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“I don’t care about the damn door,” I growled, earning a fierce wince from her. I was fucking exhausted. My bones ached, and Liam had proven to be an even bigger asshole in his fucking cell than I'd expected.
In addition, I had to deal with a crying Juliana. And it pulled on every fucking string of my fucking nerves.
And now she started again. More tears streamed down her flushed cheeks and her hands quivered. I sucked in a deep breath and massaged my temple.
“Olga said you’ve been like this since morning, krasotka.” I walked up to her and stroked her arm. “Why? I want you healthy.”
More torrents rushed from her eyes when she peered through thick shimmering lashes. “Rafail, I know you hate him …”
With a grunt, I took a step back, but she held my arm. “… you probably hate me too, but you have to understand, he is the only family I have. Please, I am begging you. Liam is a good man. Maybe he made some mistakes in the past, but those can be forgiven, right? Why can’t the past stay in the past? He doesn’t deserve this.”
I wanted to tell her what I felt for her was far from hate, but I couldn’t get past the last words she said.
“He doesn’t deserve this?” I broke away from her. Opened a drawer and handed her a picture that made my jaw clench every time I saw it.
There were four men in the black-and-white photograph. Two younger men, a younger Liam, and Uncle Oleg. Having a good time, laughing, and sharing drinks.
I pointed at one of the younger men. “That is me. You can recognize my uncle and your cousin. What you see there, Juliana, is just a reflection of what life was like for us years ago. Your cousin was part of our family, even though he was American. He was one of us, part of the Bratva. He was one of the few we trusted, and he betrayed that trust. He deserves everything he’s getting now. He's a fucking traitor. And that is unforgivable.”
My finger moved over to the other young man. “This one?” Just seeing him made red flash through my eyes. “That was Dimitri. My brother. My blood. He was murdered, stabbed in the heart, and had his eyes plucked out by a fucking traitor too. Do you want to know what I did, pretty one? I avenged him. Hunted the bastard down to his hotel room and tied him up. Then I fucked his whore while he watched, cut her throat, and used her cold lifeless fingers to pull the trigger. That is how you treat a bloody traitor.”
Slowly, I trailed my finger down her jawline, and she shuddered. “Now, tell me: why should I change my rules for you? He’s lucky that he is still alive.”
The tears in her eyes stopped and she squared her chin, trying her best, pretending to be strong.
“Then, grant me my only wish. Allow me to see Liam.”
Chapter 17 – Juliana
As I settled into the passenger seat of the car, my heart fluttered with apprehension. The air inside the vehicle felt charged and heavy.
Rafail navigated through the dimly lit streets, the glow of the streetlights casting long shadows on the buildings we passed. I stared at the blurry buildings, wishing we were going somewhere other than the hidden location where my cousin was being held captive.
It didn’t matter how many times I tried to dissuade myself, but this was going to happen. Rafail had already sealed and signed Liam’s fate.
And after he told me about his brother, I couldn’t blame him. He had been in this business long enough and I didn’t expect him to change his rules for me. The least I could do was prepare myself to bid Liam farewell while he was still alive.
The surroundings changed as we drove deeper into the forgotten part of town. The buildings grew older, their facades weathered by time and neglect. We passed by abandoned storefronts, their windows cracked and covered in layers of dust. The atmosphere grew more eerie, and I couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down my spine.
The road stretched out before us, seemingly endless, as we inched closer to our destination. The silence in the car was only broken by the occasional sound of tires rolling over the uneven pavement.
I stole a glance at him. His eyes were hard and steely like they were in the restaurant that day. The day I’d willingly offered him myself in exchange for doing anything he wanted, as long as it would guarantee Liam’s safety.
He must have felt my eyes on him. He turned his head to me, but I looked away. I couldn’t stand drowning in the depths of blue just yet.
The car rolled up to this old, creepy warehouse in the middle of nowhere and there wasn’t a single living thing in sight. The roof was all covered in red rust, the windows were shattered like a jigsaw puzzle, and the door let out this spine-tingling creak when we pushed it open.
My nose scrunched up like a wrinkly old prune. It smelled like dead rats, blood, and metal inside. Rafail, with his heavy leather shoes, walked ahead, and I followed him, my sandals making soft flapping sounds.
Inside, the warehouse resembled a fortress. There were steel barricades everywhere, blocking my view of sealed plastic drums containing who knows what. The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Finally, we reached this battered door and the keys jingled as we swung it open.
Liam hung from the ceiling with a chain tied around his wrist. Bruised, battered, bloody. The rush of tears hit me all at once, and my knees buckled as I walked up to him. Rafail was waiting at the back, but he didn’t leave the room.
I cupped Liam’s cheeks.
How had our lives spiraled downhill so fast? How had he ended up here, tied to chains like a criminal that he wasn’t?
It seemed centuries ago when our lives were normal and perfect. When he called and we would talk on the phone for hours.
