Sasha & Andriena #1 (Lovers & Sinners) (5 page)

“I don’t like people
who repeat what I say, so watch your tongue if you want to keep it.”

Andriena clamped her
mouth shut.

“And I’m rather
surprised you’re still alive,” he added, “considering Sasha vowed to kill all
Donatelli in retaliation. I guess he’s softer when it comes to women, not to
mention he has a weakness for raven-haired beauties.”

Still reeling over
what he’d said, Andriena remained silent, now understanding why Sasha hated her
family with such venom.

The Black Russian
continued, “I imprisoned Sasha with you to see whether he would kill you or
not. I was hoping he did, but I guess it worked out that he didn’t, because I
might get something better out of it.”

“You’re a monster,”
she yelled, instantly regretting it.

“Say that without
cowering behind your sister.”

Andriena remained
where she was, knowing she couldn’t, the memories of what he’d done to her
still fresh, his touch a permanent stain upon her soul.

He grimaced at her,
his expression disdainful. “That’s precisely why I don’t want you anymore,
Andriena. You’re too timid. When I bought you I thought I was getting a
Donatelli vixen, not a timid little mouse scared of her own shadow. If you
didn’t look like a Donatelli I would never have guessed you were one.
Now...
your sister,” his cold blue gaze moved to Camila, “she would’ve been a much
better purchase.” He snapped his teeth at her.

Camila tensed. “I’m
not for sale and my uncle shouldn’t have sold Andriena either.”

“Nonetheless, he did,
and after what your family did to Sasha’s brother—”

“My
famiglia
didn’t
shoot him.”

“But one of their
guards did!”

Both Camila and
Andriena jolted, his booming voice louder than a crack of thunder.

He narrowed his eyes
at them, looking like he wanted to snap their necks. “Yuri was sweet and
loving, both beautiful inside and out, yet your family shot him down like a
mongrel.” He bent down and yanked Matteo to his feet. “And I demand your nephew
as payment for Yuri.”

He snatched a syringe
out of Nikita’s hand and stuck it into Matteo’s arm. Matteo’s body went limp,
his eyes closing. The Black Russian pulled the needle out and swept Matteo up into
his arms. Andriena covered her mouth, her nephew looking dead.

“Don’t look so upset,”
the Black Russian said. “He’s just unconscious.” He walked over to the bed and
laid Matteo down on the mattress, chaining him up again. Once finished, he
turned back to Andriena. “I knew Camila would choose you; she wouldn’t stop
talking about getting you back.”

“Then why did you
give her the option?”

“I wanted to see your
nephew’s response to it. He never fails to entertain me. Anyway, kiss each
other goodbye. You’ll be reunited
after
Jagger pays me for your release.”
He indicated to the door. “Ladies first: Andriena back to your cell and Camila
back to your beautiful boyfriend.”

“You already know
Jagger’s going to pay you,” Camila replied, “so there’s no need to keep
Andriena locked up.”

“No matter how much
you beg and whine, I won’t change my mind. If anything, I might ask Jagger for
more, and for something he’s unwilling to give, so leave before I encumber him
with a heavier burden.”

Camila grimaced,
looking like she wanted to argue further, but instead tugged Andriena to the
door. As they stepped through it, Camila yanked her into a hug. “Not only is
Jagger working to free you, but the D’Angelo Don is too. You’ll be out by
tomorrow, Andriena. They’ll make sure of that.”

“
Grazie
.”
Andriena gripped onto her sister tight, feeling hope for the first time since
being sold. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Watching you two get
emotional is turning my stomach,” the Black Russian said, “so part ways.”

Andriena let go of
her sister. “Please give us one more moment.”

“No.”

“But I want my sister
to buy Sasha’s freedom,” she said, knowing she had to help him. Despite what
he’d done earlier, her family had done a hundred times worse to him, the murder
of his brother unforgivable. And although she knew she could never make things
right, she could at least do something.

“You’re not getting
my Sasha,” the Black Russian replied. “He’s precious to me.”

“He can’t be that precious
if you had him beaten to a pulp!” she snapped, again allowing her temper to get
the better of her, her mouth always running off before her brain had time to
think.

The Black Russian
leered at her. “Now, that’s more like what I expect from a Donatelli,” he said,
looking like he wanted to fuck her on the spot, her temper obviously turning
him on. “You actually made my cock twitch.”

Camila stepped in
front of her.

His leer turned to
amusement. “Don’t worry your pretty head, Camila, I’m too busy for sex, and if
I did want some, I’ll take your nephew over your sister any day.” His gaze
shifted back to Andriena. “And I don’t understand why you want me to set Sasha
free. Didn’t you hear me say that Sasha vowed to slaughter your family for
murdering his brother?”

“He didn’t kill me,”
she replied softly.

“You don’t listen, do
you? I already said he’s softer on women than men, and if he’s freed, he’d hunt
down your male relatives.”

“He told me he only
wanted to kill the people responsible, and they’re probably already dead. The
D’Angelos and their allies slaughtered a number of our males.”

“Sasha’s like me—he
constantly changes his mind.”

“I’ll make him
understand that he can’t blame my whole
famiglia
for what one man did,
and it was most likely a
soldato
who executed his brother. They aren’t
blood, they’re hired help.”

“Who follow orders.”

“Not always, and if
they did, the orders would’ve come from my
late
father. Also, most of our
soldati
were killed in the raids, so again, there probably won’t be
anyone alive who should be held accountable.”

“Looks like I
might’ve underestimated your intelligence, Andriena. You’re not a bad debater.”

She breathed out,
knowing he hadn’t, because she
was
unintelligent. She had to work twice
as hard to understand things and even harder to remember what people had said,
very little sticking in her mind.

“You didn’t
underestimate me,” she finally replied. “But this isn’t about me; it’s about Sasha’s
freedom. I’ll pay Jagger back whatever you ask for.”

The Black Russian
smiled. “You’ve convinced me to consider it.”

“
Grazie
,”
Andriena replied, relieved at his response.

“I don’t need your
thanks
or
your presence.” He flicked his hand at the guards. “Return the
sisters to their respective quarters.” He spun on his heel and disappeared down
the passageway.

Camila grabbed
Andriena one more time, giving her a final hug, then left with her guard.
Andriena headed in the opposite direction with Nikita, in disbelief that she would
soon be a free woman.

4

ANDRIENA

Andriena entered the
cell, finding Sasha asleep on the bed. Eager to tell him that the Black Russian
was considering freeing him, she went to prod his shoulder, but stopped, what he’d
done earlier making her take a step back. Although she felt an obligation to
free him, he was still an asshole, and a volatile one at that.

“Wake up, Sasha,” she
said, taking a few more steps back, wary of him again.

Sasha stirred in his
sleep, but didn’t wake.

“Sasha.”

Again, he remained
asleep.

She moved forward and
prodded his shoulder, then shot back to her spot, not wanting to be near him
when he opened his eyes. He turned onto his back, making her gasp. His cock was
hard again, but this time part of it was sticking out of his briefs.

He opened his
uninjured eye. “I was hoping you wouldn’t come back,” he bit out gruffly.

She willed herself
not to react to his rude tone. She just had to remind herself that his
animosity was due to her family name, not her personally, although she wasn’t
sure that was entirely true, his insulting words still hurting her.

“I’m leaving
tomorrow,” she said. “My sister’s boyfriend is striking a deal with the Black
Russian to free me.”

“He’s wasting his
time,” he replied, pushing his cock back into his briefs.

Her gaze moved to
what he was doing. “Why would you say that?”

“Because I know the
Black Russian too well, and stop looking at my cock.”

Her gaze snapped up
to his. “I was not!” she blurted, embarrassed he’d caught her staring again.
But how could she not?
She liked cock.
And not just a little bit—
a
lot
. And he had such a nice-looking one. She’d also never seen a
circumcised penis, the ones in her porno collection not counting.

He didn’t reply,
though she could clearly see he didn’t believe her.

“I wasn’t looking at
it,” she reiterated unconvincingly, still annoyed she’d gotten caught. If she
saw something she liked, she looked at it, whether it was inappropriate or not,
her common sense usually turning up late to the party. “And tomorrow can’t come
soon enough, because not only will I be free from this hellhole, I won’t have
to put up with your rudeness anymore.”

“I wasn’t the one
rudely
staring at my cock and no matter how much I want you gone, you won’t
be leaving tomorrow. The Black Russian’s playing mind games with you.”

“You’re wrong. My
release is practically a done deal. I also asked him for your freedom and he
said he’ll consider it.”

“He won’t set me
free.”

“He will if I pay
him.”

Sasha’s eyebrows shot
up. “You want to buy me?”

“Don’t look at me
like that; it’s not how you think it is. My
famiglia
owe you for what happened
to your brother. We can at least help free you.”

His expression turned
cold. “It’s obviously why your uncle was able to sell you. You’re gullible.”

“Why are you being nasty
again?” she snapped, not having expected his derision. Instead, she’d expected
his gratitude. “I’m willing to pay a lot of money for you.”

Sadness fell over his
features. “You can pay the world for me, yet it won’t bring back my brother. And
a lot of money for you won’t be the same for the Black Russian. He throws
around millions like pocket money. I’ve even seen him burn a stack of hundred
dollar bills in front of a poor person for a joke. He won’t let us go. All he’s
doing is playing a game and right now you’ve fallen for it. This is how he gets
his kicks. He’ll give you hope, then smash it down, breaking your spirit until
you wish he’d killed you instead.”

“But my sister’s here.”

“Her presence means
nothing.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Believe what you
wish, but I prefer to live in reality.” He rolled over, facing away from her.

“But Sasha—”

“Be quiet.”

“I will
not
be
quiet until you accept this could really be happening. The Black Russian really
likes my sister’s boyfriend. He’ll give him anything he wants.”

“For a heavy price.”

“Oh, Jagger can buy
our freedom easily. His
famiglia
are rich like mine, and I’ll pay him
back for whatever he spends on you.”

Sasha rolled over to
face her again. “Jagger won’t be paying with money. It’ll be with his body. The
Black Russian has always lusted after him. He wants to fuck your sister’s
boyfriend and will use whatever means to achieve it. He’s probably using you as
a bargaining chip.”

Andriena shook her
head. “You’re wrong. Jagger wouldn’t prostitute himself for me.”

“True, he’s probably
doing it to save his family and your sister. You’re most likely just an
afterthought to make your sister shut up, because if she’s anything like you,
she’ll be driving him nuts.”

Andriena glared at
him. “You’re just saying all of this to upset me.”

“No, I’m saying it
because it’s true, but unfortunately you only believe what you wish. Were you
sheltered until your uncle took advantage and sold you?”

She didn’t reply, since
she
had
been sheltered, first by her auntie, then her sisters. Her
mother had given her up due to severe postpartum depression, allowing one of
her aunties to raise her. Her auntie had protected her from the family
business, bringing her up as though she was a normal child, not the daughter of
one of the most notorious Dons in Italy. Tragically, her auntie passed away
when she was fourteen, which meant she had no choice but to return to the
family fold. But her sisters had rallied around her, doing their best to
protect her from the harsh world she’d been thrown into, a world full of crime
and perversity.

“I guess that’s why
you’re so naive,” Sasha said. “You trust people far too readily. And as for
Jagger and your sister saving you—they won’t. They were captured, along with the
D’Angelo Don, me, and several other people. We’re all the Black Russian’s
prisoners, just some are being treated better than others.”

“I don’t trust people
as readily as you think, especially after what my uncle did to me, but I do
trust my sister with my life and she said I was getting out tomorrow.”

“Again, believe what
you wish, just don’t scream and wail when you find out I’m right.” He rolled
back over, facing away from Andriena.

“Why do you have to
be such a
stronzo
all the time?” she snapped, having had enough of being
patronized. All she’d done was try to be nice to him, yet every single time he
treated her like she was a simple-minded fool. She might not be bright, but
she’d said nothing that deserved his condescending attitude.

He looked over his
shoulder. “I know
stronzo
means
asshole
, blue eyes, and you
should be more careful with what you say to me. After all,
no
one
will come to your rescue if I decide to shut you up permanently.”

“Stop threatening
me!” she yelled, not understanding how things had deteriorated so fast. The man
was impossible, turning every positive to a negative. It made her want to
throttle him.

“I’ll stop
threatening you once you stop talking incessantly.”

“No!” She crossed her
arms over her chest. “I have a right to speak my mind just as much as you do. And
I don’t get why you have to be so mean when all I’ve done is help you.”

He sneered at her. “I’m
in a particularly
mean
mood, because while you were out, I was told
today’s the tenth anniversary of when I was sold into slavery. So, excuse me for
my ill-mannered language,
cyka
.”

Her eyes widened.
“Did you just call me a bitch?”

“
Da
, I also
called you one earlier, but I guess your birdbrain has already forgotten about
it.”

She clenched her
hands, wanting to do more than throttle him now. “You’re the rudest, most
infuriating man I’ve ever met!”

“Then don’t talk to
me. Problem solved.” He flicked his hand dismissively. “Now, go play in your
fantasy world, because I’ve had enough of listening to your whiny voice.”

“You
bastardo!
”
Furious, she shot forward, shoving him off the bed, cursing him in Italian. She
was sick of people stepping all over her. Ever since her accident, she’d been pushed
around like a dumb bimbo, constantly patronized and belittled. But she wasn’t
going to stand for it anymore.

Not one second
longer!

Sasha jumped to his
feet, his murderous expression making her back up fast, all her bravado gone in
the blink of an eye. Her mind screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t, because
there was nowhere to bloody run!

She held out a hand.
“Don’t—”

Before she could get
another word out, he leapt over the bed, making her shriek. She hit out at him
as he went for her. He grabbed her arms and swung her around, pushing her onto
the bed. He climbed onto her torso, his weight bearing down on her, causing her
panic to rise even more.

“Get off me!” she screamed,
trying to get free.

He gripped onto her
arms tighter. “I thought you’d learned your lesson from what I did to you
earlier, but I obviously underestimated how stupid you are.”

She continued to struggle.
“
No, sei tu lo stupido, brutto essere violento di
merda,”
she cursed in Italian.
“Spero
che ti cada il cazzo e che le palle ti diventino due chicchi d'uva, perché ho
finito di aiutarti!”

“Say that in English,
pussy
.”

“I said that I’m done
with helping you if you don’t let me go!” she lied.

“Then how come I
heard you say, ‘No, you’re the stupid one, you violent piece of shit. I hope
your dick falls off and your balls swivel to raisins, because I’m done with
helping you.’”

She froze, not having
realized he spoke Italian.

He leaned his face
down to hers, his expression cold. “Did I translate everything correctly,
stronza
?”

“I... You weren’t
supposed to understand!”

“The fact I knew what
stronzo
meant should’ve alerted you to the possibility.”

“I know
spasibo
means
thank you, but I don’t speak Russian,” she spluttered. “And why did you speak
to me in English if you knew my language?”

“You spoke it to me so
I replied in kind, and you should never let an enemy know everything about you.”

“I’m not your enemy.”

“
Da
, you are.
Not only that, you need to be punished for insulting me.”

“No, I don’t!” she
yelled, her panic rising again. “You insult me all the time.”

“The difference is I
can snap your neck. Have you ever heard what breaking a neck sounds like?”

She didn’t reply, unable
to, his words petrifying her.

He placed a hand around
her throat, causing her to inhale sharply. “It sounds like any other break; the
only difference is the person doesn’t scream.”

She screwed up her
face, praying this wasn’t the end. “Please stop it,” she sobbed out.

He squeezed her neck.
Her hands went to his, clawing at them, desperately trying to save herself. He
slackened his grip, but didn’t let go, his harsh stare still boring into her.
She started sobbing uncontrollably, unable to handle what he was doing,
everything becoming too much. She was a good person, she didn’t deserve this.
She’d only been helping him, attempting to make things right.

Still holding her neck,
he let go of her arm and wiped her wet cheeks. She flinched, his gentle touch
unexpected as well as confusing. He was threatening her with one hand, while
trying to calm her down with the other. He was a paradox she couldn’t figure
out, a Janus with two different faces.

He lowered his head,
until their noses were almost touching. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t,
his intense stare holding her hostage. He wet his lips, looking like he was
going to kiss her, but didn’t make a move to. Instead, he started talking, his
voice sounding as though it was disconnected from his body.

“Your eyes are so
bright I can almost see your soul shining behind them. That’s why the color
diminishes when someone dies. Their soul leaves their body. Maybe that’s also why
my eyes are so gray. They lack color because I lack a soul.” He let go of her
throat and brushed more tears away. “Despite who your family are, who
you
are,
I don’t want to see the brightness in your eyes die.” He placed his lips next
to her ear. “So,
don’t
antagonize me again, because you can only push a
ghoul so far before he drags you down to Hell.” Pushing off her, he shoved her
onto the floor and climbed back onto the bed.

She jumped to her
feet and rushed over to her corner. Slumping to the floor, she wrapped her arms
around her legs, trembling uncontrollably.