Natalia
Jesus, take the wheel. I am absolutely horrified that I slept with The Shadow of all people. Worst of all, I fucking enjoyed it. Watching him sitting in front of me so calmly, I know my fate is sealed. He never changes his mind. No one ever survives.
I’ve heard thousands of rumors about him and the hits he has carried out. He has no side, no preference. He takes the money he wants and does the hits he chooses. I don’t know anything about his past, where he comes from, or who he really is.
So he’s Irish, there’s that. That thick Irish accent stirs a fire between my legs. He is also very handsome, which doesn’t hurt. I am not lying when I say I was arrogant the night before. I had been. I’d taken him for a soft, ordinary tourist, and I’d been courting my own death the entire time.
The questions continue. What are my parents like? I vaguely answer that one. My parents are like all parents; they loved and raised us. The only difference is they bred into us a sense of deadly loyalty to everything Volkov.
Where have I been hiding? Now, I wouldn’t want to tell you that. A girl has to keep some secrets, doesn’t she?
On and on it goes, and I try to be charming and coy, answering him with dazzling smiles. I comment on his good looks and his charming personality. I tell him how it throws a person off from thinking he could be dangerous.
“So you think I’m handsome?” he asks with a chuckle.
“And great in bed….” I venture.
He bursts out laughing and shakes his head. He lets out a deep sigh and stands up. “You’re not going to convince me to spare you. That’s not how this works.”
My smile remains. I won’t show weakness, not even in my final moments. I knew it would end eventually. It was just a case of when. I look into his eyes, up at the man who is the last person I will see. He turns and walks toward the door, leaving me in the cold warehouse. I thought he had brought his weapons with him; maybe he would adhere to our deal, get a gun, and make it quick.
He shuts the door behind him, and I lower my head. I’m tired and sore, and my new boots are ruined. My family will probably start looking for me in a few hours. Thankfully my parents are still in Europe, so they won’t be the ones to find my body. That’s a mercy, at least. I don’t think they’d handle it well. They’ve gotten soft in their old age.
Aside from the hum of the lights and in the distance cars traveling, the warehouse is silent. Fitting for my end, the end I gave everyone: no one around to know, no witnesses, no loose ends.
Time ticks by slowly, and it starts to feel agonizing. I’m getting impatient. Jesus, just kill me already. Waiting, knowing my death is inevitable, is worse than worrying about being tortured.
I would guess about twenty minutes or maybe half an hour passes by. My body aches from being tied to the chair, the sex, and the slight hangover. Then I hear noise outside, several voices. It must be his men talking. I pick out three or four different voices and wonder what he will do. Is he sending them away? Is he going to make them torture me? As if I haven’t been tortured before, I won’t give them any…
My thoughts are interrupted by a series of gunshots. They echo through the warehouse and then complete silence again, except for the hum of the light.
The door swings open, and Daniel walks in. He’s wiping blood off his face with a handkerchief and has a smoking gun in his hands.
“Sorry about that. I don’t like leaving witnesses. This is also the first time I will be doing this, and I’d prefer to know that only the two of us are in on this.” He sits back down in front of me.
“In on this? A quick death?” I raise an eyebrow. “Why? Was torture specifically required?”
“To answer your last question, yes, the Dons wanted me to make you suffer, and I’ve decided not to.” He tilts his head to the side. “But more than that, there’s something about you that I can’t shake. I don’t think it’s respect, although I do respect you. No, I need more time to think, but I can’t let you go. It puts me in a bad light, and other hit men will come after you.
So you can choose to either live under my protection or die by my hand, and I need to know now.”
My eyes widen. “Under your protection? What exactly is that going to entail? Do I have to pay you for protection?”
He smirks at me, and I realize that’s not what he’s planning, and he’s also not going to expand on the conditions of the arrangement. That would be playing fair.
He doesn’t want to play fair.
I’m a new shiny toy, and until my sparkle wears off, he’s making the rules. It’s my only chance, though, so I lift my head.
“Are you at least going to untie me?” I ask.
“Agree?” he asks.
“I agree to live under your protection, whatever that means.” I look him straight in the eyes when I say it.
“Excellent.” He stands, holsters his gun, and takes out a knife. He cuts at my bindings and explains, “Our marriage certificate will be ready in the morning. I thought you’d be inclined to live, so I went ahead and arranged it.”
“What? No, I’m not fucking marrying you.”
He stops and points the knife right under my nose. “You agreed to live under my protection, remember?”
“Can’t you just formally announce it?” I growl. “Why do we have to be married?”
“Because you are unknown, and my name commands respect and fear among the Dons who want you killed. Being married to me secures your protection because they do not want to cross me. It might only be temporary, though, so I will think about how we can further your protection. For now, though, you will be safe, live with me, and stick close to me.” He goes back to cutting my bindings.
“And if I leave?” I ask, shifting slightly.
He chuckles. “Lass, we found you once. Now I know what you look like and what your name is. We found you without knowing those details. Imagine how quickly I’ll find you with them.”
The rope falls to the ground, and I get to my feet. I’m barely standing when he grabs my arm and pulls me to him, chest to chest, faces inches from each other. “I’m not someone you want to fuck with, Natalia. I’m not some Italian or Russian prince that can be charmed by you. I find you fascinating and want to explore that little brain of yours. Alive for now, but I can always dissect it if I get tired of any bullshit you pull.”
I try not to shiver, but I won’t lie; I find him intimidating. This man has lived as a shadow, quietly killing people in the background without a trace, and now here he is, sparing me because I’ve sparked his interest. I think if I try to escape, he will dissect me.
“Fine. I’ll stick close, but when you secure proper protection from the Dons and when you grow bored, are you open to letting me go?”
“No.” He turns. “Come along. We don’t have all night.”
I feel trapped. There’s nothing I can do to escape this situation. I’m not going to cross him because I feel that aside from killing me if he’s inconvenienced, he might also challenge my family. I don’t want them in danger and realize how stupid I was pandering to his questions in a bid to save myself.
I’ve revealed weak spots, my weak spots. I bend down and slip my boots off, leaving them on the floor.
“You’re going barefoot?” he asks, opening the door and waiting for me.
“They’re ruined. It annoys me to look at them, especially since they were brand new.” I walk through the door and see six men lying in pools of blood. I ignore them and walk out. I see his rental parked nearby and walk toward it.
“I will need to get supplies and find a place to keep you safe,” he explains as we climb into the car. “For now, just keep quiet and to yourself, and I’ll figure the details out,” he says as he starts the car.
That’s what I’m worried about.
Daniel
Everything about her fascinates me in a way no human ever has. It makes me feel so strange. I can’t explain my thoughts or why I’m taking this risk. I just know I don’t want to kill her, at least not yet.
I take her back to the apartment, and she has a hot shower before she climbs into bed and falls asleep. I close the door and lock it so she can’t interrupt me.
I go to the living room and set up my computer. It is time to report back to the Dons anyway. My men would have let them know that we had caught the Russian responsible for Russo Jr’s death. The screens slowly pop up, and the Dons are all seated at their expansive desks. Some are sipping on wine, others are smoking, but as usual, they all look like a miserable bunch of old fuckers.
I sigh and sit forward. I keep my voice even. “We’ve run into an unfortunate turn of events.”
“What do you mean?” Don Russo asks immediately. “Your men assured us they got the correct person. The woman Volkov.”
I nod. “Aye, they did indeed. And that’s the problem, gentlemen. You see, I arrived at the location where they were keeping her, unaware that she was my wife.”
They all start talking over each other, and I hold a hand up. “I’m sure you can appreciate that for no amount of money am I going to kill my wife. I also want to assure you that if any of you think of laying a hand on her, I will personally see each of you killed.”
They mumble, and Don Russo, who seems to dominate the conversation today, leans forward. “Surely there is a price you’re willing to pay that is worth more to you than some Russian bitch.”
“You’re not winning my favor by insulting her, Don Russo. I hope I don’t have to send a physical message to explain what will happen if anyone comes after her?” I sit back and steeple my fingers in front of me.
Don Russo nods and holds his hands up. “I suppose there’s nothing we can do. We cannot have her killed if she is your wife. We know that is a foolish thing to do. We will have to let this one go.”
“You will have to.” I don’t believe him for a second. Men like these do not let things go. They make sure a message is delivered that nobody can fuck with them. “I assure you that if you have any other jobs to complete, I will gladly take them, but this one will be refunded.”
“We appreciate that,” Don Russo says. “If you’ll excuse us, it’s quite late here, and now that we know the developments, we should get to our families.”
“Goodbye.” I cut the call.
There isn’t a question about if they will attack. They will. The question is, how long do I have before they do? I need to secure a safe location where Natalia and I can stay, that I can monitor and protect. This apartment is like a death trap.
I have connections across the world. I’ve made friends with the right people when needed, even here. I reach out to one of my connections. He’s also Irish and launders money through his various properties. I send him a code word and wait for him to call me.
“Daniel?” Mick says as I answer the call. “Is everything okay?”
“Nothing is ever okay, Mick, but we carry on. I need a favor, though, one I’m willing to pay for. But it can’t be through my name. It must be through the name I give you.”
“Sure, name it. I owe you from last time for saving me from that piece of shit dirty cop.”
I nod. “I need a house to move into. Already furnished, preferably. Also stocked with food. Something secure or that I can secure well. Nice though, something a lady would like.” I look around the sparsely furnished apartment. “The name I need it bought under is Johnny Learson. Send me the amount you need, and I’ll transfer from an account with that name.” I wait quietly.
Mick takes a moment, then he sighs. “I only have one decent enough place and hoped to keep it for one of my kids.”
“This is an emergency, Mick.”
“Ah, I can always buy more property.” He laughs and starts to cough slightly. He smokes too much; everyone knows that. He finishes hacking up a lung, then says, “I’ll send you the details to this phone number. I’ll give it to you for a million if you transfer it tonight. It’s fully furnished, and I’ll have someone go over now and stock it with food and supplies from one of my other houses.”
“Thanks, Mick, that’s perfect.” I cut the call and stare at the blank screen of my computer. I get up and go to the bedroom, unlocking it as my phone buzzes. Mick has sent me the address. I smile softly.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to be doing jobs in other countries, or even states, while there is the threat of danger from the Dons. Or that Natalia will probably run off and get herself killed.
No, I will stick around for some time and do jobs central to New York City. There is no end of work for people in my line.
I chuckle quietly as I consider offering my services to the SorvinoVolkov alliance. I can only imagine their reactions when they realize Natalia is not only missing but that she’s married to an Irish hitman.
I pack my few things; I keep most of my stuff in the car anyway. You must be ready to get up and go if you want to survive. I take the last possessions down to the car and return to the bedroom.
I don’t sleep, choosing to sit near the window and watch Natalia rest. My phone buzzes around ten in the morning. It’s Mick letting me know that the house is ready.
The buzzing stirs Natalia, and she sits up sleepily. I give her a moment to gather her wits, but it doesn’t take her long. A sign of someone who has lived life on the run, get up and go is how you survive.
She stares at me. “Did you just spend the rest of the morning watching me sleep?”
“I had other work to do first, but I was bored, so yes.” I stand up. “I’ve ordered you some clothing. It will be at our new home. You can shower and change there. Go have some coffee.”
She sighs and gets out of bed, looking annoyed. I smile and remind her, “If you leave, you’ll regret it. The Dons have been warned not to touch you because you’re my wife.”
She waves me off as she walks out.
I make the bed and then call my sterilization crew. Rob used to run a crime scene clean-up crew, but he’s since gone underground and helped families clean up their crimes. There’s more money for him that way.
I don’t complain. I send him a text with the address and pay his deposit. Half now and half when he’s done; it’s our arrangement. He sends me a thumbs-up. People these days and responding with these emoticons. It’s ridiculous.
I go out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. Natalia is just standing there.
“Do you not want coffee?”
“No,” she says simply. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Though I’m really sorry, you’ll have to get into the trunk of the car until we get there.” I shrug. “It’s a precaution, so you’re not seen.”
Natalia nods. “Noted. I suppose we can go then.”
She is being cold. Her annoyance at this inconvenience amuses me for some reason. I don’t even offer her shoes. She wanted to ditch the boots last night, so now she can walk barefoot to the car.
I get her in the trunk and leave the apartment building. I drive to the address that Mick has sent, I have the map showing on the GPS, but I disable the voice so that she can’t hear the directions.
We reach the house, and I wait. A kid approaches my car and knocks three times on the window. I roll down the window, and he hands me the keys and a clicker before he slinks off.
I drive into the garage, get Natalia out of the trunk, and we enter the house. She looks around, as do I. It’s secure, with a nice high wall and electric fencing. Mick didn’t hold out on me. I will remember that.
“So this is our home. Consider it a wedding gift.” I look at her, and she rolls her eyes.
“This isn’t our home. This is my prison.” She looks around again, and the comment makes me feel a little weird. I saved her life, am protecting her, and haven’t hurt her, yet she seems to despise me after I announced we were married.
“Well, if you want, we can relax on the sofa, and I’ll rub your feet.”
I meant it as a joke, but it hangs in the air like an awkward side glance. Natalia stares at me then she picks up some clothes she spots. “I’m going to shower and stay in the guest bedroom, not yours.”
I don’t say anything as she walks away though I am picturing her naked in the hot shower.
I won’t join her…yet.