Unwanted Sacrifices (Russkaya Mafiya Book 3) (4 page)

I need to keep my faith in her; we’ve known each other too long for me to doubt that she would leave out something that’s so vital to our arrangement. I’ll ask her about it all later, acting like it’s an absurd joke, to see what she thinks of this. I cannot afford the consequences of offending Bina, my affections run too deeply for her and I couldn’t stand to have her upset. Not only am I in love with her, but she’s a close friend to me and I’ll hurt whoever is tainting her name.

With that decision, I reach over, giving Sabrina’s dainty hand a light reassuring squeeze. The touch warms me and I finish my food, my appetite rejuvenated with the sweet promise of what’s to come.

that evening…

“Sabrina…Come here, I must speak with you,” I order.

She’s been upstairs most of the day on her laptop ordering things she and Elaina picked out for the wedding. Everything’s in Elaina’s name, of course, so there’s no trail of Bina left anywhere.

She descends, paying attention to the steps in front of her, “Da, Blondie?” Her mouth turns up at her nickname for me.

As she gets closer, the pitter patter in my chest makes me grit my teeth. She’s so goddamn stunning, I want to pull her to me, demanding she tell me the truth, and then make tender love to her after she laughs about how silly these rumors are.

“Let’s sit.”

We take a seat and I grab her hand, entwining our fingers, flashing a smile so she doesn’t think I’m too upset about any of this. In reality, it’s driving me absolutely crazy, clawing at me inside that she’s going to tell me that it’s actually true.

“I’m going to be frank with you; please do not get upset. I know this is stupid, but I need to hear the words come from your mouth.”

“What’s going on, Nikoli? You’re kind of scaring me.”

“No, no, don’t be scared; it is fine, I promise you.”

Sabrina nods and swallows nervously, giving me her complete attention.

“I was informed that someone is going around saying that you’re married. I told them that it was nonsense.”

Her gaze hits the floor and she scoots back more into the corner of the couch, dropping my hand. She may as well have just hit me with a ton of bricks, as it would probably have felt the same. I don’t know what’s going through her mind, but I wasn’t expecting silence to be her response. She’s always been fairly outspoken with me, quick to tell me her thoughts on things.

“I apologize, I know it’s dumb of me to even mention it, but I promise I will find out who would say such false things about you.”

Her head lifts as a tear escapes, leaving a sad trail down her cheek. Instantly my fists clench and my body grows taut as my mind explodes with the new possibilities floating around. It can’t be fucking true. I can’t have already lost her when I don’t even have her yet. What am I going to do? I don’t want to give her back; I don’t want her to be
married
.

My heart will be broken forever. I’ve denied my affections for her for so long, but inside I know my feelings for her. If she has devoted herself to another man, I don’t know if I will ever be able to move past her. I don’t know if I can possibly forgive her for this and that’s one of the most painful things. I don’t want to hate her…I love her too much.

Choking down the urge to blow up and break every piece of furniture in sight, and then this husband’s face afterward, I breathe deeply, and turn to her. “Please speak to me…You-you need to be honest. I will not hurt you, Bina, ever.”

“I know that, Nikoli.” Her lip trembles slightly. After a moment she runs her hands over her face and groans.

“Bina?” I try to speak further, but my chest aches and it comes out more like a gasp. It feels as if someone has reached in, gripping my heart in a death grip and is holding it, waiting for the words to spill from her rosy lips, so it can squeeze and finish off the job. My hand shoots to my heart, as I take another deep breath. I gaze over the floor, noticing each little spec of dirt that was missed when she quickly vacuumed over it yesterday.

I can’t believe this. How could she do this?
Fuck it hurts.
This is all my fault. I left her alone with those people. They were supposed to be her family, and I was always nearby if she ever needed me. I can’t believe Sabrina never told me; she could have called. I would have come for her.

Did they keep her from contacting me? Was this forced on her? She’s not with him now; perhaps she was unhappy. But I can’t keep her if she belongs to another man. How did we not hear of this? It must have been forced…It had to be. I know her father would have made a huge spectacle if she was marrying someone with influence; so this was one of his fucking dirty, scheming deeds.

I never should have let this happen.

Sabrina breaks through my silent self-destruction. “No, no, no…Nikoli. It’s not like that. I promise you, okay?”

Blinking the red haze away, I eventually turn to her; she scoots close to me, her shoulder touching my arm, as she adjusts so her thigh presses against mine. My body flares with awareness; it’s like she calls to it and even heartbroken it awaits for her next order.

“Nikoli, I’m not married.”

My fists unclench as I register her amazing words. My gaze trailing over each tan freckle on her face as I inspect for any possibility that she could be lying to me. She hasn’t in the past that I know of, but growing up dealing with shady people has made me wary of everyone.

“Huh?” I manage to croak out.

“I said,” she speaks louder, “I’m not married. Let me explain everything to you though.”

My eyebrow raises, intrigued and impatient for this ‘story.’ “What is there to explain if you’re not really married?”

“Well, my father had arranged a marriage for me. He ended up giving me to Viktor before it ever happened though, thankfully.” She says it so matter of a fact, like I shouldn’t be upset in the slightest. I understand in our ways it’s normal to be married off, but I know inside that she’s always been mine. 

“He’s fish bait,” I growl and Sabrina’s eyes widen. Her hand instantly clutches onto mine and I find myself breathing deeply for an entirely different reason.

“You can’t.”

“You know what I do, Bina. You’re one of the few who know what type of man I am and the life I lead.”

“I would never change any of it either, but please. That family is so dangerous; let them go after my father if they choose. I just want to stay out of it, and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

Leaning in, my nose nearly touches hers as I whisper, “I’m dangerous also.”

She draws in a breath, her mouth closing quickly as her gaze shoots to my mouth. Licking my lips, I edge a few inches closer. “I won’t let them touch you.” I promise as my own eyes seek out her lips.

I want a little taste. Just one will hold me over. I need reassured that she really can be mine someday.

Her other hand finds my cheek and just when I think she’s going to lean in the few inches to meet my lips, she stands.

“Oh I know, Blondie, and that’s just one of the reasons why I’m so thankful to have your friendship. Now, I need to start on dinner,” she finishes with a soft smile. Her hand releases mine and the other falls from my cheek as she makes her way into the kitchen.

Jumping up, I follow her, resting my hand on the small of her back once I’m close enough. She’s so short that every time I’m in her space like this I feel as if I’m an ogre, dwarfing her elf-like stature.

“We need to discuss this more. Tell me his name.”

“Geez, Nikoli, just let it go, da?”

“Nyet. You tell me his name.”

“They will kill you, damn it!”

“Not if I kill them first,” I finish in a huff, and she shakes her head, exasperated. She knows I won’t stop until I get what I want. It’s part of the reason why I’m so good at my job.

She rushes to the refrigerator removing ingredients for what looks like a chicken casserole. Sabrina’s taken the liberties of making grocery lists with my favorite foods on them. I don’t know if she realizes I’ve picked up on it over the past few months. She’s always doing sweet little things like that for me though.

After a few moments of her cooking and silently stewing, she finally stops, facing me again. “His name is Kolya from the Minski family.”

“The Minskis? Are you certain? What the hell would your father want with their family? What was he gaining?”

I know exactly who she’s talking about. They had attempted to hire me many years back, but Tate warned them that I’m not out for hired contracts. I only work for Tate. I would help Viktor if he needed it also, only because he’s Tate’s brother; otherwise, I don’t risk an individual commissioned hit.

The Minskis have money, but as far as I know they aren’t involved in the sex trade. In Russia you don’t usually marry off your daughters unless it benefits you somehow. Maybe Bina’s father is getting low on cash?

“Yes, I met him. I had to have dinner with his family. Well, my family and his family had dinner together anyway.”

“Did you go out together alone?”

“Not publicly. We only went for a walk after the dinner through their garden. My father insisted that Kolya get some time alone with me to make sure he would want me. I mostly just listened to him talk about himself, and then when we returned, he shook hands with my father and told him that they had a deal.”

“It’s sickening he has no thought for your well-being. They tried to hire me a few years ago to kill off his first wife. I am loyal to the Mafiya and refused. They must have found someone if you were going to be the new replacement.”
Sick bastards
. They would have ended up killing Sabrina when Kolya got tired of her as well. 

Her eyes widen and she holds her stomach as if it hurts, “They-they killed her off?” she stutters and I nod. She deserves to know the truth. I don’t disclose Mafiya business, but this had nothing to do with the Mafiya and I’m not going to keep it from her. 

“Shhh, Bina…relax, I won’t let any harm come to you.” She takes a deep breath and slides the casserole into the oven. “Do you know what your father wanted from their family?”

“Ummm, no. I don’t really know much, my father never spoke to me about those things, just my sister. He would plan things with Kendall, but I was never close to him like she was. There’s really no telling what he had planned; he’s always plotting one thing or another.”

“Well what do you think it was about?”

“The only thing I could guess is if maybe they were conspiring against Viktor or for more money. I overheard Kolya’s family talking about needing transport for some type of product.”

Hmmm. The Minski’s money comes from crank. I wonder if Kristof was going to use the Minski’s drug running to transport the girls he sells off in the sex business. I could see him trading off his daughter to secure transportation that would leave him scot-free if the other family gets busted by the police. I’m not completely certain, but it makes sense to me.

“Okay, thank you for telling me about it. I’ll talk it over with Viktor, but remember, you have nothing to fear.”

“I can never repay you for all of your kindness, Blondie, thank you.” She pops up on her tippy toes to kiss my cheek. She’s still too short and only makes it to my jaw.

“Keep cooking like this and it’s payment enough.” I flash her a large, bright smile trying to give her some comfort and change the subject. She grins and rolls her eyes, turning back to the stove. “I’ll be down shortly; I need to make a few calls.” She nods, staying focused on the green beans she’s warming up.

Heading upstairs, I pull my cell out. Tate and Viktor both have to know about this new information and my plans. I need to find out when Sabrina can hang out with Elaina also, because I’m going hunting.

You make my heart beat like the rain.

-Borns

one week later…

I adjust the sight
on my sniper rifle again. The wind isn’t bad; I’d say around five mph. Exhaling a deep breath, I peer through the scope again. Still no sign of Kolya.

Fuck.

Patiently I wait out another ten minutes and sure enough, Alexei’s intel is right. He said Kolya eats at the same restaurant each week. Hard to believe that someone being accustomed to the criminal lifestyle would be so careless as to have a strict routine, and worse yet that he would let his old goons leave knowing about it, without tying up loose ends first. Drugs will get you many enemies if you piss the wrong person off, and crank? He’s lucky some wigged out druggie hasn’t attacked him yet. Being cocky and careless will get you killed easily.
Fool.

A juiced up gym rat stands close to Kolya watching him as he finishes speaking with an older Italian man. Sabrina’s father and another younger guy come outside as well, shaking hands and giving their ticket to the valet. They’re up to something if their meeting with old Italian guys.

I often wonder if it was the Italians behind the kidnapping of my mother and little sisters. The men that came that night spoke Russian but I have always hoped my own kind would never do it. The only other clue I have is the dagger tattooed on one of the men’s throats; it was dark, but I’ll never forget it.