Page 2 of Porcelain Vows

“I don’t think so, Tarasov.” He pulls me more firmly against him. “You’re finally where I want you — trapped between your precious cargo and your famous fucking reputation.”

Aleksei’s gun remains trained in our direction. I’m pretty sure it’s aimed at Gianni’s head, but it still feels a lot like I’m looking straight down the barrel, and it chills me.

“Let her go, and we can settle this like men.” His voice is so calm, you’d think he was discussing the weather. “This is between us.”

“Oh, I disagree. Your little bitch here has been a problem for both of us. Did she tell you how she begged me for money to save his little brother? How she’d do anything? Maybe I should keep her after all.”

Everything inside me stiffens. He’s talking about the way he used me as if it’s some sort of joke. As if it was funny that he held my brother’s life in his hands and used it as a bargaining chip to force me to do things I never want to do again. Bile rises in my throat. Suddenly, all I want is for Aleksei’s finger to tighten on that trigger. Somehow, I don’t think he’d miss.

Shoot him.

Just fucking kill him!

I want to scream the words, but I don’t.

“Three seconds. Then I put a bullet through your skull,” says Aleksei, still cold as ice.

“Try it. See who drops first. Me, or your pregnant girlfriend.” There’s garlic on Gianni’s breath, and it makes my stomach churn.

“Just fucking kill them, Gianni!” Sofia’s voice cuts through the standoff. “You promised revenge, not this fucking shitshow!”

Gianni goes tense and then twists to the side slightly at the sudden interruption. That’s all Aleksei needs.

Before I realize what’s happening, there’s a violent explosion, and Gianni jolts away from me, screaming as his weapon falls from his hand. Blood sprays my face, and then he’s clutching his hand.

“Aaaah!” Gianni howls.

“Move!” I hear Aleksei shout to Sasha as I leap to the side, away from where Gianni is still screaming.

“Aaaah!Vaffanculo!” Gianni screams a moment before Aleksei silences him. He moves across the room with such speed that I can barely register what’s going on before he plows intoGianni. I’m vaguely aware of Sofia screaming as Sasha grabs hold of her, slamming her against the nearby wall.

I back away, clutching my arms around my middle, my thoughts now consumed by the tiny life growing inside me.

Aleksei has Gianni on the floor by the throat, his grasp so tight that Gianni is gagging and choking as he fights for air.

“Aleksei!” I scream. I’m oddly sickened by the thought of him killing Gianni with his bare hands. Over me.

His head spins to the side, and he focuses on me. For a moment, I’m flooded by that warm sense of relief yet again.

He came for me.

He saved me.

He saved our baby.

He also murdered your father, Stels.

My breath catches in my throat. Before I can say anything more, there’s a familiar sound. It’s Aleksei’s phone. He freezes… and I know why. It’s the ringtone he uses for Bobik’s doctor.

An eerie, unnatural silence descends, broken only by the sound of the phone. Aleksei’s expression flickers, and for the first time ever, I see indecision color his features. I wonder if he felt the same hesitation the day he ordered my father’s death.

The relief I felt begins to ebb away as pure rage takes its place. Our eyes lock, and this time, I can’t suppress the hate that’s been building. Aleksei is releasing Gianni, who’s writhing on the floor, his face battered and bloody.

“Watch them,” he says to Sasha before straightening and stepping away to take the call. I watch in alarm as he leaves me in the room with Sasha, Sophia, and a battered Gianni.

Sasha drags Sofia against the wall, keeping his gun trained on her while his eyes dart between her and Gianni. The air feels thick with tension after Aleksei’s abrupt departure. I stand frozen, unsure of what to do as my mind races with conflicting emotions.

Gianni’s face is a bloody mess from Aleksei’s beating. He’s curled on the floor, wheezing and spitting blood, one hand still clutching his bullet-wounded one. Sofia’s mascara runs down her cheeks in black rivulets as she struggles against Sasha’s grip.

---