Possess Me by Michelle Heard

 

Chapter 15

 

Alek

 

My brother looks at me with acceptance, his eyes begging me to put an end to his torture.

He’s reached his limit.

My gaze desperately flicks between Everleigh, the woman I love, and my brother.

Christ. Christ. Christ.

Vincent nods.

Knowing Prodi can fire his weapon at any second, the devastating words leave my mouth, “I choose Vincent.”

I choose Vincent.

I hardly hear the gunshot, and as my brother’s head falls forward and blood trickles from the gunshot wound to his temple, my sanity slips through the cracks that formed in my mind.

Knowing I’ll follow him soon, I watch my brother die.

Not only did I betray my brother, but I ordered his death.

It takes minutes before the thought sinks in, and the grave reality of what I’ve just done stares back at me.

Even though Vincent gave me the nod, and I could clearly see he had reached his limit, it doesn’t make it any easier.

After all the torture he endured, my brother knew he was the only true option.

We all have our limits, and Vincent reached his.

Still, I chose for my brother to die.

Unable to feel anything, my mind spins into a dark abyss.

I don’t hear anything being said, and my body is on autopilot when I’m dragged out of the room.

My eyes stay glued to Vincent until he disappears from my sight.

I’m shoved back into the dark room, and I feel Everleigh’s palms on my jaw.

Still, I don’t hear anything.

She tugs me down, and when my ass hits the floor, I bring my knees up and rest my forearms on them. My head lowers.

Minutes…hours…days…weeks…months…

A year could pass, and I wouldn’t know.

Frozen in shock and agony, my mind drifts off into a place where there’s only the silence that comes with death.

 

 

My return to consciousness is sudden and excruciating.

I’ve been through a lot, and I’ve seen shit in my life, but not once did I cry.

Not until today.

Hot tears spill from my eyes, dripping on the floor.

I grip fistfuls of my hair, and unable to bear the loss of my brother, a hoarse shout tears from my chest.

“Alek,” Everleigh cries. She wraps her arms around my head and holds me to her chest. “I’m sorry. God. I’m so sorry.”

I had my own flesh and blood killed.

With no other words to be said between us, Everleigh just holds me as the loss of Vincent destroys me.

Growing up in the bratva world, you’re prepared for a bloody death at a young age. You know you’ll lose family and friends along the way.

But still, none of the training I’ve had could’ve prepared me for the past months and Vincent’s death.

I’ll never see him again.

He was only twenty-three.

How will I tell Mama?

“Alek?” Everleigh whispers.

I can’t move or talk. Captured in perpetual grief and guilt, I can only face what I’ve done.

I had my brother executed.

I just couldn’t let Prodi kill Everleigh. Not her. Not ever.

Suddenly the sound of gunfire erupts, erratic pops echoing through the building.

“Oh, God.” Everleigh climbs to her feet, and once I’m standing, she moves in front of me for the first time. “Go to the corner. I’ll cover you with my body.”

When I don’t do as she says, she hisses, “Dammit, Alek. Move!”

Just as she presses her hands against my chest to push me backward, the door shudders open. She spins around and presses her back to my front, her arms wide.

She’s willing to take a bullet for me.

Instinctively, I shove her out of the way, and as she falls to the floor, Dario opens fire on us.

I feel a bullet penetrate my thigh, and another hits my abdomen. My body’s forced backward, and I slam into the wall. My back goes up in flames, and sinking to the ground with my legs sprawled wide in front of me, an insane chuckle escapes me.

I’m coming, Vincent.

“Noooo!” Everleigh screams, the sound filled with agony and desperation.

She hurries to me and throws herself over my chest.

“No. Don’t die. Please, Alek. I can’t live without you,” she rambles, her arms around my neck threatening to strangle the little life I have left from my body.

More gunshots erupt, and Dario drops dead to the floor, the side of his face blown away.

Papa.

I don’t know where I find the strength, but I push Everleigh back, and struggling to my feet, I wrap my arm around her shoulders so I can lean on her and keep her close.

“We need to move,” I order.

My girl wraps her arm around my lower back to help me move, careful not to touch the torn skin. When we get to the door, and I’m about to tell her to pick up Dario’s gun, I see my father hurrying down the hallway.

He locks eyes with me and picks up his pace while barking, “Come. Hurry!”

I didn’t expect a warm reunion. That’s not the kind of person my father is.

“Where’s Vincent?” he asks, his voice strained.

I can only shake my head as I lean into Everleigh so I can limp faster.

Papa’s eyes land on her, and before he can ask who she is, I say, “She’s coming with me.”

“Boss. We’ve got Prodi out back,” Grigory, my father’s second in charge, calls from down the hallway.

Papa forgets about Everleigh as he spins around and jogs toward Grigory.

“Let’s hurry,” I tell Everleigh, and as we head past the bodies of Prodi’s men, I get a sliver of satisfaction that they’re dead.

“Your father came, Alek,” my girl whispers with overwhelming relief making her voice hoarse. “We’ve been saved!”

I pull her closer to me, and together we find our way out of the warehouse that’s been our prison for weeks…months.

I won’t know how long we were Prodi’s captives until I talk with my father.

Papa came.

If only he had come earlier.

From the blood loss I’m suffering, I start to feel severely lightheaded, and Everleigh struggles to keep me on my feet as she drags me to the nearest SUV.

“Alek needs to go to the hospital. He’s been shot!” she shouts at someone.

I can’t keep my head up, and I start to drift in and out of consciousness.

At least Everleigh will get to live.

Strong arms grab me, and I’m forced into the back of an SUV. It only takes seconds before I feel Everleigh’s hands pressing down on the bullet wound to my thigh.

“We have to hurry,” she cries, the desperation in her voice growing thicker.

I still hear gunfire, and I can’t tell how long we wait before the SUV dips from men climbing into the vehicle.

“Aleksandr,” Papa snaps.

Years of conditioning have me lifting my head.

“Don’t you dare fucking die,” he orders.

“Yes, sir,” I mumble, my speech slurred.

Grigory is behind the steering wheel, starting the engine and driving us away from the hellhole where I lost my brother and found a consuming love.

I have no idea where we are when Papa snaps, “Stop the car.”

Grigory pulls over, and once again, my vision goes spotty from losing too much blood.

“Alek!” Everleigh shouts, ripping me back to reality. She grabs hold of my arm, but it’s only for a second before she’s ripped away from me.

“No!” Using the last of my strength, I shove the door open and stagger out of the SUV. “Stop!” My eyes focus on Papa as he shoves Everleigh into a field. “Papa!” I shout, but my voice is too weak to carry to him.

My body fails me, and as I drop to my knees, three shots echo into the night.

NoNoNoNoNo!

My entire world implodes as I watch the bullets hit Everleigh. Like a string that’s been pulled too tight, my sanity snaps.

The last thing I see is her falling to the ground.