Chapter 17

seventeen

Sergi – Two Weeks Later

I sigh, rubbing the heels of my hands against my eyes. I barely sleep, so I'm fucking tired. I take a swig from my glass of Vodka. Two weeks, that's how long I've gone without Avery, and it's killing me. Waking up the next morning to Al reminding me what I did, what I fucking said to her, what I threatened…. I shake my head and look back at my computer. I'm at the office, trying to do my work, but the words are blurring as I'm trying to find Vasiliki. Phoebe is still not awake, though its looking more and more unlikely that she will. Basil is trying to get power of attorney so he can shut off her ventilator, but I'm fighting it or trying to with the help of Dimitri, and shockingly, Juan. I haven't officially talked to him yet; if he's in a room I ignore him. I know I owe him a meeting but right now, I can't. My mind goes back to Avery again and the events that led to her running from me, my heart tearing in half every time I punish myself with the memories. I wanted a little bit of space, and instead I pushed her away completely.

I walk into Phoebe's hospital room and see Al sitting next to her, staring at her with heartbreak on his face. I clear my throat. I've had a few to drink. Al turns toward me and notices the bottle in my right hand. I offer it to him, and he takes a swig.

I ask, "Fancy coming to kill some more Romanians?"

He smirks, gets up and kisses Phoebe's forehead, and whispers, "I'll be back soon, my love. Got some more pests to get rid of for you." Then he turns and walks toward the door.

I go to Phoebe and kiss her head. "We'll get them all, Phoebe Pie, I promise." Then we head out.

A few weeks ago, she was rushed into surgery again with internal bleeding. We've been hunting the bastards for revenge ever since.

An hour later, we arrive in Brooklyn, at a dingy house where five Romanians are hiding out. Al and I look at each other and smirk, and we get out and head into the house. We're not quiet as we let ourselves in. All of them are sitting around in the dirty living area, needles and cigarette butts litter the floor, bottles everywhere, there are a couple of whores making out together, and some on their knees, blowing the pests tiny cocks. I laugh silently, then walk up to one that's getting sucked off. I grab his hair and yank his head back, slicing him from ear to ear with a smile on my face. The dirty whore starts to scream so I grab my gun with my other hand, and shoot her between her eyes. Everyone freezes.

I say coldly, "Payback for the shit your boss did to my cousin."

Then I shoot the two women who are making out. Can't leave any witnesses and all that. Blood splatters all over me but I don't give a fuck. Al shoots the other fucker who was being sucked off, then shoots the woman, and I shoot two more men while Al shoots the last one.

I smirk and spit on their remains. "Rot in hell, bastards."

Then we walk out, and Al sets the house alight. As soon as we get to the car, I grab the whiskey bottle and start chugging it, loving the burn. Al drives us back to my place. I made sure to change the code so Avery can't show up unannounced now that I've made her my call-girl. I can't offer her anymore, but I also can't let her go; I'm a selfish dick.

When we get to my building, he parks in the underground parking, and we head to the elevator. We don't say anything, there's nothing to say, but as soon as the doors open my body vibrates with anger. I fucking told her I would contact her when I need her, she has no fucking right to show up here.

I hear Alexandr mutter, "Fuck" and he clears his throat.

I scowl and sneer, "What are you doing here, Avery? I told you I'd come to your place when I want to see you." Her eyes fill with tears, but my anger is too far gone to give a fuck.

She rasps, "Who's blood is that, Sergi?" Alexandr stiffens beside me, knowing I'm digging a big hole. I don't like that she's now seen us covered in blood twice. I chuckle darkly, all my senses are gone with the booze and blood lust. How fucking dense is she?

"How thick are you? Months we've been fucking, and not once did you pick up on my day job?"

Alexandr clears his throat. "Serg."

But before he can stop the wreck I'm causing, I unload everything about my connection to the mafia and bratva. I smirk as she shakes her head, her eyes full of pain that I can't seem to register. Alexandr squeezes my shoulder, but I just shrug him off and state, "Don't like it, then you know where the door is. You're not the only woman in New York that I can fuck regularly, which seems to be the only good thing about you these days."

Her tears fall, heartbroken, but again I can't seem to give a fuck. Instead, I stare at her coldly, too pissed she's even at my door to register my major fuck up. She goes to rush past me, but I grab her arm tightly, not giving a shit if I bruise her.

Pulling her close, I sneer, "Tell anyone what you saw, and you'll end up like those bastards, and will be joining your adoptive parents." She shoves me and I stumble as she curses, then runs away like a little bitch. Al shouts her name but she keeps going and I chuckle. I honestly don't think I've ever heard her swear before. Al turns toward me and punches me in the face. I go down, blacking out.

The next morning, Al was still with me. I had a shiner and a vague memory that fully returned when he filled it the blanks. I ended up roaring out in pain and destroying my home, smashing all the pictures of myself and Avery, pissed at her for being here in the first place, and pissed at myself for most likely losing my girl. She hasn't contacted me since ,but I don't know what I expected. I lied to her, pulled away from her, and made her my whore, all before I threatened to kill her.

Sofia replaced all the photo frames, and the Volkov's cleaned my place up, but I've been even more empty inside.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Damian walks into my office. He looks at me with concern, but I don't take notice of it, and take a gulp of my vodka. Dmitri and Al are right behind him.

I sigh. Great.

"Don't look at us like that, boy, we're worried about you." I roll my eyes, and Dimitri scowls. "I may not be your blood father but you're still my son, so show me some fucking respect." I sigh and run my hand through my hair. I look at Damian and have to look away, his eyes full of pain for me.

Al sighs. "I've got to go to the club, why don't you come with me, get out the office for a bit."

Damian and Dimitri look like they're about to disagree but I quickly stand up, not wanting to have an intervention. I walk past them without saying a word, grabbing my vodka bottle on the way. I hear them sigh but I don't stop, fucking grateful for Al helping me out.

Al and I head to the club and when we get there, he stops me from getting out and I growl at his smirk.

"I know how you feel. I love Phoebe more than life itself, and if she dies, brother, I'm going with her." I twist my head in his direction in shock and he smiles sadly. "There is no life without her. I need her to breathe. Yes, you fucked up, we Volkov's like to fuck up. Go big or go home. You're a Volkov. You need to fucking get back up again, Serg. You've fallen, and Phoebe will kick your fucking ass when she wakes, and she sees the mess you've made with Avery. And Phoebe will wake up. Get your girl back, brother." He gets out and I sigh, following him; like fuck I'd let him kill himself. And like fuck would Avery want to talk to me.

Alexandr goes to his office to get the paperwork he'll do it at the hospital, and I go to the bar and start drinking more heavily.

He comes back out with a teary-eyed Mindy, making me smirk, he smacks my back and says, "I'm leaving, get one of the men to take you home and sober up, then go get your girl back."

I nod but don't plan to do it. I continue drinking. At some point, not sure when, but Mindy joins me. We're both shit faced and laughing. We both take another shot, and she slowly drags her nails up my bare arms, and I smirk. Her tits are basically falling out of her top, and my dick perks up, not having seen any action in three weeks. I decide to say fuck it, I'm single now anyway, well at least I think I am, my brain too foggy to even think that thought through. But my dick's hard and I listen to him. I grab her hand and drag her to my office out the back, before I pull her inside and shut the door.

I slam her against it, shoving my tongue down her throat, she moans and grabs a hold of my hard dick in my pants. I break the kiss. I shove her over the sofa, her ass in the air, and lift her mini skirt. Her lacy, pink thong is soaked, and I groan. I tear them from her and grab a condom from my desk drawer, before I sheath myself. I shove my fingers in her cunt and thrust them hard and deep, causing her to groan out in pleasure. I then rub my fingers over her ass, using her juices to lube her up. I may be shit faced but I'm not stupid.

I shove my cock hard into her ass and I moan out in pleasure, before I grab a hold of her hair, yanking it back as she moans.

"Sergi!"

I feel her cunt and ass tighten around me, and I fuck her hard and fast. She comes screaming my name, her juices run down my fingers, and I shove them into her mouth and she sucks them, making me come hard. I breath heavily as I pull out of her. I pull the condom off, and head to my bathroom. I empty the condom down the toilet, then I flush it, then rinse it under the water, and throw it in my trash. When I leave the bathroom she's sitting on my desk with a smirk.

"You need to leave now, Mindy, I have work to do." She pouts but nods, she walks over to me and kisses me hard on the lips, my cock takes notice again, but she pulls away, waving, and leaving me on my own. I drown myself in booze again, then pass out on the sofa that stinks of our sex.

The next morning, I wake up with a major hangover, and I pop two pain killers in my mouth. I use the whiskey bottle to swallow them. I look up from my desk where I've just sat my ass down and see Mindy's underwear on the floor. Shit hits me like a ton of bricks.

What the fuck did I do?

My heart races and I feel sick. I grab my phone, needing to call Damian, when I see several missed calls and a message from Avery. My heart sinks as I read her words.

No! Fuck! No, no, no.

My Girl: I hope she was worth it.

I press her number and try calling her, but it instantly gets the dreaded disconnection sound.

She's blocked me.

I drop my phone on my desk and grip my hair with both hands.

No, please, no.

Tears fills my eyes as Al walks in, shocked to see me.

"Did you sleep here?" He looks around as he asks, then notices the thong, and his gaze sharpens when they look at me.

He sees the tears in my eyes. "What the fuck did you do, Sergi?"

The tears fall, the pain in my chest intensifying.

Al shakes his head, mumbling, "Fucking shit. We need Damian." He looks at me again. "We need to make sure Avery doesn't find out about this. Volkov's fucking suck when it comes to fidelity, and don't say you are broken up, because we both know you aren't, she just needs fucking time."

I chuck him my phone and I drop my head, gripping my hair again.

"Fuck!" Al screams, and throws my phone at the wall. I sob, my heart breaking, realizing she obviously came here to work things out despite how I spoke to her and how I've treated her. I mean, fuck, I haven't made her come in months, and I'm pretty sure I tore her the night I went to her when Phoebs was attacked. And now I've completely lost my girl, and I don't think I'll ever be able to get her back. I sob as I hear Al speaking to Damian, while my whole body is hurting from the loss of my girl.

A week later, I leave my place, where I've spent most of my time, and I decide to head to the hospital to see Phoebe. I know I fucked up and lost my girl completely, I just don't know how to get her back. Al, Damian, and Maria all tried to call her, too, but she's blocked them all. I asked Dimitri if he'd call her, but he told me she wouldn't appreciate it. Something happened between them at the hospital, and I ignored it, thinking she was going to put her petty drama on me, and like the asshole I am, I pushed her away. Dimitri won't say what happened. Apparently, I'll disown him, so he refused to say, not wanting to lose a son—his words not mine. I'll figure it out, though.

When I get to the hospital, there's a big commotion. My heart stops and I run to Phoebe's room. When I see her awake, tears fill my eyes, and relief like no other consumes me as I get the doctor. Then I'm hit with grief when I realize, I still lost the woman I love.