Sasha
“You, bastards! Let me go!” I keep thrashing and screaming at Boris, trying to free my hands from the ties. Misha is on the other side of him, following my example and trying to kick Boris with his knees while biting into the ropes on his wrists.
It still feels surreal. How could they just barge into our house like this? What was that nonsense that Yuriy came up with? They can’t just force us to divorce, not now. Not when I finally accepted my feelings and opened my heart to Louis. I want to stay!
But with my wrists tied, I can’t do much except for awkwardly elbow Boris and kick the passenger seat in front of me. “This is bullshit!
What do you want from us?”
“Alexandra, please,” Yuriy says with an all too patronizing tone, looking at me over his shoulder. “I’m sure you don’t want to make me mad, so calm down and wait for instructions.”
“What instructions?” I kick the back of his seat again, growling in hopeless anger, and spit out, “I’m not gonna do anything for you.”
“I’m afraid you have no choice,” he murmurs with a smile on his lips, and I see him looking at the right mirror.
The next moment, the driver’s door opens, and Ivan gets into the seat. His breath is heavy, his shoulders are tense from the fight, and I immediately sit up. The last time I saw him, Ivan went back to the house to help the others keep Louis down, and I don’t like how long it took him to come back.
My heart flares up with worry and anger, and I look between him and Yuriy, mindlessly clenching my hands into fists. “Where’s Louis?”
“Have you done what I told you?” Yuriy asks at the same time, completely ignoring me, and Ivan nods and starts the car.
“Yes, boss.” He looks out the rear window, backing out of the parking spot, and I see that Yuriy’s other car is taking off as well. “The Messina is staying at home.”
Oh, no. No, no, no. I can hear Misha gasp, and my own heart freezes for a moment before exploding with fury.
“What do you mean?” I lean forward, trying to catch a glimpse of their faces, but Boris harshly pushes me back into the seat. It doesn’t matter.
It’s not gonna stop me. “What did you do to him?”
“Yes, what did you do?” Misha repeats after me, and I glance at him.
I don’t want him to attract their attention or aggravate them in any way, but I can see in his pursed lips and serious frown that he’s as angry and worried as I am. He can’t just sit quietly when someone he likes is in danger, and I feel my heart swell with fondness. Yeah, that’s my boy.
“You’ll find out later,” Yuriy says, and for some reason the calm and careless tone of his voice makes something in me snap.
“No, I want to know now!”
I bounce forward over Boris’s knees and the transmission gearbox, hit Ivan’s forearm with both of my hands, and grab the wheel. I don’t really know what I’m trying to achieve-I’m clearly at a disadvantage here-but I can’t just sit here and watch them ruin my life. I have to do something!
So I turn the wheel from side to side, awkwardly leaning on it and fighting Ivan with my elbows, when I hear Yuriy sigh and say with clear irritation, “Boria.”
The next moment, Misha cries out in pain, and I startle and turn around. Boris is holding his arm with both hands, twisting his shoulder at a weird angle, and I see tears in Misha’s shut eyes. He tries to hold his scream back, but I see how much pain he’s in and immediately lunge at Boris.
But of course, it doesn’t take much for him to hold me back. Boris pushes me away with his elbow, grumbling curses under his breath, and twists Misha’s arm harder, making him cry and scream in pain. Son of a bitch!
“Are you sure you still want to test my patience?” Yuriy asks, as calm as ever, and I glare at him but obediently sit back in my place. “Good girl. Boria, let him go.”
Boris immediately obeys the command, and Misha whimpers and moves as far away from him as possible, looking at me with big eyes. My heart hurts and tightens with the urge to protect him, but I guess the best option is to sit still and wait for Yuriy’s instructions.
So I try to deliver the message to Misha with an encouraging smile, a glance at Boris, and a small shake of my head. Don’t make him mad. Don’t give him an excuse to hurt you. Be quiet and trust me, it’s gonna be alright. Misha sniffles and nods, leaning back into his seat with an intense glare Boris’s way.
“That’s better,” Yuriy comments all of a sudden, and I only then realize that he’s watching us through the mirror. “You have to learn how to obey people in power.”
“You talk like Father,” I grumble under my breath and lean back into the seat, looking out the window. Of course we’re on the way to the Bratva’s territories.
“I believe Nikolai and I had some similarities,” Yuriy keeps talking, relaxing in his own seat and turning his head toward me as if I want to have a goddamn small talk right now. “He was a good man. Not perfect, of course, but good. I have to admit I’m a little disappointed that he was weak enough to let you get so close to him. He paid his price for it, though.”
I huff and glance at him with my heart tight and overflowing with resentment. “Do you call being close with your children a weakness?”
“Of course.” Yuriy even chuckles in disbelief and shakes his head. “I’ve never made such a stupid mistake. Do you remember Lydia, my daughter? Ah, you probably don’t. You were, what, fifteen back then?”
He turns to look at me over his shoulder as if assessing my age, and I tense up and purse my lips, glaring back at him. It’s not gonna help me get out of here, but I just want him to know how much I despise him. It doesn’t bother him, of course. Yuriy hums and turns away.
“Yes, probably. Lydia must’ve been a few years older than you. Very smart, very competitive, you know? She started plotting against me at the age of eighteen, and not every girl can go that far! It’s a shame I had to kill her, but you know, how could I trust her after that?”
He chuckles, and I feel a wave of cold horror and resentment wash over me. I glance at Misha and see his eyes widen, his whole body tense, and I clench my fists tighter. Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here, even if it means sacrificing myself.
We spend the rest of the ride in tense silence, only Yuriy comments something about the weather or hums a melody under his breath from time to time until his mansion appears in sight. It’s quite an impressive building, let me tell you, but for a man of his status, I guess it’s the first thing to have.
The mansion has three floors, two wings, and a pointed roof that makes it look like a freaking castle. There is a flower garden and a pool on one side of it, a wide parking lot on the other, and a whole damn golf field behind it that I’ve never seen but heard plenty about from Father. I’ve been here a few times before, mostly for celebrations or so-called family parties, but the place doesn’t bring any positive memories. On the contrary, I’d rather not see it for the rest of my life.
“Well, here we are.” Yuriy claps his hands, and as if on command, Boris grabs Misha’s shoulder.
“Mom?”
“Hey, what are you doing?” I immediately sit up, but before I can do anything Ivan opens the door from my side, grabs the back of my neck and my shoulder, and yanks me out of the car.
“Don’t worry, I’m not cruel enough to take away the only thing that keeps you under control.” Yuriy smiles sweetly and pats Misha on the shoulder before turning away to the mansion.
It’s my best chance. The second car hasn’t arrived yet, Yuriy’s attention is elsewhere, and my obedience in the car has been enough to lower their guard. So I glance around, gather my strength-and swing my elbow into Ivan’s side. He doubles over in pain, and I turn around just enough to kick his balls with my knee.
“What the-”
But I don’t let Boris finish the sentence and barrel into him with my shoulder, yelling, “Misha, run!”
“But-”
“I said run away!”