Chapter 37

Zeke

When he got the call from Keith, he didn't know what to expect. He'd been avoiding Tatiana's calls because he couldn't think clearly when it came to her. It was cowardly, he knew, but his tasks needed his complete attention at all times, especially then.

Zeke knew that if she was in any real danger, or if something has happened to her, Keith would call. He trusted his brother—in all but blood and name—to do so. Which was why when the phone rang and his name flashed on the screen, he'd immediately answered.

His thoughts ran a mile a minute, not knowing what to expect. Had she been hurt? Was there another attack? Is she okay?

Never in a million years did he expect for Keith's loss for words. Zeke had demanded him what was going on until Keith had finally spit it out.

"She's here with another man."

Another man could've meant anything, but the way Keith said it told him what he didn't realize he was too scared to find out until then.

A current lover? He had to see it for himself.

He left his uncle and Vasily in the house, not bothering to give any explanation as to why he abruptly had to leave. They'd be fine on their own for a while; they'd spent the last couple of hours scouring the news and all the information they could get their hands on about the attending guests at the party and all the enemies of the families— whats another hour or two?

He'd quickly entered one of their rental cars and driven as quickly as he could to the address that Keith pinned to his GPS.

On foot, it would've taken him nearly an hour to arrive, but the car was fast. And as if the vehicle understood the storm of emotions weaving through him, it went faster as he pushed it to it's limits, like it had a mind of its own.

He arrived in record time. He slammed the car door closed and trudged the path silently, careful to not draw too much attention to himself with the other civilians milling around.

The sun had set a while back, aiding his mission of being in disguise. Most people were off the streets now, hoping to catch some dinner, but there was always the odd person walking up and down the lanes, trying to get to where they needed to be.

"Keith." Zeke called out to him once he saw him as he rounded the corner. Keith turned at the sound of his voice, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Where's..?" Zeke trailed off as Keith nodded his head in a different direction, already knowing what he was going to ask.

He had braced himself, but there was no way for him to prepare himself on how the couple looked opposite each other. The look on the man's face was one of calmness, a polite and pleasant look and yet it did little to shadow his adoring and loving gaze directed at Zeke's fiancé.

Zeke leaned his body against the wall behind him, a powerful feeling of rage surging up within him. He hid his clenched fist to the side. "Who is he?" He asked, speaking in slow words so as not to let the anger leak through his voice.

"Ramsey Caldwell." Keith said in disdain.

Zeke furrowed his brows. "Caldwell?" The name sounded familiar.

"Your Uncle Vincent has had a few tussles with him in the past. We shouldn't be mixing in with their lot."

The memory rose to the surface in the back of his mind. "I remember now. And what is a Caldwell doing on your territory?" Zeke asked in a soft murmur.

Keith glanced at him cautiously. "The princess wanted to speak to him alone. I was against the idea, but she was insistent and used her mother's name." He ran his hand through his hair in stress. "Though the name Volkov does not hold the same power over the French as opposed to the Russians, I thought it wise to follow regardless. You're marrying into the name, after all." He added. "That didn't leave me much choice so I had them moved to the café where I can keep an eye on them."

Zeke nodded. "I see." He only continued to watch the two interact with one another. He supposed he should've felt relieved, at least, that Tatiana didn't seem to share the same level of affection as Ramsey, based on their mannerisms. Although, the familiarity he could see in her stance bothered him immensely.

He and Keith both watched as the bastard laid his hand in hers. Zeke went ridged. He was even more disturbed by the fact that she didn't pull her hand away from him, and instead held to his tightly.

A moment of silence, then, "You're still marrying her, right?" Keith asked as if he wasn't sure.

Zeke shot him a venomous look. "Of course I'm still marrying her. I love her."

"But does she love you?" Keith asked, and Zeke flinched back a little. The two of them hadn't really discussed the nature of their relationship. Upon seeing this, Keith sighed, changing his tone to something more sympathetic. "I'm just saying that— this doesn't look like just two platonic friends catching up. Sometimes, love isn't enough."

Zeke didn't like the ominous direction the conversation had turned to and trained his eyes once again on the scene unfolding before them.

They talked for quite a while, and Zeke didn't know what to make of it. She didn't seem too pleased about their topic—given the set in her shoulders—but was powering through it. Caldwell listened to her intensely—too intensely for that matter.

Don't tell this man anything you don't want to, he silently implored through his thoughts.

Zeke narrowed his eyes at him when he saw Ramsey run his fingers over the delicate skin of her hand in comforting circles. Beside him, Keith seemed to get more and more pleased as time went on.

"Why do you look so pleased, Allard?" Zeke asked him, voice shimmering in suppressed anger.

"Nothing." Keith replied. "I'm just looking forward to killing him. The longer this drags on the further he cements his grave." When Zeke didn't react, Keith glanced to him. "You are going to kill him, right?" He asked.

Zeke only shook his head. "It's not up to me to decide. Vincent is the Don. This is an offense to him who owns the territory."

"And to you." Keith hissed. "Everyone knows you are to inherit his famiglia. This is an insult to you as well."

"Stop justifying ways to kill him, Keith." Zeke warned, his voice thin. "I'm trying my damn best to not shoot him between his eyeballs right now." He said and swore in a string of French and Russian curses combined.

Keith seemed pleased by his response. "As long as the seed has been planted in your brain." He commiserated.

They watched as a waiter brought over a plate of what appeared to be ravioli in an extravagant dish. Zeke was staring at her the entire time, not paying the man in front of her much attention until he felt eyes on him.

Zeke glanced up, not entirely surprised that Ramsey Caldwell was now looking at him with a curious look. Zeke stared back, wearing an air of ease while letting the barest hint of fury simmer through his blue eyes.

Caldwell seemed to have gotten the message. He turned away first, and it was a small kind of victory for Zeke. However, his win was short-lived when he turned back to stare at his fiancé only to find her already staring at him.

Shock and dread were the emotions plain as day on her face and it twisted his insides. Why was she looking at him like that? Did she not want him there?

Of course she didn't want him there, he thought foolishly. She was on a rendezvous with a past lover.

He kept staring into her eyes regardless, the swirling emerald eyes of the woman who he had fallen for.

Tatiana stood abruptly, banging her knees into the table and Zeke started. It took everything in him not to go to her right then. He was worried about her, especially about the bruises on her body that haven't healed yet. She must've hurt herself standing up so quickly.

She turned away from the table quickly, with the obvious intent to go to them, but was stopped when Caldwell put his hands on her, spun her around, and pressed his lips to hers.

Zeke straightened his stance abruptly. The fury he had felt before was incomparable to what he felt now. He was livid.

But the anger was no where near as strong as the wave upon wave upon wave of pain when he—and Keith—saw as she kissed him back.

"Zeke." A hand—Keith's—clamped tightly around his forearm. From his expression, he didn't know who Keith was trying to hold back; Zeke, or himself, from the shocked and angry look on his face.

He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, she was kissing him back one moment but it appeared as if her personality had shifted. Now, she was doing her best to get away from him, a furious look in her eyes.

Zeke went to help her when she was unsuccessful in escaping from Ramsey's clutches, but the hand Keith had on him stopped him. He turned to look at him. "Don't." Keith said in warning. "We can't cause a scene in public. It'll be a honing radar on whoever is dead set on killing you both—your arrival here in France will be pointless."

Zeke growled angrily in response, shrugging his hand off. If he couldn't stop this—a man with his hands on his beloved—what hope did he have of protecting her—keeping her—from those who would truly take her away?

Next he saw her, she was already a few steps away from Caldwell. The anger dissipated—marginally—but that small fraction of space made way for more pain to invade into his mind and heart.

It felt like the world was spinning, and his only anchor—her—was too far away to help him.

He couldn't stand the sight of them anymore, and so he turned away, and said to Keith, "Take her home." He said, sounding incredibly tired. "And have him followed."

"You got it." Keith said, staring after him worriedly as he walked away. "Zeke, where are you going?"

He didn't know himself. All he knew was that he had to get out of there—and fast.

Keith called out to him a few more times, but eventually, his voice was lost to the wind.