Page 34 of Arranged Marriage By the Bratva

But as I look at the bridge, I’m on, I can see it’s the wrong move. There are no exits, because I’m stuck on Robert F. Kennedy Bridge—instead, I panic, continuing to swerve between vehicles, but the two cars Nikk and his team are occupying are gaining fast, and basically, I’m gridlocked now as the other vehicles on the bridge somehow have inched ahead, giving Nikk the opportunity to slide his vehicle in next to me.

Thumping the heel of my hand against the steering wheel, I grit my teeth, not looking over at the vehicles. If I see Nikk’s face, I know he’s going to distract me, and that’s the last thing I need. So instead, I keep my eyes centered forward, my heart in my throat.

We’re playing a game of cat and mouse, and it’s getting harder to not get caught. Pushing forward, I manage to hold on and get over the bridge. Once we do, I cut off to a suburb called Astoria.

Beeping sounds off, and I feel myself wanting to vomit. How am I going to get away from them. There’s too many, and the incessant honking is getting worse. Shit! I have to catch this flight. Get out of the fucking way, Nikk! Please. Don’t try to stop me!

Losing my composure, I accidently jump a curb, and have to quickly pull myself back into line so I don’t hit the parked car in front of me. A man rolls down his window, giving me the middle finger.

I can’t do this. Nikk’s black sedan pulls up beside me and he waves his finger to an open parking lot where there is a dead end. No. No. No. This can’t be the end. I have to get to Italy, but what’s worse is I’m probably going to die once Nikk gets ahold of me.

Frightened more than I’ve ever been in my life, I pull over, but I’ve got one last shot at escaping. If Nikk didn’t kill me over the baby, then that means he wants me to keep it. There’s one more thing I can do.

Dropping the glove compartment down, I pull out the paring knife I saw earlier as Nikk jogs over to the car door, opening it. I can’t tell the expression he’s wearing, but it’s not just him. It’s Nikk and his team of three other men.

“Don’t come near me! I will cut this baby right out of my stomach if you touch me! I have a plane to catch! I’m going back to Italy!” I scream, pointing the knife towards my belly as Nikk holds his hands up, backing away. Yegor, and the two other men stand behind him with grim masks on their faces.

“Elena. I know,” Nikk adds with pain laced in his voice.

“What do you fucking know?” I ask him, my voice wobbly as I keep hold of the knife. I could never stab myself with it. It’s the last resort, and I’ve taken it.

“I know everything. I know what Matteo did to you,” he says, his face tortured with anguish. “I wish, Elena,” he says, shaking as he walks towards me, his arms open. “I wish I was there to protect you,” he whispers, thick emotion riding through the bass of his voice.

The knife slips from my hand as I stare at the ground, my bottom lip quivering. “Nikk,” I blurt out, relieved that he realizes I didn’t betray him.

“Elena. Come to me. I know the truth. I know what he did to you.” I see the guilt on his face, and I want to explain, but I’m too broken from the last few days. I fall forward into his arms about to collapse. As I raise my arms to hug him, he pulls up my sleeves, taking note of the bruises. I flinch because there are still tender spots on my body. Nikk frowns rolling up my sleeves to reveal more of the bruises that even I didn’t know I had. I was too out of it at the time.

“What the hell?” Nikk’s face hardens as he shakes his head. “This…,” he trails off, his rage palpable as I find the words to tell him everything.

“He didn’t get as far as he wanted to, Nikk,” I tell him bravely, looking up at him as he sweeps loose curls of hair out of my face. “I fought him off when he tried to have his way with me. He tried to inject me with something—I don’t know what it was, but I kicked him hard in the balls, and I managed to escape. I can’t remember everything. It’s foggy.” Shaking my head at Nikk, I see his face relax. “He didn’t do it, Nikk. I wouldn’t let him. I escaped.” There are no more words left inside me, and I’m tired to the bone. All I want to do is fall into a heap and never get up, but the flame burns inside me for Matteo’s scalp. I can’t lay down and die. There’s a price to be paid, and it hasn’t been.

Nikk says nothing, instead pulling me into the safety net of his arms and kissing the top of my head.

“Elena, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you were trying to tell me about it. Let’s go now. But don’t worry, Matteo is going to die one of the most painful deaths a man can.”

This isn’t the ending I’m hoping for; Nikk doesn’t understand what’s at stake, and if we wait too long Matteo might just get his wish to take over the Mancini empire.

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.”

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