A sense of duty, p.1
A Sense of Duty, page 1
Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2023 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0772-3
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Lisa Petrocelli
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To my readers for requesting this book. I hope you love it as much as I do.
A SENSE OF DUTY
Volkov Bratva, 2
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2023
Prologue
Adelaide
I always thought I’d live a long, happy life. Death wasn’t something I ever thought about. What was the point? It was inevitable in old age. There was no way I saw my life ending early. I wasn’t someone who ever made waves or caused any problems. I always helped where I could. For want of a better description, I was the epitome of a good girl.
Take the last few months, for example. My life changed completely with one greedy decision. My family were heavily involved in the media. Daddy considered himself a bit of a know-it-all when it came to what sells. Money made the world go around for him. It’s how he landed my ex-model of a mother, where he was, to put it nicely, an asshole. They were considered to be like chalk and cheese, and to be honest, if it weren’t for my father’s wealth, my mom would never have looked at him.
She was a shallow person, still is. Age hasn’t changed her outlook on life—just her beauty—which has come at the cost of her ability to move much of her face. She looks youngish, if people were plastic. So, money was necessary in my mother’s life, and then I’ve got to think about my father.
He loved money.
He loved power.
They were well-suited for each other in that regard, but while they were spending all this money, they were not making it. My father’s family business slowly started to decline and rather than take the warnings his financial aides insisted on, he ignored them all, and just did what he wanted to do.
As far as he was concerned, there was no shortage of juicy gossip. But he didn’t realize that people had so many other avenues to find what they wanted. My father’s business went into the toilet very quickly. I’m not sure exactly when the harsh reality of what he’d been doing struck. It could’ve been when the debt collectors came calling. The expensive cars he’d never driven, but bought just to flash how wealthy he was, or not, in his case. Possibly the scene caused by my mother at one of those branded fashion boutiques because her credit card was denied.
I’ve also forgotten to mention another important piece of the puzzle: my lovely sister Bethany. She’s not lovely at all. In fact, many would call her a spiteful bitch, but she’s beautiful, and I’ve watched many men fall over themselves to impress her. She inherited our parents’ need to spend money.
Why am I thinking about all of this? Well, as I look at my husband, his chest heaving as pain explodes in mine, I can’t help but think about what led me to this moment. What drove me to this abandoned warehouse, where my husband Andrei Belov was hurting my best friend, Nathan. I don’t know who sent me the details, but it came through as a text that my presence was needed in this place.
I am not an idiot.
From the moment my father called me back to his mansion and told me I was going to be marrying Andrei Belov, there was no hiding just how desperate my parents had become. Their thirst for greed and power led to this moment. He was supposed to marry my sister. She was the most beautiful, the loveliest. All my life, that was what I heard.
“Why couldn’t you be more like your sister?”
“Why do you have to be ugly and fat?”
In the beginning, it hurt. No daughter wanted to hear those nasty words from her mother. How she’d pull on my hair in anger because I wasn’t perfect. It’s why I’ve been able to escape most of the press chasing after me. While my parents were happy to pose for pictures with Bethany, they kept me home, locked me up, like I was some dirty secret they couldn’t get rid of.
Until I became their one saving grace. Bethany messed up big time. I was not exactly sure of the full details, just that her marriage to Andrei Belov was off, and well, the only remaining daughter was me, so guess what? I was the one walking down the aisle with him.
Bethany hated me for it.
My husband wasn’t a good man. No, he was a man aligned to the Volkov Bratva. Ivan Volkov to be exact. I’d heard stories of how deadly they were. Again, I don’t know how my parents got close to this deadly man, but here I am, pain exploding in my chest.
Before I fall to the ground, I gasp.
Pain.
Unbearable pain.
For some reason, I think back to my wedding night. Bethany had told me how cruel Andrei was. How he’d make me bleed, cut me, make me wish for death long before he’d grant it. I’d never been so scared.
Pain was the one thing I couldn’t stand.
Tears filled my eyes and the image of my husband went blurry. At some point, I think he caught me.
“Fucking kill them,” Andrei said.
“I … I…”
“Shut the fuck up, Adelaide. Conserve your strength. You’re not dying on me.”
“I … I’m so cold.”
My hands were like blocks of ice.
The world had already started to spin.
Sickness swirled in my gut, and the noise that had been almost deafening seemed to fade into nothing.
Peace.
That was what I wanted.
Was it so hard to ask for? To not be part of this world anymore?
I’d never longed for death. My life wasn’t a great one, but there were moments of happiness, of joy, of … life. That’s what I wanted. Not this marriage. Not to be connected to the Volkov Bratva.
I wanted to be alone, and as the world started to fall away, I wondered if death would be my one salvation.
Chapter One
Adelaide
Six Months Earlier
It wasn’t normal to fear your husband on your wedding night. Not unless it was an historical romance novel, and trust me, this wasn’t. Staring around the hotel room, I noticed it was far more luxurious than my bedroom last night, which had just a single bed. Bethany had demanded to be put in better accommodations, so our parents switched the rooms. Like always, I’m lucky to get anything, not that I’m complaining. It’s easier to keep quiet and just let Bethany get anything she wants. If I don’t, there’s always a consequence where I’m the one who ends up paying.
Andrei hadn’t said a word, but then, he’d not said anything to me for most of the day. Apart from, “I’m here now, pretend to be fucking happy.”
I’m not sure exactly what Aurora said to him, but either way, his presence kept Bethany away from me, and for that I’m grateful. My sister is a spiteful soul. Even though she was the one who fucked up in this situation, our parents still treated her like she was a princess, rather than a disappointment, which was how I got treated. Between the dress and the cake, everything about this day had gone wrong.
Staring at the bed, I know there’s no way I’m going to sit on that thing. I can’t. With Andrei being his usual quiet self, I decide to leave him to it.
I’ll figure some way of getting out of this monstrosity of a dress. I’ve never been the kind of woman to think in advance about her wedding. I never spent hours cooing over celebrity events, even the ones we were invited to. This wedding was all Bethany. The bride may have changed, but the dress, the cake, the band, the guests—they’d all been her choice. This wedding had been a nightmare. The only part of it I found deeply comforting was Aurora. Another woman married to a member of the Bratva. At least she’d looked happy. Could any woman married into this kind of life truly be happy? Was Slavik in love with her?
Love. This world didn’t believe in love. It revolved around constant greed and desire for money.
I stepped into the bathroom and moved straight to the sink. I gripped the edge, closing my eyes, seeing spots even as I did this.
Breathe. Just breathe.
I counted to ten slowly, taking my time, filling my lungs with precious air, and slowly exhaled.
The panic attack today was the first one I’d ever experienced and once again, big surprise, that it was after my sister told me what a monster Andrei was in the bedroom. Tonight, we had to consummate the marriage.
I’d never kissed a man, or even hugged one.
Now I was expected to sleep with a total stranger. Whenever Andrei had been around with Bethany, I’d been out. My life didn’t mesh with my family’s. Their only demand on me was that I not work. For some odd reason they feared their reputation if I was to find a nice normal job. So, volunteering at the animal shelter I was allowed to do, and I loved it. Being around animals all day was heaven.
Once, when I was ten I think, I’d started to bring stray cats and dogs home. No one ever entered the basement, so that was where I offered them shelter. For several months I was able to help so many cats and dogs. Sometimes they’d leave, wander off for a couple of weeks but come back, looking for a nice warm place. My mother hated the col
Anyway, taking care of them was my safe haven. Every single day after school, I’d run home to love them, to show them affection, until my sister discovered it. Within an hour, they were all taken from me. Rounded up by some animal control guy as if they were vermin or something.
I open my eyes and stare at my reflection. The dress is far too tight. My tits are almost bulging out of the top. It looked utterly ridiculous, kind of laughable. There were a few people at the wedding I’d overheard laughing about this dress.
Bethany ordered the wrong one. Ugh!
I hated how she was able to invade my thoughts and just dominate everything. Her place wasn’t here. I refused to fall for it. My sister and I didn’t have the best relationship at all. She preferred to be the center of attention. Her hatred of me was absolute. She even hated the fact I was younger than her by a few years.
If I had friends, she’d take them, turn them against me. Hurting me seemed to be a sport to her. Ignoring her never worked. She always found some way to humiliate me.
No. No. No. No. This was how she won. By getting inside my head even when she wasn’t there. The truth was, for the past year, our paths rarely crossed, and my life had been bliss. Until the moment I was told I was marrying Andrei.
The dress was hideous.
I looked like a tank inside this dress. The horrible thing was two sizes too small. It made my breasts look enormous, and I looked stupid as if I were trying to fit into a dress that wasn’t for me.
Bethany loved to point out how fat I was. Considering how slender she was, everyone was fat to her. What Bethany hated most, I didn’t care.
I mean, seriously, I went to a school notorious for bullies. One of our nannies was a strong-minded person and Bethany couldn’t break her. The times I spent with her were the best of my life. Miss Nicole, which is what she demanded we call her, taught me to love myself. The world was far too cruel and evil, and life was too short to spend even a moment hating life or yourself.
So, I turned all of those cruelties around.
My body was my temple.
I loved my curves, my large tits, my too-rounded stomach, as well as my thick thighs. They were all part of me.
I miss her so much.
Taking a random trip down memory lane was not in the cards for tonight. I needed to get this horrible dress off and get in the shower to wipe the memory away.
Reaching around the back, I tried to find the buttons that had been squeezed closed. Turning this way and that, I couldn’t find anything. The last thing I wanted to do was go back out there to Andrei.
Lifting the endless skirts, I attempted to find myself, but nothing. There was no end to this monstrosity. By the time I gave up, my face was red. This dress was clearly indestructible.
Stepping back into the main hotel room, Andrei sat on the edge of the bed with his phone in hand. He was sexy. There was no denying it, if women were into the big, scary, heavily tattooed giant. None were on his face, but staring at the cuffs of his jacket and the neck of his shirt, one could see them peeking out. Even his knuckles were inked.
I had no idea what they said. They were just little pieces of what looked like ivy on his knuckles. I also noticed a distinctive V in-between the flesh of each knuckle. Again, I’m not sure what it meant, and it would require me to speak to my husband, which I’d decided not to do. The less I knew the better.
He looked up as I entered. Freezing on the spot, I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. He just stood there, looking all calm and collected, while I was terrified.
What would it be like to be the worst person in the room? To fill it with fear by a mere presence. I didn’t need to think of that.
Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, I looked at Andrei. Of course he hadn’t spoken. That would require effort.
“Er, I can’t seem to…” This was so humiliating. Bethany had done this. Stop that! She doesn’t get to exist right now. I’m fine. We’re fine. Everything is fine.
It wasn’t, but the longer I kept telling myself it was, the better chance I’d eventually believe it.
“I can’t get out of the dress.” Presenting my back to Andrei, I hoped he didn’t see this as any kind of come-on or flirting. It wasn’t. “Would you unbutton me, please?” There I was, forever the good girl with all my manners.
Clenching my hands into fists, I hoped he didn’t notice them shaking. I’m not the kind of girl who is afraid of everything. Not that anyone would believe it right now.
I heard him move. The simple sound of clothes rustling was enough to set my teeth on edge.
At first, I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Even breathing was difficult. I was frozen in place. He stepped closer, and the heat behind him seemed to increase.
Ever since I’d been told Andrei was to be my husband, we’d not spent any time together. I’d been called to my father, where I’d been told what was going to happen. I was not sure whether others thought I had an opinion about what was going to happen in my life. That never happened. I wasn’t asked.
No, I was told by my father with Andrei present and another man who made my blood run cold. He looked so terrifying. Ivan Volkov. Head of the Volkov Bratva. My father’s new boss. My new nightmare.
I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about him. I gave nothing away to my husband who stood way too still. He didn’t touch me. Other than the kiss in church and the few times he’d taken my hand, he never touched me. He often avoided it.
This was great. My husband detested me without even knowing me. This was how my life was going to end up. It probably didn’t help that I might have flinched in church. He’d grabbed my arms and pulled me close.
The kiss was dull. My very first kiss hadn’t made my heart sing or cause me to instantly fall in love with my husband. If anything, it made this whole marriage thing seem even more of a farce. There was no love between us. There was no anything.
He didn’t touch me, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the knife he’d pulled out. Fear raced down my spine. I didn’t have time to run or move. He slid the blade between the center of my back and the dress. One tug, and that was it, the dress gave way and I had no choice but to hold it against my breasts to gain any modesty.
Tears filled my eyes and I hated them. I’d never been the kind of woman who constantly gave in to crying. I am strong. Being around Andrei, I felt anything but.
Without looking at him, I charged toward the bathroom, slamming the door closed. There was no lock. Nothing to protect myself.
I didn’t have long before the door was pushed open. I stepped away from it before it could hit me in the face. Spinning around, still holding the dress in my hands, I backed away. Andrei advanced toward me.
He looked … dangerous. Not in a good way. He still held the knife in his hand. Without even looking at it, he flicked it away.
I kept moving back until the wall stopped my escape. Stupid wall.
His hands went either side of me, trapping me in place. “Don’t ever run from me again. You won’t like it.”
“I … I didn’t mean to run.”
“Then don’t.”
He stayed like that, staring at me.
I couldn’t keep looking into his eyes. They were a deep brown, all-knowing, penetrating. At times, I had to wonder if they were mostly black. He wasn’t a good man.
“I won’t. I promise.” I’d do and say anything to get him the hell away from me.
He didn’t leave right away.
Time seemed to stop for me the longer he just stood there. Did he like how he scared me?
I waited. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone, but in the end, he was the one who left. I just had to wait and I suddenly realized this was what our marriage would be like. No matter how uncomfortable I was, Andrei had all the power. He would do whatever the hell he liked and to hell with the consequences.
