The Collector: A Dark Russian Mafia Romance (The Cells of Kalashov Book 1)

by Vi Carter

  “Come on.” I follow him upstairs and excitement bubbles through my veins. I inhale deeply as we enter the room with the four-poster bed. I step up to it, wetness pools in-between my legs at the thought of having him on top of me, in me. His cock was huge in my mouth, what would it feel like inside me? I close my eyes when his hands touch the bottom of my top. I raise my hands in the air, as he pulls it off. His breath fans out along my neck and my nipples grow hard immediately. I groan when his long fingers roll the nipples, sending waves of pleasure through my system. His large cock pushes against my ass and I bite my lip. Having my back to him makes me braver, and I move my ass against his cock.

  His groan has me grinning and he spins me. He’s removed his shirt and his body is all artwork. My heart beats wildly and fear starts to crawl along my skin. Sleeping with The Collector would be one of the dumbest ideas I’ve ever had. His lips slam down on mine, erasing any doubts I’m having.

  We move back onto the bed and I open my eyes, staring up at the mirror above us. His back is covered in tattoos. A black cross runs down the full length of his spine, his back shifts and moves, making the images look alive. My core throbs and I look away from the image and into dark eyes that threaten to consume me.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  NICHOLAI

  It’s hard not taking her quickly. Even with bruises on her face and body, she’s still gorgeous. There is an air about her, something I can’t put my finger on, but I want to know more about her. She’s intriguing me. I move us up the bed until her head rests on the pillows. Her small breasts are free and they are perfect. She’s glancing up at the mirror again and I grin as I slip out of my trousers and boxers. Her gaze flickers to me and her chest rises and falls fast as I remove everything. Her expression has me crawling back to her. Her blue eyes search mine and the lust that swims in them has my cock growing harder. Her jogging pants slip off easily and she’s not wearing any underwear. Her legs separate under my hands and her head falls back onto the pillow as I place a kiss on the inside of her thigh. My cock wants to fuck her hard, but I take my time. Her pussy is wet, the liquid shines on the inside of her thighs. I stretch her legs further and I glance up at her before I press my mouth to her pussy. She arches while groaning, her hands automatically going to my hair. I sink my tongue in as far as it can go and swirl it inside her sweet pussy. Gripping her thighs, I push her legs back as far as possible. She tastes so sweet. I remove my mouth and dip a finger inside her, her hands leave my hair and I look up at her. Her eyes swirl with lust. I insert a second and third finger, stretching her for my cock.

  “I want to see you,” I say, as I push all three fingers inside her. She arches again and I slowly pull my fingers out.

  “I want to see you in the mirror,” I say lying down and she’s up on her knees. I grab all that blond hair so I can see her as she takes my cock in her mouth. Her warm mouth moves down it and slides back up. Her mouth feels better than the first time, I tighten my hold on her hair and push her head down again. She takes more of my cock in her sweet mouth. Her mouth is warm and small, but she moves down as far as she can go. I want more of her. Pulling her head up, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. I want to fuck her from behind. I want to hold her hair as I pound my cock into her.

  She’s breathing heavily, waiting for what I want to do next.

  “Get on all fours.”

  She bites her lip at my command and I grip her hips, pulling her back towards my throbbing cock. Her pussy is soaking and I dip the head of my cock inside her. She throws her head back, her hair flicking out across her back. I gather it up and grip it as I ease further into her. She cries out as her tight pussy clenches around my cock. I push further in and it feels so fucking good. Running my thumb along her ass that’s wet as well, I’m tempted to pull my cock from her pussy and fuck that tight ass.

  I push fully into her pussy and dip my thumb inside her ass. She cries out and I slowly pull out of both holes before moving back in. My cock stretches her further and she feels perfect around me. I dip more of my thumb into her ass and her groans encourage me to go faster and deeper. The walls of her pussy swell around me and I move my cock faster, pushing my thumb fully into her ass. I move it around as I fuck her pussy hard. Her groans and cries have my release rising quickly. I pound faster, loving the sound of our flesh slapping against each other. I push my thumb deeper in her ass and she cries out.

  “Nicholai.” My name falling from her lips in pleasure has me moving faster, my cock throbs, her ass is soaking and clenches around my finger. I sense her pussy clenching as I drive my cock as fast and hard as I can into her. She screams her release and I pour my seed inside her. I keep pounding until I’m completely emptied. She’s gasping for air when I remove my finger from her ass and cock from her pussy, she rolls over onto her back. Her face is flushed and she looks perfect.

  I roll onto my own back and meet her eyes in the overhead mirror. Her smile has me smiling. Her body fits perfectly against mine, her pussy fits perfectly around my cock. She didn’t seem like a girl who just came from the mill. She was tight, she was fresh. She wasn’t a virgin, but I didn’t think she was that far off it.

  “What’s wrong?” She asks, still breathless.

  I shake my head. “Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all. You were very loud.”

  Her cheeks heat up, but she smiles.

  “I hope no one heard you,” I smile, ‘screaming my name.”

  “I wasn’t exactly screaming it.”

  I raise a brow and look away from the mirror so I can look at her beside me. “You were screaming my name and I liked it.” I kiss her before getting up. I hate doing this, but she needs to go back to her room. Meeting Gail was also another complication I wasn’t happy with. The way she had looked at Mila. I needed to be more careful where I took her. Bringing her out like that was stupid of me.

  After I wash myself down, I return to the room. Mila is still sprawled out on the bed. She isn’t asleep. She’s staring at herself in the mirror. Her eyes skim across each bruise.

  “You are beautiful,” I tell her.

  Her gaze bounces to me. She snorts. “I’m a mess.”

  I take a step towards her and I see that flicker of fear in her eyes. “Bruises will fade, your beauty won’t.”

  She looks away from me, her brows furrowed. I need to get her back to her room. I pull on my boxers and trousers.

  “It’s getting close to morning,” I say.

  Mila sits up on the bed and I pass her my t-shirt and jogging pants. She pulls them on.

  “Do you know when they will come for me?”

  I can’t look at her. “No.” I pull on my shirt. I had no idea what I was going to do. I would cross that bridge when I came to it, I suppose.

  She gets dressed and I walk her downstairs. This is the worst I’ve felt. She pauses at the door. I have no idea what to say to her. She doesn’t linger, but walks into the room. She sits on the floor and I re-cuff her. I pause and touch her face. She leans her cheek into my touch and I get up and leave her alone again.

  MILA

  This time I can’t sleep and I have no vodka in my system to knock me out. I start to sing. I’m tone deaf but I’m thinking whoever is listening in, they will want to tune it out. I sing every song I can think of. I miss most of the words but make up my own. The song is ridiculous, but I start to enjoy myself, knowing I am pissing someone off.

  It’s not close to the kick I used to feel with Eric. When we were together we were nothing but trouble, I was always on a high with him. We normally did something inappropriate, but in my world of rules and men, letting loose wasn’t acceptable, especially not for a girl. Eric could do what he wanted, and he did, but when they discovered I was with him breaking all the rules, they locked me up in the mill to teach me a lesson. My fist tightens into a ball. At first I had really believed that Eric would come rescue me. But he never did.

  ***

  I wake to an empty room. I’m not sure what time i
t is, but it’s still dark, I feel like it’s always dark when I sleep and when I wake. I can’t seem to separate the day from night. Too much joy bounces around inside me when the door opens, but it melts away as a man dressed in black steps into the room. I push myself deeper into the radiator, my chains rattle and he raises a black gloved finger to his mouth telling me to be silent. I’m ready to scream for Nicholai when he moves closer to me, fear closes my throat.

  I can’t see his face as he kneels down and touches the handcuffs. A second figure moves into the room and this one has everything in me growing still.

  Nicholai moves up behind the man soundlessly, his arm tightens around his neck, a small noise leaves the man's lips but it’s cut off as Nicholai tightens his hold on the man's neck. The man starts to claw and move slightly forward. Nicholai is going to kill him if he doesn’t let him go. My heart races and I’m moving again, Nicholai’s eyes clash with mine and I hope mine are screaming my thoughts. I know not to speak, but he is killing him.

  ‘Let him go.’ I mouth, as my throat grows dry.

  The man continues to swing at Nicholai, who moves him further away from me. I’m shaking my head as the man fights for his last breath and loses. His body grows limp in Nicholai’s arms and he drags him out of the room. The door closes and I’m left wondering if that even just happened. If I just watched the light leave the man’s eyes.

  My heart won’t stop jumping at every little sound; I’m waiting for someone to storm the room but no one does. What’s going on? Is there more than one person? Is Nicholai okay? I tug at my handcuffs while holding the chain to try to keep the noise level down, after a moment I abandon the notion to stay quiet and rattle the chains. Using both feet, I push against the radiator and try to break the chain—to no avail.

  “Nicholai!” I scream his name. I’m ready to scream again when he enters the room, his gun out, he’s looking at everything but me.

  When his gaze meets mine, I shake my head to say no one is here. He puts away the gun and his brows furrow as he unlocks my aching wrists.

  Once we leave the sitting room, he steers me into the kitchen and slams the door before turning up the music to a ridiculous level.

  “Don’t ever use my name again.” He’s so close to me, the anger that laces through his words startles me and I take a step back.

  “I thought…” I don’t finish my sentence.

  “You know Oleg is listening. What will he think when you're screaming my name?”

  I can’t breathe with him this close. I take another step back. “I don’t know. That I was hungry or something.”

  “Then you shout for ‘The Collector,’ otherwise, it sounds personal.” His voice lowers and his eyes soften, but I still feel the sting of him reprimanding me.

  “I’ll remember that in the future,” I say and look away from him.

  Everything in me freezes, I don’t know how I hadn’t seen the two bodies before, lying close to the back door. A sheet of plastic under them is stopping the blood that oozes from one man onto the tiled floor. I can’t look away as the walls seem to close in around me.

  “Are they dead?” I ask Nicholai, but I don’t take my eyes off the men. The blood oozes and pools, sending shivers racing across my skin. He had strangled one man and didn’t pause in taking his life. Liddi’s screams and begging of me to help her, haunt me now, as I watch the blood expand.

  “She screamed so loudly,” I say as my throat burns. I cover my mouth with my hand to try to keep in the words that want to pour. “She begged me to help her.” My breaths grow ragged as I stare at the bodies. “She begged me.” I blink and the room spins at the confession. “I covered my ears to stop her screams.” Shame burns deep inside me and I finally look at Nicholai who watches me.

  “My screams covered hers.” Salty liquid enters my mouth and I lick my tear stained lips.

  Nicholai walks over to me and grips my arms in his large hands, hands that just took a life. I shrug him off. “I did nothing for her,” I admit and wipe my face.

  “I can’t help you right now, Mila. I need you to be strong.” He nods and grips my arms again. “Can you be strong for me?”

  His brows rise as he waits for my answer. He’s asking me not to fall apart right now. I nod.

  “Yes.”

  He releases me and returns to the bodies on the ground. Kneeling down he starts to search through their pockets but he comes up with nothing. I take a step closer. Nicholai pulls off the balaclava and the man’s face is younger than I expected. My stomach twists. His eyes are open, staring up at the ceiling. His bloodshot eyes bulge. Nicholai moves his head from left to right and pauses. I step closer, a small tattoo behind his ear of an octopus looks funny. Nicholai curses in Russian again. He searches the other body, but he has no tattoos or markings.

  “Does his tattoo have a meaning?” I ask.

  Nicholai stays hunkered and runs his hands across his face before his dark eyes bore into me. “Yes.”

  My stomach twists. It must have to do with Oleg. He wanted me dead. He wanted his secret buried with me too.

  “It’s personal,” Nicholai says and something that feels like relief swims through me.

  He pulls the plastic over the first body, the man’s face disappears under the plastic. I stay where I am as Nicholai lifts the body out of the kitchen and into the garage.

  I’m staring at the second body which still oozes blood. I’m too close. My stomach lifts and I quickly walk away. Opening cupboards I find the bottle of vodka and drink straight from it. The path it burns down my throat settles me a bit. The rustling of plastic has me glancing over at Nicholai as he wraps the second body and takes it from the kitchen. It’s like no one had even been here. I take another long swallow of the vodka before reluctantly putting the cap back on.

  When Nicholai returns to the kitchen, his gaze lands on me. His tight jaw and stiff shoulders have me putting the bottle down.

  “Come on.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond, but leaves through the garage door. I make a last minute decision and bring the bottle of vodka with me.

  ***

  We drive through the city again and my brain keeps looping to the fact there are two dead bodies in the trunk of the car. I peek at Nicholai several times, he works a muscle in his jaw. I don’t ask why someone would want him dead. It sounded like a stupid question.

  “Does this happen often?” I ask.

  Nicholai’s eyes bounce from the bottle of vodka tucked in between my legs to my eyes.

  “No.” His answer is abrupt. I can’t focus as he runs his thumb across his lips in thought. Right now, I know I shouldn’t be thinking about how gorgeous he is. Right now I should be far more concerned about the bodies in the car. I unscrew the lid and take another drink of vodka. I’m waiting for Nicholai to say something about me drinking, but he doesn’t.

  We drive out as far as the can, and now I think of the turned over soil from earlier. Nicholai gets out and I wonder how many bodies are buried here. I know if he hadn’t killed the men, they would have killed him, maybe even me. Who knew? But it still didn’t stop the uneasy feeling spreading through my veins. I drink again as he drags the bodies in front of the headlights of the car. I’m ready to throw up when he douses them in petrol. Had they families? Children? A wife waiting at home for them to return?

  He drops the match and Nicholai’s face is cast in light and shadows. His gaze meets mine in the car and I don’t know if it’s just me, but I see it. I’ve witnessed a murder. I’ve watched him burn the bodies and no doubt they will be buried here just like the others. The reminder of the smell of burnt flesh from earlier has me drinking again.

  Nicholai walks to the passenger side and opens the door. He leans in and my heart leaps into my throat. His fingers brush mine as he removes the bottle of vodka from my hands and takes a large drink before handing it back. I press my lips to it and drink down more.

  We both share the bottle as we watch the bodies burn. We drink in silence, each
of us lost in our own thoughts.

  CHAPTER NINE

  NICHOLAI

  Mila had just witnessed me killing and burning two men; therefore, I couldn’t leave her in the house on her own. No doubt Gail would send more men. Gail must have been pretty pissed over Dimitri to send men to kill me. I hadn’t thought her so foolish.

  The sun was starting to rise and I needed to get Mila back. She was tipsy, and maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Her wild eyes bounce around the space and I have no idea what’s going through her mind, but I have no doubt that she’s terrified right now.

  She’s smiling all the way back to the house, her head rests against the window and her eyes have fluttered closed. She’s drunk. I can’t remember the last time I got drunk, my system had built up a tolerance quickly to alcohol since my father fed it to me so young. At first I had hated how the alcohol had made me feel, I had no control; the world spun and each time, I threw up. As I grew, my body adjusted to it. My father moved me on from beer to spirits. The transition to spirits was harder the next day. My hangovers would be killers.

  Gail’s neon open sign is off and if I didn’t have Mila, I would be in there demanding answers from Gail. I needed to get Mila home first, then I could return here. There was no other reason for Gail to try to have me killed, only Dimitri, but Gail has been around the block a few times, so I never pictured her getting attached. She was a very clever business woman, or maybe I gave her way more credit than she was due.