Chapter 41 “Proshchay”
“Hello Erick...” Quisito greeted the man sarcastically, recognizing the new comer as his old enemy.
Placebo had gathered most of Quisito’s rivals in order to win the fight and Erick too, joined it because he wanted to see the Don dead.
“I’m surprised that you remember me” Erick smirked, taking a step closer to Quisito, frightening her in the process.
“Oh, how can I ever forget? You hugged my shoes and begged me to spare your life once. That was very heart touching” Quisito mocked, as he carefully lowered Kate to the ground and shielded her behind him.
“I’ll make you pay for that day you – ” that was all Erick could say before Quisito lunched forward and grabbed his hand that held the weapon.
Soon they got into a fist fight and somehow, Quisito managed to make him drop the weapon. But this time, Erick had come fully prepared. Immediately, he pulled out another gun from the holster and shot Quisito in the chest. The bullet proof vest guarded Quisito, but the impact sent him to the ground. Erick hurriedly moved back from Quisito and pointed the gun at Kate.
Her pupils dilated with abject fear and she drew in a deep breath.
Erick’s finger pressed on the trigger.
“NOOOOOOOOOOO....” a terrifying scream left her lips as she shut closed her eyes and covered her ears.
She expected extreme pain, because she had heard the bullet pierce someone’s flesh. But, for some reason...she didn’t feel a thing.
She slowly separated her eyelashes and saw what had actually happened.
Quisito threw himself in the line of fire and as a result, was shot in the upper arm. Erick wasn’t expecting that and a second of hesitation in his enemy’s face was the chance Quisito needed to gun him down to the ground.
She stood there in utter disbelief and watched him shoot Erick until he was dead.
He took a bullet....for her.
“Let’s go” Quisito said, as he walked over to Kate after putting back his gun and lifted her in his arms, like nothing had happened. He didn’t even wince.
“Y-you just got shot...” she breathed in panic because even though she might have difficulty in walking, she definitely didn’t want to be a burden to his injured arm.
“It’s just a surface wound. I will be fine...” he assured her, letting her know how much worse situations he had been in. Kate was unconvinced but still she nodded her head in understanding, before leaning onto his chest.
“Placebo put a tracker in the earpiece that he gave you” Quisito started speaking again as they finally stepped out of the building, allowing her to take the first gulp of fresh air after what felt like an eternity.
“The mansion in which you live is actually a fortress that has a clever architecture. It masks the location of you room and your father’s room. With the help of the tracker, Placebo easily found your room and got in there the easiest way, but only after killing eleven of my men”
Quisito was angrily stating facts, but to Kate, it felt as though he was accusing her.
Eleven men were killed because of her...
Pressure build up in her chest but she shoved it down. Kate was too exhausted have a meltdown in his arms.
“I warned you not to do anything stupid, didn’t I? Now look what happened...” he muttered.
‘Then what was she supposed to do when he blackmailed her? Have sex with him willingly like she had no dignity?’
His words tore through her already cracked soul, and she wasn’t even sure whether she could take it anymore.
You gave your father a heart attack.
You got yourself kidnapped.
Your stupidity took eleven lives.
Your fault....
She wanted to argue with him that none of this would have happened if he hadn’t blackmailed her in the first place, but even before she could speak her part, he jumped in.
“This is what happens when you shake hands with your enemy. Your father’s words will mean nothing to the Bratva if they find out what his daughter had done. The Mafia never forgives betrayers”
Quisito looked down at her before continuing. “But somehow, I have managed to take care of everything and so you don’t have to worry”
That was her breaking point. The pent-up emotions erupted inside her like a volcano.
“Of course, you have taken care of everything! Now, when do you plan to use this information to blackmail me and fuck me like some cheap sex toy?.....I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU AND I HOPE THAT YOU DIE...”
The moment those venom dripped words left her lips she immediately regretted because Quisito stumbled; He literally stumbled, and not because he mis stepped on a rubble, it was from the force of her words.
Even the bullet in his arm did not hurt like her words did. He looked away in pain and she saw his Adams apple bob up and down when he swallowed.
Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut for once?
She wanted to tell him that everything she said was impulsive and hadn’t even meant a single syllable, but no matter how hard she tried, words wouldn’t form in her mouth.
For a moment, she felt his hold on her loosen and she thought that he will drop her. But the next second he pulled her tightly against his chest, making her gasp. She could practically hear the rumble in his chest, like he wanted to tell her something, but was desperately holding himself back from doing so.
But why...
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them as Quisito walked them towards the car that had been waiting for their arrival. When they reached the car, one of the Don’s men who was present at the spot rushed towards them and opened the back door. She thought that he will throw her inside because he had hurt him, but he carefully bent down and placed her inside like she was made of glass.
Even though the temperature of the car was set to be warm, she shivered because of the cold that had seeped into her bones from sitting on the cold floor, for God knows how long. She hugged herself and rubbed up and down her arms to gather some heat.
Surprising her, Quisito took off his own jacket and draped it across her shoulders and her tiny fingers automatically clutched it closer to her body.
Quisito placed one foot inside the car, in front of where she sat and reached next to her to pick up a few weapons, but she kept her gaze locked to her lap, unable to look at him. After loading his chest band with the last weapon, his attention turned to her.
He cupped the sides of her head with both his hands, reached forward and placed a lingering kiss on the crown of her head. His lips hovered above her head a few more second before he whispered
“Proshchay”
Her heart violently jerked in her ribcage when she heard the word because she knew enough Russian to know that ‘Proshchay’ either meant ‘Forgive me’ or ‘Goodbye forever’.
Kate didn’t know which one he had actually meant, but before she could ask, he stepped away from the car and closed the door. Without another glance at her, he turned away and walked over to the warzone, barking instructions into the wire.
When the driver started the car and began moving the vehicle, she felt a pang in her chest. And his jacket on her shoulders was only deepening it.
What if it was a Goodbye forever?
She grabbed the back of her seat and turned behind to get a last glimpse of him through the back glass, but he was gone. Her chin wobbled at the thought of never seeing him again.
I hope that you die...
Even if he had been only acting all along, the truth was that she liked him, may be more than she could believe. He was perfect for her. He was always there to catch her when she fell. No one has been so patient with her like he had been. In one way or the other, she needed him...
But now, Kate wasn’t sure whether she would get a chance to meet his sapphire orbs again and apologize to him with all her heart.
She pulled up her tired legs and hugged them closer to her chest. Burying her head in between her body and her legs, she freed the tears she had been caging in her eyes for a long time.