Chapter 30
Edited
"Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head at Maksim's question, shivering to death despite the rising atmosphere. "No."
"The bruises on your face?" Arseny looked about ready to slay someone to pieces.
"That was me," Erik said, wiping the blood from under his nose. "Bitch had the nerve to knee my balls. I decided a lesson was needed."
"You need to be taught a lesson," Arseny started forward.
"Not yet," Lukas said, calmly, forcing his brother back down.
"If that's bad you should have seen the clothes she had on before this," Vitaly scoffed.
"What clothes?" Maksim turned feral.
"A schoolgirl uniform," Angelo answered, taking a bite of his steak.
Krugan, with a menacing glare, tightened his fingers on his gun. "You dressed her like some sex doll? What kind of sick human being are you?"
"I would like to know as well," Angelo stared at Erik. "You youngsters get more and more abrasive with your fetish for certain things that disturb me. What has your father taught you?"
"Wouldn't know," Erik ground his teeth together from the corner where he watched over us all, his gun hung between his legs. "Boris was gone most of his time acting as a God for the Bratva that wasn't his."
"You say that with so much conviction."
"It's the truth," Erik hissed, glowering from under frail eyelashes that came off as feminine. "Abandonment issues can cause serious, deviant behavior. I guess I took up a few sadistic urges to tame me."
"Tame you?" I glared at him. "You nearly raped me!"
"What," came several howls.
There was actual fear in his eyes. Erik shifted his weight, holding his gun a little more forcefully with less confidence than he had before. A nervous twitch I noted since we were kids.
"It was nothing," he said, looking at the ground.
"Nothing?" Maksim stood up so fast no one had time to stop the severe knockout that came as punched Erik in a swift justice. Not that anyone made a move to stop him. Again Erik was on the floor, unconscious, but Maksim didn't stop; he kept punching, punching and punching.
"Maksim stop," I begged, gently at first but voice rising. "Stop it, now!"
With one final blow Maksim shot up from a bleeding Erik, his face unrecognizable with the swollen damage and blood filling what used to be his pretty boy face. Though dazed, Erik moaned in his sleep. The pain must have been powerful enough to impact him while wrapped in darkness.
He spat on Erik's face. "Yebanaya suka." Fucking bitch.
"You are still as fast as I hoped my fighter," acknowledged Angelo. "We will need you back in the ring soon. This one," brushing a lock over my ear, "has preoccupied your mind too much. You have skipped many fights. We need to fix that."
"I told you I wanted out," Maksim growled.
Angelo scoffed. "You will never be able to get out of this. This is your life. All men of the Mafia understand the sacrifice. You must," his hand snaked in my hair, gripping to the roots, "let go of this fantasy with my niece. You are from different worlds."
"Our world is the same," I said, biting the pain. "What you see is a daughter of royalty and a soldier."
"That is what he is." He twisted me to look at him again. "He is Made Man. They know no love. They must know guns. Skill. Not of the heart."
"Have you never known love?" I asked, feeling brazen.
Angelo let me go, his anger faltering. "Once. But she traded her life to be with a lesser man. She left me, and had his children. And now I want what he stole from me."
"You're talking about our father," Konstantin said.
"Yes. Nadya was mine before he came along. She was promised to my brother. Your father, Korina. When she rejected the marriage, I tried to talk to her back into it. Igor said I had a gift of making people see reason."
"You must have done more than that," snared Arseny, a black look in his green eyes.
"It takes two to tangle," added Angelo.
"Can we skip this part," said Aleks with a disgusted sneer. "This is my mother you are talking about. I don't want to hear about what she did between the sheets."
"Neither do I," Damir shuddered.
"All that aside," Angelo continued. "We fell in love. Your mother wanted to run away. She didn't want the life Igor gave her. She said she was better back on the streets where he found her. But I wanted the Mafia. Was born into it as second son. I decided to stay; she ran."
"That's how she met out father," Maksim supplied. "He was a street fighter. Was really good. Got recruited by Igor after finding out where my mother was hiding out. They became imprisoned by him. Until my mother got pregnant."
"The same time my mother got pregnant by my father," I said.
Angelo gripped his glass, tightly. "Yes. They left all together. But Kristopher got shot. Nadya escaped from us with the help of young Vitaly. And Boris and Igor thought them to be dead."
"And the baby?"
"Was abducted at the age of three," Konstantin jumped in, knuckles white. "I know this because I met my brother years later. Luka was that baby. The eldest son."
I cut daggers at Lukas. "Does that mean you knew who my sister was? Where she might have been this entire time?"
Lukas glanced at Angelo, who nodded to him. Getting up the elder son left the room. What the hell was he doing?
The shuffling of steps could be heard upstairs, and then a feminine scream. I jumped, my heart doing the same as a sense of knowing settled around me - in me.
I knew it was her. My twin sister.
Then came a soft, scratchy voice in fluid Russian. "Pozhaluysta, postaray menya, Luka. YA mogu khodit'." Please put me down, Luka. I can walk.
A resounding slap came to my ears followed by a yelp. "Pogovorite so mnoy, i ya strogo nakazhu vas." Talk back to me and I will punish you severely.
Lukas came into the room with a petite form over his shoulder. Her hands were tied in front of her, and a long stream of golden hair fell in front of her face as she slid down his chest, wrapped in his arms like the fragile child she appeared to be.
"Korina," Angelo started. "Meet your twin sister. Valeriya."
The girl lifted her head. Strands of her hair stuck to her face, but when she looked at me they framed the bluest eyes I ever saw. They widened upon seeing me, and I must have looked as wild as she did.
Valeriya spun to face Lukas. "Kto ona takaya?" Who is she?
Lukas said, "Vasha krov'." Your blood.
She gaped. "Korina."
"You know me?" I asked, tentatively.
She shook her head. "Ne ponimayu." Don't understand.
"She only speaks Russian?"
"Igor did a number on her," Angelo said, sympathy in his eyes. "You would not have wanted to be there when I found her. She was in bad shape. He didn't allow her to be taught much of anything else. Her language is what you hear. The only other person she has as company is Lukas here."
I pulled against my restraints. "You knew. You knew the minute you saw me in Dom Miloserdiya. That's why you treated me the way you did. Why you taught me how to defend myself. Why you took care of making me stronger."
"The moment," Lukas began, "I saw you it was clear who you were. Before all of it, I had no idea Valeriya had a twin sister. Until I confronted Angelo about you after you left the Sick House. Everything else I did was to keep you from the truth. From Valeriya."
"Why?"
"He's become attached," Angelo stated, raising his champaign glass. "A possessive beast of sorts. Particularly protective."
"Not attached," Lukas snapped. "I don't get attached. I needed her on our side or else she'd have gone back to Igor. Then we'd all be fucked."
"How would we be fucked? She's just a little girl," added Aleks.
Lukas scoffed. "This little girl can slit your throat faster than you can blink your eyes. She's trained to be deceptive." He rubbed the scar on his face just above his eye. "I know from experience."
"She has the Volkov temper," Angelo grinned.
"She has a loose mouth. Nothing I can't sew shut."
"Touch her and I cut off your fingers," I hissed, trying to stand up.
Angelo laughed. "Beautiful. A true queen demanding her soldier."
"I'm not her soldier," Lukas rasped at the same time I disagreed, "I'm not a queen."
"You will be," he said with a seriousness in his tone conveyed as a vow. "In time. Pavel will have to step down. Whoever you choose to be your husband, they will become your king. This story does not end in your favor. This is what life holds. No control. We are all puppets."
"So why am I here?" I stared my uncle to his very soul. "Why are we all here?"
"To solve years of battle between me and the Bratva. I want a war. But I am willing to form a treaty. For you."
"For me?"
"Igor is dead. Your father has reign over the Bratva. All I want is something from you."
"What do you want from me? I don't have anything you'd possibly-"
"Marry Maksimillian Nikolaev."
I lost the conversation.
After some time I swallowed to get the question past my lips. "What?"
"The Bratva and I are separate units. I ally with Nostra Costa. It will be a very bloody battle should you not uphold this. There have been many contracts in your way. Now you must choose."
"And if I don't?"
"I'll kill the boy you love the most."
I felt an invisible dagger stab me in the chest. Kill Maksim?
"Why? What could gain from the marriage?"
"You're stalling," he grinned sideways. "But you must understand this marriage is not for me. But for you. You love the boy. Why have you waited? I'm sure we would all like to know."
I faltered as attention grabbed me, held me like hooks. I glanced at Maksim, only to find his gaze already on me, and knew he wanted the same answer. It was time. Of all the obstacles we endured; the road was always going to lead here.
But was I ready? Certainly not.
I sighed in my head. Maybe I was lying to myself. This whole time I listened to my head out of fear to keepsake my heart, and yet Maksim still managed to get under my skin. To ignite passion in me with a single touch.
"There will not be much time for you to decide," Angelo picked up his gun, and aimed the barrel at Maksim's head. "I'll give to the count of three."
"Wait," I stammered.
"He's bluffing," Maksim said as his brothers drew their guns at Angelo.
"Not likely," he replied, a cold depth in his gaze.
"Do it and a bullet goes between your eyes," Krugan threatened.
"Do it," Angelo pulled the knife back at my throat, "and both die. You lose more than I."
"Put down your guns,"Maksim ordered. "I rather die than let her join me in death."
"One." Angelo pulled back the clip.
"Fuck," Konstantin spat before dropping his gun alongside all his brothers.
"Two." His finger slid to the trigger.
"I'll do it," I yelled. "I'll do it. Just, please. Don't shoot him. Please."
"Excellent. You just saved a lot of people, Korina. There will be no war today. Unfortunately."
"Wait," I said, eager to negotiate terms. "I have conditions."
Angelo furrowed his brows. "You are in no position to be making demands."
"If you want me to marry for peace; I want to you to give me a few things in return. For safety of my family and Maksim's. And because all of this could have been avoided if you spoke to us in a civilized conversation."
"I don't do things civilized. You would have refused me had I not."
He had a point there.
"That is why I had Erik bring you here. I am on no one's side. I play for my own survival. His intentions are his own. Igor and Pavel lost my support when they ran me out."
"You're even willing to kill your family in the process?"
He eyed me slowly, gaze empty. "Yes. You are not family. I want nothing to do with you. But I will get what I want. This union will give me the power I have, tenfold. In doing so I gain another slip in the Mafia without moving a finger. And then I'll destroy Boris and your father."
And there it was. The truth behind his intentions.
"You want to bring down my father because you got kicked out of the Familia?"
He slammed his gun down sending a thud of electricity through us all. I flinched, the bang closet to me vibrating down to my toes. I was afraid he'd accidentally set off his gun, and struck someone in the room.
"No," he bellowed. "I want to kill your father for taking the life I deserved. The crown that belongs to me. First him. Then Boris. Now Pavel again. I brought this organization up from my bare hands, and I will see to it that it gives me what I deserve."
"Revenge," I whispered.
"There's only one thing wrong with your plans," Maksim started.
Angelo glared at him, inattentive. "And what is that?"
Maksim smirked. "You'll be dead."
A shot broke out from in the air, traveling. Then the window ahead cracked and Angelo cried out in pain, knocked over by the force of a bullet in his shoulder. He was hit. I ducked my head afraid more might come in and kill us all, but then Maksim came to me and unlocked the cuffs.
"Maksim," I cried and launched myself into his arms like I never wanted to let go, because I didn't.
"I got you, pretty girl," he breathed in my hair, a hand there while the other hugged my lower body close to his chest.
Valeriya screamed. "Chto vy nadelali? Ty zastrelil yego!" What have you done? You shot him!
Lukas obtained my sister; her back to his chest, wrists crossed over her chest, locked in a X. "Eto dlya luchshikh." This is for the best.
"No," she cried.
"Get them up," Maksim said to his brothers, escorting me towards the main hall. "They need to be chained up until Pavel and Boris get here."
"My father's coming?" I said.
Maksim nodded and stopped just before the archway. "He's with Jeff and Boris across the street. Who do you think took the shot? Jeff is good sniper."
"You fucking bitch," Angelo growled, pinned to the table by a large Konstantin and Damir and Krugan. "I'll get you for this. I promise you will know hell!"
"Get off me," Erik groaned next as Aleks wrestled to get him to stand, having woken up; his face was as red as the pig's blood spilled on Carrie in the movie.
"Get Vitaly to the house," said Maksim. "Pa can patch him up."
"What about my sister?"
"Lukas has her. She'll be taken care of at the house. Just trust me. She's in no state to be kind to anyone right now."
The door burst open then, and Papa charged in. Boris was behind him, a raw look of distress and turmoil in their eyes. My father had been worried for me. They both wore sweats and black sweaters, as though to blend with nightfall.
"Papa," I said in a low voice.
"Korina," he shouted, running for me as I met him in the center of the room, wrapping me in his warmth. "You're alright. Thank god. Pumpkin. I missed you so much."
"Daddy," I cried, my tears coming fast like a faucet. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about everything."
"Shhh, pumpkin. Everything is forgiven. I'm just glad you're okay. I have my daughter back. That's all that matters to me."
I cried harder. "I missed you all so much."
"I know, pumpkin. It was hell to see you go. And then you came back..." He trailed off. "You should know about the tapes."
"I know," I said, drawing back to look him in the eyes. "Igor planted them. Maksim told me. You guys were doing it just for show."
"Pavel."
Papa looked up from me, and over my head. "Angelo."
"Been quite some time."
"Not long enough." Papa wore a scowl. "You kidnapped my daughter. You're lucky I don't rip out your intestines."
"Come and try, brother. And I'll make sure when you are dead to torture her real nice before I kill her too."
Papa charged, and tackled Angelo to the floor. The two tumbled, destroying the furnishings in the dinning hall, crashing each other into the walls with a rumble of arms and legs, throwing punches at equivalent speed. Maksim's brothers tried to break the brothers apart, but during the distraction Erik elbowed Aleks in the stomach. He got free and pulled out a gun he had hidden in his sock, pointing directly at Maksim.
No!
"Maksim!"
I moved my legs before I let my brain catch up to what I was about to do. The bullet catapulted from the barrel, setting off in a flash of smoke and fire. The blast echoed in the room, jarring us all from the tussle on the floor.
Then it happened.
I was standing in front of Maksim. Pain like nothing I ever experienced exploded in my chest, and I held my breath. Or was air being ejected from me?
Looking down there was a dark stain forming underneath my chest making the material appear darker, spreading to my breasts. I touched the hole. It came away red. That couldn't be good.
"Maksim?"
The world spun and I barely registered falling until a pair of arms caught me. I felt so light. Like I was floating on a cloud.
"Korina."
Was that Maksim? He sounded so far away.
"Stay with me, baby. Stay awake."
The ceiling was fading into a blurred mess. In. Out. In....and out. Faces hovered above me barely unrecognizable, as I tried to keep my eyes from closing like Maksim told me not to. But it was hard. Sleep was like a weight on my chest, casting me under.
"No," Papa tapped my cheek. "Pumpkin. You need to stay wake."
"I..." My tongue tasted like cotton. "Daddy? I can't feel my body."
"Fuck," Papa cursed. "We need to get her to a doctor. Now!"
"Our father," Aleks said from somewhere around me. "I'll call him."
"Maksim..."
"What is pretty girl," he asked, anxious, fear clear in his hazel eyes. Golden eyes I missed.
My lids drooped again.
"Tell me." Maksim's voice brought me back, and this time tears were prominent on his face, dripping on my face. I was too weak to move and comfort him like I wanted to.
"Get her in the car," Arseny barked.
I was moving. Arms lifted me, my body rocking with the swift movements of Maksim's legs, rushing to the car with immense effort to not drop me at the same time be weary of my gunshot wound.
"Drive," Maksim urged as the world became further and further for me to grasp.
"Keep talking, Korina. What were trying to tell me?"
"I never....got to tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"I love you," I cried, my head spinning.
Maksim whimpered then, drawing our heads together as the car jolted with maddened haste. "No. Don't you dare to this to me. You're going to be fine. My father is going to fix you."
"Tell them..." I inhaled a harsh breath, my chest rising to feel the slice of knives painstakingly pressing inward. "Tell them I'm sorry."
"No," he shook his head. "You'll tell them."
I felt the minute my lungs were starting to give out. My heartbeat no longer pounded so rapidly in my ears. I was coming close to death.
"I'm sorry," I rasped.
"No," he gritted. "Never apologize."
"Pumpkin," Papa spread me out on the leather cushions so he could hold me next. "Don't you dare say goodbye to us. To me. I just got you back."
I smiled, hot drops falling in my hair. "You're...not mad?"
Papa shook his head, tears in his eyes. "Never, baby. I love you more than anything in this world. I need you alive. I need you by my side. My little princess."
I smiled weakly. "Daddy's little princess."
He choked on a cry. "Yeah. Daddy's little princess."
"Don't let go," Maksim shut his eyes only to open them again. "Live for us, pretty girl. Live to be my love. To be my wife." He pressed a chaste kiss on my lips. "Live to be mine."
I opened my mouth to tell him how much he meant to me. How he changed my life for the better, and I wanted to marry him, but my final breaths labored. The end was coming; I felt it.
"Maksim," I clutched his hand as hard as I could, needing to feel him one last time. "I'm scared. Papa?"
"Drive faster," Maksim yelled at whoever was in the driver's seat.
"I'm going as fast as I can," Arseny growled back.
Papa cradled my head in his lap. "Stay awake, pumpkin....stay awake..."
His voice grew muffled, and lids got heavier.
This was it. My time had come. If only I had more time to say goodbye.
Maksim's roar shook the car as everything in me became numb. "No. No. Pretty girl? Wake up, baby. Wake up!"
I didn't wake up, even after he rocked my limp body.