Daniel
My body is aching, and not only from hanging off the meat hook- let’s not discuss the fact that I’ve lost feeling in my hands. No, they’ve beaten and burnt me, and I’m almost sure they’ve bruised my ribs, and it doesn’t look like they are done.
In between tortures, Russo inspected the wounds inflicted on me. He’s already put two cigars out against my skin, with a smile, of course.
But he’s mostly been quiet.
His phone rings, and he walks away to answer it. I hear him talking in Italian quickly, but I can’t catch what he’s saying because his guard punches me in the abdomen, they seem to favor hitting there.
They step back as Russo rejoins us. He smiles brightly and steps in front of me.
“Shame, Mr. Quinn. Your older brother was badly injured in an unexpected bomb blast this afternoon. They’ve had to rush him to surgery, and my sources say that when he arrived, it wasn’t looking good. They said some rubble from that little bar of his fell on top of him. I wonder if he’s going to make it. What do you think? I mean your family won’t last long without him, or you. That Robbie kid, he’s crazy. Is it true he collects ears?”
I look at him. “I’m going to cut off one of yours.” I spit blood onto the floor at his feet. I hope I hit his shoes. “And I’m going to give it to him as a gift.”
Russo stands straight and laughs. “I’m afraid you’re at a bit of a disadvantage, my friend. You see, you’ll be tortured until I finally get a cry from you. Then I’m going to kill you. I might make it swift.” He looks at his men. “If Ronan does make it, I want him to hear how I defeated his brother. Maybe we should make a recording of this and send it to him in the post like the good old days. After all, you so desperately wanted to send me a message with Valentino’s cut-up body.”
“You better hope Ronan survives, and I don’t.” I look at him through my right eye; it hasn’t swollen shut like my left. “Because he’s the reasonable one. If I survive and he doesn’t, I’m going to hunt down every single person related to you, no matter how far apart, and I’m going to kill them, cut them up and force you to eat them. You won’t be able to hide from me. I am everywhere.”
I see a hint of fear in his eyes, but he quickly recovers, trying to pretend he doesn’t care.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says. He’s inches from my face, and I’m tempted to head but him, but I’m in too much pain to lift my head back and forward fast enough. I watch as he pats my cheek.
We both look up at the door when we hear shouting outside. I wonder if it’s Robbie and Jarryd, hopefully with backup. My brothers are crazy enough to do a rescue, but are they smart enough to track me down? I’m hesitant.
Russo barks orders in Italian to his guards, and they hurry off. He looks at me. “Are you hopeful it’s someone coming to save you, Mr. Quinn? Because I assure you they will meet the same inevitable fate as you.”
As the guards are about to reach the door, another guard comes running in.
This one speaks English and talks quickly. I catch there’s a woman outside demanding Russo come out. I try to lift myself, but I can’t. It has to be Natalia, and I need to protect her.
Russo shouts at the guard, “Bring her in then. We can kill her along with this fucker.”
The guard looks fearful. “Sir, we can’t go near her. She’s strapped to a bomb. She’s threatening to run in here and blow the place up.”
At this, my blood runs cold. What the fuck is she thinking!
I struggle against my binds, and Russo turns to me. “Seems I don’t have to find your little girlfriend. She’s here. Take him down,” he barks the orders to his guards. “Bring him so I can shoot him in front of her.”
They lower me to the ground, and I can’t stand. I feel pins and needles throughout my arms and hands. The guards lift me by my arms, but I try to stand. They don’t give me a chance to get to my feet.
They drag me out of the warehouse and into the open air. It revives me a little. I don’t know how long I’ve been gone or how long it took Nat to find me, but it seems to be just before dawn. Thankfully the sun isn’t up because bright light would kill my eyes right now.
I search for her, finding her standing under a street light as though she’s in the spotlight on a stage. There is a bomb strapped to her, and the detonator is in her hand. I feel panicked. I am scared she’s mad enough to do something drastic, but another part of me remembers what Ronan said about her. I need to trust her. I keep my eyes on her.
Nat meets my eyes, well, my good one, and frowns. Then she glares at Russo. “Let him go, Don Russo, or you’re going to regret it. I won’t live without him. I certainly don’t mind going to the afterlife with him and our baby.”
Don Russo laughs heartily and points a gun to my head. “I’m going to kill your fucking boyfriend, and then I’m going to kill you. All before you detonate that little bomb.”
Natalie smiles sadistically, and it dawns on me that she’s set on pressing that detonator regardless of what Don Russo decides. The guards drop me to my knees in front of Russo and step back.
Natalia presses the detonator, and there’s a moment of silence.
Then the warehouse behind us starts coming down as several bombs explode.
Natalia
As the building comes down, the guards and Don Russo whip around to see the damage I’ve caused. From the second they are distracted, I start running forward, ripping the fake bomb vest off and tossing it aside. I pull the two guns holstered under my arms and start shooting at them. Two guards go down, and another two, then they realize what’s going on and turn to open fire.
Don Russo turns tail and runs toward the dock around the other warehouse. He leaves Daniel on his knees, and I run toward him, shooting at the remaining guards. I’m almost to him when I hear shouts and more men come out to cover Russo.
If this is to be the end, then I’m going out with a bang. I reach Daniel and kiss him deeply.
“I love you.” I look into his right eye.
“I love you,” he says.
We brace ourselves, but there are squealing tires. I look over my shoulder as Russians, Italians, and Irish men jump out of numerous vehicles and start firing at Russo’s men.
I reach for my boot and pull out a dagger. “Perhaps we’ll meet our end another time,” I say dramatically with a big smile. I cut through the cable ties binding Daniel’s hands in front of him.
“Someone else must meet their end today, though.” His voice croaks from hours of torture, but he takes my hand and turns. Despite his condition, he races through the firefight with me by his side. I pass him a gun, and he helps clear the way.
I can hear the fighters behind us rushing forward to keep us covered.
I see where Daniel is headed. In front of us, Russo is running toward a speed boat that is clearly waiting for him. We find renewed energy and sprint forward.
Russo is old and slow and keeps glancing back. Never look back; it slows you down. It’s a rookie mistake.
We stop as we reach the dock, and Daniel looks at me. “Hide. Keep safe while I get him.”
I tug on his hand. “We’re together until the end.”
He nods, and we sprint down the dock, no longer holding hands. Daniel takes the lead, gets as close as he can, and when Russo is almost at the boat, he stops and fires a shot into Russo’s calf.
I watch as the old man collapses in pain, crying out. I look at Daniel, and he saunters forward. He should kill Russo for what he did to Ronan. I know that.
Daniel stands over the don and looks at him. “Crying out? Will your heir be so impressed to hear what a coward his father was in the end?”
“Please, Quinn, I’ll give you whatever you want. Please don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.” I watch as he cries, and then I smell the stench of urine.
“Please, I’ll make you the wealthiest man! I’ll call off the hunt for Natalia! Just let me go!” He tries to sit up, but Daniel kicks him onto his back.
He holds the gun out to me as he speaks to Russo, “It’s no longer my decision.”
Daniel steps aside, and I step forward. Before he can make any false promises to me, I shoot him through the head. Daniel watches, and when I lower the gun, he steps forward and rolls Russo’s body into the water.
I look up at Daniel and smile. “I knew I’d have to save you in the end.”
“Did you?” he asks, wincing. “Don’t make me smile. They hurt my face.”
“That pretty face,” I tease before kissing his lips softly. “I’ll have to play nurse later.”
He chuckles and takes my hand. “We should get out of here before the cops come for that explosion.”
“They’re… distracted with other fires to put out.” I smile, lacing our fingers together and walking beside Daniel as we head back the way we came. There are no more gunshots, and when we see what I can only describe as a bloody battleground, all the men are working to move the bodies.
The Sorvino men are gone, most likely to bribe the cops, officials, and the media. They are good for that. If any of Russo’s men were left, they would have made a run for it. However, it looks like no one got away.
“Natalia! You damned fool!”
I turn to see Ivan striding toward me. Daniel wants to step in front of me, but I shake my head. I brace myself when Ivan grabs me and pulls me into a hug.
“You damned fool, I thought I lost you.” I smile and hug him back, resting my head against his chest.
“You knew I’d do this,” I say. “That’s why none of the guards stopped me.”
Ivan pulls away, and there’s a knowing look in his eyes. “I condoned nothing, but of course, when I realized you left, I had to involve all our men to find you.”
I try not to smile.
Ivan turns to Daniel, and I look between them, but Ivan holds his hand out. Daniel takes it, and they shake hands. Ivan gives him a curt nod. “Ronan is out of surgery, and they say he’s going to make a full recovery. I know a good restorative crew will return the bar to its original state.”
Daniel nods. “I’d like their number.”
“Perhaps when Ronan is out of the hospital, we can arrange negotiations for the terms of the marriage before the wedding. It will be a Russian wedding,” Ivan stands firm.
Daniel opens his mouth, but I quickly say, “Of course, one of the two weddings will be our traditional Russian wedding. We’d be honored.
The other can be a traditional Irish one for the Quinns.”
Ivan nods. “We’ll discuss it later. Take him to see our doctor. Lord knows I’ve seen the botched job the vets do on your men.” He walks off, and I smile.
“He likes you.” I look at Daniel.
He looks back at me, surprised.
Daniel
Ronan told me not to say a word, which is hard. I’m not a child; I’m only five years younger than him. He’s still walking with a cane, but I swear he’s doing it because he thinks it makes him look cool. I don’t want to meet at Ivan’s family restaurant, but Ronan insists we are safe. Nat isn’t allowed to attend because she has to go dress shopping with her aunt.
Ronan and Ivan discuss everything about the business. Ronan will provide security details for important family members, at important events, at particular premises, and they will provide protection for businesses aligned with the Italian and Russian families.
It’s rather boring to me, so I stare out the window.
“Daniel?”
I look at Ronan. “Sorry. I had a thought… it’s lost now.”
Ronan tilts his head. “I’m not surprised. Ivan said he’d prefer to have the Irish wedding first so Natalia’s parents have time to get here for the Russian one.”
I nod. Honestly, I’m not interested. I just want to marry Nat and settle down with her. Ronan has promised I can take time off after the wedding until some time after our baby is born to settle. Then it’s back to working with the family. I’m not even mad. The family doesn’t seem as bad as it once was.
“It’s decided then. Danny-boy here will send you the invites for the Irish side, and you can arrange the Russian side. We’ll send through the contracts to look over during the course of this week.”
Ronan uses his cane to get up. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Volkov. I look forward to doing business with you.”
Ivan shakes his hand. “A pleasure, Mr. Quinn.” I stand and follow as Daniel slowly walks out.
Time speeds past. We’re not allowed to stay together before the wedding, even though I got Natalie pregnant already. We talk over the phone about our plans and what we want, but I’m too busy with Ronan to really spend time with her except at the follow-ups for the baby with the doctors.
Those moments I treasure, and we certainly book more appointments than needed to see each other as often as possible.
It’s all brought us to this day. Standing in the church, the Catholic priest standing in front of me, ready. I stand with Ronan behind me as best man, Robbie and Jarryd next to him.
Because Natalia’s parents aren’t here yet, Ivan walks her down the aisle, and the moment she steps through the door, my heart stops. Everything freezes for the longest time. She is in a beautiful fairy-like gown. The dress has a simple top belted off just above her protruding belly. The skirt of the dress flows down softly around her to the floor.
Ronan squeezes my shoulder. “Good choice, Daniel.”
I smile and nod. “The best I ever made.”
The ceremony happens in a blur, and before I know it, I’m kissing her, and we’re walking through confetti to the reception across the road.
Nat and I sit at the head table with Ronan, Ivan, Alessandro, and the wives as our special guests. Ronan invited Molly, and I’m sure he fancies her, but I won’t say anything. He probably doesn’t want anyone to know.
As the night progresses, I opt to stay sober with Nat while everyone else gets steadily drunk. Robbie gets the Sorvino brothers so drunk that he convinces them to attempt to dance to Irish music. It’s a drunk, fun party filled with laughs.
When Nat goes to dance with Ivan, Evgenii sits beside me. We’ve hardly spoken. Ivan said he was busy with work. I look at him. “Come to kill me at last?”
“Take care of her. She’s fucking special.” He looks at me seriously.
“I might be old, but I’ll kill you if you hurt her.”
I nod. “I can appreciate that. I might come to like you, Evgenii.”
He snorts and leaves, going back to his wife, who is dancing with some other girls.
I know everyone will be hung over like hell tomorrow, and we get to do it again in two weeks. At least Nat and I can move into our house in East Islip and start working on it. Both families wanted to give us grand homes, but we wanted something we picked for ourselves. Something I could fix up with her.
Something to build together.
I smile at Nat as she sits back beside me. When she looks at me, I kiss her softly.
“You are my everything.”
“Say that again after my Russian family makes your brothers drink their weight in vodka.” She giggles, and I love it.
***