"Well," I bite my nails, "It was along those lines."
"And he actually believed you? I stand corrected, your husband is a wimp."
"Hey! I told you to stop insulting him. I can assure you he is not a wimp."
"Only a wimp would buy that shit because he's afraid to accept the truth. I really don't know why you're so obsessed with the guy."
"If you knew him, you'd be obsessed with him too," I retort, because honestly, in my mind, everyone should be obsessed with Theo. He is just that special.
"Sorry little goddess, I don't swing that way."
"You don't swing either way, do you?"
"B, don't let out all my secrets, malyshka. I need a little mystery. I'll also have you know that leading the Bratva is haaard, and my Tinder dates would take offense to me showing up with blood residue on my sleeves after a bout of torture" He whines, and I can already imagine his face. Truth is, I'd never seen Vlad with a woman, a man, or any other individual. I don't know if it's his maniacal side that drives them off or merely his disinterest. But then again, Vlad's never shown any type of feelings other than loyalty. Even his sense of humor is a mask that he started using to avoid scaring people off. It was also why I was the only one who could be partnered up with him, anyone else being too terrified of him. He'd fought against it at first, saying he did not need a partner, especially a little girl, but his father had known that he required someone to keep his blood lust in check. The thing about Vlad was... he seemed affable and normal until something set him off. Then God help anyone in his path. Rumor has it that at fifteen, he'd single-handedly offed an entire gang in Harlem, only with his shashkas, and that it had taken a sedative to calm him down.
"I've heard some chicks dig the whole blood and gore thing."
"They do only if I'm a sparkling vampire. I keep up with the times, you know. They'd run for the hills if they knew my body count."
"What's your body count?" I ask cheekily.
"I don't kill and tell, little goddess."
"You've probably lost count."
"Yeah...I'm gonna plead the fifth on that."
"What kind of assassin are you if you don't have any notches?"
He pauses as if it's a foreign concept. "Do you?"
"Of course. I'm very organized. I would also like to know how many times to ask for forgiveness if Theo finds out."
"Damnnn, little goddess. Seriously what did you see in that wimp? You got a suit of all things. Couldn't you at least have gone for a more hands-on profession?"
I sigh... We'd had these conversations before. Vlad’s always of the opinion that in our profession, you cannot risk any attachments. He's also never approved of Theo, thinking he was too weak for me.
"Theo has a great capacity for kindness," I say. "He has something I completely lack."
"So that's it? Just because he's normal?" He says normal as if it's the plague. Understandable, though, since we'd both been told we are abnormal our entire lives. We'd both learned to pretend, though.
"No, not just that. I don't know if I ever told you how I met him for the first time. It was at my father's house, and he was hosting a business dinner. As any dutiful daughter, I had to keep up appearances and attend. You know how I was with my father's associates. I would always keep my mouth shut and plan their deaths slowly in my head. Well... one of his guests got a little too drunk and started insulting me, calling me a doormat, a decoration, and asked how much to buy me."
"Did you kill him?" He suddenly interrupts me.
"A year after, I couldn't risk suspicion."
"Yesss!" I imagine him bumping a fist in the air based on his excited tone.
"Back to the story. He was also getting into my personal space. Theo was the only one who told the man off, defended me, and was on the brink of punching him."
"Oh, so he has some balls?"
"Shut it. He was being kind to someone he did not know. More importantly, he stood to lose the most, given that he was looking for support from those people."
"Fine, so he's a principled asshole. Still don't know why you bother so much." He mumbles.
"You wouldn't understand. You've never loved someone like I love Theo."
He's quiet for a minute.
"Is it love, though? Are you even capable of love?"
I contemplate his question.
"I don't know. I don't know how regular people love. I only know that what I feel for him is strong enough that I’d kill anything and anyone attempting to harm him. So, whatever I am capable of feeling is all for him. "
"I'm jealous, little goddess." His voice is dreamy. "I wish I could feel... anything really. The only semblance of feeling I can muster is when I kill, and even then, it's like a high that wears off almost as soon as it starts." He then continues, "Fight for your wimp then, little goddess. You know I'll always have your back."
"I know, Vlad. Same here."
"Now, though, the real reason why I called you."
"You didn't call to ask for the state of my marriage? I'm disappointed."
"As you can see, I am very invested in your marriage, but that is not why I wanted to talk to you."
"Ok, what is it?"
"The arms dealer you said you were meeting on Monday. I got some intel that it might not be legit."
"What do you mean?"
"Several organizations have been trying to acquire those new weapons from them. All of them have been busts."
"Fuck! I was looking forward to a new riffle."
"I want in on the guy you're meeting, though. There have been rumors of rats that target specific people for these purchases."
"And you think because of my connection to you, it might be someone on the inside?"
"I'm not sure, but I don't want any loose ends. If there's a rat in my midst, I have to exterminate."
"Ok, let's do this then. The meeting is Monday at 2pm, Room 204 at Empire. We can go earlier and set the room up."
"It will be like old times, little goddess."
"Like old times… Sure." I chuckle, knowing fully well that old times means chaos and mayhem.
"I'll pick you up at your apartment."
"Fine. I'll see you then."
"Later." He hangs up.
Talking to Vlad always puts me in a good mood. But now that my marriage isn’t on the brink of collapse anymore, I am in an even better mood. Since tomorrow marks the start of the weekend and both me and Theo are free, I decided to plan a little something to show him that he's the only object of my affection. Or obsession, I should say.
I smile to myself, mentally planning our weekend escapade.
CHAPTER IX
"Are you not going to tell me where we're going?" I am currently driving while Theo is anxiously trying to keep his calm in the seat next to me.
"Come on, babe, just wait until we get there."
"Is it going to be much longer?" I sneak a peek at him, and I see him holding onto the handle.
"Why, Theodore Hastings, if anyone saw you right now, they'd think you are afraid of your wife's driving skills." I tease, knowing fully well he always prefers to be the one driving because I am not the most careful driver. I'd have let him drive under normal circumstances, but I want to surprise him with this weekend getaway.
"I'll just count my blessings if we don't die." He mumbles, and I give him a smile. Yes, I drive badly, or I should say recklessly. I might even be the poster child for road rage. Of course, Theo probably thinks my skills are just bad because I'm a woman. I shake my head smirking. I rarely get the chance to drive when he's in the car with me, so I might as well take full advantage.
"I have some not so pleasant news." He says, trying to adjust himself in the seat.
"What is it?"
"Your father called." I frown.
"And?"
"He requests our presence for family lunch tomorrow."
"Of course. He requests. He never asks." I grimace.
"I'm sorry." Theo gives me a sad smile. My father alwa
ys calls Theo because he knows he will get a positive response from him. Being one of the mayor's main sponsors gives him some perks like being able to snap his fingers and expect us to come. My fingers clench around the wheel. It's not even all about money since I could pour my own resources in Theo's office, but the connections really tie us to Martin Ashby.
"It's ok. We'll do the usual in and out." I try to appease him. As if it's not bad enough that Theo needs him, he really doesn't like the man. Mainly because he's noticed he doesn't care about me at all. Theo's mentioned the issue several times and told me he wished we could cut ties entirely with him. But given his influence... I am biding my time, though. The moment I notice that my father is putting too much pressure on Theo, or threatens him, I snap.
"I don't know why such short notice. I'm guessing Martin has other guests and wants to parade us around."
"Of course. Why else would he even acknowledge us? Don't worry, we can put up with it for a few hours. But now, at least for today, we can enjoy ourselves."
"You plan on keeping me in the dark about this surprise of yours?"
"Oh, yes!"
We are now winding down a path next to some woods. The place should come into view at any moment now. Given that it's the only house in the area, Theo immediately realizes what I meant by surprise.
"You rented a lake house?" I give him a knowing smile.
"We've both been under a lot of stress lately. I thought that maybe if we're away from all the noise, we could relax."
He suddenly leans into me and gives me a very loud smooch.
"Love you, babe," I laugh.
"Yeah, well, wait until you see the Jacuzzi. I made sure there was one." I lift my eyebrows suggestively. We'd had some really sexy times in a Jacuzzi on our honeymoon. You see, I'm really trying to earn brownie points here to distract him from the mess I made.
We pull into the man-made driving way and park the car.
"Babe," He says, inhaling the fresh air. "Best idea ever." I wink at him, and we proceed to unload our small bags from the car.
I'd initially rented this for the whole weekend, but since we need to be at my father's house tomorrow, we might as well make the best of this. It's almost mid-May, and the weather is warm enough for the outside Jacuzzi. In fact, we may get away with some lake action too, if the water isn't too cold.
We enter the house, and after checking the rooms, we drop our bags in the master bedroom.
"Shit." Theo stops suddenly. "I don't have any swimming trunks."
"Don't worry, already packed them." I remove our swimming suits from my bag, and we quickly change.
The Jacuzzi is located right in front of the house, on the porch overlooking the lake. It's a fantastic view.
After we get in, I snuggle to Theo's side, and we stay like that for a moment.
"Babe..." He starts, his hand going to my bare stomach. "Would you be willing to go for a fertility checkup?" I lift my eyes to meet him, and I am momentarily at a loss of words. "The both of us, of course."
I don't know how to reply. I've been putting off for so long, giving him a proper answer that I really don't know how to respond to this. More than me saying yes to this, there are several things that I'd have to seriously consider, like my reliance on coke.
"You really want to get pregnant, don't you?"
"I've always wanted to be a father, and I'm not getting any younger. I thought you wanted kids too..." He lets the sentence hanging, and I can feel the unspoken reproach, so I immediately lie through my teeth.
"Of course, I do. I just hoped it would happen naturally, you know now that I'm off birth control."
"It's been six months, and it's not as if we haven't tried."
"You're right. I guess I didn't really keep track." I lie.
"B, please tell me if this isn't what you want."
"Of course it is what I want. I'd want nothing more than have your child."
"I'm glad." His arms tighten around me. "So, what do you think of my suggestion?"
"We should do it. We should make appointments when we get to the city."
"Thank you!" He kisses my temple before peppering kisses on my whole face. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
He turns me around, so I'm straddling him. He leans in and gives my lips a nibble before resting his forehead on mine.
"You really make me happiest."
Oh, Theo... if you only knew.
We’re in bed wrapped in each other's arms. Having a discussion about children with Theo made me realize the depth of his desire to be a father. In turn, it solidified my decision to wean myself off drugs, get clean, and actively try to get pregnant. Who knows, maybe I'll be a good mother. A part of me is afraid that I'm not going to be able to love the child, but at the same time, considering my feelings for Theo, it seems impossible that I wouldn't love any part of him. The only outstanding issue is my dependence on coke. I'd had a few lines in the morning, after trying to go a couple days without. My determination hadn't lasted long. But now, I am once again motivated. Although, honestly, I am not looking forward to at least a week of feeling like shit.
I look up at Theo's sleeping form, taking in his chiseled jaw with just a hint of stubble and his so exceptionally long lashes. My fingers itch to trace the planes of his face, but I don't want to wake him up. Not when I've worn him down so much. I smile to myself, just remembering the feeling of his massive body on top of mine. Ever since we'd discussed our attitudes to sex more in-depth, Theo's tried to treat me less like a porcelain doll and more like a woman. Which, in turn, left me in a state of perpetual satisfaction.
I slowly and carefully get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom, intent on brushing my teeth. It’s a split of a second later that my instincts go into full attention mode. Creaking. I hear creaking. There is no one else in the house and no one else in the area. Dressed only in a satin nightgown, I quietly go to my bag, searching for the hidden compartment where I usually keep a pocket pistol. I check for ammo, grimacing as I count only five bullets.
I take another look at Theo in bed and decide against waking him up. Treading carefully, so I don’t make any type of noise, I look over the baluster to see a few men looking around the house's bottom floor.
"Ay cabron, tenemos que terminar esto antes de que el jefe se de quenta de lo que paso." One of them says.
"Estupido" One of the men insults at the other "Si no fuera por tus ideas no estaramos en esta situasion. Quen te dijo que puedes disparar a qualquera? Si alguien escucho?"
"Carnal... Somos en el medio de nowhere. Quien podria escuchar?"
"Ay callate. Sabes que pasa si nos devolvemos sin prueba que este gringo esta muerto."
I understand enough to know they are after my husband. Theo, what did you get yourself into?
From what I can tell, the men carry 9mms. And I still don’t know how many there are. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I quickly shoot a look at the master bedroom door and debate what to do. If any gun goes off, Theo will wake up, and he might come barging in the middle of the shooting. I'm torn, but as my mind wrestles with what to do, I know I can't waste any time. The men are already on the stairs. I see three.
Three men. I'll have two bullets left. I just have to hope they didn't send more than three people. The men are still bickering, not very quietly either. It's quite apparent they are low ranked cartel people.
Taking advantage of their lack of attention, I take position and aim.
I manage to hit two of them, with the third moving around as he sees his partners fall to the ground.
"Hijo de puta," I hear the other say as he takes a few stairs at a time to reach the landing, making him on the same level as me. He points the gun towards me.
Simultaneously, the master suite door opens, and Theo looks at the cartel guy and then at me, his eyes widening in understanding. It all happens in less than a second. The cartel guy immediately changes his focus, turning his gun towards Theo. I move as fast as I can to push Theo back inside the room, an
d with a cry, I shoot the guy, luckily hitting the hand holding the gun. His own gun goes off, and whether it’s my movement or his lack of aim, the bullet only grazes my sidearm.
"Bianca!" Theo screams, but I try not to mind him. I turn once again towards the intruder and put a bullet through his head.
I open the door to the room and see Theo on the floor, looking in horror at me.
"You're bleeding." He points towards my arm, but I wave it off.
"We need to leave now!"
Morally Corrupt: A Dark Romance (Morally Questionable Book 1) Page 7