Chapter 27 - Gemma

Seeing Ben there was both relieving and terrifying, knowing that we were both caught up in such a dangerous situation.

If something were to go wrong, it had the potential to be devastating.

I didn’t even want to consider the possible outcomes, but it was hard to ignore the glaringly obvious ones. The very thought of that moment potentially being the last one we might share made my heart ache.

After everything we managed to accomplish and overcome together in terms of our relationship, dying there beneath that underpass, or losing him much the same, was the last thing I wanted to experience.

I had spent so long resisting him and wishing that I never ended up in that situation in the first place. The very thought of being married to Ben once felt like a death sentence.

He was arrogant, presumptuous, and cocky—all of which I couldn’t stand, despite his charm. But after we managed to understand each other a bit better, I couldn’t deny how I’d rather go back to that time than be without him.

It was easy then to realize how much I genuinely cared about him. How I cared about us and our marriage.

I didn’t just want to be rescued from the whole mess. I wanted to be with him, and I wanted the chance to explore our connection more.

But as I looked at him with a gun pressed against my temple while my head ached and adrenaline pumped through my veins, I couldn’t help but feel terrified. With my eyes on him, I was silently pleading for his help.

Pleading for the chance to get away and try again.

As he looked back at me, I couldn’t miss the anger in his gaze, along with the tension throughout his body. He seemed to be silently working out how to help me, and how to navigate the unknown in front of us.

Everything with the twins escalated to a point I didn’t expect, especially with Adrik being dead set on their demands despite how Alina seemed to wish they could just be done with it.

Regardless of how she tried to maintain her composure, it was easy to see the questioning look on her features, along with the doubt and worry, as she focused on him instead of Ben and Ari.

Something seemed to be unraveling inside her while Adrik bumped the pistol against my temple, forcing me to wince in pain.

“Why should you big shots get to decide the fate of our family anyway? Who decided you should sit on top forever while everyone else beneath you struggles to keep going?” he demanded, his grip on my shoulder making me ache. “Who made you the kings of this place?”

Despite the clear irritation on Ben’s face, he didn’t say anything at first. He only watched him closely with his gun trained on him.

Even if I didn’t know anything about organized crime or what went into it, I knew that he was looking for the right opportunity. He needed an in to take Adrik out, while also being able to keep him from firing the gun against my head.

When I started my research for that article, I never imagined I’d find myself in that position, so intertwined within Ben’s world that I found myself in the middle of a hostage situation. If I had known at the time, I would’ve run as far away from New York as my legs would take me.

While I was grateful for the chance to see the real Ben underneath it all, this situation was literal life and death. With a small squeeze of the trigger, Adrik could end me right then and there. I would’ve wasted all my time chasing after a dream and trying to get accustomed to the unorthodox arrangement I had with Ben.

That thought made me angry.

I didn’t want it to all be for nothing. I wanted the chance to reach success and appreciate the rewards of it. I wanted to know that I didn’t work my ass off and struggle just to end up a casualty between two crime families.

Knowing Ben and I had finally made progress made it all the worse. It wasn’t fair.

“That’s enough, Adrik,” Alina muttered, gun on Ben and Ari despite how her heart didn’t seem to be in it anymore. How her grasp on it weakened to some degree with a slip of her resolve. “Don’t do this.”

Regardless of the plea in her voice, Adrik’s frustration only deepened. He wasn’t going to give it up, no matter what she thought.

I felt every current of anger that moved through him, forced to endure every jerk of his hand and hit from the chamber. Eyes closed, I tried to block it all out, regardless of how difficult that was to achieve.

“No. I won’t allow you dogs to continue dictating the moves of everyone around you,” Adrik muttered, fingers tightening against my shoulder. “You’re greedy. Manipulative. With one single article, you managed to put everything my sister and I worked towards into question and at risk. We were forced into hiding, forced into accepting ridicule. I bet you Levovs have never experienced that a day in your life. You wouldn’t understand the pain. The agony of knowing you sacrificed everything for nothing!”

Something twitched in Ben’s jaw then, and he adjusted his grip on the gun. “This isn’t about us. This is about you giving Gemma up and accepting the deal. If you let her go now, I’ll get on the phone with one of my guys and I’ll put it all in motion. The article will be redacted, you’ll get your public apology, and you can continue as you wish on your own turf. But don’t mistake my leniency for weakness. I won’t offer this again. Take it or leave it.”

Evident anxiety emanated from Alina as she seemed forced into watching that opportunity pass her by. It was clear that she loved her brother, yet their minds were in two different places.

Before, they seemed like a solid team—a combined force with enough determination and work ethic to keep them going. But as her resolve crumbled more and more, it felt like the twins were worlds apart.

Adrik growled his growing irritation. “You Levovs are always so smug. So self-assured just because you look at everyone from above. But even giants fall. With enough families rallying together, it would be possible. Difficult? Yes, but possible. Then none of us would be plagued with your tyranny. Maybe then we’d have a chance to experience even a portion of that success you guard so diligently.”

“Stop it,” Alina muttered, becoming more concerned as she listened to his ravings. It seemed even she couldn’t recognize him at that point. “You’re speaking nonsense. Don’t be an idiot and take the deal, Adrik.”

“Now you’re threatening us with a coup?” Ben asked, eyes narrowed sharply at him. “Consider this a warning: I don’t make deals with cowards who turn the first chance they get. My patience is waning, Ivanov.”

I could feel the strain through Adrik’s bruising grasp, and I wished more than anything that my hands weren’t bound. Even if it would end up being an awful idea on my part, I reveled in the thought of taking him down. In putting an end to the agonizing situation.

Adrik’s voice was as sharp as a whip, “I don’t want any deal with you bastards!”

Before he could say anything else, Alina cocked her gun in his direction as a pained expression settled on her face, eyes wide with both incredulity for what she was doing, and anger at his refusal.

Shock struck Adrik immediately as he realized her switch, which ended up being a mutual reaction in that confined space. Against all odds, Alina had turned on him, letting out a shaky breath despite her firm grip. After everything, she was siding with Ben and Ari.

Suddenly, it was three against one, with me stuck in the middle.

“What is this?” Adrik asked just above a whisper, wearing a look of betrayal. It was so strong that the tension in the air seemed to shift, and I had the feeling I’d be able to touch it if I reached out.

Alina swallowed hard and kept her aim steady with regret in her eyes. “We’ve always been a team, Adrik. From day one, we had each other’s backs. But I won’t follow you down this foolish path. We could have what we want, but you’d rather let your ambition get the better of you.”

He seemed to shake with that idea, shock and betrayal morphing into anger. “You…you were supposed to be different from them and all the others. You’re my twin—my sister. Now I can’t even trust you…”

Alina was struggling to maintain her composure as she took a deep breath. “You will always be blood, but I’m not willing to go down with you—not like this. It’s a losing battle, and we both know that. We have to walk it back and find a different way. This is too much, even for us.”

Her words got beneath his skin as he looked at her with disbelief and uncertainty. While still gripping me tightly, he seemed torn between two places: angry vengeful toward the Levovs, yet distraught by his sister’s treachery.

There was only one of him, and his attention was being pulled in two different directions. Overwhelmed, he shook.

“Damn you,” he mumbled, eyes fixed on his sister.

Alina’s chest rose and fell with her compromised emotions as she shook her head, but couldn’t manage another word.

Glancing over at Ben, I caught how his eyes connected with mine. For half a moment, his anger shifted into silent pleading…rather, a signal. Despite not being able to say anything, I somehow felt as if words moved between us anyway.

His stare seemed to tell me one very important thing: Get ready.

As he tightened his grip on the pistol, he gave me a subtle nod.

This is it.

Looking back at Adrik, he said steadily, “End this now. Hand Gemma over.”

Almost like Adrik didn’t register his words while his gaze remained fixed on his sister, he shook his head, voice raising. “Damn you, Alina! After all I did for us, after—”

The deafening crack of a shot rang through the air, and with a quick, sharp sound, it hit its target.

Despite my restraints, I pushed myself out of the way and landed on my shoulder against the concrete. I heaved in several deep breaths as Adrik hit the ground in a heap, forced to look into his eyes as blood ran down his face. His eyes gave way to that shock before they glazed over.

Alina screamed as my eyes widened, horrified by the sight, yet unable to look away as trembled, breath feeling like it was knocked out of me completely.

“Gemma,” Ben's voice broke through, cutting in between me and Adrik’s body. His worried face was in mine as he swooped down and helped me back into a sitting position, cradling my cheeks as his eyes met mine. “Don’t look.”

I could only blink back at him while I struggled to process what had happened, and how he was in front of me. Even through the shock of it all, I could feel the beginnings of relief. “Is it…over?”

“Yes, you’re alright,” he reassured me, carefully lifting me to my feet as he put a secure arm around my shoulder while he shielded me from seeing Adrik’s body. “It’s done now.”

As I took those first hesitant, shaken steps, I noticed the slow crawl of his blood moving closer to us without even needing to look at him. It was enough to make my stomach turn, and I forced myself to look ahead as we walked.

Ahead, Alina was sobbing as Ari held her arms behind her back, still calling out for her twin despite his death.

In a wave, more Levov men filed into the space, moving in to secure the body and to take Alina away. They wasted no time at all, but with Ari guiding me, I didn’t have the chance to get stuck watching them.

Instead, we kept moving as Ari exchanged a nod with Ben as we passed.

For my sake, he didn’t let me fixate on the moment.

We eventually reached his car as the scene beneath the overpass was taken care of, and I felt Ben’s gentle touch as he carefully undid the rope around my wrists.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmured as he worked, carefully caressing my skin once the scratchy material dropped to the ground. Turning me around gently, he brushed his thumbs over my bruised wrists. As he met my gaze, his eyes were deep with pure apology. “I’m sorry I ever brought you into this. You never should’ve endured this. It had nothing to do—”

Before he could finish, I shoved my way into his arms, pressing up against his chest as I held him close. My face meshed into his front as I squeezed him tightly and breathed in his familiar and comforting scent.

“I don’t care about all that,” I said, just above a whisper, feeling as his arms surrounded me in response. “You’re here now, and I’m safe. That’s what matters.”

While I could feel some sort of rebuttal brewing within him, likely not wanting to absolve himself of blame too soon, Ben let go of a deep breath and relaxed into the embrace. He leaned his head against mine. “You’re right. We can put all of this behind us now.”

With the weight of our impending doom lifted from my shoulders, I noted how light I felt, and for the first time in a while, I could breathe again.

***

The ride home was mostly quiet as we both took the time to digest what happened and to sort through it on our own.

It was difficult to fathom how quickly everything happened, and how Alina and Adrik wouldn’t be able to cause problems anymore. Still, it was a relief, and I swore to myself that I wouldn’t take it for granted.

As the shock and heightened emotions that came with the situation eventually subsided and Ben pulled into the garage, he killed the engine and remained in his seat, seemingly pausing as he released a deep, contemplative breath.

I looked over at him, sensing that it wasn’t the end of us coming to terms with what happened. My heart softened as his remorseful yet determined eyes settled on me.

“I’ve experienced a lot of things and have seen more than enough horror to numb me to the shock of it, but I’ve never been more terrified than how I felt in that moment,” Ben admitted, looking and sounding more vulnerable than I had witnessed before. He averted his eyes only for a moment as he collected himself. “I realized that I’ve only ever acted impulsively. Since Ari is the responsible leader and I have seniority over our younger brothers, I never really had to face any consequences for my rash choices. But after marrying you and realizing I couldn’t be careless anymore…that changed everything for me.”

I eased into the feeling of understanding and acceptance as I listened, not allowing even a fragment of judgment to come through.

“Seeing you there just out of my reach and completely helpless because of what I did to you and how I forced you into this whole mess, I felt so angry with myself. I pulled you into this world when you didn’t want it, and while I don’t regret bringing you into my life, I know now that moving forward, I can’t just make those decisions. I need to consider you and your needs. That being said, I need to lay this out on the table.”

Brows lightly pinched together in question, I leaned in a bit closer and murmured, “What is it, Ben?”

He let out a breath, almost like he was bracing for potential pain. “Losing you is the last thing I want. I hate the idea of it. But if you need to separate for your well-being, I can accept that. After everything, whatever you need, I fully support you.”

More concern moved through me as I looked at him for answers. “Ben, what are you talking about?”

“I’ve caused you enough harm already, and I’m just putting it out there that I won’t be mad if you decide all of this is too much for you. If you want to put distance between yourself and my line of work,” he explained, sincere yet visibly hurting from the thought, “I’ll understand completely. Even if—”

“Ben,” I interrupted, reaching a hand across the center console to take his in mine as I looked at him, stifling the faintest flicker of amusement in me. “I was already close enough to being taken away from you, what makes you think I’d willingly leave?”

As he heard me, his shoulders dropped with his exhale.

“I don’t want to leave you, Ben,” I began, speaking as confidently as I could to prove it to him. “Not knowing if I’d ever get to see you again hurt more than anything, and I was silently praying for the chance to return to you. So no, I don’t want to separate. I want to be with you, and I want to make sure that nothing ever comes between us.”

As he met my gaze again, the relief in his eyes was evident. He managed a small smile as he nodded, taking my hand in his. “I…want to be with you too, Gemma. You’re my wife, and I cherish that completely.”

With an understanding reached between us, I mirrored his gentle expression as I took him in. “Good, then it’s settled. Neither of us are going anywhere.”

Leaning over to press his forehead against mine, Ben let me feel the uninterrupted adoration he felt, along with the relief that came with his calm exhale.

As I soaked in his warmth and comfort, I felt at ease, and able to see so completely the love exchanged between us. We weren’t perfect, but the connection between us was more than enough to offer me the hope of knowing we could have a future together, and we had all the time in the world to explore it.