being followed,” I grunt and glance over my shoulder to see if the fucker is still following us. Every nerve ending on my body is in defense mode. I’ll protect Elena, or I’ll die trying. Her father is not going to get his hands on her. She is mine.
Reaching inside my jacket, I pull out a gun. A soft gasp escapes Elena’s lips when her eyes catch on the shiny metal from the fluorescent streetlight above.
Footsteps slap against the pavement behind, us and ahead, I spot a dumpster. I shove Elena into the corner and place a finger over my lips to let her know to be quiet. She nods, her slim body trembling with fear or maybe adrenaline. I don’t know which. I catch a glint of excitement flicker in her eyes, and for a moment, I can’t believe that I’m really seeing it.
She can’t really be excited about me killing someone because that’s what’s going to happen if this person doesn’t turn around.
Shielding her body with mine, I press her against the brick wall and listen as the footsteps grow closer. The blood rushes to my ears, and I let everything around me fade to darkness. At this moment, there is just me, the hunter, and the prey.
My finger moves to the trigger of my gun, and when the person pops up around the corner, I lift my weapon and fire a bullet into each of his kneecaps. Like a doll, he falls to the ground with a scream, his own gun slips from his hand and hits the pavement.
Rushing toward him, I’m obsessed with the need to make him pay. He didn’t even do anything, simply followed us, but the fact that he had a gun and was after us is enough intent for me. If given the chance, he would’ve hurt Elena.
Grabbing the fucker by the front of his shirt, I lift him off the ground and growl into his face, “Who sent you?”
Pain lances his features, and yet, he still manages to smile like an asshole. His smile pisses me off, and so I rear my fist back and punch him right in the mouth. His head falls to the side with the blow before turning back to me. His yellow teeth are coated in blood now, and as I scan his face and neck, I find he has a tattoo on the side of his neck.
It’s the family crest for the Romero family.
Fuck.
“Did Romero send you?” I question but already know the answer.
“You might as well kill me because I’m not telling you a fucking thing,” he sneers, and my patience is thin enough. I could have my men come and get him and take him back to the house to torture him, but there would be no point.
“As you wish. If you don’t want to talk, then you’re useless to me.” Lifting the gun, I press the barrel to his forehead and pull the trigger. His eyes go vacant instantly, and I pull away from him and come to stand.
Turning, I peer over my shoulder, and I find Elena watching me with caution and curiosity, nothing like the worry or fear I expected to see in her eyes. I’m surprised, shocked even. Maybe she is growing more used to this life.
“You killed him?” she whispers. Looking between the dead guy and me. I expect her to be terrified, shaking, or crying, but instead, she just looks surprised.
Her eyes gleam like jewels. “I never thought I would get to see you in action like that. I mean it’s terrifying, but it’s also exciting. How do you know he was after us?”
“When we came down the alleyway, he followed, and he had a gun. Plus, the tattoo on his neck tells me all I need to know. He’s one of your father’s men. Sending someone so sloppy is really an insult.”
Worry festers deep in my gut. If someone could attack us out in the open like this, what could happen at the house? One trip outside the house, and I had to kill a man. It also tells me we’re being watched, and if we’re being watched, it’s only a matter of time before the next attack.
How can I protect Elena when we can’t even leave the house for a simple dinner? There is no other way around it. She won’t be safe until my enemies, and her father are taken care of. I will kill them all to protect her.
41
Elena
Since the night in the alleyway, Julian has been more vigilant. He keeps me within his sight almost always now and has been working from the library or our bedroom more than the office. While he works, I usually sit next to him and read or watch a movie on my iPad.
Security has been tightened, and more guards are patrolling the house, which I’m guessing has something to do with the attack on out dinner date.
Thankfully, Marie has returned to the mansion, and I have someone to spend time with, the times he does have to step away or leave.
I wish things with my father and Julian would end already. I won’t deny that seeing my husband kill to protect me, excited me more than it should have. I’m pretty sure there is something wrong with me, why else would I be turned on by blood and bullets?
Shoving my lunch around on my plate with my fork, I look up and find Marie staring at me from across the kitchen. She smiles when I catch her staring. “Maybe we can go in the pool for a swim this afternoon?” I suggest.
“I’ll take you,” Julian’s voice booms through the kitchen, startling the hell out of me.
“Hey,” I greet him, catching my breath. “Are you done working?”
“To see you in a bikini? Yes.” He winks, and a smile spreads across my face.
“I can bring your lunch out to the terrace,” Marie offers quietly. She is still afraid of Julian, even though she was very thankful to have her job back.
“Yes, do that,” his voice turns sharp as he talks to Marie, then softens again when he turns his attention back to me. “Come on. Let’s get wet.”
We never make it to the bedroom to get changed because on the way up, Julian’s phone rings.
As soon as he answers, his playful demeanor changes, and instantly, I know something terrible is going to happen.
“What do you mean he is with the Volcoves’? Is that where he has been hiding out this whole time?” Julian’s eyes cut to me, and all the puzzle pieces fall into place.
Oh, god, no… he found my father.
My heart races in my chest, and I feel like it’s somehow getting harder to breathe. He found my father. He found my father, and he’s going to kill him.
“Yes, I agree… don’t go in alone. I’ll get a team together. Wait for my call.” Julian ends the call and stuffs the phone back in his pocket. “I’m sorry. I’ll have to take a raincheck on the pool.” He grinds the words out through his teeth.
His entire demeanor has changed now. Before me stands a man of power, of ruthless violence, and he is going to bring down the world around me.
“You found my father, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” At least he isn’t lying about it. “He’s been staying with the Volcoves’. Do you know who they are?”
I shake my head, no, mainly because the words won’t come.
“Lev Volcove was the man who scared you at the auction. The one who scratched your leg.”
A shiver runs down my spine just thinking about him. Why would my father surround himself with those people?
Julian’s next set of words shock me to the core. “I killed Lev for touching you. His family knows. Your father allied himself with them because they want my head on a pitchfork.” The seriousness of the situation hits me like a freight train.
“Let me talk to him, tell him that I’m happy here,” I plead, doubting he would even consider it. “The last thing I want is for something to happen to either of you.”
Julian pulls away as if I’m crucifying him with my words. “Nothing you say or do is going to change my mind. If your father truly loved you, he would’ve stayed and made sure you were okay, but instead, he tucked his tail between his legs and ran. There is a price to pay for hurting those that I care about, and his hourglass has run out.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I know that this is going to end badly. It feels like my heart is being ripped in two. I love Julian, but I love my father, too, even if he sold me to the enemy. You can’t help who you love, and I’m caught on a teeter-totter between the two most important men in my life.
“I’m going to end this today.” The darkness in his voice bleeds outward like a blot of ink on paper. It takes everything in me to remain standing before him, and when he turns his back on me and starts to walk away, something inside of me shatters. It’s like all over again, he is choosing his need to make my father pay over me. His need for revenge outweighs any love he has for me, and I know I have to do something, warn my father, tell him to end this before Julian gets the chance to.
As soon as Julian is out of sight, the wheels in my head start to spin in motion. I consider my options. There are not many. Leaving the grounds to search for my father will put me in more danger and cause bigger issues between Julian and me. I have to do something, though, because I can’t stand here while he puts a group of men together to scour the countryside for my father.
Turning on my heels, I rush out of the room but stop once I reach the door jam. It hits me then. I can’t leave, but I can call him. I can warn him.
The only phones in the house are the guards’ cell phones, but I’d bet anything there is a phone in Julian’s office. I could use it, that is, if the door is unlocked. Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, I look both ways down the hall.
Seeing no one, I dart into the hall and rush toward the door that is Julian’s office. Praying like I’ve never done so before, I grab onto the cold iron wrought door handle and twist it.
I’m half expecting someone to jump out into the hall and find me or the door to be locked, but neither happens. A breath passes, and the knob continues to twist, the door creaking open as I give it a light push. My heart is galloping like a horse in my chest as I slip inside the room. I can’t imagine the punishment I will receive if Julian finds out what I’m doing.
The fear of being caught doesn’t outweigh my fear for my father. I will take whatever punishment is given to me if it gives my father a chance to escape.
Walking toward the massive desk, I locate the phone, the single landline in this place after Julian had the one in the kitchen removed. My hands shake violently as I grab the receiver and bring it to my ear. The dial tone fills my ear, and I push the buttons and dial my father’s number.
Worry wells like a molehill inside of me. The phone rings, and rings, and rings, and just when I think he won’t answer, I hear his soft tone filter into the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Daddy!” I cry, “You have to stop this. You have to stop coming for me, trying to save me. I’m happy here. I love Julian.”
“Don’t say that. You can’t love him. He has you brainwashed, he only took you for revenge, that’s it. He doesn’t love you, Elena. You need to escape. Find a way out, and I will find you, wherever you are.”
The muscles in my throat tighten, making it hard for me to breathe, to swallow. “Revenge? He took me as revenge?” I can’t seem to wrap my head around his words. I know Julian be
lieves my father killed his mother, but still… me as revenge?
“Yes, he doesn’t love you. He only took you to get back at me. I’m coming for you. I’m going to right all that I’ve done wrong. Soon, you’ll be free, sweetheart. Free of the cage he’s put you in.”
My heart shatters in my chest, and I feel the deep lashes his words have left across the organ. “You’re lying. Julian might hate you, but he loves me. He loves me. This isn’t revenge.”
“It is, and I’m sorry you were dragged into this.”
Before I can respond, the door creaks behind me, and I whirl around and find Julian in the doorway. His gaze is dark, penetrating, but with the reeling emotions inside of me, I’m as far from afraid as it gets. I’m angry, sad, and shocked, but more than anything, I’m hurt.
I hang up the phone and turn to give him my full attention. Lips trembling, I ask, “Is it true? Did you take me for revenge? Was this all about getting even with my father?”
He takes a step toward me, and I automatically take one back, trying to keep as much distance between us as possible.
“Yes… it’s true.” As the words reach my ear, I can feel my heart cracking in my chest. Broken, I feel broken.
“Everything was a lie? Our marriage is a lie…”
“No. I took you for revenge at first, but I really do want you to be my wife. You are more than revenge to me now,” he tells me, and I almost believe him… almost.
“If you gave up revenge, and I do really mean something to you, then prove it. Don’t go after my father. Don’t kill him.”
“I can’t do that. He needs to die,” he says without even thinking about it. It’s the confirmation I need to know my father was right. Julian doesn’t love me. He only cares about revenge. I was just too stupid to see that until now.
42
Julian
Guilt grows like a cancer, rushing through my veins, and pumping into my heart. I feel guilty for hurting Elena. She hasn’t smiled, leaned into my touch, or sought out my company in two days. It’s a one-eighty from what she was like a few days ago, and I hate it.