Anguish Read online

  I was pleasantly surprised when I looked up at Ion for his answer. "Of course, you can, Puff," he told her with a smile. "I will go get some skates for you and your mother."

  Ion looked up at me with a smile, probably noting the shock on my face. I figured something like this would be out of his realm of what was appropriate. After all, we were members of the mob, and he was a rich man, always having his servants and body guards following us around whatever we went. I knew for a fact they were hanging around us at this very moment even if I couldn’t spot them specifically. They were fantastic at blending in with the average Joe. If you were looking at us from afar, you would have no idea who we are – what we are, but I can guarantee you there are at least ten armed men and women surrounding us ready to take out every threat.

  I watched as Ion went up to the booth to purchase the tickets and the ice skates, my boisterous four-year-old bouncing up and down next to me like it was her birthday. I could only imagine what her fifth would be like for her with all the resources at our disposal now. It was one of my reasons for not fighting his new ruling that I would not be dating anyone else. The other was I didn’t want to be with anyone besides him. I wanted Ion, and I was going to have him. I wouldn’t make it easy on him though. Ion had taken good care of Bianca since she came back to me, and I wanted only the best for her. It was a plus for me to be enjoying myself too, or at least what Ion was able to do to my body.

  Ion came over with two pairs of skates and helped Bianca put hers on while I put mine on. When did he become so attentive to my little girl? Part of me was suspicious that it was in order to reel me in, but it seemed more genuine than that. He would basically be her father if the two of us got married. It’s about time that I started looking at things in a more positive light; Ion is not Jonas, it won’t be the same.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ion

  The sound of gunfire woke me up out of a dead sleep next to Mariana. She had finally let me sleep by her side now on a regular basis now that the wedding plans were underway. She wasn’t keeping me away from her, but she was putting up a damn good fight. Some nights when she had gotten in one of her moods I would slither in after she was asleep because she “declared” that I wouldn’t be in our bed. Through the night she’d end up in my arms, right where she belonged. I turned to look at her, her hair a mess from sleeping as I heard the screams of Bianca coming from her room. I reached below the bed where I always kept a weapon and nodded for her to go check on Bianca. I would deal with whatever was happening.

  Mariana pulled a robe around herself and rushed to her daughter, probably more afraid than she needed to be. The gunshot was loud, but it had not come from inside the house. My men would already be onto whoever it was, though I didn’t know what kind of a threat was coming. I didn't think there would be anymore threats, but the life of a mob clan leader meant that you made some enemies along the way. It could be nothing other than some jealous thug thinking they were brave enough to mess with the current reign.

  Shirtless, I pulled on my pants and headed out of the bedroom where my bodyguards were trying to make communication with everyone, their own guns pulled out in preparation.

  "Domn, you should stay in your room where it is safe. We are not getting communication from the guards outside. We do not know what threat has come," one of my men warned me, he’d been transferred from Romania recently and still struggled with speaking English. I had bodyguards stationed at the elevator at either end as well as at the fire exit. Even one of the concierges was on my payroll. I couldn’t imagine whoever it was getting very far.

  "This is my problem too. I am here to protect the women. Go and see what is happening." I nodded to the door, sending two of my men out as I guarded the door, locking it until they returned. I could hear the ding of the elevator in the silence. The whole floor belonged to me, so it both made it hard to get up here but vulnerable once someone did.

  I heard scuffling but no more shots, until a knock came at the door.

  "It's Viktor. He has been sent up the elevator with a note for you, domn," one of my men said through the door.

  I cursed under my breath. I couldn’t believe I was a man down. I opened the door and took the bloody note in my hands.

  "Get rid of the body, now," I told them, knowing this would expose us faster than anything else. They nodded, and I shut the door, knowing they would come up the back way and return to their stations now. I turned my attentions to the note, figuring leaving a message meant that whoever it was would be long gone now.

  Dear Mr. Petran,

  I thought you to be a reasonable man, but I have heard that you are no longer allowing Mariana Vasile to explore her options among the other clans. This is a mistake as it sends a message that you do not want to cooperate with the rest of us. I will not accept another Vasile dictator over the clans, forcing us to work together in ways that do not benefit us. You do not have a claim to Ms. Vasile any longer. Her father is dead and with it the contract. And now one of your men is dead. I hope you come to your senses soon.

  X

  My jaw tightened at the note. How dare someone threaten and challenge me in that way! Of course, I would not comply. And even though there was no name, I thought I knew who had done this. There was one man who had gotten so close to roping Mariana into being with him. I knew what they had done together, and then he had the audacity to come to my home and ask for her. He was a man obsessed, and he was going to pay the same way that Jonas would pay.

  I pulled out my cell phone, my weapon of choice for the moment, and scheduled a meeting at my office with Stefan Dalca.

  Then, I went back to Bianca's room to find Mariana curled up with her in her bed, rubbing her back. I stuffed my gun in my pocket and went to sit by their bedside. I ran my fingers through Bianca's hair in a move of comfort. This little girl had been through enough. "Puff, you are with me. I am not going to let anyone hurt you."

  I exchanged a look with Mariana, and it was like she knew. She knew that someone wanted her, wanted me to give her up. I kissed her on the forehead and left, ready to take on the entire Dalca clan if that’s what it took. I would exterminate them like the group of roaches that they are.

  I called in backup to watch over my house and my girls while I went to my office to make a few calls. I was surprised to find Stefan already there, sitting in my seat with a smug look on his face. I drew my gun out like it was the Old West, but he put his hands up ins surrender, suddenly looking frightened. “Woah, all this over me sitting in your chair? I’ll gladly move if you put that thing away,” Dalca said, staring at the gun like the chicken shit he was.

  “Why should I? You killed one of my men today and threatened my authority. I don’t take well to that,” I told him, not putting the gun away.

  “I have no idea what you are talking about, Petran, but I have not laid a hand on any of your clan. I wouldn’t dare. I admit that I am disappointed that I cannot be with Mariana anymore. She is a beautiful woman, but I know better than to take it to a fight, especially in your territory. So, why don’t you put that thing down and let’s talk.”

  I sat down slowly, setting the gun in front of me on the table just in case. I wasn’t going to be left vulnerable. “Relax, Petran. I am here alone. What kind of threat is it that you got, and why do you think I did it?” Dalca asked.

  I pulled the bloody note out of my pocket and threw it to him. He picked it up, and I watched him read it, trying to catch him in a lie. “This was not me Ion, but this is serious. I-

  “Why are you here Dalca? I told you to never come back” I gritted out.

  “I’m afraid it wasn’t a social visit, but business. Although, it seems you’re a tad busy at the moment. The threat against Mariana is more demanding than my business venture.”

  “I thought the threats against us were diminished and with the fact that I had Mariana now. Why would anyone other than you be after me like this? She dated some of you. She found you lacking. End of story,” I
said, making it clear she was mine in case he decided to make any more moves.

  I wasn’t happy that Dalca was here, but I knew that I’d have to see him again at some point. The heads of the different clans work together on multiple issues, especially the shipments of guns, drugs, and women. Without working together, we would either be caught and turned into the Feds, or the entire mob would be doomed.

  Dalca began laughing manically at that moment, confusing me even farther. “I wanted to date Mariana because she is beautiful and it would be good for my clan, but I was never part of this mess that’s been going on ever since her parents were killed and she went missing. And Jonas was a nobody. He could not have done all of that hiding and scheming for eight years without help. The clan leaders, the originals, are pissed. They think they deserve this more than you do. They are older. They are more experienced, and they are coming for you. I do not know which one did this, but I promise you it wasn’t me and they will make good on their promise.” Dalca passed the letter back to me, and I wanted to shoot myself in the foot for not realizing this before. He was right about Jonas. I should have known that.

  Dalca stood up to leave. “Now, if you don’t mind, I am getting the hell out of here. I don’t want any part of this.”

  “If you’re not going to help, then see that you stay way out of the way, Dalca. I will not have mercy on you if you don’t.” Dalca nodded at my words and disappeared, leaving me to decide what my next move would be. One of the original families was betraying the clans, was betraying myself and the Vasile name. I had to get to the bottom of it, but I needed to be careful. I would not give what they wanted, but I wasn’t going to let Mariana and Bianca out of the sight of myself or my guards until the mystery was solved. Mariana needed to learn to defend herself. It was time for her to act like a Petran whether she was ready or not.

  ***

  “So, tell me again, what is the difference between an automatic and a revolver?” I demanded, pointing to the guns I had sitting in front of Mariana. After finding out that she was yet again in some kind of danger, I knew she had to learn how to do this. I placed Bianca under lock and key at the house and brought Mariana to a shooting range, giving her two guns of her very own. She had no reluctance in learning, though the idea of holding a small killing machine did seem to give her a few jitters, as it should. Guns required a level of knowledge and responsibility not everyone can handle.

  “The revolver is the one where you load the bullets one by one into that metals piece in the middle like Russian Roulette,” Mariana said, pointing to the small silver gun to the left. “The black one is an automatic and has a loaded magazine in it where the bullets go in and out. It is faster to load in the middle of a fight.”

  I smiled and nodded, glad she was picking it up. I didn’t know what the future held for us, and I needed to know she could pick up and shoot if the situation called for it. She could easily save more than her own life in that instance, and I hoped it would give her an added comfort that I wanted to let her protect herself. She wouldn’t be a sitting duck anymore.

  “Now, pick up the automatic,” I ordered her, pointing to the very one she was just referring to. She reached for it. “Don’t ever hesitate. These weapons can save your life, but only if you take charge. Otherwise, they become something that another person can use against you.” She jumped at my harsh words, but it was the truth. If she couldn’t use it, someone else could and would.

  I got behind her and helped her properly position the gun, placing her dominant hand at the back with her thumb up. "There will be a kickback. They don’t show you this in the movies. You have to have the solid grip to keep control and keep from getting hurt or losing the gun entirely," I explained, breathing down against her neck. I could see the goosebumps forming. I didn’t know teaching someone to shoot a gun could be so hot.

  Then, I placed her other hand wrapped around that one at the bottom to make sure again that she could handle the kickback and aim precisely.

  "Look down the top of the gun, straight at your target. Make sure you have the sights lined up. Then, you fire." Mariana pulled the trigger, as I held her shoulders straight for her, making sure she could weather her very first kickback. She hit the target with perfection.

  "Not bad for your first try," I complimented.

  "Thank you for thinking of this for me," Mariana told me, turning so that her lips were almost on mine. "But I wish you would tell me the extent of the danger we are in."

  I shook my head before taking her lips to mine for just a moment. "Let me worry about that, Ana."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ion

  I’d thought long and hard about bringing Mariana to where my men had Jonas held up, but it was time. We didn’t know who was behind the threats and after my chat with Dalca, I’d realized that whoever must’ve had a lot of help. He was the one after all who kept Mariana Vasile captive for eight years, without one lead to her whereabouts until a few short weeks ago.

  I took Mariana’s hand in mine as my men opened the metal door to the abandoned factory just outside of the city where they had kept Jonas. She squeezed a little harder as we walked through the doors, she had every right to be nervous. I don’t know what she was expecting, but I will tell her that her pre-conceived ideas are nothing but wrong. This will be brutal, it will be nasty, and she will remember it for the rest of her days. “It’s okay to be nervous my love, but do not let him see this from you. You need to be fearless. You are a Vasile after all; it shouldn’t be too hard.” I gave her a small smile at the end of my statement, she returned it and nodded at me.

  I pressed a soft kiss to her temple, “Come, my draga, let’s go deal with Jonas.”

  She walked with me through the factory. I looked over to Gene, one of my best men who nodded to the left, telling me that’s where he had Jonas locked up. “Got a little mouthy this morning, had to rectify that,” Gene told me, by that I knew he meant they beat him – Jonas deserved much worse and would get no sympathy from me. I opened the door to the small room where Jonas was; he was tied with rope and handcuffed to a metal chair. His cuffs were so tight that blood was dripping. I did not care.

  “My, my, Ion Petran himself.” Jonas coughed, glaring at me until he saw my Ana. His eyes lit up with excitement when he saw her, like looking at his most prized possession.

  “Jonas,” She said, looking up and down his frail frame. I was worried she would be sickened by the brutality that we had to enforce amongst him, but she was not. She looked at the cuts, the swelling surrounding his face and the bruises – not once giving any indication she was afraid, or disgusted. My Ana dressed the part, she wore a long tight fitting black pencil skirt with a white blouse, jewelry hung from around her neck, and her earrings were something I had gifted her a few days before. She looked exactly like a mob boss, a mob queen.

  “Mariana. I’d imagined you survived that horrible accident, can’t say I’m glad you did though puppet” I saw her cringe at the word, she recovered quickly, walking around the room. Her heels clacking against the cement floor were the only thing we could hear until she spoke “How the mighty have fallen, Jonas. It was bound to happen one way or another, but I’m curious. Who helped you all those years? I know you didn’t do it alone. You couldn’t of. You’re just a slimy little bottom feeder who hopes to get to the top. It’ll never happen Jonas, never. And you know something, I’ve figured it out. All those years with me and you never made any moves; you never made any move to marry me and take the throne for yourself. I’d wondered and wondered why that was until finally, it clicked.” She turned around and stared at him, looked right into his dark eyes.

  “You were never authorized to marry me. You were – as you are now, a bottom feeder doing the dirty work for your boss. All that time I thought you were the boss when you were nothing but a babysitter. Who’s your boss?”

  When he didn’t answer, she looked back to me, before turning her attention back to Jonas, “I never forgot you know.�
��

  “Forgot what, puppet?” She didn’t cringe this time. Instead, she smiled.

  “What you always said to me.” I didn’t know what she meant; I could only imagine that it had something to do with her time with Jonas. They both understood what she meant, so it didn’t matter if I did or not. “You’ve been bad, Jonas. It’s your choice, burn or cut?”

  ***

  I was on edge as I poured over every tip and idea I had. The idea that one of the original clans was betraying us was mind-blowing to me. I expected them to be a little selfish after they all had announced they wanted a chance to date her, but she had chosen. The engagement would be officially announced to all of the clans as soon as Mariana gave the go ahead, which I hoped would be soon. Despite the threat, I was sure the closer she got to me, the safer she would be. Everything would be as it should be, and maybe whoever had their damn panties in a twist over me staking my claim to Mariana Vasile would let it go, seeing they had already been defeated.

  My mind was also preoccupied with worry about Bianca. I knew that Bianca was the key to many things; the Vasile line, Mariana’s reason for being alive, and the only thing that would keep Mariana with me. I had no qualms about caring for her like she was my own. She was beautiful and sweet and had nothing to do with Jonas as far as I was concerned. I couldn’t help but let my heart fall for the little four-year-old who was getting to experience life outside of captivity for the first time; she made me feel like a child again sometimes.

  But I also knew she was vulnerable.

  She was the chink in the armor that someone could use against myself and the Petran clan. I was going to have to be vigilant and count on my allies. My mind automatically went to my father. I hated to disturb him now that he was living it up with my mother safe in the laps of luxury, but he might have some insight into who would want to do this. He’s been living off the grid for years; I only hope that he doesn’t hate my sudden intrusion into his new life.