Distrust (Smirnov Bratva Book 1) (10 page)

I turn to the man who’s now white as a ghost, but perfectly still on the table next to his friend, or colleague, or whoever he is to him.

I point to his friend, then back to him. “Now, run along back home. Tell your bosses who did this. Tell them I am coming.”

The man’s eyes are so wide, they look like they’re basically going to fall out. Sweat beads on his forehead as he stands and looks to the door then back to me.

“Hold on,” I say, just as Anton passes the knife back to me. “Give me your hand.”

His head starts to shake no. I smirk at him, then point to his friend.

“Last chance, give me your hand.”

He does, this time knowing his fate couldn’t be as bad as his friend. I grip his wrist hard, Viktor walks around to stand beside him, wraps his arms around his midsection, then pins him where he stands. His pinkie slices off like a piece of meat in a butcher shop, and he doesn’t even scream as hard as his friend.

Chapter 16

Kazier

I decide to speak to my father. It’s been two nights since I broke his nose and two nights since I declared I was no longer obeying him. I have boarded myself up after that night. Trying to piece my life together, a good killing helps to put things into perspective.

I walk inside from around the back this time, straight into my father’s house and to his office. He stands when I walk in, his nose all plastered up, bruising covering his eyes. I close the door when I enter, not wanting his cunt of a wife to come in because I
will
kill her.

“I won’t marry her,” I finally say it.

My father sits back down on his throne, or chair, whatever the fuck he calls it and shakes his head. “You can’t call it off, the date is set,” he says trying to stay firm in his decision.

“You didn’t hear me, Father, I
will not
marry her.”

He drops back into the chair, his hands now in his lap. “She
is
expected to marry. She
will
be married. It’s her father’s wishes. She needs the protection, son.”

“She can marry someone else, then.”

He shakes his head. “No, she won’t! Who else do I have to marry her? No one! You are it. So you will do as you’re told.”

“Viktor,” I say.

My father looks stunned for a second then raises his eyebrows. “Viktor? He killed his last girlfriend. You think she would marry him?”

“I have no doubt.”

“Would he marry her, though?” he asks in return.

“I will tell him he has to.”

“And he always listens to you, does he?” he asks with a small laugh.

Little does he know my men give me the utmost respect, and I don’t need to kill their loved ones to get it. Not like my father.

“He does! You see, he knows that I do things to only improve the Bratva. You, on the other hand—”

He stands and slams his fist on the table effectively interrupting me.

He can’t deny my request. Viktor is almost as high ranking as I am. He may never want to lead, but he’s just as scary, sometimes even more so.

“You may be my son, but don’t think for a second I won’t have you killed,” he spits at me.

“Not if I kill you first, Father,” I say standing and walking to the door. “Oh, and I
will
kill her, especially if she touches my ass again,” I say slamming the door, walking out the same way I came in.

I step straight to the side of the house, back to my father’s guest house, and when I open the door there she fucking is—sitting there, waiting.

“I told you it was over,” I say as I slam the door when I enter. She doesn’t move, she looks down at her nails and begins to play with them. “You need to leave, Elina. Two years is long enough for a head fuck. Get out.” I point to the door, no room on my face for her to sway me.

Her eyes find mine. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen sorrow in them. For me? I don’t even know with her.

“No,” she says simply. “You are mine, I am yours. You know this,” she finishes off.

“That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard. Did you rehearse that? Because it was shit. I don’t even know you,” I say walking past her straight to the bed. She starts to talk when I land my back on it.

“I’ll tell you something you want to know,” she says.

“Talk or leave, I don’t particularly care,” I say.

She stands and starts to walk over to me, but I hold up my hand. “From over there,” I say pointing to the chair her ass was just on. If she comes over here, I won’t keep my hands off of her.

“My father’s a bitch,” she says then laughs. “He’s mean, and just downright a shit father.” She looks up to the roof when she speaks, her head drops back down and she turns so she’s facing me.

I sit up so I can hear her speak, because no matter what she says, I’ll listen to every word because her voice is like a soothing lullaby and full of sex.

“He makes me do things I don’t want to do. To him, I’m an object. My brother is the king.” As she says it she rolls her eyes. “My friend, you saw me with…” I nod my head. “She’s blind. That’s why I didn’t need to speak loudly when you saw my mouth moving. She hears better than most people, and no one knows her. I met her one day and I loved her… like instantly loved her. She’s so gorgeous, not just the outside but also inside. Her soul is beautiful, you know?”

“Not like ours,” I say.

She turns to look away. “Yes, not like ours. Ours is tainted, so fucking tainted. But that’s what makes us… us… I guess. You and me, two fucked souls trying to find a fucked up balance between us. Hasn’t that been fun?” She laughs. “So I keep her away. Away from everything that’s tainted, because she’s someone that thinks highly of me. No one has thought highly of me… ever. And if she touches my soul, I’m afraid I will fall straight into that black pit that none of us can escape from, pulling her with me. She’s the only good thing I know, so I told her to run.”

“You think you’re broken? Tainted?” I ask her standing.

She doesn’t answer as she looks at me. “You know it. I know it. We both are!”

I pull her up to me, flushing her body against mine. My hand sneaks up between us, I touch her heart, she smiles softly.

“Maybe it’s as black as mine. Maybe it’s only touched the blackness, but baby, in a world full of color there needs to be dark because darkness is the best place to be.”

She shakes her head and leans in to kiss me. Her softest kiss yet. No biting, no chewing, just a soft kiss on the lips. And it’s beautiful. I’m staining her even more, with my black tainted soul, and she loves it. I run my hands up along her back, it’s bare, no bra just a backless top and a skirt. And just as I’m about to hitch it up, I’m stopped.

“Kazier…” My name is spoken and I pull back, wanting to curse my father when I see that he’s staring at Elina like she’s grown a third head. Her hands drop from mine, and she doesn’t speak as she walks to the door, shouldering past my father and then walking outside. I start to follow her, but my father pulls me back.

“Do you know who that is?” he asks shocked.

“Yes,” I say looking past him. I can’t see her, she’s disappeared again. My fist crashes into the plasterboard wall breaking it right next to his head.

“I know her,” he says.

In the next second I’m in his face, standing there and glaring.

“And if she touches a foot on this soil again, she’ll be going home in a body bag. Do you understand?” he states pointing his finger at my chest.

I can’t help but laugh.

“This is why you don’t want to marry Freya, isn’t it? You feel for that… that hooker.” He laughs, holding his belly and tipping over slightly.

“I would watch your choice of words, old man. We don’t want you to see an early grave now, do we?”

“It is, isn’t it? She’s the reason why. How long have you been seeing her?” he asks standing tall again.

I don’t lie there’s no reason to. “Two years,” I reply.

My father’s eyes almost bulge from his head. “Before I announced your intent to marriage?”

I nod my head. Damn it, I should have squished the idea back then. What the fuck was I thinking?

“Do you know her last name, son?” he asks me.

“No, and I don’t give a fuck!”

He chuckles out an evil laugh. “She is the granddaughter of Pitrov Bartalotti, and the daughter of Bartollo.”

“Fucking lies,” I tell him, clenching my fists, trying to keep the anger at bay.

“No, son, no lies. And if she comes back, I will send them their daughter in tiny pieces,” he warns. As he walks out the door he slams it so hard that the lock breaks and shatters, leaving me standing there wondering how the fuck I missed it.

Maybe Freya was right, maybe it has been all her fault.

Chapter 17

Kazier

Past

I did it, I got that fucking tattoo she wanted. Her name, forever etched onto my skin, right on my wrist. It was only a few days since I last saw her, and I was hoping to see her tonight because the questions I wanted to ask had been running rampant in my brain for days. I needed answers, and one wasn’t going to fulfill that.

“You’re pussy whipped,” Anton sang as he walked to my door. He spotted the tattoo. I didn’t tell him, or even show him. He saw the red skin and pulled my arm to look for himself. He couldn’t stop laughing when he laid eyes on it, and I had to kick his laughing ass out of my house, hoping she would turn up. “Seriously, though, will you get my name next?” he asked as he turned. And as he stepped foot out the door, I slammed it in his laughing face.

I couldn’t go to my family tattooist, he would have told someone, so I went to a regular tattoo shop. I’d never stepped foot into one before. His eyes scanned my body like he could see every tattoo I had. He was impressed with my neck and my arms, then when I told him what I wanted his face looked shocked before he sat me down and the buzzing began.

I stayed awake trying to wait it out for as long as possible. Just as I was about to fall asleep watching a movie my door bell rung. I thought I’d imagined it until it rung again. I moved slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. And when I opened it there she was, standing in a dress that flowed down over her waist.

“Did you get it?” she asked her eyes roaming me over. I had no shirt on, and I knew my ink was her weakness. She had always run her fingers over it, tracing every line I had.

“What makes you think I would have?” I attempted to keep my arm hidden, but her smirk knew otherwise.

“You, Kazier, wanted to know my secrets,” she said walking into the house. I shut the door behind her and turned to watch her, she sat where I was just lying and looked over to me.

“If you know I did, then you’ll answer one of my questions?”

“Oh, you don’t play fair. Show me!” She reached her hands up, and I walked to her like a stupid robot. Holding out my wrist, she looked down at it confused until she saw the red writing. Yes, red. Her eyes went large, then she pulled my wrist to her mouth, kissing it softly.

“One question…”

She nodded her head. “Only one… till you work for the next.” She winked at me. I tried to think of all my ideas from earlier, and none came to me. Really, all I wanted to know was if she was mine.

“Do you love me?”

She didn’t expect that question. Her eyes went wide, and her hand pulled away from my hand. She stood, and I thought she was about to leave.

“You have to answer, Elina. Deal's a deal.”

She stopped and turned back to me.

“You want the truth?” She hesitated.

I nodded my head, wondering why I used my only option on that question, but also wanting to know the answer.

“Love’s something that doesn’t fit well with me. Though, you are the only person that has ever come close.”

I stood and walked toward her. “How close?” I asked as I stood in front of her.

I watched her fidget with her hands. “Pretty damn close, Kazier, and I don’t like it. Not one bit.” She shook her head at me. “Do you love me?” she asked in return.

“Do we need words?” I said pulling her to me, planting my lips on her lips. She instantly pulled herself onto me, her hands like wildfire spreading over my body. Then she bit hard, breaking the skin open on my bottom lip.

I picked her up, happy to note she had nothing on underneath that dress, and carried her to my room. I dropped her onto the bed, and she pulled her dress up and over her head, lying there naked for me. I walked to the light, dropped my pants, and walked back to her slowly.

My hands started at her feet—from her pink painted toes up to the birthmark on her hip. I kissed that then went further up, she moaned when my mouth covered her pussy. I kissed it and worked my way up.

She had a scar just above her hip bone, it was small and you wouldn’t notice it unless you were really looking. I kissed that too. My mouth didn’t stop; it was on a discovery mission.

She grabbed my hair and held on not saying a word, but her eyes were solely focussed on me, watching my every move. I licked just under her breast, the small mole that sat where she wore a bra. Then I kissed each nipple, biting it hard just as she liked. Then I came to that spectacular face, that was shining so bright, gold flecks flicked through her eyes as she stared at me.