Barbados was even better than I imagined. It was fun and there were a lot of tourists just like us looking to have a nice time there.“ What are you doing? “ Nikolai asked as he stepped into my line of sight.I reached for the coconut juice he had gone to bring me but he shifted it away from my reach and continued glaring. I fought the urge to laugh at his reaction.“ Can you step aside a little? You are blocking the sun from reaching me. “ I said.He got angry and blocked the sun from reaching my body even more. I lifted my sunglasses and raised an eyebrow at him.“ Answer my question, Brianna. I am not playing games with you. “ He said.“ I do not know what you are talking about, “ I said and relaxed further in the chair.“ You’re topless! How do you not know what I am talking about? “Of course, I knew what he was talking about. I had asked if I could take off my bikini bra and he had said no. I didn’t see the problem since almost everyone on the beach was topless or either fully n
Throughout the whole car ride home, there was tension in the car. Nikolai kept his hand on my thigh, stroking it gently while he drove with one hand. I kept glancing at him and he kept glancing at me. The silence spoke all the words that needed to be said.The car stopped at the mansion that we were staying at and we got out of the car. We entered the mansion hand in hand. Our paces were not fast but they weren’t slow either. The anticipation was burning me from the inside out.Instead of guiding us to the bedroom, Nikolai guided us to the pool. I had never had pool sex before. I stared at the water wondering if it was safe.“ It is okay, I promise. You know that I would never purposefully put you in a situation where you would get hurt, “ he said and I believed him.Like I always did.I took off my cardigan and let it fall to the floor. Nikolai was taking off his clothes too whilst we stared at each other. There was something raw about taking off our own clothes slowly as we looked a
I dialed Lorenzo for the fifth time since I saw his missed call and he was still no answer. I started sending a series of texts to him and all the other men who resided at the estate. For some reason, I felt that something was not right.It was unlike Lorenzo to refuse to pick up my calls like that.“ Is there something going on? “ My wife asked from beside me. Judging from the way she had furrowed her eyebrows, I could tell she thought something was wrong.“ I found a missed call from Lorenzo and he refuses to pick up when I call him. I have a feeling that something is wrong. He never calls that many times. “ I answered.I hated how she worried about everything and I almost didn’t tell her what was going on but I wanted to ease myself into leaning on her. I found the burden of my worries lessening when I talked to her about things.I felt her move from my chest. She took out her phone and started dialing too. I knew she was calling Viv before she even told me. I saw dread settle on h
“ Viv? “ I called out after picking up the call.There was silence and then commotion on the other end of the line. It was followed by a string of curses, making me and Nikolai tense.“ Viv?” I called out louder.“ Siege-“ was all that we heard before the line on the other end went dead.I tried to redial it but it went straight to voice mail. My heartbeat was getting faster and faster as I tried dialing again.“ What did she mean by siege? “ I asked.The prospect that something was very wrong was getting more real. We knew what we had to do before he even said it. How could we stay there when there was a possibility that the others were in danger?Maybe the mansion had been attacked. But by who? Still, we would regret it if we didn’t go there and look if everything was okay.“ I don’t know, “Nik said while getting up and walking to a distance.He made a few calls and I went into the closet to change into more appropriate clothes. I wore a tee, sweats, and a jumper on top. All the whi
I had been in the hospital for three days and all those three days were pure and utter torture. I couldn’t lie down and not cry. Not a day went by without me having a panic attack. My mind replayed Nikolai leaving over and over again.Where was he and who had taken him?I felt helpless laying on a hospital bed. I should have trusted Lorenzo to look into his disappearance but with the time he spent at the hospital, I doubted he had time for that. Whenever I asked for an update, he told me there was none.I didn’t trust anyone. Those two; Viv and Lorenzo were yet to tell me what happened at the mansion. They always told me that I needed rest. That day, I woke up intending to find out.I was a sour woman and I was going to get whatever I wanted.Viv entered, breaking me out of my thoughts. She had a bag that was full of fruits and food. She always brought it with her when she came to visit because she knew how much I hated hospital food.“ How are you doing? “ She asked as she pulled a c
I stayed quiet as I sat in the backseat of the police car as it drove to the police station. There was pain in my wrists because of the cuffs and I put my head down as I cried because I didn’t want them to see me crying.Where was Nikolai when I needed him the most?When the car came to a stop, I wiped my face on my shoulder before keeping my head up. I wasn’t going to falter because if I did, they were going to prey on my weakness and never let me go.A police officer pulled me out of the car by my arm, using a little too much force than required. I glared at him making him gentler with how he was treating me. He took me inside the station and placed me on one of the seats.I waited as he wrote some things on a register before pulling me up again and taking me to the interrogation room. I sat there with my hands in front of me at the table. It reminded me of the first time I had been arrested.For some sick reason, I laughed a little. Did these men really think that they were going t
“ Your baby is going to be okay, “ the nurse told me. I heaved out a sigh of relief because of what she had told me.My child was out of the woods. He must have been a fighter just like his father.“ What about the blood? “ I asked.She smiled at me and put her hand on my shoulder.“ That should not worry you. Remember that you received a blow to your stomach. You should be happy that you were able to block some blows to your stomach. “ She said and left.I had a handcuff to my wrist that was connected to the bed like I was a common criminal. If it were Nikolai, he would not have let me stay there for five minutes. I couldn’t help but think that the good deeds Viv was showing me were only a façade.Just then, the door opened and she came in with a horrified look on her face. Speak of the devil. She rushed to my side and started touching me to see where I was hurt. I couldn’t help but feel disgusted by her touch.She had left me to rot in that hell hole and I almost lost my child. Lord
It had been three weeks since I went to the penthouse and drowned in my own pit of self-despair. My routine was eating, sleeping, and repeat. I was stuck in my bed, wanting nothing more than the nightmare I was living to end.Every day like clockwork, I called Lorenzo, and every day like clockwork, he told me they were close to finding Nikolai. I convinced myself that he was getting closer when deep down I knew that he was telling me that to make me feel better.Hope was a fickle bitch and for the past few days, it was hitting me how true that statement was. My phone buzzed with a text and I furrowed my eyebrows wondering who that could be.When I saw who had texted, I saw that it was an unknown number. I read the text and saw that it was Corinna telling me that she was at the entrance of the hotel room and she was coming up with the paperwork.Through the haze of it all, I had forgotten that I was a CFO of a multi-billionaire company that needed running. I sent her a quick text askin
My eyes felt heavy but my ears were alert. I heard the beeping of machines and the voice of a woman speaking. Was I finally in heaven? I knew if that shit was real, I was going to hell for all the horrible things I had done.“Is he going to be, okay? “ I heard an angelic voice ask. It sounded awfully familiar like I should have known who it belonged to but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Why did it sound so sweet and inviting?“He will be. He should wake up any day now. “ A male voice replied.For some reason, I wanted to hit the male and tell him to stay away from my angel even though I couldn’t see how close they were.“You said that last week, “ the angel said with a sigh. There was sadness in her voice and it broke my heart. I had to open my eyes to look at her.When my eyes finally cooperated, there were white walls everywhere and two people in a corner. One of them was wearing a blue dress and her copper hair was in a messy bun.That was the moment we made eye contact and sh
“We will attack from this point right here and then Luca and the other men will go from the back. Make sure all your coms are working when we get there. If you encounter something, you tell us. “ I instructed.Esposito and Romano were standing on either side of me looking at the map I had. Thanks to a tip, we had a possible location for where they were keeping Nikolai and I was determined to find him.“So-““Why is nobody looking for Lorenzo? “ Viv asked from the door. I turned to face her with a hard glare on my face as I crossed my arms against my chest.“You’re not allowed in here, Viv. Why are you here?” I asked even though I had heard her previous statement.She scoffed and came deeper into the room, making me fold the map and hand it to Luca. With a nod of my head, he understood what I was saying and he left.“I asked where Lorenzo is. Last I heard from him, you sent him on a mission and he never came back. That was three days ago. Why aren’t you looking for him?” Viv asked.I d
Anabelle lowered the gun and placed it in the back of her jeans without taking her eyes off me. She proceeded to take my gun from the ground and unloaded it. She placed the bullets in her pocket and then tossed me the gun without any bullets.“Tell me what you meant when you said all my men are dead, “ I said, not wanting to beat around the bush.It was then that I realized how insensitive I was being. She had been through a lot and I hadn’t even heard what had happened to her yet I was prioritizing my needs over hers. I shook my head and gave her a soft look.“What happened Anabelle? One day I left you with Lorenzo, Viv, and Florian, and the next, I came back to find my mansion in ashes. What happened to your arm and where have you been?” I asked.She sighed and sat down on a rock. I followed her lead and sat beside her.“We were all in the mansion. Florian and I were in the basement interrogating someone when we heard the commotion upstairs. We stayed back and watched through the li
As I was pacing wondering why the men we had sent to attack Bianchi’s estate had not arrived, my phone rang. I frowned as I looked at the screen because it was an unknown number. Who could it be?Thinking it could be new information regarding Nikolai, I was eager to answer it. I stepped away from Romano. Esposito had gone for a smoke so he wasn’t anywhere near where we were.“Hello, “ I spoke as soon as I placed the phone against my ear.“It’s Anabelle. I need you to make sure you are nowhere near the people around you. Walk away from everyone now. “ The voice on the other end said.I recognized that it was indeed Anabelle from her voice. I could recognize it anywhere. I put my hand on my mouth and did as she had instructed. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted anyone but my instincts told me I could trust her.“Where have you been? “ I asked, wondering why she had been missing all that time.“Look, I can’t talk for long. It was a trap. Bianchi is not an enemy. You can’t trust anyone. You’
“ You know something, don’t you? This can end right now or we can go all night. “ Lorenzo said and removed his coat for emphasis.He proceeded to fold the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. I didn’t understand why he insisted on wearing a suit when he was only going to torture people. It was a waste of the perfectly tailored expensive Armani.We were in the basement of the new house and there was a man tied to a chair. It was only the three of us in the room. The man was believed to have known what happened to the estate. He was one of the guards who had survived.We had yet to find the rest and it begged the question of why they were hiding in the first place. I had made it my responsibility to know everyone who had died during the attack. Those who were survivors and hadn’t come forward were suspects.Before the man could speak, my phone rang and I headed out to pick it up. It was one of the suppliers and I prayed it was good news or else he would pay. My patience was thinner than
My head was buzzing and my ears were ringing. There was an undeniable pain in my right leg and stomach. I was beginning to think I was in purgatory for all the bad things that I had done. I tried unsuccessfully to pry my eyes open.Every time I did that, my head hurt like small pins were being dropped on my head. I let out a groan when I was finally able to open my eyes. I was surprised when I saw darkness everywhere.If it wasn’t for the fact that I was sure that I had opened my eyes, I would have been doubtful of the fact that they were open. I tried to walk and that was when I registered that my movement was restricted.There were shackles on both my arms, pulling them apart like I was on a cross. My feet, on the other hand, were shackled to the wall behind me but they were closer together than my arms.Where the fuck was I?I tried to remember the events of the past few days but my memory was foggy and my thoughts were all over the place. I wanted to get out of that place that had
I heard them arguing before I even got to the bottom of the stairs. They were not very discreet with their plans at all. Before I left, I heard Viv calling out to me to stop.“ Please, just listen, “ she begged and I stopped.Who could I be if I didn’t listen to her?“ What is it, Vivienne? “ I asked while turning. I crossed my arms against my chest.She reached me and placed her hands on my arms.“ Look, we were going to start today but we couldn’t until we had enough men. I am sorry we lied to you but it had to be done. “ She said, not looking the least bit remorseful.“ First, get your hands off me. Do I look like an unreasonable woman to you? “ I asked.She looked at me like she wanted to be anywhere else. Well, I wasn’t the one who told her to follow me, was I?“ No, “ she answered.“ That’s right, Vivienne. I am not unreasonable. You say you were setting up but you took two weeks. Do you think Nik can wait that long? No! Do you what he is going through? No! “She looked anywhere
Romano walked me back to his car and I sat on the seat with a lot of things on my mind.“ Where am I going to start? “ I asked him.He rubbed my back soothingly which was something so out of character with him and gave me a hopeful look.“ As long as you have me, you will always know where to start, “ he said.He drove me back to my penthouse and I expected him to go back to Milan but he followed me back.“ Don’t you have a business to take care of, old man? “ I asked.He glared at me because he didn’t like being called old and I only smiled mischievously in answer. I loved teasing him a lot.“ I am not old and I am not leaving you here without backup or a plan, okay? “ He asked. I nodded my head and placed my hand in his.When the elevator doors opened ad I punched in the code, I saw men in my living room. There were guards everywhere and Esposito was sitting comfortably on my couch looking like the place belonged to him.Not to mention he had a whiskey in his hand. These men and my
“ Why are you suddenly so quiet? “ Romano asked.He took a gulp of his whiskey and went to pour himself another one. He looked back at me and then smiled. It was a sarcastic smile because what he was telling me was too serious to smile about.I didn’t have the answer to his questions. Before I could react, he threw the wine glass to my head and I ducked. It was seconds away from hitting me square in the face. It shattered on the floor, causing a mess.I brought my eyes to him with shock written all over my face. How could he do that? It would have sent me back to the hospital.“ I expect an answer, Brianna, “ he said before grabbing another glass and pouring himself a drink.I stayed quiet because all that was happening was shocking enough to leave me speechless.“ Are you going to finish that?” He asked while pointing to my whiskey glass because I had taken a very tiny sip.“ I’m pregnant, Romano, “I explained even though I didn’t want to put it out there. That was not the way I had