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Chapter 21
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2024-08-15 01:00:36I looked up at him and he was standing within moments, squatting down in front of me and taking my hands in his. My eyes looked from the phone to his hands. I didn’t really want to explain why this brought a panic attack up.
“Ria, what’s wrong? It’s not the newest model, I know, but it’s what we could get on short notice and Lev being out of commission.”
“I…I don’t know how to use it…”
Everyone in the kitchen stopped, the constant sound of movement ceased. It was a silence that made me want to run for the door.
Marek’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? You’ve never had this type of phone? Or…”
God, I wanted to die right there on the stool. “No, I…it’s a touch screen? I use my fingers to open it?”
Suddenly, realization dawned on him. “You’ve never had a cell phone before.”
I shook my head. &ldqu
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I held down on the box and it popped up. A little keyboard with the message bubble from Aleksei. I pressed each letter on the screen slowly.‘Fine. Marek is mad.’It took me about three tries to get it so it said Marek and not mark or mare but I hit the little paper airplane and watched the bubble pop up under Aleksei’s bubble.‘Look at you! Texting and shit! I can hear Marek screaming through the door of Juri’s office.’Hitting the window button, I rolled it down and Aleksei was right. Marek was bellowing Russian into the phone.‘Okay. I&
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Letting his shirt go, I guided the cart away from him into the women’s section of clothing. Luckily, I nabbed a couple jeans in my size and threw in a few of their generic cotton shirts. There were some movie or internet related ones but nothing jumped out at me enough to swap out for the plain colors. Underwear, socks, and a couple bras were next. I was flat as a board but it felt good to have something more than just your nipples bushing up against a shirt. Plus, the black lace bralette was actually cute. Crossing the path to the shoe section, they had some off brand Chucks in my size that I threw in. I also grabbed a pair of slippers and a belt. They had purses but I snagged a backpack that was shaped like a cup of ramen that I could put all the clothes in.It was easy to see Marek’s towering figure in the men’s section. He was looking at the wall of shirts that were displayed with funny sayings or pop culture references. Walking the cart up next to him,
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“All my siblings have access to the top floor. They do not have the code to get inside the penthouse itself. There is a little hallways that’s blocked off as an exit and entrance only. Vlad, Boris and Aleksei are the only ones who have access to this floor. Vlad and Aleksei are the only ones who have the code to enter the penthouse.”I nodded. The dial going past 50 floors and I started to feel a little weak. How tall was this building? Taking a deep breath, I let it out from my nose just as the doors opened. Glancing above me, the number glared 73. It wasn’t the tallest building but it was up there. Sure enough, there was an entryway area. Two benches, three different pieces of art, and some plants in giant pots that looked fake, were all that broke up the stark white walls. Marek didn’t even take a second as he strode to the right which had a large fortified door. It didn’t even look welcoming. It looked like you were walking into a vault
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Vlad looked like a shell-shocked deflated balloon. His eyes went between Marek and I when I crossed my arms over my chest.“This mudak is the one you want to protect me? Seriously?”Now both of them were looking at me as I glared at Vlad. Yes, I’d called him an asshole in Russian. I wasn’t about to not learn the language and everyone knows the first thing you learn in a different language is the swear words.“Vlad Lenkov, I would you to meet Rosaria Baranov, my wife. She will be staying here until further notice. The issue is I need to go to Moscow for a week and with the Italians running around with a hit out on her, I’d like to make sure she’s safe. Inside and out.”Vlad seemed to not be taking this as well as Marek hoped he would. He just stared, slack-jawed at me.“Vlad…?”“Who the hell agreed to this? Her father is Carlo, right? Enzo is a fucked u
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“Where is your phone?”I pointed to kitchen counter I’d placed it when we first walked in.“Keep this with you, Ria. I know it’s weird but think of it as a weapon. Always carry it around. Let me show you a couple important things.”He looked over me as he showed me the different paths to get to texting, phone calls, camera and video. I’d probably would have asked more questions, but his cheek was an inch from mine as he leaned over and showed me the different buttons. It was distracting as hell especially since he smelled like he’s showered just before coming down and his cologne mixed with whatever hair product he used should be illegal. My face was probably flushed through the entire explanation but it got even worse when his hand came up and he tipped my chin up to look at him.“Be safe. Don’t do anything stupid. If anything happens, you fight. Don’t give anyone the satisfaction of your
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Stripping down out of the skirt and shirt right there in the middle of the room, I walked to my room and started the luxurious shower. If I was ever to feel pampered, this was how it was done. It was lovely, the hot water didn’t run out and I’d gotten every type cleaner at Target. Conditioner was always too risky at home because you could hide more types of sabotage. Now, I could use shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and body wash all without fear. It was about thirty minutes before I got out but it was a blissful thirty minutes.I dressed in some jeans and the T-shirt that had the element ‘AH’ in the periodic table while under it it said ‘The element of surprise’. I thought it was funny. Pulling my hair up into a high ponytail, I walked into the empty penthouse. It really was like an entirely new world for me. I didn’t want to touch anything. I felt like I was overstepping my bounds into Marek’s space even though he told me it w
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Like clockwork, I woke up at 4 a.m. I wish I could say it was restful but it wasn’t. Multiple times I jolted awake because I felt like it was too quiet. I gave up when it hit four. Taking a shower, I got dressed in a pair of shorts and another shirt I got from Target. Setting up the kettle to boil some water, I opened up the vault door to peak outside. Vlad wasn’t there but another guard was. He was younger, with tousled blonde hair. His eyes were closed as he sat on the concrete bench. Clearing my throat, he jolted up in a military stance complete with a salute. Once he realized what he was doing, he sheepishly smiled and brought his hand down.“Sorry, Mrs. Baranov. It won’t happen again.”I shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s not even five. There might be some packages for me I was hoping to get started on, do you think you could check?”He nodded. “I’ll call it in and ask.”“Thank you
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“Mrs. Baranov, what are you planning on doing?”I eyed Keenan who was eyeing me with the ladder in hand. “I’m painting this ugly ass wall. What else would I be doing? Silly.”He coughed down the squeak of surprise. “Couldn’t you have requested someone to come and paint it? Professionals and…”“While Marek is gone? Hell no. They would have had to go through background checks and then a whole slew of people would need to watch over them. They would come in and paint and I wouldn’t be able to do anything but watch from the peep hole. If he even allowed it while he wasn’t here to watch everything.” I put my hands on my hips after I set the ladder down. “No. If I find something I feel like needs to get done, I’ll do it myself for now.”Pulling all the paint supplies to the canvas, I opened up the first can to make sure that it was the right color. Sure eno
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*** Five Years Later *** I rubbed my shoulders before lifting my glasses up and rubbing my eyes. There was a knock on the door and Ria pushed the door open with her back. She was holding a tray and stepped into my office. Setting it down on the edge, she put her hand on her hip. “You didn’t break for lunch. Again.” “I know. I’m sorry. Your brother sent a few more things for me to look at and I got engrossed in it.” Shaking her head, I reached out for her and pulled her into my lap. “How did the appointment go?” “Fine.” My eyebrow rose. “Just fine?” “Well, we figured out the issue. If that’s what you want to know.” “And?” I looked at her over my glasses. Ria had been struggling with her equilibrium lately. It started with when she was carrying something heavy, usually Alek. He was somehow in the ninety-nine percentile for his height but fairly middle of the road for his weight. Still, he would jump at Ria like he was two instead of five. Then, it started to get bad e
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We pulled up to the airport in record time. Keenan dodged more than one cop and ran every red light on the way. Throwing open the doors, Lec and I made sure to do a quick sweep before letting Keenan and Ria out just in case he needed to take off with her.“Well, well. It took you long enough.”Lorenzo rolled up on us, smiling as he leaned forward in his wheelchair. There was a guy next to him and he stepped forward, grabbing our luggage as we took it out. Reaching in, I helped Ria step out of the car. She smiled and hugged Lorenzo, kissing him on the cheek.“I’m surprised you agreed. Having to leave all your women behind.” Ria chuckled but it sounded far more malicious than happy.“Yeah, yeah. I had to sell Terrance too. But I plan on getting one just like her. Terrance 2.0 wherever we end up.”I shook my head. “We are supposed to not stand out, Lorenzo.”“See here, cognato, I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart. For my little sister.”Lorenzo handed me a folder and I opened
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The speed limit wasn’t even a suggestion at this point. We didn’t have time to wait. I’d managed to get First Class tickets out of the country that would be just under the three hours but we needed to leave as soon as we could. Pulling up to the penthouse, I double parked next to the elevators. Ria was already unbuckling but she’d been quiet the entire ride from the house.Getting out, I slammed the car door shut. I’d speak to her when we got onto the plane. When I felt like we were safer than walking into a building filled with my brother’s men. Stepping into the elevator, I pulled Ria to me. Holding onto her tightly, I tightened my hand on the gun I’d grabbed from the glove box.The elevator dinged and I raised the gun, only to see Keenan in regular clothes. His eyes widened and he put his hands up immediately. I took a breath and nodded to him, dropping the gun.“Keenan? What…?”Keenan flashed Ria a smile. “I’m coming with you.”Ria looked from him to me. “But…you have family…and…”
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Juri threw his head back and laughed. “You can’t leave the bratva. This is your family, Marek.”“I can. The contract we signed when you became head of the bratva allows for me to request leave once in my lifetime.”Ria looked at me, shaking her head. “Marek, it’s…it’s okay. You don’t…”I smiled down at her and brushed her cheek. “The both of us have done our time, zhena. I’ve been thinking, what it would be like for us to live normally. The two of us, raising a family, without the darkness looming over us.”“Request denied. Now, moving on.” Juri waved his hand but Kaz caught his wrist.“That’s now it works, Vor.”Juri yanked his hand out of Kaz’s grip. “Why the hell not? I’m Vor. I decide who comes and who goes. Who can leave and who can’t.”“Right. But there are consequences to saying no when one of us asks. Marek’s contract being the severest one of all of us.”Kam nodded from her lean against the bookshelf. “Da knew that if Marek was forced to leave, forced to invoke the contract,
Twisting Fate Chapter 106
I stared at the papers in my hand. Ria, somehow, had finagled an early release from the hospital. With the condition that she would come by every week to make sure she was healing properly. Now though, we were facing the black SUV that would take us to my brother. Her hand slipped into mine and she squeezed it. Really, it should have been her that was afraid. Instead, I was the one hesitating.Kam came up behind us. “Come on. I have to go too.”I helped Ria into the back seat with Kam before I walked around and got in the front with Wren. He was one of Juri’s men who did a lot of his driving. Keenan had been the only one to come to the hospital. Lec or Boris hadn’t shown up, which disappointed me a bit. Still, their oath was to the bratva, not to me directly.The ride was quiet and I kept glancing back at Ria. Her elbow was on the windowsill and her chin resting in her hand, looking at the city. I never really thought I would get here. Where I would put someone above the bratva, above
Twisting Fate Chapter 105
*** Marek’s POV ***I ran my hands through Ria’s hair. She was sleeping soundly next to me in my hospital bed. Kam had warned her multiple times that she was not to walk anywhere. Ria still snuck into my room after the night shift and crawled into bed with me. I’d never kick her out though. I don’t know why they didn’t just put us in the same room.In the past, I never really worried about things. If something bad happened, I just fixed it. End of story. The lack of light in Ria’s eyes made me add her emotional wellbeing, not just physical, to the list. She was still trying to force herself to not feel. Part of it I knew was because she was waiting to hear what Juri had to say. I wish I could tell her she didn’t need to go that far but I knew better. Even I didn’t know what was going happen next.The door opened and I heard an exaggerated groan. “YA klyanus'. Yesli ona budet prodolzhat' v tom zhe dukhe, ona naneset nepopravimyy vred svoim nogam.” [I swear. If she continues like this,
Twisting Fate Chapter 104
Three of us stepped over the debris of the hole we made of the entrance. After a quick debate, Lorenzo told us he could cover himself and not to worry about him. He deployed the drone he had left and it was hovering above us. Keenan and I were leading while Marek was just behind us.A few shots came from the second floor and I adjusted, looking up and taking quick shots as I moved. If anything, I knew this place like the back of my hand. I knew every squeaky board. Every blind corner, every room and every loud hinge. It was easy to know where the guys were coming from but there were only a few.“They are holed up in the study. Only a few guards left. Most are injured or confused. They aren’t organized and aren’t poised to attack.”I motioned for the guys to follow me as I raced up the stairs. Turning to the left, I walked down the open walkway before I turned down the very last hallway. At the end of this hallway was my father’s study. It was where he brought men after they had done b
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I unbuckled the seatbelt and stood up, looking out the windshield. Sure enough, Lorenzo had pulled up against a brick wall that was part of the closest neighbors boundary. Tapping him on the shoulder, I walked to the back between Keenan and Marek. With a flick of a button, the top of the van started to retract back. I pulled down the metal ladder and climbed up.I had a perfect view of the guards house and the gate . My lips pursed and I stepped back down a couple stairs.“This will be fine. Their numbers went up though.”“Cause he’s back.” Lorenzo pulled out a laptop from the door and opened in. “Yeah, it’s nearly empty inside the house.”I nodded and looked over the top of the van again. “Confirmed location?”“In the study. Ferrari is also in there.”Smirking, I shrugged. “Two for one I guess.”“You need to ensure that he doesn’t run.” Marek added and I looked down at him.Frowning, I dropped down and took hold of the bulletproof vest he was putting on. I shook my head.“You’re not
Twisting Fate Chapter 102
I couldn’t tell if he was angry or if he was just pouting. Either way, Marek refused to look at me the rest of the drive. He did end up falling asleep and I worried we would need to drop him off with Kamilia but he waved us off when I told him the plan. We were quiet as we drove through the city and back up the way to the hell I literally had just escaped.It sent of jolt of nerves through me but I knew if there was a time to do it, now would be that time. Enzo was gone, we confirmed that. With Juri blowing up locations and knocking in doors, the security wasn’t what it normally was. If we waited even a day, Enzo could regroup and come back to bolster Father’s forces. That and with Marek in hand, Juri would probably stop his assault. He wouldn’t have the excuse of trying to find Marek anymore.“Set up where you can be covered and I can see the entrance from the top of the van.”“I know!” Lorenzo snapped at me.“If you don’t want to do this…” I turned my head to him. “It’s okay.”He gr
