Thirty-One:
Dove
They say you can see into someone's soul through their eyes.
And, like usual, Gedeon's eyes were the hardest to replicate whenever my mind wandered, and I have the urge to sketch him. Lately, it seemed every single whim of my thought was about him. When I started, I would draw simple things. The pages were filled with pictures of my mother, flowers, sometimes even sceneries of the sky, trees, or birds.
Now, the last few dozen or so is about him. Mainly his blue eyes that drew me in and held me there like a captive. The alluring blue that should be a sin to exist on anyone. How even though he never smiles all that often, his eyes give him away if he was angry or amused. He may be poker-faced most of the time, but his eyes were an open window. He may try hiding it, but it seemed everyone besides me was able to tell how he truly felt.
Actually, Gedeon's eyes reminded me a lot of—
I jumped out of my skin and shut my book quickly when someone barged into my room without so much as a knock. Startled, I turned to see Lizabeta come marching into the room with a scowl on her face. In a pair of tights and sweatpants, it seemed she had just gone for a run. Staring up from where I was seated, I gave her a wary smile. "Hello Lizabeta, how—"
"Get the fuck up and follow me," she snapped. She didn't allow me time to process before yanking my wrist, causing me to yelp. "We don't have time to explain shit and Gedeon's going to skin me if I don't get you in the emergency bunker in the back."
"Oh, where are we—"
Again, she cuts me off. "Shut the fuck up we don't have time for this shit."
"Wait, I need my book," I objected as she tried to pull me out of my room. I had no idea what was happening, but it seemed bad if I had to leave under Gedeon's wishes. It was the only thing I had to take with me. To calm me besides Gedeon's jacket he had given me the first time we met that I had around my shoulders currently.
"We don't have time for it," she snapped, uninterested in my problem. "All that matters is your body in one piece intact."
"I need my book," I repeated firmer this time around while pulling away after prying at her arm. "Please. I can't leave without it."
Cursing under her breath, she lets me go and darted back to where my tattered copy of Little Women laid after grabbing me out in a hurry. I had yet to figure out what was happening, but I had come around to know and accept that she won't hurt me much like Nicolai. They tolerated my existence at best.
She tossed the book to me and then continued to drag me out. I followed behind her, trying to catch my breath as she ran out of the estate now with me barely able to catch up. I noticed many guards I've never seen around the perimeter, swarming the area with radios and rifles.
"This is just the beginning."
Anthony's voice rang through my head as I stared at the men. Thousands will die if I didn't go back to Robert at the end of the week. The thought of escaping to going back had swarmed my day, assaulting me whenever I was alone. I could play ignorance because Gedeon hasn't said anything, but how long can I play dumb?
How long before he realized I'm not worth it?
"Wait, where's Aleksei and Ana?" I asked with perplexity.
"Aleksei is patrolling, and Anastasia already knows the drill. She'll be fine."
A large beeping rang through the air, making me flinch while Lizabeta cursed once more. She came to a full stop and turned her head to look back at the estate. The blaring noise only got louder and just like that; all the men were running into the building while others raised their riffles on high alert. I turned my attention back to Lizabeta who stopped running, her eyes darting as she accessed the situation. I've never seen her lose her cool like that, but the blaring sounds have caused her eyes to flash with nervousness for just a moment before it hardened, and anger resides. "What does the sound mean?"
"That's the emergency panic button. It means the fucking Italians infatuated the damn building somewhere, now come on. We don't have time. We have to move you underground" she tried to tug me to follow her when a high-pitched scream and gunshot ringing caused us both to freeze up.
The sound was familiar. It made my blood run cold at the realization of who it was.
And it was coming from my room.
I didn't think before I reacted first. With Lizabeta's grip on me loosened by Anastasia's sudden cry, I let go and darted back into the building. I didn't stop, even when she called my name. Even when my heart was beating so erratically, I felt like I might go into cardiac arrest. My lungs burned; my eyes watered but all I could think about was Anastasia.
She had gone back to make sure I was safe rather than finding shelter.
Throwing open the door, I dropped my book and tripped myself through the doorway. Standing before me were three men, their eyes snapping up from Anastasia to me but all I could focus on was on her. Tears were streaming down her face. Her clothes were all still intact, which made me feel a bit more at ease. One of the men was holding onto her long hair, pulling it from where she was kneeling on the floor while whimpering. The two other men that had their guns pointed at me lowered it when they realized I was alone.
"Well if it isn't Robert's pigeon," the guy holding Anastaisa by the hair snickered. His face was covered in scars of all shapes and sizes. His round belly protruding through the shirt he was wearing with his long beard a mess along with his black hair. I realized at that moment I've seen him before. He was one of Robert's friends. And he well remembered me from the grin on his face when he realized my body was shaking.
"Let her go, please," I said wearily, trying to keep my voice even and strong although I was assaulted by the memories over and over. Him holding me down while Robert would tell everyone how good I felt. How tight I was to be taken in front of everyone with my body bent over in one of his meetings. How he made everyone watch me cry and take off their pants. Robert offering my mouth to those –
"It's fine, Dove. Just run and –" Anastasia was cut off when one of the yanked her hair upwards, making her yelp and whimper. Suddenly, I snapped back to reality seeing her in distress and pain. Even when she was in danger, she wanted me to be out of harm's way.
"Please, I'll go with you," I told them as I took another step forward. "I'll do whatever you want, just please let her go."
All three men share a look, debating. When none of them did anything, I brought my shaky fingers up to my shoulders and shrugged off Gedeon's sweater. They watched, silent as I then went to the side of my dress and pulled down the zipper. Anastasia shook her head at me, crying harder as my dress hits the floor.
Disgust ran through me when I saw their eyes roamed around my body in only a bra and panties. But immediately, the guy holding Anastaisa lets go. She tumbled onto the floor and tears welled when he kicked her. "Get the fuck out."
Anastasia's eyes were on me. "Dove—"
"Go, please," I said, begging her with my eyes. I knew at the end of the day, they were after me. Robert would stop at nothing to break me, to own me. There was no way I was going to allow anyone else to get involved in my mess. "Please, Ana."
She swallowed, choking back her tears before she picked herself and ran out.
I didn't get to see her turn before pain shot through my body, realizing that the same guy that held down Anastasia before had yanked me by my hair hard until I fell onto the floor. Terror filled me while he chuckled, trailing a finger down the pale skin of my back. I refused to cry, refused to give him the satisfaction even as he snapped off my bra while he held me down with the weight of his body. The other two men didn't say anything, but to be exposed to them reminded me of the past. Reminded me how sickening the feeling was.
"You know," he said, his voice thick and croaked against the crook of my neck. My blood ran cold, and I was moments from throwing up at his next comment. "Robert did say it'll be just perfect if I'm able to teach you a lesson here and snap some pictures for him."
"We don't have time," one of them said. "The bitch might go run and get help."
"A quickie won't fucking kill me. Their little boss is out with Mateo anyways and won't be back anytime soon," he snarled. My stomach churned more as my mind wondered if he was okay. If my Father had harmed him in any way. "Not to mention, we have her hostage, they ain't going to do shit," he continued biting at the lobe of ears. I wanted to throw up. It wasn't like when Gedeon touched me that made me want more and safe. "Watch the door, I've always wanted a taste of her since I saw the pictures. Robert said you have the sweetest and tightest cunt ever like a seasoned whore. Should we see?"
Unconsciously, I started to struggle against him, though I knew it would be useless anyway. I yelped when he dug his nails hard into my hips. His touch burned, and I wanted to go withdraw to the back of my mind. He struck something into the back of my head, and everything went white for a moment from the pain before he pressed it hard onto the back of my skull. "Struggle and I'll blow your head out."
I wanted him to.
Suddenly, a couple of fire shots rang around me and I closed my eyes, my breath catching in my throat. I didn't dare open my eyes as I waited for pain and death to envelop me. In the past, it was all I wanted. A painless death to join my Mother on the other side.
Yet, another part of me wanted to know Gedeon was going to be okay.
That my death wasn't going to be for nothing. That I was able to say goodbye.
I wanted to see Gedeon one more time. I wanted to make sure he was okay.
The guy that was over me suddenly fell over me, his weight crushing me. I waited for death to take me away but no longer than two seconds later, the dead weight of the guy on top of me was suddenly yanked off of me but I refused to open my eyes. I laid there, terrified. Terrified to even hope was here to save me from my personal hell.
Then, I was shifted. Something soft hits my shoulder and then I was enveloped. A choked sob rocked through me when the scent, the familiar scent of warmth takes over me. Protected, safe, and loved. "Dove, Precious. Please tell me you're okay," Gedeon's voice broke through my sob as I clawed at him, needing him to be closer than ever before. His voice was tormented and raw, something I've never heard before. Gently opening my eyes, his blue eyes connected to mine. So many emotions swimming in those eyes as he cupped my face. "Dove."
"Gedeon," I whispered, feeling breathless. I thought I was hallucinating, that it was just all in my head. But when my hand met his that was cupping my face, I knew he was here. He saved me. "You're here."
"I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry, baby. I got here as fast as I can," he mumbled, his free hand going behind my back, rubbing small circles as he nuzzled into the crane of my neck. It was different than before like he was taking away all the bad memories. "Did they..."
"No, no they didn't," I consoled him. Though the anger in his eyes didn't subdue when his eyes fell onto my bra and panties.
"I wanted them to die a horrible death," he confessed. "But I couldn't think when I saw them there. I got here soon as I can."
My eyes wandered over to where the bodies were. Dark blood stains the marble floor in my room, and I knew I wouldn't be able to step into this room without the memories. Just as my eyes fell onto the tip of one of the dead guy's fingers, Gedeon stopped me by holding onto my chin. "Don't look over there. Look at me Precious," he lightly commanded with a frown. When our eyes connected, he brushed the pad of his thumb over my cheeks. Suddenly, all the tension from the past few days since our fallout in the greenhouse disappeared as we both made sure we were okay. "Good girl."
I squirmed at his appraisal, causing him to hiss. His whole body turned rigid and immediately, my eyes widened when he shifted. I felt the bottom of my thighs went that I soon realized it was blood. Not just anyone's blood either as my eyes caught into the hole in his pants. I gasped, stumbling out of the comfort of his lap. "You're shot."
"So?" he gritted out. "And you almost got fucking raped and killed."
"I'm fine," I swallowed as he got up. That was when I was finally about to really analyze him. His forehead was slick with sweat, a bit trickling off his forehead. His blue shirt was stained with sweat and a mixture of dirt and blood. The small gaping hole in his slack where his thighs looked to be soaking in his blood pained me. "You should get help."
"Yeah, I don't think we could do that right now," he grumbled as I gently took his hands and helped me up. Even when he had it the worse, he still was looking out for me. He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around my body tightly, shielding me from the world. "Why didn't you listen to Lizabeta and follow her?"
"Because Anastasia was endangered," I confessed. "They had gotten her because she went looking for me."
"Jesus, Dove. If you had gotten hurt..." he took a shaky breath as we got out of my bedroom. He said something in Russian to the other guarded men who nodded and dispersed. "We're going to meet up with the others in my office. It seemed, for the most part, the Italians have left but they're going to do a thorough check while we go over what the hell happened."
Entering his office, I led him into the sofa. Not missing a beat, I took the throw blanket that was left there from last time and wrapped it to the best of my abilities around Gedeon's thigh that was still bleeding out. Neither of us said a word as we waited for others to come. If I had hurt him, he doesn't say anything. Knotting it until we were safe enough to visit Dr. Benson, I got up to take a seat somewhere else when he took a hold of my wrist. We didn't break the silence as he leads me to sit onto his uninjured thigh. His hands wrapped around my body, forcing me to sit on his lap. His jaws clenched but didn't try pulling me away. "You have no idea how many deaths I've faced seeing him on top of you with a gun in your head."
"Gedeon, I'm okay," I whispered, cupping his cheeks to make sure he was looking at me. He exhales a shaky breath and buried half of his face until my palm. I can feel his lips extend out to kiss it as if he was in a turmoil of emotions. How pained he looked made my heartache, like how I felt with him bleeding out and still came straight here to protect me.
Why?
"Why do you keep running into danger like that?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"What was I supposed to do?" I fired back instead.
"Listen to me. Let Lizabeta handle it because she's better trained than you and your recklessness," he murmured. Tightening his grip around my hips, his eyes pierced into my soul. "Let me keep you safe from now on. Let me protect you from the Italians, from everyone that will dare harm you..."
I didn't dare let my mind wander to what he meant by that.
"They..." I trailed off, refusing to finish.
He nodded. "The reason why I'm so set on destroying everyone, especially your father and Robert, was because I remembered them there. They killed my Mother. They found where we were hiding, and after raping her with the other men, they burnt down the house. They didn't know I survived. They think I'm adopted to keep my father from losing it completely. I will do everything to kill every single one involved in her death. And I will do that with you if you ever get hurt."
"Why?" I plucked up my courage to ask.
"You're my wife, my Queen," he took a long pause as he drew me in closer. I swallowed nervously, wetting my dry lips that he followed like a spell. To have him captivated me so much as I was with him was exhilarating and made my heart ease. It felt natural with him. Everything felt right when it came to Gedeon. Shakingly, I let my chest onto his. Letting the heat rush to me that I was half-naked as my hands rested onto his broad shoulders. His Adam's apple bobbing as he croaked out, "You're my Jian bird."
"Jain?"
Our lips were mere inches apart at this point as we waited for one another to lean in. Eyes half-closed, sharing this intimate moment where it was just us. It wasn't just our bodies reacting to one another like firecrackers, but our hearts too. But the moment was lost when the office door barges open. Gedeon snaked both arms around me, shielded my partially naked body since I was going to either jump out of his hold before or turned my body to face them.
Craning my neck back, I choked back a sigh of relief as I see everyone was here safe. But when Anastasia came tumbling in to give me a tight hug as she tried to push away Gedeon, I hugged her back. "You're safe."
"Thanks to you," she replied, teary-eyed.
"We don't have time. Where is that fucking book of yours?" Lizabeta growled out. She threw her hands in the air and kicked the nearest thing next to her which happened to be a table. "The day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"
"My book?" I blinked a few times before realization hits me. "Why do you need it?"
"There's a tracker and an explosive," Timor filled me in. "And we don't know when it'll go off but that's how the Italians were able to find out where you live. Where we live."
"Found it in her room with the three dead men," Nicolai barged into the room holding my book. Timor took out a lighter and when I realized what they were planning to do, I started to thrash from Gedeon's lap to escape. When he refused to let me go even though he was in pain, I broke into a sob.
"No, please don't burn it, it's the only thing I have my mother gave me," I wailed, shaking my head. "Please, find another way. I'll do it."
"No," Gedeon snapped from behind me.
"I don't have time to check for the tracker either," Nicolai grounded out. "For all we know, it's bugged to explode in the exact estimated time it took for us to get here."
"No, no, please," I began to sob. It was the only thing I had left, to remind me of her. So many nights that I was close to losing my sanity, but it was because of the book. Because of her that I was able to hold onto my spirit.
"Give me the fucking book," Gedeon snapped. Tucking the jacket he had given me tightly around my body, I could see his jaws clenching as gathered me onto his arms and shifted me onto the couch before getting up.
"Careful Gedeon, we still need Dr. Benzo to check that wound shot," Timor warned. Ignoring him, he snatched the book from Timor as he examined the book. Anastasia, who was still next to me, rubbed my back soothingly as I prayed that what they said wasn't true. That father didn't take the only thing I had of my mother and made it into something else.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, everyone cursed. I heard a ripping sound and sure enough, Gedeon produced a small rectangular square from the inside spine of the book. It blinks a low emitted light, so dim that you wouldn't even notice. Everyone quiets before he hands the piece to Lizabeta. "You know how to discard this?"
"I make explosive shit for fun, the hell you think?" she snapped. Grabbing it from Gedeon, she immediately exits the room, and then Gedeon hands my book over to Timor. "Get a metal detector to double-check, and don't damage the book either. Nicolai, I need you to do one more thorough sweep around the estate. You're the one with the best eye with these kinds of shit. Stop by and get Dr. Benzo too."
"On it," they both nodded firmly and exiting to leaving us with Aleksei and Anastasia.
"What the hell happened with Mateo?" Aleksei asked, his lips pressed thinly. "The Italians came out of nowhere with their attack. Good thing we had enough men so they could retreat in the meantime, but it's getting more and more serious."
"The alliance was called off."
"What?" Anastasia gasped; her mouth opened in a gap. She tightened her arms around me as if I would disappear now that the truth was revealed.
"The alliance, Dove's hand in marriage for an alliance is over," he snickered, shaking his head. "Dove's deadbeat father double-crossed me."
And everyone in the room knew what that meant.
Gedeon didn't need me anymore. Anthony's words rang louder than ever before as Gedeon's hold on me only tightened as if he knew what I was thinking.
So, Dove, now that you're given an open cage, what will you do? Go back to Robert or stay here and let everyone here be slaughtered?
Five more chapters until Book One is completed! Thank you so much for everyone's patience!
What do you think Dove will do?