Ren
His punches began to feel like pillows and I knew I was about to die. I'd fought hard against him and gotten more than one hit in. But I was going to die like this. How dare he think I was just going to let him kill me? Someone was working alongside him and shut me in here at the wrong time. Why'd I have to ask who he was? He wasn't about to do anything to me until I asked him that. I'm such an idiot.
Then I was being thrown aside. I skidded out into the hall and hit the wall. Who had done this? Was Tyler already giving up? I struggled to sit up and found myself staring at Dean's back. He had taken out his gun and was pointing it at Tyler. Now Dean is an excellent shot and I'm positive he could have hit Tyler in the forehead if he wanted to. They were warning shots, but Tyler didn't think so. If I hadn't been where I was now, then I would have been hit by Tyler's bullets when he pulled out his gun.
I watched in both anger and fear as Dean jumped the table, avoiding Tyler's bullets, and shoved him up against the wall. Where the hell was Cynthia? She said she would be here. I'd left my phone at the hotel by accident. There was no way I could have called her and asked for help before Dean came. Everything had turned to crap and I didn't have the energy to back away from the door now and call for help.
The darkened hallway was quiet as I watched the fight. Their guns were of no use now. The bullets had been used up. Tyler lost his chance to kill Dean the second he successfully jumped over the table. I could hear Dean's fists connecting with his face, and it wasn't a pleasant sound. He was going to kill him. I couldn't stop them. Did I want to stop them? Yes. Am I dumb enough to stand in between them and stop Dean from killing a wanted criminal? Hell no.
The next thing I know, Dean is flying out the room past me. He hit the wall and I heard something crack. It couldn't have been the wall. Come on, I'm trying to be realistic here. Dean would have to be a monster to not come out of this fight without any injuries. Tyler had to be an idiot to think that he had a chance since Dean could be injured right now. When Tyler came hurtling towards me, I thought my life was over.
I curled into a ball and froze when a gust of wind blew past me. Was a window opened or something? I peeked out from under my hair to find that I was in fact still alive and Tyler was nowhere to be seen. I looked over to where Dean had been and found him gone, too! There was a loud crack to my left. My eyes slowly dragged in that direction to see Tyler bent at a weird angle. He was still alive, but I could see that he was willing to die at that point. If it were me, I'd be begging Dean to hurry up and kill me.
Had he broken his back? I don't know. It could have been his back or Tyler used to be a gymnast. Dean got up and I thought he was going to leave him there, but of course he didn't. Dean picked up Tyler and said something to him. I was thinking then that he'd drop him. What is wrong with me? Dean was trained to protect his boss and anyone his boss associates himself with him. Of course he has to kill Tyler. And that's what he did.
Dean snapped Tyler's neck. And if that wasn't enough, he threw him at the wall to make sure he was really dead. Blood sprayed along the wall. I backed away, not wanting any blood to land on me. As much as I wanted to thank Dean for saving me, I wouldn't forgive him for covering me in Tyler's blood.
He finally calmed down and looked back at me. My mouth was open, but no words would come out. Now I really believe Zach when he told me Dean would never be defeated. The man's an effing cyborg. I couldn't believe he took down a man that's had double his training time and came out with barely any scars. This was crazy.
"You okay?" he asked as if he hadn't just killed a man.
"...Y-yeah." I pursed my lips.
"Let's go. No telling who's heading this way now."
I stood up not wanting to be the slow one. It was the second bad decision I made this morning. My left knee gave out and I toppled to the ground. Dean caught me before I fell and I finally realized I could definitely fall for him. The light from the conference room cast a glow on the right side of his face. That's when I noticed his eyes weren't brown. They were hazel green and disturbingly intense. I felt like he was staring into my soul.
Before I could utter another word, he picked me up bridal style and started running. I was astounded by this act of kindness. Since I started acting weird towards him, he's been pretending I didn't exist. I guess me being missing finally made him come to his senses. Zach wouldn't like me dead and Dean doesn't want to be dead. Not yet.
"Don't utter a word to Zach," he growled.
"...Cross my heart." I lost consciousness.
Not a breath was breathed his way.
⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜
1 Year Later
"I want to thank you for taking care of my daughter. I've been trying to find her for the longest, but it seemed like her mother didn't want me to find her."
I was in Russia this week to take care of some business with Don Met'yuz's underboss, Abner Krovopuskov. It was a total coincidence for Nika to be his daughter. Someone he'd been trying to find since his wife took her away.
"Her mother gave her up?" I asked in disbelief.
"No." Abner shook his head. "She died in her first year in America. Turns out there were quite a few Nika Krovopuskovs in America."
"Really? I thought her name would be unique."
"Her mother was very smart. She knew I'd come looking for her after she left."
"Ah. I wouldn't have pegged her as that type of woman." I crossed my legs. "Would you mind me asking why she left? I know Nika led a bad life with many of the families who housed her."
"...I might have been a little more invested in the mafia than my family. It's always family before the mafia. I couldn't help myself and tried to get closer to the don." He shrugged.
"Your..."
"He was a friend. A good friend until I told him I didn't care for being his underboss anymore. I'd just lost my wife and child. There wasn't much to live for anymore. Like...why would I bury myself in work when I needed to find them?"
"You gave up being just as powerful as your friend?"
"You'd have to be a complete idiot to assume I didn't go back and tell him I accepted his offer. Otherwise...how would I be living here?"
That made sense. Of course an underboss would be living a lavish life. Nika was excited to see her father. He was married to another woman, but her half siblings loved her dearly. It was cute seeing them run around squealing like the house was on fire. It warmed my heart and I suddenly felt like an older sister. I could no longer make Nika call me her mother. I would never be her mother.
"I love that it was you who adopted her this last time. No one else would have come to Russia to look for me."
"Everyone is afraid of Russia. Someone saw Nika and mentioned she looked like you."
"One of the representatives, I suppose." Abner looked like he was revolted by mentioning their status.
"Mhmm." Nika was excited to see him again. I knew she didn't remember anything about her father, but with my help she knew enough. When I'd contacted him about it, he immediately took action and arranged for us to be here with him. The scheduling worked out pretty well.
"So...what you came for today..." Abner looked around the kitchen in thought. "The papers are ready. My wife is preparing them for us. I'd get up and go to my office, but I don't want to be away from Nika for too long. No worries about her getting scared about the work I do. She has to be familiar with your life."
"Running away all the time hasn't helped, but she's gotten used to it. Having another baby around hasn't helped either, but the maids at home are lifesavers," I said.
"Why didn't you bring him?" he asked.
"His father is away in Malaysia. Plus, he's just a baby. I didn't want to carry him around to another area so fast."
"Are you married to this said father?"
"No. He's my cousin. I adopted his son, because his ex-wife put him up for adoption, but kept his twin brother. We didn't know until a couple of months after coming to Milan. I...wanted him to take his son, but he said no."
I couldn't imagine being married to my cousin.
"He trusts you, Your Majesty." I hate it when he calls me that. I think he knows I do.
"Too much. My fiancé does, too."
"He didn't come with you this week?"
"He's sick. Or half dead. I told him to be careful on the last mission he did to rescue his best friend's brother." My lips pouted in distaste. "He lied and said he would and ended up in the hospital. I don't like talking about it, because it makes him sound like a bratty teenager."
"...I told you I chased after power. It happens to the best of us. We try to prove who we are to everyone who will listen." Abner shrugged.
"Hahaha. When he heard I had been attacked by Tyler, he went into cardiac arrest. Then a coma. There's not a day that goes by that makes me laugh. You know what I mean?" I let out a chuckle. "He got so worked up about me getting attacked that he went into a coma!"
"I love to see you can laugh." He laughed along with me.
We turned towards the sound of heels clicking on the Pietra Firma Luxtouch tiles of the front hall. I knew it was his wife though her sisters were also here. She came into the kitchen with a stack of papers and a smile on her face. Tatyana was probably the most beautiful woman I'd seen since upon entering the mansion. She was tall enough to be taller than me. Her blonde hair was in soft waves over her shoulders. The decorated dress she had on fit in all the right places.
"Sorry. I had to make sure you had everything. Where's Nika?" Tatyana placed the papers on the table.
"Playing with her brothers," Abner replied almost immediately.
"Already the true princess of her family," she muttered.
To be honest, I didn't think Tatyana would like Nika. First off, she's a stepmother. Second, Nika looked as if she might kill Tatyana if she was mean to her. But Tatyana opened her arms like she was happy to see Nika and began treating her like her own. Gave her food and took her to meet her step aunts. It was the cutest thing I'd seen all year. One memory I'd keep telling to her as she grows up.
"I'll leave you both to it. I'm going out with Nadia and her husband," Tatyana said and pushed her hair off her shoulders. "Do you want anything, Abner?"
"I'm fine. Is it alright for Nika to go along, Your Majesty?" He looked at me. "I like that she's spending time with her brothers, but she needs to see other little girls."
"Of course it's fine." I smiled. "Just text me your address wherever you go. I trust you'll keep her safe while we're here."
Tatyana left us, her heels clicking back down the hall. I didn't trust her, but trust needed to start somewhere. Nika would be fine. Nothing would happen to her. I believe that. There was a patter of little feet coming down the hall almost as soon as Tatyana left. Abner handed me a couple of papers and I happened to read a little bit before Nika shot into the kitchen.
"Mamochka!" Nika squealed as she ran into the kitchen.
Yeeeah. About being her older sister. I can't get her to stop calling me her mother. Abner looked at me with an eyebrow raised and smirked. He knew about this problem, but he never said he didn't like it. For a man his age, he was as fit as he was handsome. That was saying something.
"Tetya Ren!"
Nika's brothers were running after her. I never thought about it, but they were at least a couple of years older than her. It always amazed me how one could lose their sister for about three years and connect with her unexpectedly. It was both a miracle and fate. If you believe in such a thing. I'm happy as long as Nika's happy.
"Vy pozvolite Nike vernut'sya?" The smallest boy looked up at me with his icy blue eyes. "Please."
I looked to Abner for a translation.
"They want to know if you're going to let Nika come back." He laughed.
"Of course I am. She deserves you guys so much." I ruffled his blonde hair.
"Ona budet. Nika dlya menya osobennyy." Abner began waving them off. "A teper' begi."
"Papa." Nika ran to her father and threw herself at him. "Chto ty mne dal?"
"What did I get you?" Abner chuckled. "Eto syurpriz."
Right. It's Nika's third birthday. I have something for her, but I wanted to give it to her whenever we got back to Milan. When she's with her brother. Speaking of brothers, Byung-chul's due back in Italy tomorrow. It's better we leave tonight and arrive before him. Unless he's planning to come earlier.
While I busied myself with reading over the contracts and papers Tatyana brought us, Abner played with Nika. Teasing her about her birthday gift. We were leaving tomorrow morning and I wanted her to spend as much time as she could with her family here. We wouldn't see them for maybe half a year before all contracts with Russia were finalized. Then it was on to finish with Don Lafayette and back to Don Han to give him what he wanted.
I thought thirty minutes would be enough time for me to read over everything and sign, but that proved impossible. I was up more than once getting food and drinking coffee. Nika had already gone with Tatyana and Abner was entertaining his sister-in-laws and his sons. I felt as if I belonged with his family, but I didn't want to get too comfortable. Especially since I could do something stupid and be on their bad sides in a heartbeat.
I finished signing the contracts well after seven. Abner had just come back after dropping off his sister-in-laws with his wife and Nika in tow. Tatyana began to prepare dinner. She began talking about Pelmeni and how I had to try it. Of course I was going to try it. When she described what she was going to put in it, my mouth was watering like crazy.
"I'll just take these, Your Majesty." Abner began shuffling the papers off the table. "Did you have any questions? Anything you want to know?"
"Yes. I wanted to know about the global alliance. The benefits are a little off for me," I said truthfully. "Not that I care, but when you're being trusted to bring good to the mafia, it's hard to ignore."
"I know exactly what you mean. To be honest, Don Met'yuz would gladly talk about it with Don Han."
"Thank you, Abner. Now that that's finished, I really hope we can...relax and not think about the mafia and alliances."
"Of course, of course. Detka, we will be in the parlor if you need any help."
"Mhmm. Don't get too crazy."
In the parlor, Abner and I sat a few feet from the television. Nika was sleeping in front of it with her brothers crowded around her. It was cute and I instantly thought of how they seemed to be protecting her. Abner was looking too. He smiled and noted that it was fine they started protecting her this young. Russian girls in the mafia were in more danger than they seemed to be. Especially as young girls. They meant more to their fathers than their older sisters.
"About your fiancé. What's his name again?" Abner asked.
"Zacharias Matthews. I just call him Zach," I said. "Is there anything you want to know?"
"...Not in particular. Who is his father? His last name sounds familiar."
There were many people in America with the last name Matthews. There was no way he could single out Zach and instantly know him by his father. Just like me. I was a Chapelle in France. You can't go up to some random person who paid no attention to the Internet or wasn't in the mafia and ask them if they knew the Chapelles. I knew a couple of them myself and they aren't even family.
"He doesn't speak about his father much. Not after what happened to his mother," I said softly. "It's quite tragic. She was kidnapped after going to the grocery store and last Zach heard about her, she was being flown overseas."
"To where?"
"I don't know. He never said. His father helped up with accommodations in the States, then he vanished. Not even Zach knows where he is."
Abner looked as if he might say something about this, but stopped. He looked over to Nika and his sons. I wonder what he's thinking. Why does he feel so comfortable in his home that he's invited me and Nika in so quickly? Everything about Abner and his family is perfect. They're loving and all, but there really is something bugging me about him.
"I heard about your parents, Rena," he pointed out. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it for the funeral. They were good people and I'm happy your guard killed Tyler. We'd been after him for years. He never settled down. And to think his own cousin put him in this situation."
"That is surprising. Cynthia is quite the...attraction. I was lied to that night, but it turned into the best ambush." I smiled.
"And you are lucky, Rena. Without you, Nika wouldn't be with me right now."
"I always remind myself it could have gone worse. I'm glad there are people around me who care about me. I hope you and your family can be added to this list."
"Of course. My allegiance is with you and the Russian mafia."
Tatyana strode into the parlor and planted a kiss on Abner's cheek. I ducked my head upon thinking about how Zach and I used to be. Then Cory. Sometimes I wish Jae never came back, but that's why I have Dominick. Tatyana noticed and chuckled.
"Do you know a Zacharias Matthews?" Abner asked his wife.
"Not that I know of." She hummed in thought. "I thought Quentin had a son named Zacharias. You know he just came back from his overseas trip not too long ago."
"And he lost his wife to some lowly gang."
"That's right! Do you know him, Ren? I mean his son?"
I looked at her and nodded slowly. He's my fiancé if we're talking about the same Zach.
"Isn't that nice? Are you friends with him? I don't think Quentin has seen him since moving back home."
"...Umm." I cleared my throat. "He's my fiancé."
"Zhenikh?" She laughed. "It's a small world. He would be pleased to meet his future daughter-in-law."
Abner chuckled along with his wife and sent her back into the kitchen. She promised to come back with food and my stomach growled at the word. Yes, I'm starving. I hadn't really had anything since last night. I couldn't stomach anything while I thought about signing the contracts. I could still eff up something. Not that I wasn't being careful.
"...I have something to tell you, Rena." Abner's smile was gone. Replaced by an expression I couldn't quite place. "It's going to sound crazy, but I've pieced it together and I know who Zacharias reminds me of."
"Hit me. It can't be so bad." I reached across the small table and took his hand.
"You remember my friend? The don?"
"Mhm."
"Quentin. Quentin Matthews is his name and Zacharias is his son."
I couldn't quite place what I was feeling when he said that. I know Zach was a little too egoistic for a man who proved to only be a gangster. And I thought I was surprised to find out that I might inherit more than money. This news was far more unexpected than what I thought.
Zach is the son of the Russian mafia don.
⁜ ⁜ ⁜ ⁜
I am extremely sad right now. First off, In The Dark has officially ended. I'm going to miss this story. I thought the rest of my schedule was going to play perfectly, but I forgot I have college in August. Second, I'm literally in that stage where I have to decide whether I want to yell at someone to get them to understand me or just go along with what I'm being asked to do. Tough, but I'm not dying.
I wish I could do more for you guys beside editing the story. College shopping list is growing and I might end up bankrupt. Also...I actually have summer plans, so me can not be the author I want to be. I just want everyone to know that I love them and I'm going to miss you. Like really miss you until I come back for another story.
Love you guys. Hugs and kisses😘
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