CLARA ROSSI

I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Marko, the man I considered to be my uncle, cheated on his wife at a brothel.

What was more shocking; however, was the fact that Volkov orchestrated a raid with the FBI and willingly took a bullet to be his hero.

All to drive his mysterious agenda forward.

I was fucking confused. Intimidated. Overwhelmed. Three emotions that competed with each other whenever Volkov was involved.

Although, watching him now, asleep on the couch—or more correctly, drained and passed out—I felt an odd sense of sympathy for him.

Exhaustion shadowed his features. His blond hair had fallen over his closed eyes, as his chest rose and fell with each strained breath.

He looked vulnerable, for once. Human.

Outside, his friends celebrated with champagne. Well, Charlotte and Niko celebrated. Andrei looked perpetually unamused. Casting a worried scowl between them and through the glass door to check on Volkov every now and then.

Me? I had no idea what to do or where I belonged. I was standing awkwardly in the kitchen, watching them...with an out-of-body sensation and numbness echoing through me.

When did my life become so chaotic? Oh, yeah. When Volkov became my husband.

Speaking of the devil, he stirred awake. A hiss of agony over the music video playing on TV.

Andrei slid the door open in milliseconds. "You okay?"

Charlotte flew in, tits sopping wet in her bikini and beamed. "Look who's awake!"

I watched in awe as the three of them huddled over Volkov like he was the apple of their eye.

So much love poured out of their otherwise violent and unpredictable bodies. It left me feeling hollow and stunned.

All my life, this is all I had craved and longed for, and never got.

"Mwah!" Charlotte pressed her lips on top of his head and Volkov grimaced like he had an allergic reaction to it. "Do you want some food?"

"W-water..." His voice came out hoarse.

"Here." Niko twisted a bottle cap open and brought it to his lip. "Careful."

Volkov looked pale. I'd never seen him so quiet.

He had to be in a great deal of pain.

Sensing that he wasn't well enough to socialize, they let him rest and went outside again, but not before Charlotte brushed his hair back from his face and Niko adjusted his blanket, and Andrei...

Andrei hungrily lowered his gaze down Charlotte's bikini-covered ass...when he thought no one would notice.

My, oh my.

Even across the room, even though it wasn't directed at me, I felt the thrill of nervous excitement from it.

She jumped back in the water and tossed an inflatable ball back and forth with Niko who stood on the edge with a beer in one hand. Andrei claimed a seat on the patio table again, like a lonely cat who didn't believe in things such as sunshine and laughter.

That left me with two options. Go upstairs to my room and keep my distance. Or sit next to Volkov and wave a white flag.

He did risk his life for this mission. It was naive to believe it was merely for money or power. If they loved him so much...they wouldn't support it. Right?

There had to be something bigger at stake, especially for the FBI to be involved.

Hesitantly, I lowered on other side of the L-shaped couch that he was on. From the corner of my eye, I let myself observe the details of his tattoo.

A mythical woman with wings and armor rose above smoke and flames, looking down at serpents below her.

The intricacy took my breath away. The amount of hours Volkov must've spent under the needle to get that art work inked into his skin.

I realized that I knew nothing about him. I realized that I wanted to know about him.

He made a sound at the back of his throat, struggling to turn his face toward me.

"Yes?" I asked, shifting to meet his gaze. His tired, heavy-lidded gaze. "You okay?"

A slight tip of his chin and he eyed the water bottle on the coffee table.

"You want water?"

His whisper was raspy. "Yes, please."

God damn it.

Begrudgingly, and with guilt, I brought the cold plastic to his mouth.

Watched as he parted his lips and puckered. As his Adam's apple moved with each parched swallow. He groaned in relief and leaned back, licking the excess water off his bottom lip.

Would he need help with everything? Such as using the bathroom and showering? For how long?

I was mind-boggled. For someone who was so paranoid and needed to be in control...

"Why in the world would you handicap yourself like this?"

"To earn his trust."

"But why?"

He breathed for a moment, gathering strength to talk. "To hack his phone hopefully."

I tilted my head, furrowing my brows. "For what?"

"To track him."

"But why?"

He closed his eyes, lips pressing into a line.

I sighed. Now was not the time, I supposed. "Will you friends tell me, if I ask them?"

His eyelashes fluttered open, like he wanted to look through me, through my soul.

"Why did you help me earlier?"

My heart did a flip.

Okay, so we were being honest. But why did I? It was a good question.

"I had to choose between helping you or helping Marko. The man who cheated on his wife."

"So you helped the man who kidnapped you?" There was a sliver of dry humor in his eyes.

"I guess so." I matched it with a chuckle. "Maybe I am delusional..." With a deep breath, I forced myself to open. "I don't know. Sometimes, when I look at you and your friends, you guys seem more normal than what I've seen growing up."

I licked my dry lips, wondering if my mom had shed one genuine tear over me. If my dad laid awake at night, worried about me.

I doubted it.

"You really bought me a black wedding dress, so that I would wear white, one day, for my real wedding day?" I scowled. "You make no sense, Volkov. You forced me to be yours. I mean, you've never touched me. You've never raised your hand on me. And if you ever insult me, it's in the same annoying way that you insult your friends. You're not trying to demolish my self-esteem or psychologically abuse me. You're kind of...a walking contradiction."

Outside, Niko whipped the ball at Charlotte's face. It bounced off, knocking her head back. She  climbed out of the pool to chase him. Andrei scrolled on his phone, pretending to ignore their existence.

Maybe our rare privacy was putting me at ease. Things had been so rushed, that I hadn't had the chance to sit down and reflect.

"I begged my dad to talk to me. He didn't. I hardly begged you. In fact, I threatened you. Even though, we both knew it was an empty threat. You're the one in charge, unfortunately. But you still involved me. Maybe because it benefited you. Right? But...you went against your friends, and I know they matter to you. They hate me. So do you. You hate my dad."

I looked at him, and his expression was unreadable. In fact, he avoided my gaze.

"The FBI just let you kidnap me?"

Charlotte shrieked as Niko tripped into the pool. The water splashed everywhere, landing on Andrei.

Volkov shook his head. "Of course, not. They'd never let me do that."

"So you work with them, but you operate on your own rules."

"Thanks, asshole!" Niko yelled at Charlotte, pushing himself out of the pool.

He pulled his soaked shirt over his head, and my gaze fell over his muscular, hairless, smooth skin.

Smooth skin.

"Where's his scar?"

Volkov's eyes widened. "What?"

"Where's his..."

The words died in my throat.

Oh my God.

I stood up, my jaw slacked.

"C-Clara..." Volkov rasped after me, but I was marching outside until I faced Niko.

"Where's your..." I gaped at his perfectly smooth abs. No traces of damage whatsoever. "Oh my God."

Niko raised his palms. "I can explain—"

I whipped toward Volkov, seeing nothing but burning red in my sight.

"You fucking asshole! You piece of shit!" My shout ripped throughout the house.

"Calm down!" Charlotte snatched my arms behind me before I could throw my fists at Volkov.

"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" I screamed.

I couldn't believe when Niko and Andrei shielded Volkov as if I was the maniac.

A terrifying laugh escaped me. "Oh my God. You guys fucking tricked me! You made me believe that my dad attacked Niko. You made me believe that I had no choice but to give my fucking life away to you! To save my family. For what? For what, Volkov?"

"Let her go," Volkov whispered.

Charlotte gripped me harder. "No! I'm not going to—"

I jerked my head back as hard as I could.

My skull crashed on bone with a crunch. Charlotte groaned and released me. Bright red blood gushed down her nose and into her mouth.

Niko cursed under his breath, rushing to help his sister.

I had never done such a violent act before. Never attacked anyone. Never hurt anyone on purpose.

My eyes watered for so many fucked up reasons.

Volkov gave me an anguished look, and quietly said to others.

"Leave us alone."

Andrei argued. "I don't think—"

"Please. Just leave us alone. I'm fine. I promise."

Andrei threw me a cold, doubtful look.

I glared right back at all of them.

"I'm sorry..." Volkov said sheepishly after they left the room. "I shouldn't have lied to you. You didn't...deserve to be treated that way."

"Yeah, no fucking shit." I crossed my arms. "But you still did it. Why?"

He clenched his jaw. "You want the truth?"

"Are you going to tell me or not?" I snapped.

"Okay. But you're not going to believe me."

I stood before Volkov, itching with impatience.

"Your dad runs a sex trafficking ring."

"What?"

"He's a sex-trafficker."

This had to be the most twisted joke.

"Be for fucking real."

"I am... I've been trying to catch him for the last four years. I've found witnesses, survivors, but..." He swallowed, wincing at his wound. "Every time they've testified, your dad either bribes the judge or blackmails the lawyers. It's hopeless."

Bile churned my stomach.

I took a step back, away from his words that were snaking toward my ankles.

"No. My dad would never..."

Would he? No.

I laughed, but it was pathetic. "He owns a food distribution company. He's a successful billionaire. He's a role model!"

"Role model my ass. He sold you to me." Volkov glared under his lashes. "You want to know why?"

My mouth drained of moisture.

"Because he's scared. Because he knows that I'm close. Really close."

I shook my head again and again. "You don't have proof."

It had to be a lie. It had to be. My brain refused to accept this.

"Why do you think the FBI would help me if I didn't have proof?"

"Show me. Show me the fucking proof."

He dropped his gaze down at the tattooed woman on his chest.

Ice touched my spine.

I was scared to speak. Scared of what he would say.

"My mom and your dad dated for a while, before you were born. I was one. You know that shitty Rossi tattoo on his back? That used to be something else."

How in the world...

No one knew about that tattoo. He never showed it.

"It used to say my mom's name. Oksanna."

The tattooed woman on his chest...his mom.

"I never knew my dad. He left my mom, when he found out she was pregnant. My mom didn't have any family either. It was just the two of us." His voice quieted, lost in longing and sorrow. "We lived in a trailer park house, when she met your dad. They dated for about two years."

I stood there, in the middle of the living room. Not sure what to do. Not sure how to move.

My fingertips tingled with adrenaline.

"He was a fresh don back then. My mom eventually found out...she found out the truth and left him. Obviously. And I guess he loved her, or didn't think she was strong enough to be a threat. But what he didn't know, was that my mom started her own mob. The Volkov Family. Your dad realized that she was becoming powerful..." Something dark took over Volkov's far-away gaze. "So he took care of it."

It felt like someone tore through my chest. Fisted my heart. Knocked the air out and every ounce of strength with it.

Volkov looked at me, at my speechless, horrified state.

"I was sixteen. Hiding in her office. I heard them. I heard everything. The gunshots. Her screaming."

Clueless. Powerless. A child.

Someone sniffled down the hall, followed with a soft sob.

Charlotte. They were listening.

"Do you know the worst part? That night? They came back." Volkov tilted his head, amused. He looked...insane. "Charlotte was only fourteen. It was a miracle, a fucking miracle, that we survived. I guess, not only because Andrei knew and handed each of us a gun to fight against grown ass men. But because Tomasso didn't want to taint his reputation. No. He just wanted to scare us enough so we'd stay quiet."

The idea of who my dad was cracked like a glass picture frame. All this time, I blamed Volkov. I called him a psycho. A monster. In reality...

Something in my chest permanently fractured.

Cold sweat covered me. Crawled with a million invisible ants. Racing. Climbing. Suffocating.

Sprinting to the nearest bathroom, I collapsed on my knees and hurled into the toilet.

A/N
Sorry for the heavy chapter <3
If you are enjoying this story, please vote!