Captivated by the deadly mafia boss

Micah

Lena’s asleep on the couch. I tried to get her to lie down in bed, but she insisted she wanted to rest in here. I’m getting soft. I should have put her to bed anyway.

I could have lost her today. The reality of that hits me harder than any bullet could. They weren’t planning to kill her. If they had succeeded in the torment they had planned, I could have lost the Lena I know.

The Lena I love.

My heart aches and soars with the notion of loving this woman. Loving her brings danger; she can be used against me-again.

I move from the armchair to the coffee table, sitting close enough to her that I can brush the messy locks of hair from her face. Her cheeks are still puffy from crying; even after she showered, I can see the tracks of her tears.

They didn’t hurt her. I try to console my anger with that fact, but it’s bullshit. Her scars aren’t physical. They’re inside, buried, and they’re all my fault.

“Micah, they’re here,” Niko informs me a mere second before the room is invaded by the Staszek family. Joseph settles a hateful glare on me as he walks to his sleeping daughter.

I get up from the coffee table and ward them all off.

“No. Let her sleep.” I stop Kasia and Jakub before they can reach her while Dominik and Joseph keep to the doorway.

“Let’s go in the kitchen.” I usher them out of the living room and down the hall.

“Let me sit with her. If she wakes up, it’s better if she’s not alone.” Kasia stops just outside the kitchen.

I nod in agreement. The last thing I want is Lena to be frightened in her own home.

“Thank you,” I say and Kasia hurries back to the living room.

“What happened?” Joseph demands as soon as we’re alone.

“My cousin betrayed me. He helped my father take Lena.” I lean a hip against the kitchen island.

“I know that,” Dominik snaps. “But is she okay? Has a doctor looked her over?”

I level my stare on his. “Yes. To both questions. I got there before they could do anything to her.”

Dominik’s glare softens a fraction. From what I’ve heard of his relationship with his wife, he can relate to tonight’s events.

“I never should have agreed to this marriage,” Joseph steams. “I was stupid. Selfish.” Pain wrinkles his features. He gave his only daughter to my family. My father had already kidnapped her once; Joseph knew the dangers. But he wanted peace, and he’d given her in exchange for it.

“She’s safe,” Jakub speaks up. “She’s safe with Micah. He found her before anything bad happened. He won’t let his family hurt her.”

Joseph frowns. “We don’t know that. Roman will go after him now; that makes her a target.”

“Roman is being taken care of,” I assure him. Nausea rolls into my belly because it’s the truth. “He won’t be an issue by morning.”

Joseph perks up. “What does that mean exactly?”

I push off the countertop. I’m breaking a code by informing them, but they are Lena’s family and deserve to know the truth.

“My father got in over his head with the stable. His partners back in Russia demanded more than he could give, but he continued making promises. He continued taking payments for girls he didn’t have to sell.”

“That’s why he pushed for expansion.” Niko steps into the kitchen. “Lena’s awake. Kasia’s sitting with her.”

“So, what are you doing now?” Dominik asks.

“His partners are tired of waiting, and Roman doesn’t have the inventory he promised.” I shrug. “Like I said, by morning Roman won’t be an issue.”

There should be a sense of dread, of worry or anger at the prospect of what torture they will put my father through before they end his miserable existence. Instead, relief floods me. He can’t hurt Lena, and I don’t have to walk behind him cleaning up his messes anymore.

“He’s tarnished my family’s name in this city and back in Russia. The stable is closed for good,” I announce, keeping my attention on Dominik. “That should make your wife happy.”

“And yours,” Dominik responds.

I smile. “Yes, Lena will be as well. The peace between our families stands firm. The territory lines will revert back to where they were before my father’s fight with your family. Everything goes backward.”

Stress elevates across Joseph’s features.

“Lena remains my wife.” I point a finger at him. “I’m not giving her up.”

Dominik huffs a laugh. “No one suggested otherwise.”

“Does she know all this?” Jakub asks.

I shake my head. “No. I’ve been working on things the past few weeks, but until I knew for certain I didn’t want her to worry. I did not know Dimitri was working with my father. But I should have suspected.”

Dimitri’s betrayal blindsided me. Though looking backward, I see the red flags. I had believed we were on the same side, that my father and I were on the same side. Both were working against me, and I missed it.

“What of Roman’s men? Those that are loyal to him?” Joseph asks, his voice lowered.

“There will be a clean house in the Ivanov family by morning.” I won’t say another word on the matter. It a cleansing that’s necessary but not one I enjoy. Good men will be put on the outside of their lives, while sour souls will be ended.

“So, this is where the meeting is.” Lena walks into the kitchen with a wobbly smile. She’s pulled her hair into a loose ponytail on top of her head. The sweatshirt and yoga pants she’s wearing makes her look more comfortable than I’m sure she is.

“You should be lying down,” I say, walking to her. She waves me away.

“I’m fine, Micah. I’m mostly just a little tired from the sedative they gave me.” She brushes past me. “I’m thirsty though.”

“Get her some water,” Joseph demands and goes to his daughter. “Are you hurt? Does your head hurt? What hurts?”

It’s the first time I’ve seen him gush over her. The night of the arrangement, he barely gave her a glance. He’s been distant since the wedding, too. But this looks natural, sincere. I wonder how many nights he’s laid awake worrying about his little girl, but pride and code made him stay away.

Lena puts on a brave smile. “I’m fine, Dad. Truly. I’m okay. Nothing hurts,” she says, but her eyes are slightly narrowed. The lighting in here pains her, but she’s not going to let on. She’ll brave it out.

“Niko, there’s ibuprofen in the bathroom of my office. Get three.” I send him while she’s still convincing her family she’s not hurt.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“The girls.” Lena turns to Kasia as memory invades her. “From the stable.”

Kasia nods. “There were twenty-five and they’ve all be brought to the Staszek house. Dr. Sanja is taking good care of them. They’re safe, Lena.”

Lena’s shoulders drop with relief.

Niko returns with the pills and gives them to Lena. She tries to deny them at first, but she catches my glare and concedes.

“Well.” Joseph straightens his back. “You need rest, and we’re keeping you up.”

“I’ll stay so I can-” Kasia starts.

“No, Kasia.” Dominik grabs her hand. “You’ll come home. Micah has this under control, and if Lena needs us, she’ll call.”

“I will. I’ll call,” Lena promises as she downs the last pill.

I step out of the way as her family files past, giving her a kiss or a hug before disappearing down the hall with Niko. We’re left alone starting at each other. She averts her gaze from mine.

“You’re hurting,” I accuse softly.

“My head,” she says and sinks into one of the island stools. “I’ll be okay. It’s just from the drug, like I said.”

She’s right, but that doesn’t cool my anger.

“I should have known it was Dimitri.” I slide closer to her. “He’s been asking more questions lately than usual. Volunteering to watch out for you. I thought he was just getting lazy and liked lounging around while you worked.”

She lifts her eyes to mine. “I didn’t think anything of it when he told me I needed to go with him. He said you wanted me, but when I tried to call you, he took my phone. The next thing I knew I was waking up on that table.” Tears shimmer in her eyes.

Instinct has me reaching out to her, touching her cheek. “I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. I put you in danger. I didn’t protect you.”

She furrows her brow. “This wasn’t your fault, Micah. This was evil men doing evil things.” She flicks away a tear with her fingers and leans forward into me.

I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight to me.

“When I was lying there and Viktor told me what he was going to do, I was so scared.” She looks up at me. “Not of the pain, but of losing you. How could you ever come to love me if they had succeeded?”

I cradle her face in my hands. “Listen to me, Lena.” I lean into her. “I love you now and I will love you forever. It’s not a matter of if or when. Do you understand me?” Another tear falls and I catch it with my thumb, wiping it away.

“And if he had succeeded?”

“It wouldn’t have changed anything. I would still love you.” I kiss her soundly, pressing against her hard. I don’t want her to ever think she isn’t my entire world, because she is. There is no sunrise without her, no heartbeat that matters without her next to me. She needs to know that, she needs to feel it in her bones the same way I do.

“I love you, Micah,” she whispers when I break the kiss.

“I know, Lena.” I grin. “You’re not as good at hiding your feelings as you think you are.”

Her eyebrows raise and she smiles. “I’m too tired to argue with you.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to keep that in mind for the future.”

She shakes her head with a laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“I try.” I hug her to me again, kissing the top of her head and enjoy the feeling of her against me.

“The men at the stable?” she asks after moments tick by.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Lena pulls back and stares up at me. “No more keeping me in the dark, Micah. I don’t need to know your business, but tell me what happened to those men, with your father.”

I sigh. She’s right. No more trying to protect her by keeping her at arm’s length.

“The men at the stable have been dealt with and my father as well. He won’t be an issue anymore.”

She takes a deep breath. “He’s dead?”

“If not already, he will be by morning,” I assure her.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I can’t imagine what she could possibly be apologizing for.

“He’s your father,” she says simply.

“No, Lena. He’s just a man and he’s gone.”

“That means you’re the head of your family now.”

I nod. “Yes. It’s going to be a very busy time for a while.”

“The restaurants?”

“Everything. I need to get my family in order.”

“I’ll help, whatever you need, I’ll help,” she offers. When I can’t imagine loving this woman any more, she pushes past the limit.

“You’ll go to school. You’ll follow your passions, and we’ll work everything else out around it.”

“Together.”

I can’t fight the smile pulling on my lips. “Yes, together.”

“Since your father’s not in charge, you could give me back. You could let me go.” She’s teasing.

“I don’t think so, princess.” Since she’s well enough for joking, I yank her off the stool and up into my arms.

I carry her from the kitchen and head to our bedroom. Niko stands at the ready near the elevators. There’s going to be a lot of changes coming in the next few days and until things settle, we’ll be having men stationed in the house. I won’t have Lena put in danger again.

As we pass through the sitting room of our suite, she hugs me.

“So you won’t let me go?”

I drop her onto the bed and peel off my shirt.

“No, princess.” I climb into bed, draping my body over hers and capturing her mouth in a deep kiss.

“I’ll be keeping you, Lena.”

She kisses me right back. “I didn’t think it possible, but I know it now.” She runs her fingertips over the scar on my jaw. “The best thing that’s ever happened to me, Micah, is being kept by you.”