Chapter 29

I look out at the group of people in front of me, grateful that they've all travelled from America to Italy, and then to Russia, all within the last few weeks. It's 2pm and they arrived about two hours ago. I let them settle a little before calling the meeting to brief everyone.

"The Volki are a total of a hundred and fifty men. Thirty of them live in the mansion with the Volkov's. There're enough guns for each man to be equipped with an assault rifle with three rounds of ammo, two Glock's and two rounds of bullets for each gun, and five throwing knives. They have access to fifty SUVs, and each Volkov has ten sports cars. We will go in with more force and power than they have when we bring the fight to them.

There's three hundred and fifty of us and over a hundred SUVs that we'll use for transport. Everyone will be equipped with the same gear; a carbine with five rounds, three Glock's and two small pistols, you will have three rounds for each gun, and everyone will get fifteen throwing knives. We're going in with the intent to kill anyone and everyone you see, and the goal is to keep everyone distracted while the four of us find and kill the Volkov's so I can retrieve Cassie. Any questions?" I ask, Pa, zio and Luna - my little sister - standing with me as I stand before all of my men.

When no-one speaks up, I dismiss everyone, telling them that we leave as soon as dusk hits us.

"We'll gear up with extra." I say, turning to face my family.

"Only of what we specialise in though."

They all nod, agreeing with me and we make plans to meet up in the weapons room half an hour before meeting with the rest of the men. We all call it a night, heading off in our own directions. I, however, go in search of Santiago and find his room. I knock on the door and wait for him to answer, but instead, there's a five foot six, trouble-making brunette on the other side of the door.

"Cole?" she nervously asks.

"I'm here for your boyfriend, squirt, not you. Relax." I respond, addressing her subtly audible worry.

She lets out a low breath of relief, then allows me entry into the room. I stand by the doorway and observe the empty room. I look at Olivia and she motions to the bathroom door in the corner of the room.

"He's just getting dressed. He'll be out in a minute." she says.

I nod my head and lean against the wall next to the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest as I wait for him to emerge. A few moments later, he comes out and looks at Olivia, who's standing a few feet away from me. Santiago sees me and a look of confusion crosses over his face.

"Cole? What're you doing here? Everything okay?" he asks as he hangs his towel up to dry.

"Thought I'd come give you a quick brief as someone didn't show up for the group briefing." I say, narrowing my eyes at the couple.

Santiago freezes his movements and groans, rubbing his hands up and down his face.

"God, sorry. I forgot. Las cosas se calentaron y tuve que quedarme." [Things got heated and I had to stay.] I raise a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Cuidado por los convalecientes." [Aftercare.]

"Fair enough. Tomaste la decisión correcta, lo respeto." [You made the right decision, I respect that.] I say.

At least he knows his priorities as a Mafia Don and dom.

I give Santiago the run down for the plan tomorrow, telling him to be geared up and ready for our departure by dusk.

"There's actually something else I wanted your opinion on." I say to him, and he nods his head for me to proceed.

"How do you think Cassie would feel about me bringing Sebastien back with us?"

Il Don spagnolo thinks it over for a few moments before replying. [The Spanish Don]

"Honestly? She's talked about him a lot. Especially about how she wishes she could make up for all of the time they lost with each other. So, I think it's a great idea. She'd love it." he says, pulling Olivia to sit beside him on the bed and wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Something inside me twists with an ache, desperate to do the same with my own woman, knowing I haven't been able to do that with my woman. I bid my farewell to the couple and leave the room, closing the door and heading downstairs to grab a drink.

It's been over thirty days since I've had mia gattina in my arms, since I've heard her voice, seen her smile, heard her laugh, seen her face, smelt her scent directly from her. Thirty-plus days, and I'm going crazy. My anger levels have been skyrocketing back up to how they used to be, snapping at the smallest things and killing for the most simplest of reasons. Cassie is my anchor, and without her, I'm drifting away and back into my own insanity.

I pour myself a drink and go to take a sip when I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. Bringing it out, I see that it's Sebastien and answer the call immediately.

"Si?"

"Change of plans. You can't come tonight." the message is short and sweet, and my blood boils instantly.

"Why the fuck not?" I grit out through my teeth which are clenched so hard, I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear them crying for mercy.

"Viktor has guests staying over for the night. The American and Irish Mafias. So, unless you want to start a war in the underworld, do not come tonight."

I hear a scream in the background of the call, and my pulse begins to race when I register it as a female's voice.

"Via da me, schifosi pezzi di merda!" [Get off of me, you disgusting pieces of shit!]

My heart drops when I recognise the distant voice.

"Sandy!"

I hear the phone hit the floor on the other side of the line, the call still ongoing.

"Cassie?! Sebastien? Sebastien?!" I don't even attempt to hide the panic in my voice.

A few long, agonzing minutes go by, and I hear nothing on the other end of the line. The anxiety, panic and dread that fills me become more and more intense as the soundless seconds lick by. All of a sudden, I can pick up distant shuffling in the background, then the distant sound of a door being closed and locked. When I can hear the quiet mumbling of a voice, I speak up.

"Cassie?"

After what sounds like a bit of shuffling around, someone picks up the phone and speaks back.

"One sec." Sebastien murmurs.

I can hear someone sniffling and sobbing quietly near the phone and I clutch onto it in the hopes of speaking to mia gattina.

"Viktor budet v podvale okolo poluchasa, khorosho? U vas yest' do tekh por." [Viktor will be in the basement for about half an hour, okay? You have until then.]

I can tell that Sebastien is speaking Russian, but what he's saying is unknown to me.

"A poka dlya chego?" [Until then for what?]

The foreign language sounds wrong coming from her, but I've missed the sound of her voice all the same. There're a few moments of silence, but then Cassie gasps at something.

"Lupo?" she chokes out.

"Lupo is that you?" from the way she's speaking, I can tell she's on the verge of crying again.

"Si, gattina. It's me."

The relief that fills me from speaking to gattina is a welcomed feeling. It relaxes me temporarily to hear the sweet melody of her voice.

"Are you okay, principessa? Are you hurt?"

"No. No, I'm- I'm okay. You're here." I can practically hear the smile in her voice, and it just brings a small one to my lips.

"How have you been, gattina? I swear to you I will get you out of there if it's the last thing I do as a living, breathing being on this planet. I will kill every single one of them. I swear it on us."

"I k-know you w-will, lupo. I trust you."

"You know we'll be moving after this, right Sandy?" I hear Sebastien say in the distance.

"I know, I know. Just-" she pauses for a moment, and I can almost picture her looking down nervously.

"Just let me speak to him for a little longer. Please." the last word comes out as a pleading whisper, and it breaks my heart to hear.

"Of course, Sandy."

"How are you, lupo?"

"I'm great now I can hear your voice. I'll be even better once you're back in my arms. Safe." Cassie laughs a little at that.

"Yeah." she drawls out.

"Me and you both."

We spend the next twenty minutes talking. The conversation is full of promises and plans for the future. I joke about putting a baby in her once she's back, but all I get in response is silence from her end.

"Gattina?"

"Uhhh, yeah. Sounds like a plan." she chuckles, but it comes out nervous and shaky.

Before I can ask what's wrong, Sebastien starts speaking to me.

"Viktor is on his way back up and he's coming to my room. I'll message you the new location as soon as I know it. Be ready to leave as soon as I give the go ahead. With any luck you can hit us while we're moving. He won't be expecting that." Sebastien - I've noticed - is a very straight-to-the-point man, and I admire that about him.

"Alright, thanks. Let me just say bye first."

"Lupo." her voice is shaky, and she sounds scared, and I hate that I'm not there to comfort or soothe her.

"Don't worry, gattina. I'll see you real soon, okay?"

I can picture Cassie nodding her head before she voices her response.

"Okay." she says, a slight bit of relief mixing into her voice.

"I love you, gattina." I can hear her take a shaky breath, as though I've knocked the air out of her lungs.

"I love you, lupo." my heart and arms strain to be with her, hold her close, and never let go.

It pains me to do so, but eventually, I hang up.

Cassie's POV

The line goes dead, and it takes everything in me not to call him back. Instead, I drop the phone on the bed and turn around, wrapping my arms around my brother and crying into his chest. He wraps his arms around me, and we stay like that for a few moments. After a few minutes, I'm left with a wet, puffy face, but at least I'm not crying anymore. I rest the side of my head against a dry patch of Sebby's shirt and go to speak when the door opens.

"Malyshka? Vy budite?" [You awake?]

After speaking to Cole just now, it feels even more wrong to be here than it did before. The guilt of sleeping with him crawls up, threatening my body to physically react as I feel the bile try to reach past my throat, but I try to push down the feeling and it somewhat settles in my stomach. I turn my head to face Viktor and try my best to seem happy to see him.

"Hi Alek." I whisper, my throat hoarse.

"Hi baby."

He comes over to me and it takes everything in me to try and not flinch from his touch when he reaches for me. He helps me to my feet and wraps his arms around my waist, causing me to freeze momentarily. I wrap my arms around Viktor's neck and rest my face against his chest, hoping he didn't notice me freeze. After a couple more seconds, I pull away and he does the same. He cups my face and presses a kiss to my forehead.

"Come on. We need to get moving. I don't want to keep Cassie here." he says to Seb.

My brother rises to his feet and picks his phone up once Viktor begins to leave the room.

"I'm going to pack some of our stuff, malyshka. Be ready in twenty minutes, okay?"

I nod my head and give a weak smile, to which he smiles back and closes the door. As soon as it closes, the smile on my face drops and I wipe my forehead aggressively with the sleeve of the jumper I'm wearing. I sit on Sebby's bed whilst he packs a of couple things, and after about five minutes, I say goodbye to him and go to Viktor's room, where I've been staying. I walk into the empty room and look around, calling out to Viktor to see if he's here or not. Once I get no response, I go to the closet and grab one of my hoodies, a fresh set of underwear, and some jogging bottoms. I take a clean towel and go into the bathroom, closing the door behind me and turning on the shower.

I tie my hair up and put my things on the heater, then I strip my clothes off and put them in the wash basket. I step into the cubicle and exhale a breath of relief when the hot water hit my body. I stand under the stream of water for a few minutes before I begin to wash myself. Once I'm clean, I stay under the warmth of the shower for a little longer before getting out. I wrap the towel around myself and step out. I scream when I see someone standing inside the bathroom with me and back away until I realise who it is.

"Jesus Christ, Alek. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" my hand is pressed against my chest and he just smirks, staring at me.

He begins walking towards me and wraps his an arm around my waist, the other coming up to play with a loose strand of hair. I try my hardest not to visibly or noticeably tense.

"I'm sorry, malyshka. I just needed to tell you something and it can't wait, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see this." he murmurs, dropping his head and pressing a couple of kisses to my exposed shoulder.

"What did you need to tell me?" I ask quietly.

"Oh, right." he clears his throat before continuing.

"Sebastien - and Sebastien only - is going to be taking you to the safe house. There will be another two cars of men there by the time you get there. I have to stay here and take care of something really quick, and it might take a while, but I can't risk having you here in case the American's or Irish come for revenge. A few members of each mafia are staying near-by but didn't come to the meet, so I just- I need to make sure you're okay."

"Okay, okay. Don't worry Alek, I know my brother will keep me safe, no matter what. I'll be okay as long as I'm with him, all right?" I softly reply.

Viktor nods his head and holds me close, resting his head on top of mine.

"Okay." he says after a minute, pulling away.

"Sebastien is downstairs. All of our stuff is packed and, in the car, already. Get dressed and I'll take you down."

"Alright, give me a sec." I smile.

My smile drops as soon as Viktor leaves the room and I dry myself off, throwing the towel into the wash basket. I put on my underwear and change into my hoodie and joggers. I go into the bedroom and grab some socks, put on some comfy trainers, and go downstairs. As I take each step down, I feel like I'm physically taking the necessary steps to get to Cole. The thought of seeing him again, after what feels like such a ridiculously long time, has me smiling like a lunatic. The thought of being with Viktor the other day makes my smile drop instantly and my guilt threatens to present itself all over the floor.

I walk into the living room in search of Viktor after calming the chaos within me, yet he's nowhere to be seen. I go into the kitchen and see him with snacks and a couple of drinks on the counter behind him. He's rummaging around in the snack cupboard and turns around with a few chocolate bars in his hand. Viktor smiles when he sees me and drops the chocolate on the counter.

"Uhhhh. What's going on?" I ask quietly.

"Snacks for the road for moy malyshka." [my baby girl.] he says whilst gesturing to the assortment of snacks.

I smile and thank him for his thoughtfulness, helping him find something to carry all the stuff to make it easier to bring out to the car. We load the snacks and drinks into the bag, and I grab the bag, ready to leave. Viktor takes the carrier from me and puts a hand on my back, guiding me out of the house. We get to the SUV that Sebby is already stood by, and Viktor places the carrier in the front seat. He grabs my waist and pulls me to him, burying his head into my hair.

"I won't be that far behind you, malyshka. I promise."

"Okay." I mumble, nodding my head against his chest.

Once he lets me go, I get into the car, placing the snack bag at my feet. I buckle myself in and turn my head to face Viktor. He smiles at me, placing a kiss to my cheek and shutting the door. He turns his back to me in order to speak to Sebby, and I immediately rub the kiss away, making sure he can't see me whilst I do so. The two men shake hands and Seb comes around the car, settling in on the driver's seat and starting the car up. He places his phone in the holder attached to the console and begins to drive off.

"Where are we going?" I ask once we pull out of the driveway.

"You'll find out in a sec." he says, unlocking his phone as the gates shut behind us.

The phone is angled towards him so I can't see what he's doing. Suddenly, a ring back tone fills the car and I glance at the screen built into the car, realising the sound is being emitted from Bluetooth.

"Si?"

Cole.

I stare at the phone, speechless, wanting nothing more than to be on the other side of the line and lose myself in his arms.

"Take my phone. Podelites' s nim moim mestopolozheniyem, pozhaluysta." [Share my location with him, please.]

I stare at his phone for a moment longer before grabbing it from the holder. I open the message thread for Cole and share our live location with him. I open my mouth to speak, but Sebastien beats me to it.

"Ne." [Don't.] he says softly to me.

My mouth closes and all I do is frown, putting the phone back and crossing my arms. Seb starts rattling off information to Cole as I turn away from him and grab the bag by my feet. Taking out a small bar of milk chocolate and a pack of salted crips, I lean back to grab a blanket from the seat behind me and drape it over my legs, getting comfy in my seat and opening the window all the way down to let the mountain breeze fill my senses.

I open both the chocolate bar and crisps, setting them on my lap. I break off a single piece of chocolate, wedging them in between two crisps. I smile happily and eat it, opening up a drink and taking a sip to wash it down with once I've swallowed the snack down. I put the drink into one of the cup holders beside me and look up, seeing my brother stare at me with a bewildered expression and no longer speaking.

"Sebastien?" Cole asks him.

"Chto?" [What?] I ask him.

"What-?" he trails off, glancing at the snacks on my lap and then back up at me.

"U menya voznikayut kakiye-to strannyye pristrastiya, privykay k etomu. Leave me alone and keep your eyes on the road, old man." [I get some weird cravings, get used to it.] I roll my eyes at him, going back to my snacks.

"Gattina?"

"Hey lupo." I smile at the phone even though he can't see me.

"Hey baby. Ci vediamo tra qualche ora, ok?" [I'll see you in a few hours, okay?]

"Okay, I can't w-" I cut myself off as Seb drives over a bump, and all the food I've eaten in the last few hours decides it wants to come up.

Luckily, I'm able to get my head out of the window fast enough and everything empties out of me outside the car. The vehicle comes to a screeching halt, and I brace myself against the interior of the car. I groan as my body jerks, the need to throw up again rising within me.

"Can you not?! Beremennaya zhenshchina zdes'!" [Pregnant lady here!]

"Sorry, Sandy. Are you okay?" he asks, ignoring my burst of anger.

"What do you think?" I groan as another wave of nausea hits me, but luckily nothing comes up this time.

After a couple of minutes, the sicky feeling goes and I rinse my mouth out with a bottle of water. I lean over the window and wash away almost all of the sick that got onto the car. I throw the now-empty bottle out and sit back, looking at my brother.

"I'm okay. You can start driving again. I'm just gonna sleep it off." I say, yawning at the end.

"Gattina? Stai bene? Cosa c'è che non va?" [Are you okay? What's wrong?] Cole asks as Sebby begins driving again.

"Niente, lupo. Sto bene, lo prometto. I think I just ate something funny. [Nothing, lupo. I'm okay, I promise.]

I turn around in my seat, resting my arm on the edge of the window frame and laying my head on top of it. I close my eyes and listen to the soft chatter of my brother talking to the love of my life, allowing the knowledge that I'll be seeing him soon lull me to sleep.

*

We pull up to the safe house and get out of the car. Looking around, I see a few bodies on the floor and my eyebrows pull together. I turn to look at Sebastien, but he simply smiles at me, motioning inside the house as if there aren't half a dozen men dead outside. As I walk past them to get inside the house, I notice that they're all Volks.

That causes my pulse picks up slightly.

This is either really good or really bad.

Either Cole is here, or one of the visiting Mafias found this location and beat us in getting here.

I enter the house very cautiously, looking around for any possible signs of a threat, despite the fact that the house seems undisturbed on the inside. As I turn the corner, I can partially see Olivia sat on the table with her legs crossed. She smiles and twiddles her fingers at me in a greeting, and I step further into the room so I can see her fully. To my surprise, my brother is stood next to her, his hand wrapped around her waist.

"Livia? Tiago?" I ask, my voice breaking slightly.

If they're here, then....

"Where is he? Where's-"

"Gattina."

All the breath in my lungs disappear as I turn to find the source of the voice. Half-way through my turn, I can see his dark silhouette at the end of the hallway. When I breathlessly say my next word, it feels as if I can breathe properly again for the first time in over a month.

"Lupo."

I run towards him without a second thought, sprinting full speed at him, and jump into his awaiting arms. He engulfs me in the warmest hug I've ever felt, entrapping me entirely - not that I mind. I cry in joy at finally being reunited with him as I bury my head into his neck, burrowing myself into him and vowing never to let him go again.

Unwrapping myself from him, I look up at into his eyes. They're filled with love and relief, the same emotions I imagine my eyes are filled with. That quickly changes when his face contorts into one of pain.

"Cole?" my brows furrow in confusion.

He lets out a pained and strangled noise before he drops to his knees, collapsing at my feet. I gasp when I see Viktor behind him, holding a bloodied knife.

"NO!"

I fall to my knees, grabbing Cole's head and pulling it onto my lap.

"TIAGO! LIV! SEB!"

All I get in response is a dark chuckle.

"Prinesite ikh." [Bring them in.] he says.

Six men walk in, three of them restraining my family whilst the other three point guns at their heads.

"No." I whisper in disbelief.

Cole makes a strained noise from where he's lying in my lap, causing me to look down at him.

"No. You can't leave me. You can't!"

"Gattina." I can hear the apology in the way he says my name.

"No." I shake my head.

"No, you can't leave. You need to stay. You have to meet our little cub." I cry, placing his bloody hand on my stomach.

"You're?" I nod my head.

"Yes. I'm pregnant. So, you need to stay alive. My baby needs to meet their papa." I weep, the tears never stopping.

Cole simply smiles at me, blood now seeping from his mouth.

"Thank you." he whispers, turning his hand around to hold mine.

"For what?" I sniff, cradling his head.

"For giving me what I've always wanted. You and our baby."

"No. No, don't you dare say goodbye to me. You stay here and you fight for us Cole Santini!"

Cole just continues to smile as he looks up at me with nothing but pure love and admiration.

"You can't leave us. You can't leave me. I love you." a sob escapes me.

"I love you, Cassie Clarke."

Cole's grip on my hand loosens as his whole body goes limp.

"Cole? COLE?"

I search frantically for any sign of a pulse, the faintest stream of breath, but I get nothing.

He's gone.

I let out an unholy noise, the pained scream that leaves me sounds nothing as painful as how I feel. My soulmate. My one true love. Dead in my arms.

Three shots go off simultaneuosly, and my head whips behind me, just in time for all three bodies to hit the floor. Another pained sound leaves my lips as I clutch onto Cole's body. Viktor comes to stand behind me, pulling me to my feet despite my aggressive protests. Two sets of hands hold me in place, and I attempt to fight the bodyguards holding me still, all movement doing nothing as my efforts are futile.

"Oh malyshka." Viktor sighs, coming to stand so close that his breath hits my lips and trails a hand down my face, causing me to flinch away from his touch.

"This is what happens when you defy me. This is what happens when you break my trust and go against me." he whispers menacingly.

The next thing I know, the knife gets plunged into my stomach and is pulled out instantly, the stab swift, yet still as painful as ever. The guards let go of me and I collapse to the floor, the physical and emotional pain all too much. I reach out for Cole's hand, clasping it firmly in mine as darkness sucks me into her sweet nothingness.

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