Chapter Two: The Intruder

AVA

I believe you have something that belongs to me.

His words linger in the air for only a second before gasps erupt from the audience.

My heart hammered against my ribs, and I blinked at the intruder in disbelief.

His?

What was he talking about?

My gaze finds my father. He stands frozen, his lips slightly parted and eyes wide with shock as he looks at the man who called himself Nikolai.

“What is going on Marcus!” Alessandro roared, his rage-filled gaze fixed on my father. His face filled with rage.

A smile peaked at the corner of the intruder’s lips as he shoved his hands into his pocket.

“It’s quite simple, Alessandro. You’ve been played.”

Played? As if snapped from a trance My father looked up, his gaze finding mine amid the chaos. Remorse clouded his features.

“Forgive me, Ava.” my father says, giving me an apologetic look.

My brows knitted together as a slow wave of dread settled at the pit of my stomach, “What have you done?”

“It was a long time ago.” He began, his voice heavy as he continued. “The Russians, they had kidnapped you because I was running late with their shipment. Do you remember?”

How could I forget? The three days I had spent locked up under the Russians remained the single most traumatic experience of my twenty-one years on earth.

“I begged for them to return you to me. I begged them to spare your life but they refused to see reason. They said that if I didn’t bring the shipment as agreed, they would kill you. I had to do something. I had just lost your mother; I couldn’t lose you too.”

My heart sank, No. Please don't tell me he did what I think he did.

“Nikolai’s father decided that the only way he would let you go and forgive me was if I agreed to a contract.”

“What type of contract, father?” I bit out, my hands trembling at my side.

“Ava…”

“What type of contract?” I repeated, my voice rising.

He hesitated, “The contract stated that you will be married to Nikolai on the day of your twenty-first birthday.”

My breath hitched in my throat and my eyes widened as the realization of what he was saying sunk in. “You sold me twice.”

His silence was the only response I needed to confirm my suspicion. The final restraint I had held on to snapped. “How could you!” I demanded, my pulse pounding loudly in my ears.

I couldn’t breathe. My father, the man I’d trusted with my life, had sold me to not one but two of the most dangerous men in the city.

“You were just a child. I didn’t want to do it but my hands were tied. If I had refused they would’ve killed you on the spot. I couldn’t do it. I’m so sorry, Ava… if I could go back and stop myself from making that deal, I would. I didn’t mean for things to end up this way.” He turns to Nikolai, “And you. You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be…”

“Dead?” Nikolai interjects, a sardonic smile creeping onto his face. “Come on now. You, of all people, should know that it'll take more than a miserly fire to keep me dead.”

He tilts his head to the side, narrowing his eyes as he accesses me. “And you must be Ava. My, aren't you a sight for sore eyes,” he says, the words dark and twisted coming from him.

I shouldn't find the way he says that attractive. I know this but yet I can't stop the slight flush his compliment brings to my skin.

He starts to walk towards me but Antonio doesn't let him get within an inch of me. “I wouldn't take another step if I were you.” He growls roughly. He squares his shoulders, straightens his stance and forces me behind him, acting as a barrier between Nikolai and me.

“You have no idea who you're dealing with.” Antonio seethes.

Nikolai studies Antonio for a moment, his gaze flickering with a hint of amusement as he leans back slightly on his feet and raises a brow. “Don’t I?”

In one swift motion, Antonio pushes me towards his best man and draws a sleek black pistol from his holster, aiming the barrel squarely at the centre of Nikolai’s chest.

Nikolai tsked and stepped closer to the muzzle of the gun. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you”, he mused, using his index finger to tap the end of the barrel lightly as if it were a toy rather than a weapon.

“Try me.” Antonio retorted, his grip tightening around the handle of the gun.

“I suggest you leave. Whatever deal you and her father had before is considered void as far as I’m concerned, nothing is owed to you.”

“On the contrary, She is owed to me” Nikolai replied smoothly, a dangerous glint forming in his eyes. He taps the barrel of the gun once more. “I suggest you put that thing away and listen to what I have to say.”

Antonio's jaw tightens but he makes no move to drop his gun.

“Like hell, I will. You can't just stroll in here and make demands. Last time I checked, the Russians don't make the rules around these parts. We do."

The corner of Nikolai's lips tilted up in a smug smirk as he arched a brow. “ Is that so? Perhaps you would reconsider once you've heard what I have to say.”

I arched my brow. I didn't understand what his angle was, and neither did anyone else, so it seems. At first glance, there was nothing about Nikolai that struck me as the kind of man who acted on instinct. A man like him wouldn't just storm in here without having some type of card up his sleeve and it appears that I wasn't the only one that thought so.

“That's enough Antonio.” The sound of Alessandro's voice cuts through the air, slicing the tension between the two men.

“But Father,..”

“Put the gun down, Antonio,” but he makes no move to do what his father says, “Now”, Alessandro barked.

Antonio's fingers flexed around the trigger of the gun, his jaw tight as he maintained his defensive stance.

Nikolai's gaze drops to Antonio's finger still hovering over the trigger and a mocking grin spreads across his lips when he sees Antonio's hesitation “I suggest you listen to what the old man says.” he says, his voice even, “Unless, of course, you prefer to be the reason your father loses his only daughter.”

Alessandro stiffens and Antonio's laughter echoes off the walls of the chapel “Nice try” he sneers, switching the gun to his other hand “But my sister isn’t even in the country”

“You're right,” Nikolai chimed without missing a beat, “Your sister was supposed to be in France today. In fact, her plane just landed except," he pauses, a maniacal grin curving at his lips, "she isn't on it.

Antonio’s laughter faded instantly, morphing into a look of disbelief. His eyes widened as the reality of Nikolai’s words settled in.

“You’re lying” Antonio shot back, but the tremor in his voice betrays his uncertainty. I glance back and forth between the two men.

“Am I?” he corked his head to the side, “I can assure you that you won't think so once you've checked your phone.”

As if on cue, the sound of phones buzzing filters through the air. Alessandro was the first to retrieve his cell phone, and I watched as his face paled at whatever was on the screen.

“What is it?” Antonio asks, his grip on the gun wavering as he senses his father's reaction. Alessandro's hand shook as he held the phone in front of him, the light from the screen illuminating his strained expression.

“it's… It's a video of Clara,” he says then looks up at Nikolai, “He has her.”

Antonio's expression shifted from disbelief to burning rage as he stared at Nikolai. “How dare you. If you touch so much as a strand of hair on my sister's head, I swear I'll…”

“Careful now. You'll want to think twice about what you say next. You wouldn't want something terrible to happen to your precious sister now would you?”

Antonio clenches his jaw, his face taut with the force of his rising anger.

“Drop your gun and step away.”

He clenches his fist, the tension in his shoulders tight as he takes a deep breath, and then he tosses the gun to the side. It clatters against the marble floors, echoing through the now-silent church.

“Excellent choice.” Nikolai grinned, a predatory glint dancing in his eyes as he glanced in my direction. It wasn’t the first time we had made eye contact during the entire ordeal but it felt different. My heart slams against my ribcage as I watch him slowly make his way up the altar. He stands in the position Antonio had stood in barely seconds ago. Antonio steps away just as his best man releases my arm from his grip. Nikolai extends his hand, a silent offer, urging me to take it.

I don't.

“You’re delusional if you think I’m going to marry you.” the words are out of my lips before I can stop them. My shoulders tense and a gasp escapes my throat when I find him directly in front of me.

He lifts a finger, dragging the digit along the side of my neck, the motion cool and deliberate before resting his finger on my jaw. My breathing shallows as he grips my chin between his thumb and index finger, tipping my head back until our eyes meet.

And I stutter.

His eyes were the most remarkable shade of green I had ever seen. Like a magnet, they seemed to pull me in, sucking me into their depths until all I could see was the darkness that lay underneath.

He smiles, his lips curling upwards in a grin, but it’s devoid of any warmth, “I don’t recall giving you a choice,” he leans in, his nose grazing mine until his lips brush my ear causing tingles to erupt all over my skin “You’re mine Solnyshko”

Solnyshko? What did that even mean? And why did it sound so familiar? My head throbbed as I tried to piece together why everything about this man struck me with a sense of familiarity.

“I don’t belong to you” I retorted, trying my best to keep my breathing and mind under control.

I must be going insane. Why was I pissing him off? A smart person would know that pissing off a deranged mafia boss-especially one who was currently holding the daughter of another mafia boss hostage- was a terrible idea.

But here I was doing exactly that.

His gaze drops to my lips and my body grows rigid. He grins. “Let’s fix that shall we,” he says, then lowers his hand and steps away, releasing me. I stumbled back, blinking rapidly as I struggled to process what the hell just happened.

He shifts his attention to the priest who stood as a silent spectator to the guns and war that had threatened to break out in his church.

“Finish the ceremony,” he commanded, voice thick and stripped of the teasing tone he held moments before. The priest hesitates, his eyes widening as he opens his mouth to protest, but before he could utter a word Nikolai draws his pistol, aiming the barrel at the center of the priest's forehead. The priest swallows nervously as his gaze darts up to the gun being pressed into his forehead.

“F-fINE I’ll d-do it j-just put the g-gun away please.” he stammered his voice trembling.

Nikolai's smile returned and he lowered his gun, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “Good choice. Skip straight to the I dos, and if you try anything funny I won't hesitate to end you.”

The priest nods quickly, obviously distraught by his near death experience. “Um…Do you, Ava Blackwood, take this man Nikolai Volkov as your lawfully wedded husband?”

I open my mouth fully intending to protest but the words die in my throat when I catch sight of my father from the corner of my eyes.

“On one condition.” I state, my voice steady as I look up at the man whose maniacal smile has once again vanished.

“What is it?"

“If I do this you have to protect my family from the Morettis. My father and brother.

“Ava…” my father starts to say but I glare at him, shutting him up.

“As much as I hate you right now. I'm not ready to lose you yet. You might think I'm doing this because I still feel obligated to protect you but make no mistake father, this will be the last time you will ever see me.”

I turned to Nikolai, “ So do we have a deal?”

Something shifts in Nikolai's expression tethering between the lines of intrigue and amusement, “You want me to protect the man who sold you to save his neck?”

I nod, already regretting my decision, “if it means you'll protect my family I'm willing to do whatever you want.”

His lips tip up in a smirk, “whatever I want?” His gaze darkens, “are you sure about that?” there was a dangerous edge to his question and my chest squeezes.

Nodding, I respond. “Yes” my voice trembles with my answer despite my best efforts.

Nikolai tilts his head to the side, examining me with an intent look in his eyes.

“Very well,” he says after what feels like hours and relief courses through me and I feel the tension roll off my shoulders.

“Thank you”

The ceremony continues and when the priest asks me again if I take Nikolai to be my husband, there is no hesitation in my voice when I say I do.

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may… um you may kiss your bride.”

Nikolai dips down and captures my lips in one fluid motion.

I start to pull away but he doesn't let me. Grabbing my hip firmly with one hand, he pulls me flush against his rigid planes of his body.

A whimper crawls up my throat. It's soft and barely audible but it's there, and he hears it. He makes a sound at the back of his throat, in between a growl and a groan and it goes straight to my center.

I placed a hand on his chest, my lips hesitant as I tried to mimic his movements. In case it isn't clear, I haven't kissed many men in my life. I've only ever kissed three actually and two of them were before high school so I doubted I could count them in my list of conquests.

His hand cupped the back of my neck, pulling me closer and swallowing the sounds that threatened to escape him.

His tongue parts my lips and I moan at the way he tastes. There's something about this kiss. Something that makes me feel like the entire world was going to tilt off its axis if his lips ever left mine. Which is crazy to think because just seconds ago the man I'm admittedly enjoying kissing had threatened to end the life of an innocent girl.

I pull away, ending the kiss abruptly.

Nikolais lips hover over mine and our gazes meet only for a brief second. My heart hammers against my chest as light puffs of air escape my lips.

I shouldn't have liked that nearly as much as I did.

A hint of desire flickers in his irises, igniting something inside me.

He wanted me.

The realization sends an unexpected thrill throughout my body.

The priest clears his throat and both of us turn to find the priest and everyone else awkwardly staring at us.

My body tingles as Nikolai lifts his thumb to the corner of his lips, brushing the stain my lipstick had left on his lips during our kiss.

“The bride and groom everybody.” the priest announces stepping back and presenting us to a very stunned audience.

I look at the man who was now my husband and my heart plummets. What was going to happen now?