Chapter 85

The nightmares came in full force. One after the other. Memories of the past. The pain and the suffering. Sitting in that metal chair as my father did everything he could to break me. Enzo, nearly succeeding, as he recreated what Father did. Except without the boundaries. I felt myself slipping. My heart shutting down as I sat in that chair, tied up to with leather straps on my wrists and ankles.

Unable to move or to run. Only able to take what was being done to me. No matter how strong I was. No matter how much of a fighter. My father and Enzo would be a looming figure over me as I sat in this chair. I was at their mercy. I was torn down only to be pulled back and torn down again. Over and over.

You could be stronger than any man alive but there was difference between having strength and having fight. I had strength. What I didn’t have for so long was the fight. I’d lost it somewhere along the way. Maybe it was watching my friends die, the people I cared for die, watched as they all crumbled and yet I had to still be alive. My strength was useless without fight.

My chin fell, feeling the cold metal chair and the sweat and blood that made it sticky on my naked thighs. This is how the nightmares were. It didn’t matter if I knew this was a dream. Supposedly the moment you knew it was a dream, you would wake up but that wasn’t the case for me. It never was. Maybe because it was all just memories. A cut on my arm appeared and I knew the scar that was there, matching it exactly.

“Rosaria.”

My head whipped up and I saw Marek, looking behind the figures of my family. I felt a smile come to my face but it started to fall as his figure got further away. I started to fight against the straps. The metal chair making scraping sounds against the concrete floor.

“You are ours, Rosa. Our Rosa.” Enzo’s voice was manic and his smile completely twisted.

“No…no…Marek. Marek, please…”

His figure falling further away as I tried to fight harder. My father jammed a knife into my knee, I knew that scar too, but I continued to fight.

“You are ours, Rosa. No one else’s.” Enzo stuck his fingers in my mouth.

Biting down on them, he reared back and screamed at me. Still my eyes were glued to Marek, and for the first time in any of my dreams, I felt tears fall down my face. Suddenly, Marek disappeared into the darkness and I screamed out ‘no’, fighting against my brother and father harder than I ever had. The straps tore away from my wrists but it was too late. Enzo and Father descended on me and I screamed, thrashing against them.

-

I jolted up in bed, the covers falling away from me. Slamming my hands over my mouth, I hoped I hadn’t screamed out loud. My chest was heaving as I tried to catch my breath as I leaned over the blankets. The door to my room slammed open and I looked up to see Marek, shirtless with his gun drawn.

“Marek?” My voice was hoarse and I cursed that I probably had screamed out loud.

“Ria…what…?” He was breathing nearly as heavy as I was.

I tried to give him a smile abut I don’t know how successful it was. “It’s okay. Just a nightmare. Don’t worry about it.”

Marek slowly dropped the gun but not without sweeping the room with his eyes. His shoulders fell and a hand covered his faced. Setting the gun on the dresser, he came forward and sat down on the edge of the bed. Reaching over, Marek put his hand on my forehead.

“Your fever broke…finally…” He brushed his fingers across my skin. “It was a nightmare?”

I nodded slowly. “Just a nightmare. I’m okay.”

Humming softly, he reached over and grabbed a glass of water off the nightstand. “Drink, please.”

Reaching out, I tried to take the glass from him but he wouldn’t let it go. Instead, I helped guide him as I took small sips of the water. I was about halfway through when I finally shook my head. Marek set the glass back down on the nightstand.

“How is the headache? Anything else hurt?”

I closed my eyes, trying to take stalk of what I was feeling. “I…the headache is still there. Not as bad though. My body feels heavy and exhausted. I also feel slightly nauseous but that might be from all the water just now.”

Marek nodded. “Kam said you came down with pneumonia. I didn’t know whether or not to take you to the hospital.” He rubbed his face but finally reached out, his arms pulling me to him. “I was so scared. Your fever wasn’t breaking.”

Wrapping my arms around him, I pressed my face into him. “I’m okay. I’ve been worse.”

He chuckled but it was so hollow that it formed a knot in my stomach. “Don’t say that.”

His lips pressed into my head and I tried to move away. I couldn’t imagine how much sweat and grossness was in my hair right now. Especially if I’d been battling a fever. Marek didn’t let me though. If anything, he held me tighter.

“Marek! Stop! I’m gross!”

“Not letting you go. Not yet.”

I stopped fighting him, staring into his shirt. “I’m okay, Marek. Really.”

“I know, búsinka. Just…give me a moment.”

Closing my eyes, I let my head rest completely against his chest. I curled up my legs to be more comfortable and just let Marek hold me tight. My whole body relaxed as I waited for him to let go, so much so that I started to fall back asleep.

“Ria?”

I hummed, only slightly lucid.

“Did you want to eat something? I can make something mild for you. Or did you just want to sleep?”

As tempting as it was to just fall back asleep, I knew I needed some strength to fight off the sickness.

“I think there is some oatmeal in the upper cabinet...or is it the bottom one…” I tried to remember.

“Let me worry about that. I’ll make you something a little more hearty than just oatmeal.”

Marek picked me up and I squeaked this time, shaking my head. “I can walk. You don’t…”

“You could barely hold yourself up. You haven’t eaten in days. I’m not chancing you passing out. It’s okay. It’s not like you’re heavy.” He smiled and I punched his chest lightly.

He set me down on the couch but there was so much paperwork all over the coffee table, along with his laptop, that it looked like a bomb had gone off.

“Were you working from home this whole time?”

Marek walked into the kitchen and I leaned against the back of the couch to watch him. “Yeah.”

“Marek.” I whined his name. “You could have just left someone in the penthouse to watch me.”

He stopped, looking down at the sink before shaking his head. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave you. I tried. I got as far as the parking garage.”

I bit down on my bottom lip to stop the smile as I shook my head. “It’s okay to leave me alone. I know it’s not ideal being here. You aren’t even in your office…”

“I can’t hear you from my office. You’ve had…nightmares a lot. So I went in when I could to try and help. You seemed to settle when I was in there.”

Resting my chin on the couch, I sighed. I felt bad. Marek sounded so tired. He probably needed more sleep than I did at this point. Watching him move around the kitchen for a while, I rested my head until I didn’t realize I fell asleep.

That was until a loud noise startled me awake. Marek was leaning over the sink, a pan sticking out of it as it billowed smoke. He was looked so angry but on the verge of tears at the same time. I was struggling to assess what was going on.

“Marek…?”

His eyes closed and he shook his head. “I lost track of time. I’ll order something. What would you like?”

“Marek, it’s okay. I just have some toast…”

“Stop, Ria!” I winced at his volume but he cursed in Russian before he threw open the vault door and slammed it behind him.

I blinked, shocked at what just happened. Reaching back to the tablet, I pulled the cameras. Marek exited the elevator, a cigarette in his mouth, pulling out his keys. He looked downright livid. There was a soft knock on the door and I swapped views to see Keenan standing out front. Unlocking the door for him from the tablet, Keenan pushed it open and looked surprised to see on the couch.

“Mrs. Baranov! How are you feeling?”

“Pretty shitty, but I’m okay. What…did Marek call you?”

He nodded. “Well, he texted me to come up. Are you okay? Did you need anything?”

I shook my head and laid it back on the couch. “Nothing unless you know why he’s upset.”

“Mr. Baranov?”

Nodding, I closed my eyes. “He just stormed off.”

Keenan hummed and I listened to him move around the kitchen. “He could be frustrated that he feels like he couldn’t take care of you. Mr. Baranov got home after his work for Vor and from what Zann said, he blamed himself. For putting too much on you and then ripped Vor a new one.”

“That sounds like Marek.” I sighed. “I just…don’t…know…”

I couldn’t hold the sleep back anymore and I felt the world fall away around me.