Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Ok this is making me paranoid now.
"Say something. Please." I whisper.
Five solid minutes of a speechless, wide eyed Cole is too nerve wracking. I can't take this anymore.
"Let's go." He mumbles, standing from his seat and leaving his food behind.
I follow behind as quickly as I can in these boot heels as he types furiously on his phone.
"Cole, can you slow down please?" No response.
"Cole?" Niente.
"Cole." I say, stepping outside as the cold hits my skin.
I rub my hands along my arms to try and create some much needed friction, causing the smallest amount of heat to warm myself up.
Cole opens his door and turns to me. I am met with the same cold eyes I saw when I met Cole for the first time.
"Get in the car." His tone is as cold as his eyes.
I feel a shiver go down my spine, but I just convince myself that it's the coldness of the wind and not the coldness of him.
"Get. In. Now. Cassie." He demands.
I refuse to move, wanting him to say something, anything, about the bomb I just dropped on him.
"Lo giuro sul diavolo, Cassandra, se non sali in quella dannata macchina, te ne pentirai." [I swear to the Devil, Cassandra, if you don't get in the god damn car, you will regret it.]
No one has called me that in so long that I freeze on the spot, my whole being stiff.
"Adesso!" He bellows and tears well up in my eyes at the memory that floods my mind...
- Flashback -
6 years ago...
Tears stream down my face as I drive towards my hideout. The safe house is in the middle of no where. No one except for me knows it even exists.
I wipe my eyes as I drove down the long road when I catch a glimpse of something in my mirror. I see 2 cars following me. My eye catches Vladimir and I know they're here to kill me.
I put my foot down on the gas in hopes to get away and lose them. I keep driving for about 5 minutes when I see 4 cars blocking the road. I hit the brake and come to a harsh stop.
I'm surrounded on all sides. I spot Viktor in front of the parked cars with a cold expression set on his face that I've only ever seen when he's dealing with serious business.
Now I know, I'm really screwed.
Everyone gets out of their cars and points their guns at me, meanwhile Viktor and Vladimir slowly make their way over to me. I get out of the car and close my door, locking it.
"Moya lyubov', get in the car. Me and you are going for a drive." [My love.] Viktor says sweetly, as if I wasn't just on my way to throw his ass in jail.
He comes within a metre of where am standing, his tall and broad frame towering over me. But I refuse to back down.
"Net. Ya nikuda s toboy ne poydu." [No. I'm not going anywhere with you.]
I am not backing away this time. Not without a fight. My love for this man has been blinding me for too long.
"C'mon suka. Let's get going." [bitch.] Vladimir says from behind me.
I don't turn to meet the stupidity of the man who sounds like he's only a couple of metres away.
Viktor looks Vladimir dead in the eyes and pulls his gun out, aiming it at his brother's head.
"zakroy svoy grebanyy rot, khuy." [Shut your goddamn mouth, dick.] he seethes.
After a few seconds, he puts his gun back into his holster and turns his attention back to me.
"Malyshka, don't be difficult. Please, just come with me." [Baby girl] Viktor says.
His voice says sincerity but his eyes says mischief.
I'm not that vulnerable. Not anymore.
"I refuse to answer to you and your mafiya after what you've just showed me." [Mafia.]
I step closer to him as I continue.
"It makes me sick. I. Refuse. To. Go" I whisper the last part to him as I step even closer, closing the gap.
Something in his brain snapped and his eyes darkened. I take slow steps back when I see Viktor clenching his fists.
"Vik? Vik upokoysya." [calm down] I say slowly.
It seems stupid, but this is the only way I've ever been able to calm him down. It's either slowly speaking Russian or he goes to the gym and pounds his frustration out. The latter isn't available right now, so I guess I have to make do with what I've got.
"Get it the car." His tone is as cold as the breeze feels against my exposed skin.
"Vik..." I say, becoming slightly scared.
He's never used this tone with me before.
"Get. In. Now. Cassandra." He demands.
He only ever calls me that when he's being deadly serious, or about to hurt something. I freeze on the spot, frightened that he'd actually hurt me. He's never laid a finger on me before, but I'm not so sure it'll stay that way for much longer. My whole body goes stiff at the thought and I stop moving.
"Klyanus' D'yavolom, Kassandra, yesli ty ne syadesh' v chertovu mashinu, ty pozhaleyesh' ob etom." [I swear to the Devil, Cassandra, if you don't get in the goddamn car, you will regret it.]
"Net."
"Teper'!" [Now!] He screams, pointing his gun at me.
My hands shoot up in surrender and I submit to my dreadful fate.
"V poryadke. V poryadke. YA poydu. Pozhaluysta, opusti pistolet, lyubov' moya." [Ok. Ok. I'll go. Please put the gun down, my love.] I plead.
I take slow, small, harmless steps towards Viktor with my hands still in the air. I slowly reach into my pocket and he pulls the safety down. I gulp and remove my hand, holding my phone.
"Here. See. I'm going with you. Take it, moya lyubov'. I'm sorry. Please, just put the gun down." I plead on the verge of tears.
I've never seem him so angry.
He takes my phone and puts the safety back on. I sigh in relief as he puts the items away and he becomes immediately chirpy again, as if none of any of that just happened.
His eyes lose it's blackness and I flinch lightly as he takes my hand. He interlocks our fingers as we go to the car.
Vladimir tells everyone to go back to base and then proceeds to follow us. Me and Viktor get into the back of his car and Vladimir gets in the driver's seat.
Pecking my lips, Viktor seals my fate with three excruciating words...
"Let's go home."
- End of flashback -
"Cassie!" Cole screams, dragging me from the nightmare in my head to a real life replication of it.
Tears fill my eyes and I feel as though I am stuck back in that memory.
I put my hands up in surrender and take small, slow, harmless steps towards him.
"V poryadke. V poryadke. YA poydu." [Ok. Ok. I'll go.] I say in a hushed voice.
"See. I give up. I'll go. Just please, don't hurt me." I plead with my tears threatening to spill.
I slowly make my way from the thankfully vacant pathway to the open car door and slide into the car. I shut the door and brace myself for whatever happens when we get back to Cole's mansion.
The driver's door shuts and I can feel Cole's gaze on me.
"Cassie-" I cut off his sympathetic tone, not wanting to hear false apologies or have pity.
"Please. Just drive." I say, just above a whisper.
Cole can barely hear me, but hears me none the less. He starts the car and begins to drive. I shift in my seat and face the window.
Leaning my head against the window, I quietly cry myself to sleep and allow my demons to take over and drag me back into the cold familiar of the darkness...