Chapter 16 - Piotr

Clenching my fists at my sides, I kept my anger in. I didn’t want Alyssa to join our organization. My goal was to keep her safe. As I stood deciding what to say to defuse the situation, Alyssa continued to speak.

“Piotr, you need to accept that I want to be part of this. Please don’t deny me.”

I didn’t want to cause her pain, but my anger was still rising. I knew I might say things that weren’t appropriate. I wanted to tell her that she would be ruining her life and her future. But she was right; it wasn’t my place to say such things. Even though she was my wife, it wasn’t a consensual marriage.

Looking at her face, I knew I had already hurt her. Not wanting to lash out any further, I moved past her, heading to the stairs. I could hear her calling after me as I went up. I didn’t stop or turn. I needed some time to be alone, time to think.

Entering my room, I closed the door and stood for a moment. How could I make her see that this life wasn’t a suitable one? I was pacing back and forth when the door swung open.

Alyssa barged in but only took two steps. She halted suddenly and gasped. She glanced around the room with wide eyes. I felt sure she had come to make her point and continued our argument. But she was caught off guard by my room.

Most people didn’t understand it. I knew my family didn’t and didn’t expect Alyssa to understand either. I love living a minimalist life. As she scanned the room, I could see her anger fading. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then closed it again. The expression on her face was so damn cute I almost forgot why we were fighting.

But her reaction, was the reason I felt she wasn’t ready. I doubted that her innocence would ever disappear. She was unique, and I loved her for it. I just stood watching her. After a while, Alyssa looked at me. Her eyes were filled with sorrow suddenly.

She spoke softly as she walked closer. “Is this all you have?”

Feeling my anger being replaced by care, I pointed at the two bean bags by the window as I spoke. “Let’s have a seat, princess.”

She plotted down onto one as I sat down opposite her. “I have never wanted or needed much in life. To me, fancy things are just that, fancy things. They aren’t things I need.”

Alyssa shook her head as I spoke, but I wasn’t sure she heard me. “Living a simple life is all I want. It reminds me of where I came from. It keeps me grounded if I could say so.”

“But…, but” Alyssa staggered through her words but couldn’t seem to find the right ones.

“I don’t have a desire for expensive items. This what you see here,” I said waving around the room. “This is enough for me. I like the way I live. Do you understand, princess?”

I could see she was still confused as mixed emotions danced around in her eyes. Before she could say anything, I continued in hopes of giving her some clarity. “All of this reminds me a bit of my orphan roots. It feels like home.”

Alyssa reached out, taking my hands in hers. She smiled at me as she tenderly squeezed my hands.

“The life we live is a dangerous one, Alyssa. I don’t want you in the middle of all this chaos.”

She opened her mouth to speak. Pulling up my hand, I placed a finger on her lips. “Not long ago,” I said, swallowing hard. “We almost lost Leon doing a routine job. We didn’t expect the blowback we experienced. We weren’t prepared, and it almost cost us dearly.”

Looking out the window, I continued. “Leon and I found ourselves blocked in. Leon got stabbed, and we almost didn’t make it out. If not for Ashan, I don’t know if Leon would have made it.”

Looking back at her, I saw tears filling her eyes. “But I will be careful and only go where you deem safe,” Alyssa whispered.

I could see she was conflicted. Letting out a sigh, I continued to tell her about our near-death experiences. “Mila was captured once. It was a while back, and you will never catch her speaking about it. She was doing routine spying on a company that traded in illegal wildlife. She disappeared for a couple of days. By the time Konstantin and I found her, it was almost too late.”

Swallowing the lump forcing its way up my throat, I looked deep into Alyssa’s eyes. “She was dumped under a bridge, naked and severely beaten up. We couldn’t get close or touch her for months afterward. She stayed in her room and woke at night screaming.”

I shook my head as I remembered her pulling away from me and hitting me out of fear. I didn’t ever want to see anyone in such a state. I would lose my mind if something like that happened to Alyssa.

She was about to speak, but I interrupted her. “Then there was Konstantin. He almost died as well. He suffered from amnesia after his incident. I won’t go into details about that. He can tell you if he wants to. But this is why I don’t want you getting involved.”

Alyssa nodded. She pulled her hands out of mine and folded them in her lap. She turned her gaze down to her hands.

“I don’t want to hurt you, and it's not that I don’t think you can do it. But I have many stories like these I can tell you. We have had multiple near-death experiences. It’s a dangerous life we live, princess.”

“Thank you for sharing,” Alyssa said softly. “It’s not that I’m not scared. I am, but I don’t want fear to rule my life. I have lived under dictatorship for so long with Jones that I need to face my fears.”

Moving to my knees before her, I took her hands in mine. “I am sorry; I didn’t mean to make you feel as if I was dictating you.”

Alyssa looked at me, a soft smile forming on her lips. But her eyes were filled with pain and tears. “It’s not you,” she said, wiping her eyes. “My mother died when I was still very young.” She swallowed hard and turned her gaze to the window.

I could feel her pain as she continued. “I grew up learning the ropes of Jones’s sordid business. He had me doing his dealings and also…”

She wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks as she inhaled deeply. “I was forced to keep his customers happy.”

As she spoke, my anger flared up again, but not at her. I wanted to storm out and teach Jones a life lesson. How could anyone treat a young woman that way?

“I was lucky, I guess,” Alyssa said as she started sobbing. “I wasn’t forced to sleep with them like some other girls.” Alyssa tried inhaling, but her breathing was erratic. “Their hands, I can still feel their disgusting hands on me.”

Sitting up on my knees, I pulled her into my arms. “Please don’t hate me, I had no choice.” She breathed out into my neck, her voice cracking.

“Never, princess, never,” I whispered. As I carefully picked her up, Alyssa wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her head into my chest. I carried her to my bed and gently laid her down.

Sitting down next to her, I tenderly played with her hair. “I am sorry for all you have gone through. That life is over; you are safe now.”

Alyssa glanced up at me, trying her best to smile. My heart ached for her, and my rage at Jones was almost unbearable. I would deal with him in due time though. I silently vowed that he would not get away with what he had done.

“Can you tell me about a close encounter you had?” Alyssa asked softly. Her voice was still a bit shaky, but her breathing had steadied.

Laying down next to her, I pulled her into my arms. Taking a deep breath, I kissed her forehead. “Sure,” I replied. I had never spoken to anyone about it. My family knew, of course. But it wasn’t something we talked about.

“The four of us grew up together in an orphanage. Before we became the Ungodly Brothers and took on one surname, we had other means of earning our keep.”

Alyssa didn’t move as I spoke; she just lay on my chest, listening. Her hand moved tenderly left and right. She appeared to fill me with a calmness, which I liked.

“We were petty thieves. We would steal and do odd jobs here and there when we could find some. I was also involved in underground fighting.” Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Thinking back on those years, it wasn’t a place I wanted to go. But I understood her need to know more about me.

“I was quite good at fighting. Well, I suppose I still am,” I said softly. “One night, my sponsor came to me before a big fight. He asked me to throw the fight. I had never done that before and didn’t want to. He told me if I didn’t, there would be consequences.”

“So did you?” Alyssa interrupted me as she looked into my eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. “As I was saying. I had never before, and I never would. I entered the ring, determined to win. It took about three rounds, but I won with a knockout. I felt very proud of myself. But as I got out of the shower, my sponsor entered the locker room. He was pissed at me.”

Alyssa took my hand and squeezed it tightly. Her calmness made me feel better, and I continued. “After a screaming match, he left. His last words to me were, watch your back. I gathered my things and left through the back entrance. From there, I had to go down a narrow alley to the gate where Mila and Konstantin were waiting.”

I took a deep breath before speaking further. My mind was whirling with all the memories and the emotions they brought.

“In the distance, I saw them as I entered the alley. I heard a loud bang. Turning, the flash of a muzzle blinded me, but it was too late. My chest instantly burned; I saw the thick red liquid flowing through my shirt. I knew I had been shot. I went down on my knees, and then three guys were on top of me. They beat the living hell out of me.”

Glancing at the window I inhaled deeply again, my chest stung. The memories of that day had been buried for so long that I had almost forgotten the pain I had suffered.

“I heard Mila screaming as they came running over. Before they got to me, the men had left. I was barely conscious when they came to my side. The two of them dragged me to the car and took me to hospital. But that was when things changed. It left a lasting impression on them.”

Alyssa lifted her head as she spoke. “I’m so sorry, Piotr.”

I tried to smile at her as I nodded. “It was in the past, but I was in a coma for about a month. They thought they had lost me. Once I was better, we decided to form the organization. This way, we could protect each other, stick together, and make our lives work. The three of them decided I was the most logical person and, therefore, I would be in charge. However, Leon is my right-hand man, and I make no decisions without him.”

Alyssa pushed herself up and leaned closer, kissing my cheek as she whispered. “They made the right choice.”

Kissing her forehead, I decided to give her a chance. Even though I wanted to protect her, I knew she needed my support. “Okay, you can join us,” I whispered in her ear.

Beaming, she hugged me. “Thank you, you won’t be sorry.”

“Just promise me you won’t be reckless. Learn for us and know what you are getting yourself into. Don’t go stumbling into things.”

I could feel her nodding as her head moved up and down in my neck. “Can I sleep here tonight?” she whispered.

Sitting up, I pulled the blanket from the bottom of the bed. “Sure,” I said as I lay down beside her and pulled the blanket over us. Alyssa turned to her side. I held her tightly as we slept.