Merciless Vows by Faith Summers

41

Lucca

My phone rings in my back pocket.

It’s nearly eleven p.m., and I’m finishing up my paperwork at the garage.

Everyone has either gone home or is out on the street looking for Ivy.

I always know when I get calls at this hour, it’s going to be something important that might take up the rest of my night.

It’s the night before my wedding, and I could have predicted that the universe would send something my way to throw me off balance.

I know with certainty that the call is of that variety when I look at my home screen and see my late-night caller is Hector Perez.

He has no reason to call me.

I answer straight away. “What is it?”

“I have information I think you’ll be interested in, Merciless,” he replies, and he sounds too cocky for my liking.

“What kind of information?”

“I’ll give it to you in exchange for my life back.”

I smile at his bravery. “You have some balls, prick. Tell me what you have, and I’ll consider it.”

“No, I need your word first, but here’s something for free. It was Stephano who hired those bikers to kill you. I have information about Ivy, and it’s a time-sensitive matter. Is that enough specs to entice you? ”

I bolt to my feet on hearing that. “You have my word, now fucking tell me.”

“Can you get to the docks in twenty minutes? She’ll be boarding a cargo ship with the initials G.L.M. on the side of it at eleven-fifteen. Stephano Ricci has arranged to smuggle her and her daughter out of the country. She’ll be waiting for her escort at Meeting Point C. Last chance to get her, Merciless.”

“Thanks.” I don’t bother to ask him how he knew I was looking for Ivy. I’m sure anyone in the underworld who’s clued up enough will know my movements so they can stay out of my way.

“You’re welcome, as long as I have your word.”

“Don’t ask me twice. I already gave it.”

I hang up and glance at the clock. I no longer have twenty minutes, but I can get to the fucking docks in ten minutes if I take my fastest motorcycle.

I don’t have time to call for backup, so I don’t waste time contemplating the idea.

I run, and when I jump on my bike, I gun the engine and blaze out of the garage like I have hellfire on my ass.

My eagerness to wrap this all up fuels me. If I can end this tonight, I can focus better on everything else, and it will loosen the burden on my shoulders to please Grigori.

I race through traffic lights and ride onto pathways I’m not supposed to be on to shorten the journey. My last stunt is to jump my bike over the stream near the mall and ride over to the park that will lead me to the docks.

I make it in seven minutes, a record for me.

The best thing about this place is the space. The wide spaces all around between the boardwalks leading to each ship and the freight containers give me endless places to hide or fight if I need to.

I see the ship in question and run for all I’m worth. The meeting points represent the type of entrance points into the ship. C is for the cargo itself, so that means they planned to ride in the ship’s hull, and someone on that ship was paid very well to get her on board.

The only light I have is that of the moon and the ship’s lights surrounding me. I take the stairs labeled Meeting Point C, and I see Ivy and the little girl. Both have light blonde hair that stands out against the moonlight.

There’s a man there with them. He looks like a guard.

Before I even get to them, I pull out my gun with the silencer and take the man down.

He drops to the ground, probably not even realizing he’s dead. He was a big hulking man the size of a wrestler.

Ivy screams and backs away into the corner with her daughter, and when she sees me, she starts sobbing.

I check there are no more guards before moving forward. I don’t want any nasty surprises, not that I can’t handle them. It’s not the first time I would have gone off on my own and had to take down an army of motherfuckers.

If there are any more guards, they aren’t coming, and I have the advantage because they’re unaware of my attack.

I walk closer, aiming my gun at her. What’s deterring me is the child.

She couldn’t be more than five years old.

You never leave witnesses or those who can come for you. But what the fuck am I going to do? Kill her too?

The little girl starts to cry with her mother, and both press into the wooden wall like they’re hoping they can go through it and disappear. I almost wish that too.

“Shhh, sweetheart. Don’t cry. Mommy will take care of you,” Ivy assures her little girl, who quietens her sobs.

“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep,” I inform her, and she raises her terrified green eyes to look at me.

“Please have mercy on my little girl,” she begs, and I frown. “Take me. Your mark is me, not her. She’s been through enough. Too much.”

“Yes, I agree. I’m sure the death of her father is more than enough,” I state. “I’m sure knowing her mother killed her father in cold blood is too much for any child to deal with.”

Ivy shakes. “I did what I had to do to protect my child. Of course, you weren’t told that part, though, were you?”

I narrow my eyes. “Beleric was a good man who took care of his family. What sort of protection would your child have needed from him?”

She shakes uncontrollably but straightens up while her little girl holds her leg.

“Pasha,” she stutters, and my blood freezes.

I look at her little girl, and I just know what she’s going to tell me.

“What about Pasha?”

“He was abusing her. He was raping her, and that bastard Beleric allowed it to happen. He was taking payments from Pasha to have our little girl. Pasha likes them young. Five years old is the sweet spot. Beleric knew that and let that animal abuse my child. My baby. That is the good man you think he is. When I found out, I had to kill him.”

My lips part, but everything is numb in my mind. I’m looking at her and her little girl, who won’t look back at me.

What’s left of my heart awakens again, and I feel like an animal too. When the shock subsides, I try to process the things that are starting to fit together with Raphael too.

It makes sense now.

Pasha and Raphael were never close. But Raphael had something Pasha wanted. His little girl.

That’s why that fucker Pasha was in Aria’s home.

So, Raphael was doing the same thing as Beleric, selling his child to a sexual predator. And not just any sexual predator.

The Sovientrik of the Yurkov.

Fuck. Fucking hell.

Pasha. I don’t know what to be more shocked over. The truth or the lie he is.

I lower my gun, and hope fills Ivy’s eyes.

I can’t do this. I can’t follow this order. I can’t kill her.

What about Grigori? Did he know this?

I have to know. “Grigori… was he aware of this?”

When she shakes her head, I want to be relieved, but I realize I can’t. Go against Pasha, and you go against Grigori too.

“He doesn’t know, but you and I both know it wouldn’t matter. What are you going to do, Lucca?”

That seems to be the question of my life.

“Please, make it quick and don’t let her see. She’s seen enough horrors in her little life,” she adds, voice quivering as she dips her head in fear.

I pull out my knife from my back pocket, treachery already forming in my mind.

In the Bratva, what I’m about to do is not just punishable by death. It means death for my family and me, too, if anyone finds out.

But in my mind, I hear my father’s voice strong and proud. His words of wisdom echo so clearly, he could be right beside me.

Use your fists for those who can’t fight, and only show mercy to those who deserve it.

This is the second time in my life that I’ve ever been in a situation where both those elements apply. The first time was when I couldn’t kill Aria.

How odd that the same linked me to this new misfortune, and now her fate lies with me one way or the other.

“Hold out your hand,” I say, and her head snaps up.

Her eyes enlarge, bulging to saucers, and her hand's quiver at her side. “What are you doing?”

“The right thing.” And covering myself for as long as I can. “Give me your hand.”

She holds out her hand and looks down at me as I move my knife over her palm.

“What did Stephano give you for this trip?”

“Fake IDs to start a new life. He’s planning a car accident that will make it look like we died.”

“Let’s keep it that way. Ivy, if you tell anybody what I’ve done tonight, I’ll come for you and finish the job I was supposed to do.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll die before I say anything to anyone. I swear it on my little girl’s life.” Her voice shakes, and tears fall down her cheeks. It’s only at that moment that her little girl looks up at me.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” I say and slice over the top of her palm just enough to give me a few drops of blood— for evidence.

The ship’s horn sounds, a warning it’s getting ready to leave.

“Go, go now, and don’t look back.” I nod, and she grabs her little girl.

She runs, and I watch them follow the path the escort was supposed to lead them. They board the ship, and I stand there until the ship sails out to sea.

Only then do I call my personal clean-up guy to take away the dead guard. He’ll take him straight to Rick at the crematorium. Rick is the mortician in the alliance that’s been on my family’s payroll since before I was born.

He’ll know from me calling him that I don’t want the Pakhan finding out or anyone from the Bratva. He’ll make sure everything I need is cleaned, from the guard's body to any evidence, like cameras, that can lead back to me.

Once all of that is done, I make the call to Grigori.

It’s now after midnight, but he always answers on the first ring when I call him.

“Hello, Pakhan,” I begin.

“Merciless, you only call me at this hour when you have good news.”

“That has not changed, Pakhan. It’s done. You don’t have to worry about Ivy anymore. Mission accomplished.”

“Well done, my boy. I will see you later.”

“And you.”

I hang up and make my way back home. I put my knife away in a special bag to preserve the blood on it—a just-in-case measure.

I find Aria curled up in bed, but her violin is on the ground next to her.

She looks so peaceful in her sleep. Innocent and helpless.

Instead of getting in bed with her, I sit by the window and watch her. Watch her like I’m actually watching over her. Watching over her like I wish I could have when she was a child and never had anyone to protect her.

I’m too late to save her from the horrors of the past, but I can protect her now.

I’m not a fool who lives with his head in the clouds. I won’t relax and make the mistake of thinking that what I did tonight will go unnoticed. All I did is buy myself time.

Time to fulfill my promise to Damien and kill both Raphael and Pasha for their crimes.

I have a little under two months before Aria turns twenty-five. That’s when my job will finally be complete.

When it’s all done, I’m taking my girl, and I’m leaving.

I am leaving this life behind.

I watch over her until the sun rises and she wakes looking as beautiful as ever. I take a moment to appreciate her beauty against the backdrop of red roses outside the window.

I stand when she sits up and stares at me.

It’s our wedding day and the scariest thing about today is that it feels real to me. And I’m allowing it to.

“Lucca, where are you going?” she asks, sitting up and pulling the sheet over her breasts.

“I’m heading out early.” I nod and give her a wicked grin. “See you at the altar, Printsessa.”

She hesitates for a moment before she says, “see you.”