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I ignore him and keep my attention on the TV. Of course I want an explanation, but right now I want to wallow in my grief alone.
He clearly didn’t care about my silence as he continued on. “There was a problem with our most recent shipment of weapons. Someone from the O’Connor’s payroll stole some of them, damaging a few others.” He explains. “Which in turn caused dad to cut ties with them, and as you heard, Rian did not take it well.”
I look down at my hands, twisting my fingers together. I understand why my father cut ties, but I don’t see why Declan and I have to suffer.
“Once Declan and I take over the families, this will all go away.” He promises. I feel the tears welling in my eyes again.
“You mean I have to wait six years before I can see him again?” I ask incredulously.
“Don’t forget we still have the safe house,” he reminds me softly, and I nod.
“Yeah… you’re right…” I whisper and he pats my leg. The pain doesn’t subside, but Dmitri’s presence makes the void a little less painful.
“Don’t worry, it will be over before you know it.” He moves to give me a hug. I cry silent tears into his shoulder as he holds me until I eventually fall asleep.
Chapter four
Declan
I’m sitting in the living room on our large black sectional watching TV. The show is merely for background noise as my mind reels on Natalia’s words. Pulling me from the fearsome thoughts, my father comes storming in the front door. His footsteps resound through my brain like thunder and a heavy pit forms in my stomach. He’s pissed. I knew that much from Natalia’s phone call, but I don’t want her to get in trouble for talking to me, so I play dumb.
“Declan! My office, now.” He thunders, walking past the living room.
Gritting my teeth, I rise from the couch and follow him into his office. He paces behind his large mahogany desk, and I take the seat in front of it. My eyes bounce around the room while I wait for him to speak. His office is decorated with extravagant art, large wooden bookshelves, and his desk. There are also some filing cabinets that he had specifically ordered so they match his desk and bookshelves.
Personally, I think that it’s a little over the top, but it’s not my office, so I don’t really care.
“From this day forward, you do not see nor speak to Natalia or Dmitri Belov. Do you understand?” He comes to a stop, placing his hands on the desk in front of him. His gaze feels like it’s burning into my skin.
“I’m sorry, I think I’m hallucinating.” I reply and sit up straight. “What are you going on about?” Of course, I had already heard the words from Natalia, but until the moment he spoke them aloud, it had all felt like a sick joke.
“You heard me correctly,” he says before repeating himself. “You are no longer allowed to see anyone from the Belov family, and that’s final.”
My stomach drops. I clench the fabric of my pants in my fists. Maybe I will wake up and I will be back at the safehouse with Natalia sleeping on my lap. Dmitri will be side-eyeing me because he knows the truth. It finally clicks in my head as the heartbreak courses through me. I knew that things had changed in the last two years, but I thought it was just one of those things that happened. I never got to tell her how I felt because my dumbass never made sense of it until now. This can’t be how this ends.
“That’s bullshit!” I rise to my feet and slam my fists on the table.
“Get used to it. It’s business, son.” He stands, removing his suit jacket. “I have a task for you,” he adds before slumping down into his chair. “There is a former employee down in the basement. He’s the reason all of this is happening. Think of this as my gift to you. Leave your phone when you go so I can have IT work on it,” He mutters before waving his hand dismissively.
“My phone is fine.” I argue, but he gives me his ‘I mean business’ look and I slam the phone down on the desk. “Whatever,” I mutter as I walk out, slamming the door behind me for good measure.
I don’t even bother changing. I’m still in my suit and even though it’s one of my favorites, I don’t really care right now. This isn’t my first torture session, and it definitely won’t be my last. This poor fucker just happened to be unlucky enough to get me at the wrong time. My temper is still flaring at the thought of losing my best friend. I head straight for the basement door. Rolling my sleeves up as I descend the stairs, I wrack my brain trying to figure out what exactly could have gone so wrong that it would cause them to cut ties.
Walking into the room where the employee is being held, I slam the door behind me. It’s a normal size room with stark white walls. There is a table with restraints on the far left side, and another table with tools we use to torture our prisoners with. The man is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room with his arms tied behind him.
“So, before I begin.” I walk over to the weapons table. “What’s your name?” I ask him, eyeing all my options.
“It-it’s Vince,” he stammers. He’s already sweating, his raven hair plastered to his forehead.
“Vince… Do you want to tell me what you have done that landed you in my basement?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“I-I stole weapons.” He confesses and I whip around. Of course he did.
“Obviously you had a death wish?” I ask, grabbing a knife. The cool metal feels light in my hand as I walk over to him.
“I’m sorry!” He rushes out, trembling in his restraints.
“When I’m done with you, you will definitely be sorry.” I undo his arms from the chair, but leave his hands tied together. Walking him over to one of my favorite areas, I fasten the ties that bind his hands together to a hook hanging from the ceiling. Walking over to the wall, I turn the crank attached. It pulls the rope up into the ceiling along a pulley and lifts his feet off the ground.
