Chapter Twenty-Four

Nikk

The mood is solemn in the car, and Elena doesn’t speak much. When I do look over, I catch her chewing on her nails, staring forlornly out of the window. Her leg is bouncing in agitation, and I want to do something—anything to make her feel better about everything, but don’t.

She needs time. We can talk at home. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care about a woman’s feelings, but things have changed in the blink of an eye, and I do care about Elena’s. I hold myself back from asking her what she’s thinking. She has been through enough the last few days. I want to say so much to her, but many parts of me don’t know where to begin.

Keeping my eyes on the road, I ruminate on how to end Matteo’s life. He didn’t get a chance to have his way with her like he wanted, but it doesn’t stop me from calculating a plan to hunt him down and slaughter the man. As we draw closer to home, I break the ice, reaching for Elena’s hand, clasping it in mine.

“Are you okay?”

“No.” Her eyes glaze over as I sigh, knowing I’m going to have to send a team to Sicily. I know that look of death in her eyes. I’m accustomed to it.

“What can I do about it?” I ask softly, wanting to hear her suggestions.

She turns to look at me stiffly, making me frown. She’s not with me, and it appears as if she’s looking right through me. “Sicily. I have to get to Sicily,” she remarks in an eerie tone, her eyes glassy with tears.

Clasping her hand briefly, I clear my throat, angry all over again. I knew Matteo was a pig from the day I met him. He was too friendly with Elena, too close to her, and because of their family history, Elena couldn’t pick up on it. “It’s going to be alright. I promise you that,” I soothe as we reach home in no time. Yegor and my two other men are quiet and respectful as I round to Elena’s car door, walking beside her. Without thinking, I slide my hand into hers, opening the door for her and we walk in together.

“Boss, is there anything we need to do?” Yegor asks quietly as Elena walks down the hall to our bedroom. I wait behind talking to him. “Be on standby. We’re going to be making a trip to Italy.”

“I figured you might be. And for the record, I’m happy the slimy son of a bitch didn’t get a chance to touch her. She’s tough. I take back what I said about her on the yacht,” Yegor praises, nodding his head in a mark of respect for Elena.

“Me too, Yegor. Me too.” Elena is as fierce as I once thought she was, but I want to protect my lioness. I don’t want to tame her anymore. “Get Turan’s car key’s back to him. I’ll be in touch once I check with Elena.”

“Okay, Boss.” Yegor and the men depart as I catch up to Elena and we head to the sanctuary of our room.

“Elena.” I wait as she turns in my direction, her pretty face marked by a suffocating darkness I’ve never seen before. There’s an ache in my chest that I’ve never known, and I know it’s because of her. Taking a step in her direction, I bring the seemingly fragile creature into my arms, cradling her, and her arms slowly wrap around my waist. She sobs into my chest, and I let her break down until she’s all cried out.

Once she’s done, she wipes at the wet spot on my shirt. “Your shirt is soaked.” She sniffles, retreating to the couch and huddling into one section of it.

I follow her, bending down to kiss her temple and stroke the side of her arms. “I don’t care about my shirt. Elena, what do you want to do?”

“I need to go to Sicily. Matteo wants power, and in order for him to be in power, he has to get rid of anyone who carries the Mancini name. I nod in acknowledgment, my thumb caressing the back of Elena’s hand. I’m fully aware of what she means, because I had similar intentions when we got married. In fact, it was the main reason I married the Donna, aside from the fact I wanted to tame her in the process.

Elena’s caramel-colored eyes stare into mine, and I know that plan is out the window now. She’s put a spell on me, and I don’t want it taken off. Things have changed between us, and I don’t want power over her. I want to be powerful with her. “The jet can be ready to go in the next half hour. I promise you, Elena. We can go whenever you want.”

“We can go?”

“Yes. We can go. I’ve already put Yegor on standby. Why don’t you freshen up with a shower and then we can take off?”

Elena’s mouth tugs into a tight grimace. “Of course. I will freshen up.”

“Okay.” Elena walks slowly to the shower, and as she reaches the bathroom door, she turns back to me. “What is it?”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet; let’s get to Italy first.” I wink in an attempt to lighten the mood. While Elena showers, I contact Yegor.

“Organize the private jet for Sicily.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now, and you’re on the flight with us. Be prepared, we’re going after Matteo.”

“I thought as much. Preparation?”

“Well, he is a rat, so I think we should give him the special treatment. Don’t you think?”

“Ahhhh, that special. I understand.” Yegor chuckles darkly.

“Good. Give us no less than an hour and we should be ready to go. Elena’s in the shower now.”

“Alright. Done. See you out front.”

“Perfect.” I click off the call, making my own preparations, including gathering my bulletproof vest, retaining the bullets for my handgun, and laying out my all-black outfit.

A few minutes later, I hear the water stop running, and when Elena quietly emerges in her robe with her hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, I feel a tug in my heart.

When she raises her arms to put her hair in a ponytail, I frown, and when I look closely at her I notice other bruises I didn’t see before, some of them around her neck. I stand up and walk over to her. That makes me feel guilty too, because I contributed to them, even if it was before I knew about the baby being mine and that she didn’t cheat.

Elena stops for a second as I grasp a coil of her hair. “Hey,” she says softly as I gently take her hand and lift it up, taking a closer look.

“Nikk, let me get dressed; it’s fine, it’s fine,” she says, her voice crackly, and her eyes puffy and red.

“Okay, I’m here, Elena,” I tell her in a low tone as she moves to the closet, picking out a black outfit too. When she drops her robe, to put on her top, that’s when I see the full extent of her injuries. There’s angry red scratch marks on her back, and mottled bruises dotted around her back. “Are you serious, Elena? Have you seen your back?”

“Yes, I know,” she replies, tears welling in her eyes as she pulls on black pants, bruises on her legs as well. “He took his frustration out on me. I didn’t feel it at the time—I couldn’t.” Elena sniffles, tears spilling onto the floor as I move towards her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I fucked up.” Tormented by her injuries, I go to her, cradling her head in my hands and laying it on my chest. “He could have hurt the baby, and you.”

“Yes, he could have,” Elena replies in choked sobs. “But I’m still here. I live, and the bastard isn’t going to take my famiglia away from me.”

“No, he isn’t. He has to pay.” Elena wraps her hands around my waist, leaning into me, and it feels good to have her back in my arms again. It’s where she belongs.

“I should have seen the signs,” Elena adds, becoming more talkative, which I’m grateful for.

“What signs could you see, Elena? The guy’s a conceited prick,” I retort.

“No, there were signs. He’s liked me for a long time, and he told me so, and I remember my father joking when he was alive that Matteo asked for my hand in marriage, and he refused him.”

“Ah, ego and pride. And then for you to marry me of your own choosing. It would have eaten him alive.”

“Yes, it would have.”

“Too bad for him, because you’re Mrs. Orlov now.” Time stops as we stand in the middle of the bedroom, preparing to do battle.

“Yes, I’m Mrs. Orlov,” she repeats back proudly with a lukewarm smile, the sorrow in her eyes evident. Our eyes lock, and her tender expression, ignites a warm flicker of a flame in my heart like nobody else can. Bending down, I tilt her face up to me, dropping to kiss her mouth.

It’s been so long since we’ve touched it feels like, and in this moment, it’s clear as to why I couldn’t get it up for Veronica. My body’s rejecting all other women, making way for my L’vitsa. I’m falling hard for Elena, and it’s okay to admit to myself that it feels good, especially with her carrying my child.

I let myself dive into the kiss, doing my best to cover up the pain she’s feeling inside. Doing all I can to show her where my words fail me. Without warning, my hands are roaming through her hair, and both of us are lost in one another.

As my heart beats like a jackhammer, I have to restrain myself, pulling back with a loud sigh.

“Ah, Elena, what you do to me.” I smile, wanting to soak into her even more, but duty calls in Italy.

“You do the same to me,” she whispers, a small glimmer of hope coming back to life in her eyes.

“Mrs. Orlov, your jet awaits, and this time your husband will be right by your side.”