"Dedushka, this is boring," I said taking another black piece off the board.
"Chess stimulates the mind little rose," he said, not taking his eyes off the board, "It teaches you strategy, logic, and most importantly," he moved his last piece, "It teaches you how to manipulate those around you. Checkmate."
I looked down at the board and my eyes widened, "How did you-
"You said it yourself, there's no one more calculating than me," he said grinning at me.
I instantly started to remake the board, "Again."
He raised an eyebrow at me with a content look on his face, "Is it no longer boring, little rose?"
"On the contrary dedushka, nothing taking me closer to killing my enemies is boring," I said moving my pawn two spaces forward, "You're move."
"Very good, Aleksandra. You learn quickly."
_____
Aleks
Once I had arrived at the police station, it had been at least a half an hour before they let me have a phone call. I almost instantly called my grandfather.
"Hello."
"Grandfather, its Aleks, I've been arrested," I said.
"For what!?" he said harshly.
"For assault, some whore from a bar we own ratted on me. Her name is Raisa Anatoli. Grandfather, Ryan Vega set this up," I said nervously.
"Jesus Christ, I knew I should've handled that idiot a long time ago," he sighed, "I'll be there in an hour, I need to make a few calls. Rest assured this will be handled accordingly, little rose."
"Thank you, Grandfather," I said hanging up the phone. I was then guided back to my holding cell. I sat down on the a farthest edge of the bench, trying to keep away from the filth of the cell.
I was eager to leave this cell, but I wasn't jumping for joy to face what was waiting outside. Enzo, I thought, I was never able to go after him. He probably thinks I left.
I sighed, lightly touching the cut on my forehead and instantly winced. Vega was going to die for that. I had never actually been arrested for anything, I was a Petrov, arresting me was out of the question.
Why the hell would Vega risk his neck like this? My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of my cell opening up. The cop guided me to a room with a table and a chair, an interrogation room, I thought.
He handcuffed me to the table and walked out shutting the door with a slam.
I took a deep breath; I had to be patient. My grandfather would have me out soon enough.
Suddenly the door opened up and my eyes widened watching the man with the scar on his eye walk through the door.
"Hello, Aleksandra," he said smugly.
"Guillermo," I said through gritted teeth. It was all starting to make sense now. Ricardo Juan Poncé had many precincts in his pocket. His alliance with Guillermo would've gained him access to me with a simple arrest.
He started to laugh, "You're a very hard girl to get ahold of, Ms. Petrov. But I suppose you have your grandfather to thank for that," he said.
"What do you want?"
"I think you know exactly what I want. You're very smart. You know that my son needs to marry you. If anything, I knew Boris was going to tell you," he walked closer to me and looked me dead in the eyes, "I wanted you to know I was after you, Aleksandra. The same way you hunted me like a dog for months."
I stood up instantly knocking my chair over as the handcuffs that kept me on the table jangled, "You lost your life the second I watched you put bullets in my parents chests."
His eyes widened, "Oh-you were there," he smirked at me, "Why didn't you do anything?"
My heart sunk hearing those words. I didn't want to show him he got to me and kept my face stone cold, glaring holes into his head.
"No response?" he raised his eyebrows, "So then maybe you can admit that this little witch hunt is just you trying to make up for your inability to save your parents, no?"
I suddenly remembered the promise I had made to Enzo if I was ever in this exact situation. Somebody has to die.
I pulled at the handcuffs as they broke painfully on my wrists, but I didn't care. As soon as I heard them break, Guillermo begun to back away as I flipped the table on his leg watching fall to the ground. I picked up the chair behind me and slammed it on his rib cage hearing something crack.
Almost instantly I was hit with something in the back of my head and I fell to the ground, closing my eyes, as I drifted off...
_______
Dmitri
"Dad!"
I turned around and saw Nikolai rushing over to me, "What is it Niko?"
"Aleksandra was arrested," he said catching his breath, "Grandfather just called me."
"Who the fuck arrested her?"
"According to grandfather, it was Ryan Vega," he said glancing over my shoulder, "Dad!"
I turned to see what he was looking at, only to see a million doctors crowding over my wife's body as her monitors made noises.
I rushed to the door and scrambled into the room trying to get a look at what was going on. She was choking...
There was a doctor taking a tube out of her throat as she coughed. She fucking coughed, I thought.
I rushed over to her bed probably pushing a few doctors out of the way, but I couldn't care less. She was awake.
I instantly took her hand as her coughing subsided and her eyes fluttered open. Those gorgeous fucking green eyes opened and they set their gaze on me.
"Dmitri?"
The sound of her voice sounded like honey and I instantly kissed her as she kissed back. A relief washed over me as my lips were glued to hers.
I pulled away and she smiled at me and sat up on her bed.
I raised my eyebrows at the doctor, "How is she moving right now? My muscles are still sore from lying in bed all the time."
The doctor walked over to Adalia and started to check her vitals, "To tell you the truth Mr. Petrov, there are many things we don't know about the comatose state. Some people wake up completely fine, considering that the body does much of its healing while in a state of slumber," she turned to Adalia and continued to check her vitals.
But Adalia had already started to stand up, she walked her way over to Nikolai who was just standing there with his eyes widened. He's probably in shock, I smiled to myself.
"M-Mama."
She put her hand on his cheek, "You've grown Niko," she said smiling at him.
He instantly tightened his arms around her as she did the same. After a moment or two he reluctantly let her go, "Where are your sisters, Niko? How are they?"
"Aiya is with her boyfriend and Val is probably sleeping, and Aleks is-" his voice trailed off and he put his head down.
Adalia turned to me, "Well?," she turned back to Nikolai, "Where's Aleksandra?"
"My love, what's the last thing you remember?" I asked her.
She paused as her brows furrowed, "Where's Aleks?"
"It's a long story Mama, but Aleks has been arrested."
______
Enzo
I took a deep breath and walked into my nonnos office only to see him slamming his phone onto the desk.
"Nonno?" I said shutting the door.
He furrowed his eyebrows at me, "Has anyone told you?"
"Nonno this is my fault. I let my personal feelings cloud my mission and if it weren't for that I would have never left her side."
He walked towards me with an unreadable look, "This isn't on you, son," he sighed, "Vega has had it out for this family for a long time. I wouldn't have advised you to assault an officer."
"At least she wouldn't be alone," I said.
"Lorenzo, she'll be out soon," he smirked at me, "The law couldn't keep a Petrov even if they tried. As we speak Raisa Anatoli is becoming very well acquainted with the earth."
I nodded, "So, when will you hear back?" Suddenly the phone rang and he quickly answered it.
His eyes widened, "What the fuck do you mean she isn't there I just spoke to her!?"
"I don't care about any of that shit! Where the fuck is my granddaughter!?"
He threw his phone across the room, "That son of a bitch," he said clenching his fists, "Ricardo Juan Poncé had the precinct Aleksandra was taken to in his pocket. Guillermo has her now."
My eyes widened and my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. This is all my fucking fault. I should've never fucking left her.
Suddenly my nonna came rushing through the door, "Adalia is awake, Mikhail."
We both shared a look, then looked at my Nonna, "Guillermo has Aleksandra," he said to her.
______
Aiya
I picked up my phone that had been buzzing uncontrollably and saw a hundred notifications from my brother. I groggily trudged out of bed, careful not to wake Matias, and went into the bathroom to call my brother.
"Nik what's going on?"
"Crap Aiya, I don't think I can explain all this over the phone. Just come to the hospital, Mom's awake and Aleks is missing."
"Wait what!?"
I looked down at my phone. He fucking hung up on me. I opened the bathroom door and frantically looked for the clothes I kept here.
"Mi amor, what are you doing," Matias said getting out of bed.
"I'm sorry," I said jumping into some sweatpants, "I'm having some family emergency and I have to get to the hospital."
He moved closer to me with a concerned look on his face, "Is everything okay?"
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, "I don't even know," I threw on a t-shirt, "My brother just told me that he could explain better at the hospital, but Aleks is missing and my mother apparently woke up from her coma."
His eyes widened and he quickly started to get dressed, "What are you doing?" I asked.
"There's no way in hell I'm letting you go by yourself, mi amor," he took my hand and guided me to the parking lot and once we got in his car he took off.
_______
Valeria
"Nikolai, what!?"
"Listen, little sister," he sighed, "Come to the hospital. I sent a car for you. Our grandparents are already inside of it. Just get in and I promise you Mom will be here."
Then he quickly hung up on me. Just like Nik to drop a bomb like that with no warning, I sighed and quickly got off of my bed and started to get dressed.
Mama, was awake. I hadn't seen her since I was 13, I visited her often but it wasn't the same. Nothing was really the same after she ended up there.
I walked down the stairs of my house and saw a sleek black limo in front and I quickly rushed to get inside of it.
I looked around and saw my grandparents and Lorenzo sitting there with worried looks on their faces. Well, my grandparents did, Lorenzo looked like he was going to pop a vain.
"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.
They traded looks then looked at me, "Is it mom?" I asked my eyes widening.
"She's fine, Valeria. She woke up. I'm not sure how much Nikolai told you, but she's doing very well," my grandmother said with a half smile.
Hearing this didn't make me relax, something was definitely wrong.
I read the room a little longer, "Where's Aleks?"
They then traded looks again. Okay, something is wrong.
I crossed my arms against my chest, "Where is Aleks? Something is wrong with her, I can tell. You might as well just tell me."
"Nothing is-
"Don't lie to me," I cut my grandfather off, "He's here," I pointed at Lorenzo, "You told him to keep and eye on Aleks and she isn't here. Every time I mention her name you're demeanor stiffens," I leaned forward slightly, "I'll ask only one more time, dedushka. Where is Aleks?"
He paused for a moment staring at me, "Very well. I'll be honest with you. Ricardo Juan Poncé had your sister arrested and from there we believe she was handed over to Guillermo del Castillo."
My eyes widened, he had Aleks, "Then why is everyone here! You should be sending everyone to go get her!" I practically yelled.
"Valeria-
"No!" I cut my grandmother off, "I refuse to accept that on my way to reunite with my mother, after being in a coma for four goddamn years, I'm learning that my sister has been kidnapped and probably tortured!"
At this point the tears are streaming down my face and my nails have left imprints in the palms of my hands. But none of that mattered, it has been tragedy after tragedy and I was tired.
I felt someone wrap their arms around me and I wrapped my arms around them.
"I understand," Lorenzo said wiping the tears off my face, "I promise you that I'll get your sister back to you, Valeria. If it the last thing I do."
_______
Aleks
I opened my eyes only to find myself in a massive bed in a room that seemed strangely familiar. I began to sit up only to find bandages on my wrists, and an aching pain in my head.
I suddenly remembered the reality of my situation and I scanned the room. I was restrained to the bed.
"I wouldn't recommend trying anything, Aleksandra. You're not in LA anymore and the safest place for you in Spain is very far away."
I turned my head to the direction where the voice was coming from and saw Juan Carlos. He looked much more mature than the last time I had seen him. Longer hair and more muscular, but he was still the same trash with a name I meant to cross off my list.
"You're very impressive," he said eyeing me, "I mean you broke through your handcuffs and broke three of my fathers ribs with a chair," he laughed.
"Don't worry, you'll get your day as well, Juan Carlos," I said glaring at him.
"You know who I am. Good," he walked closer to the bed, "Saves time from silly introductions. A man should know his wife, no?"
I almost instantly fell into a fit of laughter, "I will not marry you. I'm more likely to kill you than anything else."
He frowned and furrowed his eyebrows at me, "You're very bold for a woman in your situation, Aleksandra. You clearly have no say in the matter."
I glared at him, "I'm Aleksandra Katya Svetlana Petrov and if I say I'm not doing something, it will not get done."
He swiftly lunged at me pinning me down with a smirk on his face and started to cut off my dress with a knife he pulled from his pocket as I squirmed under him.
The restraints on my hands were painful, from my already badly bruised wrists and the ones on my legs were tight and I couldn't attack him in any way I wanted to.
He tore at my dress until my body was exposed in just my underwear as he then stood up and looked down at me.
"You are mistaken if you think you have power in this situation," his eyes continued to scan my body, "What's to stop me from taking you right now?"
My eyes widened as he laughed, "There's plenty of things Juan Carlos. Number one being an even more painful death than the one I already have planned for you. Number two, however, you can't risk an illegitimate child with me or not consummating a marriage that hasn't even been legalized. All I have to do is say one word and the families of this country will turn on you. I am a De León after all. If you had the leverage you needed to blackmail me into marrying you, we'd already be wed. But you don't."
He paused for a moment then laughed, "You truly are impressive, Aleksandra," he set his knife down, "But you're arrogant."
"By all means, humble me."
"You are the Black Rose. Yet, you want to murder me for actions that were rectified. You're family wronged mine, and we got our revenge. You are no different from me, Aleksandra."
"Bullshit. You're father is a sick son of a bitch that couldn't move on from petty crap that happened over twenty years ago," I scoffed at him.
"Enlighten me, would twenty years make you forget that the family responsible for killing your mother is out there alive?"
"It wouldn't. Would you forget that the family responsible for the rape and forced marriage of your daughter?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Touché. It's like I said Aleksandra, we are the same. Only two sides of the same coin," he started to walk out of the room, then paused, "I will not force myself on you. You will not have to worry about this from me, you have my word."
As soon as the door shut, I took a deep breath trying to stop myself from hyperventilating.
How the fuck am I getting out of this?
- - End of Chapter - -