Mend (Care Duet, #2)

31 | mend promises

AVELINA'S HEAD WAS covered with a cloth bag. She had been thrown in the backseat of a car just before the door was slammed behind her. She tried for the one-thousandth time to free her hands from the restraints of the rope they knotted around her wrists, but like all the other countless times before, she failed. She was sure she could feel her wrists blistering up every time she moved her hands around, the friction burning her skin.

"Please," Avelina cried. Deep down, she knew that her begging was probably only adding fuel to the fire of their greediness. It was probably music to their ears, a symphony of the richest sound. They didn't care if she begged or if she cried, and even though she was already aware of that, nothing could stop her pleads.

She didn't want Adrik to get hurt. She needed him to be okay. She didn't trust these people—even if they were her own damn screwed up family. Blame it on her gut feeling, but something told her they weren't just going to let her go. They had plans on keeping her with Adrik's money. She stabbed their boss, her mother, for God's sake.

For the short amount of time she had been around the mafia—with both her brother and Adrik—she knew they weren't just going to let that go. No price tag could ever pay for that. In this world, it was an eye for an eye.

The brakes squealed as the gravel crunched underneath the tires of the vehicle. Her breathing grew heavier and heavier as they turned the car off. There was so much tension in the car that she even stopped begging for her life to be spared. All she could do was silently wait and rely on her sense of sound to understand what was happening.

She gazed down at her lap, seeing as it was the only thing the bag allowed her to see. Just as she did, the bright headlights of another car could be seen directly in front of them. Her heart was thumping vividly in her chest, she was scared it was going to jump out. It had to be Adrik.

"Let's get the bitch!" the mean guard cheered. Suddenly, she could feel the cool breeze of the air as the back door was yanked open and she was practically dragged out of the vehicle.

Avelina was accompanied by a cool metal that was forced onto the side of her head, directly on her temple. She wanted to be strong or at least appear strong, but her body was quivering against the man as he forced her closer to him. Tears were falling from her eyes and every hair on her body was standing, demanding to be in the arms of Adrik Zolotov where she felt safe.

"I would like to see her face," Adrik's voice rang in her ears. It halted her quivering as the smooth sound of his voice danced its way into her ears. He sounded so calm. She failed to understand how someone could be so calm in a situation like this until she realized it was Adrik. Adrik was always calm.

The bag was jerked off her face and thrown to the floor. The man was quick to place the gun back to her head. Immediately, she made eye contact with Adrik. He was able to see the glassy look of her blue eyes and for a moment, everything was okay. She wasn't in pain, she wasn't scared, she was with Adrik and she was happy—genuinely happy.

Suddenly, the passenger side door of the car she was held hostage in had opened and her mother stepped out. Avelina glared at her, angry that she didn't inflict more damage with the piece of the glass.

Adrik glanced at her mother, taking his eyes off Avelina just for a moment. She was sure he was just as confused as she was. A woman that was the exact replica of Avelina was staring at him.

"Zolotov, imagine my surprise when I hear the woman you impregnated was no one other than my own daughter," she said letting her words cut through the air like the piece of glass Avelina struck her mother with. "I was going to take your lady, no matter who she was. You have what I want... money and power. And if I want it, I'll take it, no matter who the hell it is I have to kill just to get to it."