Page 48 of Mafie Trials

“Peachy,” I tell him, standing up and flicking my hair over my shoulder so he can read the back of my shirt.

It says ‘Don’t tell me to smile’. I think that perfectly describes the sarcastic, bitchy mood I’m in at the moment. Lev follows me out the door laughing as I throw on my shoes and look back to him for directions. He takes my hand in his, causing my face to grow even hotter.

How the fuck does he do this to me?

I slowly let the anger and frustration that was building go as I follow Lev to his room to grab clothes for him and Damien. I was so happy to wake up and go to the gym this morning, only to find I had some serious catching up to do. I swear I was radiating lava with how livid I was during my shower; I’m shocked the bastard that tried to sneak up on me didn’t die solely from the rage flowing off of me in waves.

I haven't lost that much progress in the gym since I was taken to that damn prison camp. The more I thought about it, the more I was reminded of all the ways my uncle lied to my face after he rescued me. All those glances of worry were more about if he broke his little toy and less about if I was actually okay. The steam in the shower only fueled my anger.

So, while I know these men were only trying to protect me, the whole situation made me feel vulnerable all over again.

Lev pulls on his pants and gives me a smirk before tossing his shirt on. My eyes rake over his body. He seems to be the perfect distraction from that sour feeling though because the only thought left in my mind right now is how much I want to strip him out of those clothes.

“Later, Lucky Charm, I promise.” He punctuates his promise with a tap on my ass. I gasp in surprise.

“So where is this basement?” I ask as we walk out of the room and towards the center of the house.

“It’s under the garage. It hasn’t been used in a while, Boris rarely brings work home with him. But every once in a while, we have an enemy that deserves to suffer a little longer, and he’s always loved taking his time with a few of them. It’s one of the reasons he’s so feared. Men all over Russia, throughout the world even, have heard about what he does to traitors.”

I gulp slightly, thinking that if these men hadn’t protected me I could have easily ended up in that basement if I had gone after Boris. Fuck my uncle.

It takes a while of walking and turning down different corridors before we finally make it to the infamous basement. Two guards stand at the stairwell entrance. They hesitate to open the door when they catch sight of me, but Alexi comes through the doors and instead of holding them open for us, he turns to his men.

“I will give the two of you one warning. This,” he points at me, “is my girl. She can go wherever she wants, do whatever she wants, and you will do nothing to stop her. You will protect her with your life should she find herself in danger. And finally, if I see you looking at her for even a second too long, I’ll make what we’re about to do to this asshole down there look like a tropical beach vacation. Got it?”

My eyes widen at his words, the freedom and protection he just granted me. I had thought he was overbearing, but the way he’s speaking truly makes me believe he heard me when I said I needed to feel free. He didn’t order them to follow me or stick to my side. He told them I had free rein and could do whatever the fuck I wanted while they had to step between me and a bullet. It’s an odd form of chivalry, but damn it makes my heart melt for this man.

I let go of Lev's hand to take Alexi’s instead. He turns to me with a surprised expression. Standing on my tiptoes, I kiss his cheek, making his face turn red. I almost giggle at the sight and nearly forget we have to torture a man for information.

“Ready, Batman?” I ask, tugging him through the door. He nods then squeezes my hand twice before letting go. Lev follows.

The smell of iron and damp concrete reach my nose before I even see him. The guy is strapped to a chair and secured with chains. Blood pools from the gunshot wound. He looks too pale. Without asking, I walk over to the tool bench and grab a leather strap and screwdriver.

I didn’t think the man could get any whiter, but when his eyes land on me as I approach him, he goes so pale I could swear he was dead. Well damn, he must know who I am. That’s kind of anticlimactic.

Wrapping the strap around his leg, I use the screwdriver as leverage to make a tourniquet. He doesn’t get to bleed out before I get my answers. I definitely twisted it too tight, but we both know he isn’t going to need his legs again, so there’s no point in being gentle or checking for a pulse. I just need him to not bleed out until I’m finished with him.

Once secure, I grab a blade I strapped to my thigh and turn on him. I could see all the men in the room watching me, and that’s when a few more things became clear. Damien obviously slapped the guy around a few times, and I know Havoc was responsible for the cuts under the man's ears. He has a special kind of fucked up torture method. It starts with making men slowly lose their hearing so they think they are dying way faster than they really are. It’s effective because we get answers much quicker that way, and he’s still able to play for a while longer afterwards.

I turn to address the room first, making it very clear who’s in charge here. This might not be my house, but I’ll gladly drag the man off the property to make sure his death is at my hands.

“He is mine,” I point, and the man actually fucking whimpers. “Any of you touch him, and I won’t hesitate to cut you too. Now sit back and watch why I’m one of the best at what I do, got it?”

Boris’ jaw ticks in the same way Alexi’s does when I give him orders, but he nods along with the rest of them. Havoc’s arms are crossed over his chest, his foot kicked back against the wall as he stands by Laney. He’s ready for the show he knows I’m about to give. I move to turn toward the victim when Lev stops me with a hand on my arm.

“What?” I ask.

“Don’t want this to get all bloody,” he says as he takes the tie from my wrist and pulls my hair up into a ponytail. He kisses me on the cheek, and I feel a blush rising to them. I have to close my eyes to clear my head for a moment as he backs away. When I open them, I’m ready.

“Why are you here?” I ask lazily, cocking a hip out like I’m bored. I swear I hear Damien snicker. He comes up next to me.

“We found this on him,” he informs me, holding out a syringe filled with a cloudy serum.

“Care to explain?”

The man's eyes flash with defiance before looking me up and down. I see Alexi move in my peripheral, clearly not liking the assessment of me, but Lev pulls him back and I smile internally.

“You know who I am, don’t you?” I ask, getting closer with my blade casually hanging from my hand. The sharp, cool steel against my palm feels almost like an extension of me. Deadly when wielded.

---