Morozov

Chapter 36

My alarm rang causing me to wake up. I washed up, got dressed and then went downstairs to eat. I didn't want to but I knew I had to. Archie was sitting in the dining room but Ace was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Ace?" I asked as I took a seat and filled my bowl with corn flakes. "I don't know" he shrugged his shoulders, not even bothering to take his eyes off his food. "What do you mean you don't know?"

I didn't even finish my sentence before Archie dropped his fork and looked at me annoyed. "He didn't come home last night so I don't know where he is. What was going through your head yesterday?"

I startled slightly at his sudden outburst and then looked at him in shock. If I were to know how they all would react I for sure wouldn't have called Jack, trust me.

Right before I wanted to say something Archie's phone rang and I could definitely identify the voice on the other end of the line as Ace's.

"Give it to me" I whispered but Archie shook his head. "Archie fucking give it to me" I repeated myself as I got up and reached for the phone but all I did was knock over the carafe with the orange juice. A loud bump erupted from the glass followed by orange juice spilling all over the desk and on the floor.

"FUCK" I blurted out and Archie jumped up before the liquid could spill onto his pants. The housekeeper immediately rushed over and cleaned it up and I mouthed a sorry to her.

"No Mallory just likes to play with food" Archie said my name over exaggerated as he looked at me annoyed. I frowned at him and approached him. This time I actually reached the phone and snatched it out of his hand.

"Ace Dominic Rodrigues if you don't move your ass over here right now I'm gonna get violent. And this time it won't just be the orange juice is that clear?" I snapped into the phone angrily before handing it back to Archie. "Thank you" I said with a fake smile before going to the living room.

One hour later the front door opened and Ace came in. Archie left for work a while ago so we were alone. We locked eyes but instead of coming up to me he went to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and got up to follow him.

"Pleasant day" I hissed at him but he ignored me. "Ace, don't ignore me we really need to talk."  He drank up the glass of water in his hand, slammed it on the counter and left. I scoffed in disbelief before I followed him. "Are you serious? I won't let you punish me with silence so fucking talk to me. You had a lot to say yesterday so why are you being so silent now?"

"Ace" I yelled as I grabbed his arm right before he was about to enter his room. He turned around and snatched his wrist out of my grip before grabbing both of my wrists. They stung at his strength but I didn't let him notice it.

"Don't. you. touch. me" he hissed before letting go again. "Talk to Jack if you trust him so much" he said and that was when I lost it. It wasn't the fact that he was angry at me for bringing Jack to the office. It was the fact that he punished me for trying to help.

I took a swing and slapped him across the face. "Fuck you" I spat as he looked at me in anger. He grabbed my throat and pressed me against the wall next to us. "I won't hit you but I can ban you from the Mafia and send you back to your father if that's what you want" he hissed at me, his face inches away from mine.

I normally liked his face from this close but that was different. His gaze had darkened and he looked more intimidating, almost dangerous.

My heart dropped at that statement. Would he really send me back?

"You wouldn't do that" I said, suddenly my voice was weak. "If you say so" he said before loosening his grip on my throat. "Do you even love me? Or am I just a toy to you? Something you can use and do whatever you want with and when you're done or it gets difficult you just give me back" I concluded in both hatred and pain.

His expression suddenly softened and he looked more hurt than angry. "Do you really think that?" he asked, his voice suddenly containing a hint of vulnerability that he failed to hide. "I don't know. Where were you last night? With one of your prostitutes?"

The hurt look on his face dropped into anger again. With one push he pressed me against the wall again, this time so hard I could barely breathe. I gasped for air as I tried to separate his hand from my throat but he was too strong.

"Ace I can't breathe" I struggled to talk but he didn't loosen his grip. "Fuck you Mallory" he spat before letting go of me. He was visibly shaking out of anger. I could spot a vein on his forehead and not to mention his neck.

I inhaled heavily the second his hand left my skin. "You're right. You should fuck me instead of someone else" I murmured loud enough for him to hear it.

His back was already turned to me but when I said that he came back. He grabbed my face and kissed me harshly. Totally thrown over the top I tried to push him off but he didn't stop. "Ace" I said but he interrupted me with another kiss and I hit his side in response.

I didn't want him to stop but I couldn't let his behavior slide either.

His hands slid down to my waist and pulled me closer to him. "Ace-" "Just shut the fuck up" he said before pressing me against the wall again.