|04

ARIA AKA RED

Copper and molasses.

That's what a traitor's blood smells like. 

The scent is thick in the air laced with the smell of a gun freshly being fired and it claws at my throat. It's distinct. Almost unique and I hate it. 

Kai deserved the bullet to his head. I thought he showed up to help me get away from Wolf and take me back home. Not trying to take advantage of my innocence in some dive of a bar.

Wolf reaches out to touch my face, "No, please don't hurt me!" I cry, pressing my back flush against the wall as the image of Kai getting shot plays over and over in my head. "I didn't know he was waiting for me." 

"I'm not going to hurt you," he says gruffly. "But I do want your phone."

I open my eyes and meet his cold gaze. "My phone?" I sniffle, shaking my head. "It's the only way I can contact my father and best friend Ana." I look at him with displeasure. 

He holds his hand out, "Give me the phone, Red or I will be forced to take it from you." His eyes narrow as his voice hardens mirroring the look in his gaze. 

Sniffling, I open my bag and hand him my phone. He lets the phone slide between his fingers, stepping on the last sense of independence I possess as he smashes it to pieces on the filthy ground.

"I don't want your father tracking you back to my mansion."

He snakes his fingers around my upper arm and begins to drag me along with him as he walks out of the bar. I squint my eyes as the sun vibrantly glares upon us and I notice that there are five blacked-out SUVs parked along the sidewalk.

Each SUV has a driver dressed in a black suit that awaits next to the vehicle with their shades on and their hands behind their back.  

Wolf drags me to the second SUV, "Get in." He orders as he looks past me. 

"The word please has never killed anyone to use it." 

He shifts his head, his gaze collides with mine and I straighten my back refusing to back down on him asking me politely to get into the vehicle. 

He sucks on his upper teeth, his fingers dig into my flesh leaving a bite of pain in their wake. "Get in the SUV, Red. Or I will put you in it and I won't be gentle about it." 

My chest falls as my pulse spikes with defiance, "Say please." I hiss with my upper lip curling. "Whatever you choose to do with me can't be any more humiliating than you tearing the gown from my body."

As he rolls his neck, he cocks his head back, staring up at the sky, and I can hear his bones clicking into place. My gaze gradually descends from his face to his neck, ultimately settling on the hand that is holding me captive.

The back of his olive hand and his fingers are smeared with ink. My eyes are drawn to the dove, its wings stretched across the back of his hand, engulfing every inch of skin. It's oddly enchanting.

I dont know if it's because it stains the flesh of a ruthless Bratva Kingpin or...

Without any warning, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder walking to the back of the SUV, he waits patiently as one of his men opens the boot. I start to writher, screaming as I pound my closed fists against his back.

"Don't you put me in the fucking boot!" I scream hysterically.

I hate being confined in small spaces, I start to panic and hyperventilate. My doctor refuses to believe that I suffer from claustrophobia. "It's all in your head, Aria." She repeats this every time I visit her. 

Bitch is salty because my father refuses to mix pleasure with business. 

Wolf lowers my body into the boot of the vehicle glaring down at me with the sun gleaming brightly behind him like he's a fucking God.

A God of destruction. 

"I don't like to repeat myself," He says through gritted teeth, his thunderous voice licks my pulsating flesh. "You will learn to do as you are told whether you like it or not." He slams the boot door down, and I plummet into a sea of darkness. 

Banging on the door, "You arsehole! You can not treat people like this!" My voice quivers when the vehicle quickly shudders upon starting, and the motor's quiet humming informs me that we are moving.

I curl into a fetal position, covering my ears with my hands, and I begin to count to a thousand in my head. When I reach a thousand, I start over again, and again, and again until the SUV comes to a standstill. 

When the door to the boot eventually opens, I can sense his presence as the cool air hits my quivering body.

He touches me, and I flinch, bursting into tears. "Yo..you left me in the dark. I hate the dark in small spaces." I mutter as my voice trembles violently.

"U neye klaustrofobiya?! [She's claustrophobic?!]" I hear him snarl in his mother tongue. 

"Forgive us, boss. It seems we overlooked her medical-"

BANG!

The sound of a gun discharging pricks my ears and I scream with fright. 

A pair of large, but powerful hands gather me up, and I open my eyes to find Wolf holding me against his chest as he looks down at me with apologetic eyes. 

"I want her notes on my desk in the next hour or you'll all end up like him. Dead. Bleeding out all over my porch kak sobaka! [like a dog!]." 

He steps over the dead body, looking down at me. "Forgive me, I had no idea that you are claustrophobic." He mutters as he begins to ascend the front porch stairs to his mansion.

I swallow thickly, "I-uh. I'm not." I lie through the skin of my teeth hating that I come off weak and naive. "Please put me down." I plead. "My legs are very capable of getting me from A to B." 

I feel his chest shudder against my head as he silently chuckles. "I'm well aware of how fast your legs can carry you, Red. It's why I prefer to carry you inside so I don't have to run after you." He winks as he peers down at me.

The second we enter his mansion and the door closes behind us. I leap out of his arms and make a run for it. Where will I go? I have no idea, but there must be an exit close by. I can not stay here with him. 

The disheartening sound of a gun cocking sweeps through the air, "Take another step, Red and I will have no choice but to shoot you." He bellows with irritation encasing his words.

I stop, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Turn around and walk back to me." 

Slowly turning around, I approach him ever so slowly not wanting to startle him in case he will think the worse and shoot me. As I reach him, he puts his gun away, takes my chin between his fingers and forces me to meet his gaze.

"If you continue to defy me, Red. I'll be the dark fog engulfing the room with nothing to lose and so much to gain. Like smoke destroying everything it comes into contact with until..." He lowers his head, brushing his hot lips against the hard shell of my ear. "All that remains is the aberrant odour of my contamination." He releases my jaw and takes a step back. "You will learn to behave accordingly to your duties if you don't want to be punished." His voice is stern, hard and it sends cold chills down my spine as I realise he means every word that exits his mouth. 

I gulp, nodding my head. 

"Use your mouth,"

"Yes."

"Yes, who?" He growls with a titter.

"Yes, Wolf." I hiss with displeasure. 

"Khorosho! [Good!]" He waves his hand mid-air, gesturing for one of his men to approach us. "Take Mrs Volkov to her room." He orders with his gaze never leaving mine. 

"Mrs Volkov, my name is Viktor. If you'd like to follow me I will show you to your room" Wolf's soldier introduces himself with a thick Russian accent, his gaze never meets mine.

I look up at Wolf who is still standing in front of me, looking at me with irritation flaring in his eyes. 

"If it displeases you to have me here so much. Why did you accept my father's proposal?" I ask with my chest rising and falling. "My father made it abundantly clear that my opinion meant nothing to him when I declined." 

He sucks on his upper teeth as his eyes narrow slightly, flicking his wrist upwards he looks at his watch. "I didn't agree, Red." He states bluntly, lowering his arm. "Just like yourself, I had no other option." He snarls while he turns on his heel, and walks away.