Deadly Vows Rewrite - Chapter Forty (Patreon)

Luca

Ivan Sokolov is a man my father respected, but refused to do business with. He would always say Ivan was another column on the powers of the world.

It’s weapons, women, and drugs.

The three that make the world go round—that build and break entire empires.

And as he looks at me, trying to keep his composure, I can’t understand why my father ever thought he was a power. He is an old man who preys on the weak and refuses to step into the actual ring with the big boys. And now that he has, he doesn’t know what to do.

“It seems that you have gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble, Luca, if government entities are getting involved,” he says as his servant pours him a cup of tea. We’re in his office, in his home, on his turf. It was the only way he’d speak with me about Elise’s whereabouts. He doesn’t realize that by bringing me here, he’s already killed everyone on his estate. And if I don’t leave here with information on her, he will be next.

Once again, he’s showing why he works in the circles that he does. He isn’t suited for ours.

“My wife, Ivan. That is why I am here,” I say.

He takes a sip of his drink, composing himself before looking at me.

“You must understand, Luca. My business runs on our ability to keep information hidden, no matter its importance. If I had known your wife was placed within my bids, I would have pulled her out. But now that she has been sold, it is out of my hands. Her bid was anonymous,” he says.

I shift my attention to the servant who stands quietly behind him before standing.

“Then I guess there is nothing more to discuss,” I say.

I pull out my blade, plunging it into Ivan’s hand, anchoring him to his seat. His screams fill the air, but it isn’t enough to sate the bloodlust coursing through me. His servant takes off to the door, and I pull out my gun and fire a shot. 

It hits him right in the back of his skull as he crashes into the door, lifeless.

“Are you crazy?” Ivan shouts, looking around in panic, when he realizes none of his men have come through to rescue him.

I rip the blade from his palm, holding it against his throat.

“I know you’re indebted to the government. And I know you specifically took her as a request. Now, last chance, Ivan. Where is my wife?” 

Elise

My father always shielded me from the nasty dealings of our world. And while Luca tried to introduce me to the gruesome sides, he never let me see anything like this. This, being sold, is one of the worst things I could have imagined. And what’s worse, this man knows exactly who I am.

I remain silent as I sit at the dinner table in a long, black gown, waiting for his arrival. For the past few days, I have been traveling to wherever he planned to keep me after his purchase, and now that I have arrived, he's bothered to show himself.

I look up as he enters the room, dressed in a dark suit, much different than the way Luca dresses. His dark hair is pushed away from his face as his cold blue eyes take me in.

He laughs when he notices me trembling.

I’ve never seen this man at any of the events we attended or meetings Luca had. But whoever he is, he has the time and resources to pull me from my life and mold me into being part of his.

“Stand up,” he says as he walks around the table.

I clench my fingers, slowly standing as he approaches. I note that he has an accent.

He gently places his thumb along my cheek, and I instinctively step back, pulling my face from his grip. And he lets me.

Silence passes between us as he studies me, and I find the will to speak.

“I assume you know who my husband is… and you know what will happen to you if Luca finds out—mmph!”

His hand is over my mouth before I can get my full sentence out, and I cry out in pain as my back collides with the dining table from the force. My heart beats rapidly as he looks at me, irritation on his features.

“Say his name again,” he says.

I couldn’t even if I wanted to. His grip around my jaw is tight, only allowing a whimper to escape me.

“I can’t hear you. Say it,” he says.

He smiles when I don’t respond, pressing himself into me as he leans closer, his voice lowering.

“If you ever speak that name in my home again, I will kill you. He is no more. He will never find you. So you had better learn some respect for me before you get yourself killed,” he says.

I don’t know what comes over me as he looks down on me. Maybe it’s his confidence that Luca will never find me. Or maybe it’s his arrogance that I will conform to what he wants so easily. But it gives me the burst of adrenaline I need.

I open my mouth as wide as I can, biting down on a large chunk of his flesh. I bite until I taste blood welling up in my mouth, accompanied by his screams as he rips his hand from my teeth, slapping me hard across the face. My vision blurs and I feel my nose dripping from the force of his hit. But as soon as I hit the ground, I’m up again.

I sprint from the dining room to the long hallway, ignoring the spinning of the walls as I let my adrenaline fuel me. My pants are loud as I crash into the wall, quickly righting myself. I don’t have time to give my brain time to recover from his hit. I have to get out of here.

Blood rushes over my ears as I pump my legs as fast as they will go in these godforsaken heels, my audible cry of excitement echoing over the walls when I see the double doors straight ahead. As I grab the doorknob, I release another cry of excitement to find it isn’t locked. I fling it open, sprinting outside, my screams already filling the air.

“Help! Someone help…me…,” I trail off as my feet sink into the snow. I don’t even feel the cold as I look around, hope draining from my body. My breath comes out in front of me, accompanied by the wild winds, taking away any chance I had of visibility. I am completely surrounded by snow.

My legs give out, and I collapse into the snow, ignoring the chill that creeps its way into the gown, soaking my body. Tears spill from my eyes, leaving a burning trail on my cheeks as someone comes behind me, roughly ripping me up.

“You should not have done that,” my captor hisses as he drags me back into the house. I fight and scream, clawing at his hands around my waist as I look up at the sky.

“Luca!” I screech.

My throat feels raw as I call out to him over and over again. The horrors of this world that I live in—this world that he has shielded me from come crashing down around me as I am dragged back inside.

Back to my captivity.

~

“I can’t hear you, Elise. How many is that?”

I open my mouth, but only a squeak escapes me as I shudder in pain. Each breath that I take adds to my pain more than it relieves me. Running without a proper plan was a mistake. Pissing off a man whose temperament I know nothing about was an even worse one.

I was so far off, thinking what Luca had put me through was cruelty. Compared to this, it was nothing. This man has no restraints since he doesn’t know me. He has used the past hour with my hands bound as he uses a belt with jewels embedded in them to strike me over my back.

I tense when I feel his fingers tracing the welted skin, the burning pain intensifying from the heat he gives off.

“Elise. I’m talking to you,” he murmurs as he steps around, using his finger to lift my chin. “How many is that?”

I sense the mocking in his tone. But I don’t have the strength to stand against it. I cough, blinking tears from my eyes as I whisper.

“I don’t know,” I whimper.

He laughs, releasing my chin as he moves around me again, this time using the belt to trace the welts on my back.

“I’ve known Luca a long time. He always had the nicest toys. But when he got married and disappeared, it made no sense to any of us. But seeing you here…like this… I think I understand,” he says.

I tense when I feel his lips hovering over the back of my neck, and I flinch away, eager to get away from his touch. Instead of anger, he laughs again.

“You are loyal to him. That is admirable. But he won’t be finding you anytime soon. It’s best if you forget about him and adjust to your new life here,” he says.

Silence stretches over us, and he walks around to stand in front of me. I keep my gaze on his shoes, taking deep breaths to make myself remain calm. But he suddenly roughly grips my jaw, forcing my eyes to meet his cold ones.

“Will you run again?” he asks.

As much as this man terrifies me, he is right about one thing. My loyalty lies with Luca. I pull my jaw from his grip, closing my eyes as pain radiates over me.

“Fuck you,” I say.

Silence.

Then, footsteps as he moves behind me.

“That won’t come until you have healed from this—until I know I have your loyalty,” he says.

Suddenly, the bite of metal hits my bare flesh as the belt collides with my skin, and I can do nothing but scream.