CHAPTER 3

AYLA

I stared at the man standing in front of me, my body shaking with

indescribable fear. When he pulled me from under the bed, I didn’t notice his

face. I was too scared to look at him.

But when he ordered me to look up, I was surprised. He took my breath away.

For a minute, I stopped thinking that he was about to shoot me. I stopped

thinking that I was supposed to run away.

All I could do was stare into the bluish-steel eyes that reminded me of the

midwinter sky.

When he took a step toward me, my heart stuttered. His steps were powerful

and hard. He moved confidently. I tried to take a step back, but he stopped me

with his gun.

His presence was one of a leader. A dangerous leader. The air around him felt

frigid.

As he came to a stop in front of me, our chests almost touching, my body

trembled both in fear and in anticipation. I should have been screaming and

running, but something about him caused me to remain immobile.

His touch felt electric. My body hummed in response and I no longer felt

cold. His warm hand caressed my cheek and I wanted to rub against his palm

like a kitten craving attention.

I realized how big he was. Compared to my small size, he was gigantic. My

head only came to the middle of his wide, muscled chest. I felt fragile and small

next to him.

But for some unknown reason, my body was warming up in his presence.

Even though fear coursed through my body, I didn’t mind him being near me.I hated when Alberto was near me. My skin was always crawling in disgust

and fear, but with this strange man, I only felt comfort. Even with his gun

pointing at me, I felt oddly safe.

But that changed when his face turned hard and then angry. I jumped in

surprise as he took a sudden step back. His whole body tightened and he pointed

the gun back at me. My eyes widened and my heart beat faster.

Was it all a game? Did he act like he was softening up to me, just to calm me

down so he could shoot me?

Tears fell down my dirty, bruised cheeks.

His eyes were trained on my tears. His gaze followed the drops. When they

reached my chin, I saw him smile. His mouth quirked up to the side, but his

smile looked dangerously malicious.

Oh God. This man was going to kill me.

“Who the fuck are you and why are you here?” he growled deeply, his voice

low but the tone dangerous and angry. I knew that tone.

Alberto used it when he was about to kill someone. He used it on me too,

whenever he took me against my will…every single night.

I shivered in terror, my distress likely evident on my face and the way I was

trembling. I felt my pulse beating in my ears, blocking out all other sounds

except my gasping breath.

I felt myself growing colder. His hard eyes were penetrating mine and I had to

lock my knees together to stop myself from taking a step backward. I knew if I

moved, he would shoot me.

He took several steps backward, the gun still pointed at me as he waited for

my answer. When he reached the couch, he sat down and crossed his right foot

over his left knee. The gun was still pointed at my chest.

“I…I am…my…” I stuttered, finding it hard to talk. Alberto and my father

had many enemies. What if he was one of them?

“I won’t repeat myself, so you better start talking. You have thirty seconds,”

the man said. He was losing patience. It was evident in the way his face twisted

angrily with each word.

“Ayla. My name is Ayla,” I said in a rush, my voice raspy.

“Ayla,” he whispered, my name rolling off his tongue as if the word itself had

been laced with molasses. His voice was deep and it vibrated throughout my

body.

“Ayla,” he said again. I hated to admit it, but I liked how my name sounded

when it came from him. I liked how he said it, almost gently.

Get yourself together, Ayla. This man is about to shoot you. Stupid, Ayla.

Stupid. Focus.“What is your last name, Ayla? And why are you here?” he asked, this time

slowly as he continued to stare at me.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to figure out how much I should tell him. His

gaze never left mine, and when I didn’t answer quickly enough, he sat forward

angrily.

“Now, Ayla. You are very lucky that I am being patient. But I won’t ask

again.”

I nodded, but he continued.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m sure you’ve heard my name. Alessio

Ivanshov,” the man stated, his tone low.

My body froze. I stared at the man sitting in front of me, speechless, as my

body started to go numb. No. It couldn’t be.

My heart drummed in alarm as I stared into his unmoving, cold eyes. Oh God.

Please, no. It couldn’t be him.

“Does it ring a bell?” he asked.

My stomach twisted painfully and my vision blurred. I felt myself stumbling

forward. Quickly, I righted myself before my face met the floor.

Oh, it definitely rang a bell. Dread and horror filled me. I thought I ran away

from dangerous men, but this man sitting in front of me was more dangerous

than any of them. He was feared by all.

But most importantly, I was trapped because I was his biggest enemy. My

family was his biggest enemy. The Italians. The Abandonato.

The Russians and the Italians had been enemies for so many decades. But the

Ivanshov and Abandonato, their enmity ran deep.

And I was standing in front of the Boss, who would kill me mercilessly if he

found out that I was an Abandonato.

I stared into Alessio’s eyes. I ran from a deadly man, and now I was awaiting

my fate in front of another. A deadlier and more dangerous one.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm my breathing. Think, Ayla. You ran from

one. You can do it again.

Opening my eyes, I met his gaze. My body still shaking with silent tremors, I

stood up straighter.

“Ayla Blinov. My name is Ayla Blinov,” I said slowly. I wasn’t ready to die. I

ran away because I wanted a better life so I could finally be myself. I wasn’t

letting this man take away my newly found freedom.

So I lied.

I swallowed hard, and continued. “I have been living on the streets for a few

months, and some men found me and wanted me to work at a brothel. I ran away

and hid in your car. When your guards found me, I panicked, so I hid under you bed.”

The lie rushed out from me effortlessly. My heart was beating hard against

my ribcage. This was a big risk, and I hoped, prayed, that he would believe me.

Alessio sat back and uncrossed his legs. “Hmmm,” he said, never shifting his

gaze from me.

Both of us stayed silent for a few minutes, my body tensing more with each

passing second. My stomach cramped in fear.

Alessio moved forward again, until his elbows were on his knees and his

fingers were crossed together. That was when I noticed he didn’t have his gun

with him anymore.

My gaze moved to his sides, and I saw his gun sat next to his hip, on the

couch. I looked back at his face, and he kept staring at me, his gaze more

intense.

Did he believe me? Alessio Ivanshov was a man with many secrets. Dark

secrets. He was also very unpredictable. “I have a deal for you,” he said

suddenly. I jumped at his voice, my body shuddering.

“You have three options,” he continued, as I stood in front of him trembling.

“One: You work for me,” he said. His voice was monotone, so I wasn’t sure

what he might be planning.

“Two: You go back to the streets, unsafe.” He paused as my body froze.

“Three: Or I shoot you for trespassing,” he finished.

My breath went out in a whoosh as he stopped talking. Alessio’s lips quirked

up in a tiny smile as he waited for my response.

My eyes widened as I tried to think. I brought a shaky hand to my throat and

rubbed it gently, a gesture of nervousness and discomfort.

Option three was obviously not an option. I was not even taking it in

consideration. Option two meant being homeless, no money, unsafe on the

streets, and very easy for Alberto’s men to find me. Option one meant that I

would have money and probably a place to live. But there was only one problem.

I would be dead if he ever found out who I was.

With my eyes still locked on his face, I thought about my options. But most

importantly, I thought about my survival. And only one option could help me.

“One,” I whispered hoarsely, as I stared into Alessio’s eyes. He seemed

surprised, but then his lips stretched into a full smile.

And I just knew.

With that answer, I had signed myself over to him. I was no longer my own. I

belonged to him.

Alessio stood up and walked slowly to me, his steps confident. When he was

close, he reached out and touched a dirty strand of my hair.“Good choice, Ayla,” Alessio said. The sound of my name coming from him

made me shiver again. God, why did his voice have to sound so…intimate? My

eyes widened with the sudden thought. No. No, Ayla. Don’t lose yourself.

“I’m glad that you decided to…work for me.” The way he said those words

made my body freeze. He stared at me, his eyes intense.

Alessio stepped closer so that our bodies were pressed together. He moved his

finger down my bruised cheek.

“I’ll make sure that you won’t regret this decision,” he whispered huskily.

Wait, what? Did he mean…? No, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

Oh, but he would. He was Alessio Ivanshov. Nothing had ever been denied to

him. And I just said yes to his offer.

My breathing and the beat of my heart was too loud. I was sure he could hear

it. Alessio bent down until his eyes were to my level.

“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”

I swallowed and licked my lips quickly. His gaze followed my movement as

his blue eyes turned from cold to hot. He licked his own, and then he whispered,

“Not unless you want me to.”

I sucked in a shocked breath and it made my chest move against his. The

friction made my body shiver. Was it apprehension? Or anticipation?

“Umm…what…what did you…mean by…work?” I asked quietly, tripping

over my own words.

He took another step closer, forcing me to take a step back. Alessio crowded

me, his presence so strong that it made me feel weak and small.

“Exactly what it means…work,” he continued in a husky voice.

Oh my God. Please no. Not that. Anything but that.

“What…what work?” I asked again.

Alessio stared into my eyes. Blue to green.

We both stared at each other, unblinking. The tension vibrated around us. But

I couldn’t understand what type of tension it was. No. I refused to understand it.

I refused to acknowledge it.

He suddenly took a step back. I breathed out at the movement, and my tensed

muscles uncoiled with relief. Alessio stood to his full height, now looking down

at me, his eyes hard again.

“My maids need a little help. You’ll be helping with the cleaning and

cooking,” he said briskly.

Huh? He wanted me to clean and cook?

I stared at him in confusion. Alessio must have been the most perplexing man

I had ever met. Confusing, strange, and dangerous.

“You want me to clean…and cook?” I asked in bewilderment. He cocked his head to the side, still looking at me. Then he smiled. The same malicious smile

as before.

“Yes,” he said as he took a step toward me, crowding my personal space

again. “Did you think I meant something else?” he asked quietly, his tone

suggestive as he traced a finger lightly up my right arm.

Yes. Yes, I did think you meant something else. I thought you wanted me to be

your wh—

I halted the thought. Don’t go there, Ayla.

I shook my head quickly, my hair covering my face with the brisk action.

Alessio brought his hand up and moved my hair away, baring my face to him

again.

I swallowed nervously as I waited for his next move. His warm hand on my

face was making the numbness of my body fade away. I hated that his touch

could do that. I hated that he had such an effect on me. Already, it was clear he

could make me tremble in fear one minute and make me feel warm the next.

Inside and out.

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