The Bad Men Stories: Russian Arrogance [Book #1]

My heels clicked against the concrete path as I walked. The weather was freezing cold outside and it nipped at my flushed cheeks. My long dirty blonde hair whipped quite wildly in the wind, covering my face a good multiple times as I desperately brushed it away, all the while trying to see where I was heading. It was pitch black outside; the only light that was being reflected onto my petite frame was from one of the few street lights since most of them were blinking at this god forsaken hour. I shivered as the wind blew by me once again and buttoned up the last two buttons of my coat. There was no one outside and why would they be? It was three o'clock at night. Yet, here I was, walking back from an i***t's wild party that had done nothing but rewarded me with a slight headache, courtesy to the poor quality and volume of the music. Angelica, my only good friend, was like a sister to me. With her same blonde locks and almost same set of grey eyes, anyone could mistake us for actually being related but in reality we were far from it. She was however just as stubborn as me and it was her constant nagging that had finally convinced me to attend Jake Sandler's birthday party. I didn't even know the guy and I probably wouldn't even recognise him if I saw him out of College. Even though the girls at College labelled him as cute, he looked ordinary to me but no doubt; I was very picky when it came to boys. It was probably because of all the Romance novels crowding my head. The main fictional characters in those books were always so perfect... if only they were real. Even though my life consisted of a lot of cliché things; like Street Gangs, Drugs and Alcohol; it still didn't consist of the right man or any man for that matter. It was almost as if the word single was my middle name. I wasn't a part of the family gang, but my brother was and so was my father. My father was the co-leader and my brother would probably be replacing him soon, not that I would know anything since we never really kept in contact. Even if they were dead, I wouldn't know and I liked having it that way. I turned and began walking towards another dimly lit alley that led to my one-story house. I was more than relieved when I turned eighteen so I wouldn't have to see the likes of my brother or father anymore. This year had been the best year of my life because I had gotten a job and I was attending one of the best colleges in the city. Soon, I wouldn't have to see or ask them for help at all. Despite the cold weather, my blood began to boil as I thought back to the last conversation that I had with my father which was an year ago. The entire time my brother had continued to glare down at me. He always did that because he was a heartless ass-hole that didn't care for anyone's well being except his own. Finally I let out a sigh of relief as my house came in view. The house wasn't big, it was small and tiny but as long as it was providing me with shelter and a place I could store food and my stuff in, I was happy with it. Being born in a wealthy family had taught me that a spacious mansion was nothing if it lacked happiness. At least this tiny home that I and Angelica shared was full of warmth, love and freedom. Suddenly I saw a ray of light peaking from behind the trees that lined the sides of my street. I stopped and kept my eyes on the light as it began to come nearer and nearer. Who could possibly be driving this late? A drunk driver? I was aware that I needed to go inside my house and that I needed to ignore the bright light heading my way but as usual curiosity got the best of me. Being born in a secretive family had also made me greedy for information. Once the light pulled up onto the side of my street, I realised that the front lights belonged to a dark coloured BMW. Why had the car suddenly stopped. Maybe someone was in trouble? Maybe their car had broken down unexpectedly after a long shift at work? My subconscious at this point was begging me to go inside but another part of me was tempted to check why the car had stopped. Ignoring the smart part of my brain, I began to walk towards the car, leaving my house behind. Yay, Zara! The clicking of my heels stopped once I was standing right in front of the sleek car. I pulled my hands out of my coat and involuntarily cringed once the cold wind nipped at them. I should have worn those damn gloves. Reaching out, I tapped the window of the passenger seat and waited. The windows were tinted, meaning; I couldn't see if anyone was inside. I frowned in dread once nobody answered. ''Hello?'' I said and my voice came out strained and tense as I waited for any sign or noise. What was going on? A few minutes passed with only the sound of the wind blowing and my unsteady breathing. Not being able to take it anymore, my hand moved down and clinched the handle of the passenger door. Before I could change my mind; I pulled on the handle, opening the door in process. I jumped away startled as soon as my brain registered the state of the man in the driver's seat. Oh god... He looked not a day older than twenty-five. I couldn't make out most of his features clearly because his whole face was covered in blood. His hair was damp of the same dreadful color and I wondered who had done this to him. The sight of fresh blood didn't scare me, no, for it was an all too familiar sight. ''Ma'am,'' He choked out as some blood sputtered out of his bruised mouth with the words, ''please, I beg you. Leave me.'' His voice broke the chain of thoughts inside my head. Leave him? How could I do that to a poor soul like him? I needed to help him. I didn't know the cause of his state but according to me no one deserved this level of cruelty. I had left home to avoid this. ''Leave you?'' I breathed out questioningly, ''You're badly injured. I need to get you out of here. My house is right here." He shook his head violently causing the blood from the cut on his forehead to run down his eyes and cheeks. Memories clawed at my chest painfully as I looked at him. His hazel eyes continued to scream for me to leave and they widened a tiny fraction when he heard a sound far behind us. ''Ma'am,'' He began but couldn't seem to continue because of the pain. He paused momentarily before he moved his mouth to speak again. ''you need to leave. They're planning this. They will kill you.'' Now, I arched an eyebrow at the injured man before me. What was he getting at? There was no one that was out there to kill me and how did he know they were after me? He didn't even know me. As much as I didn't believe a single word this man was saying, I couldn't stop the anxiety that was building up in the pit of my stomach. I clinched the handle tighter as I still tried not to look fazed. ''How do you know me?'' I questioned; already sounding panicked and alert. I guess I wasn't doing a very good job at hiding my emotions. He blew out a shaky breath as his head suddenly slumped back on the head rest of the driver's seat before replying, ''Everyone from the world of chaos knows you. How can they not when these days you're the heated topic of discussion among them all?'' World of chaos and me? What was that supposed to mean? That very night, I found myself staring at the injured man with pure confusion once again. His words didn't make sense at all. Had he hit his head too hard? Probably. As much as I was trying to tell myself that he was lying, I couldn't help but feel scared at the same time. What if he was right? Could he possibly mean... the people my father and brother were involved with? Just the mere possibility of it being true had my heart pounding. I breathed in a gulp of air as I shakily let go of the handle of the car and stepped back. I ran my fingers through my long hair repeatedly in an attempt to calm myself before staring back at the mysterious man. ''As much I want to help you, I think I'm going to take your advice and walk away.'' His eyes snapped to mine with evident relief. There was no sign of hesitance, no sign of holding anything back as his hazel eyes pleaded me to leave. His eyes were desperate and wide before a cry left his lips as he glanced behind me. ''Ma'am-!'' He yelled just as something sharp hit the back of my head. The pain was nothing like I had experienced before. It knocked me off of my feet. As my feet buckled from beneath me, my eye-sight started to turn dark before I finally hit the floor. I was gone... into the darkness of the night. ~*~* I groaned out loud as I lolled my head without opening my eyes. I was sitting on something soft and leathery. I moaned out in pain when I tried to open my eyes. Next, I opened my mouth to scream but all that left my mouth was a grunt as pain shot through my chest. Why was my mouth so sore and dry? I moaned once again but this time I succeeded in opened my eyes. After squinting and opening them multiple times, my vision finally settled down and returned back to being somewhat normal. I looked around the unfamiliar room; it was empty-- completely empty. No sign of a bed, a rug or anything that a normal person would need. I was sat in the middle of the room, more like sprawled on a couch. I couldn't move my hands because they had been tied to the back of the sofa. The person who had hit me and who was responsible for the blow to my head had removed my coat, leaving me in the black dress that I had worn to the party. My head continued to pound, making me feel light headed and with every pound the headache increased making me grit my teeth. I kicked the ground, trying to move the couch but failed miserably. I yelled out in anger before kicking the dirty floor once again. If only I had listened to the injured man, I wouldn't have been here. My heart reached out for him, the poor man was badly hurt for reasons unknown. The walls of the room weren't even painted and the ground looked like it hadn't even been marbled. The room didn't even have a single window which was making me feel suffocated. There was only a door in the front of the room and unluckily I was facing it. I growled out in anger before I began to thrash my body violently, not caring how stupid or idiotic I looked- it's not like anyone could see me anyway. Every time I moved, my wrists burned because of the rope and so did my ankles. I could already see the marks that were beginning to form on my skin. As I trailed my eyes over my body, I wasn't surprised to see dry blood over my dress- if it wasn't mine, it was that man's. He had been killed. Any other eighteen year old girl would have vomited at the site of blood but I grew up in a family where children were given guns to play with rather than toys. I had been just ten years old when it happened. Sitting in the living room in my mother's warm lap as she braided my hair to the side. "Such lovely hair you have, baby," she had lowly murmured into my ear since father sat nearby. He hated it if we talked when he was watching the news. Just minutes later, the door had opened as my fourteen year old brother then, Zeiss, came walking in. His clothes were drenched the awful crimson red; his hand enclosed around the pistol. His grey eyes like mine moved to our father. "I shot him. I shot Timothy like you asked, Papa." I had seen my brother and how he followed in our father's footsteps before but that moment still stung because it was then that I as a child realised that our family really was doomed. This blood feud was a family business that would follow us to our graves. Father smiled at him. "Good job." His voice not only shook me but also made a shiver run down our mother's back. Those words repeated inside my head for days and I would cry every time I thought about it. Killing to me was brutal, cruel and certainly not a guilty pleasure like it was for my brother. To him it was some sort of an honour. My mother was just like me; trapped. At times I wondered why she never left our father until.. she finally did. She took a bullet to her head. I wanted to hate her for it; I wanted to hate her for leaving me to face everything alone at such a young age but I couldn't. I knew she was tired and needed the freedom. I knew she had been desperate. Father remained in denial at the news of her suicide claiming that another gang had to do something with it. A snort left my lips when I thought back to his dialogues of the day when our mother died. I was fourteen at the time while Zeiss had just turned eighteen. The day mother died, Zeiss and my father didn't exist for me anymore. Nobody from my previous life did actually and I blocked everyone out, trying to find the greener side of life without them by my side. I slumped my head down on the couch as I blew in a breath; ready to scream out once again but the opening of the door caught my attention. My head instantly snapped up and I ignored how the back of my head banged as I focused on the door in front of me. The door opened slowly and quietly, revealing the person I least expected in all his glory. Zeiss Hastings, my dear twenty-two year old brother, stood in front of me as he leaned against the door frame blocking my view of the outside. His large built made it impossible to see anything except for him. Compared to my small 5'2 frame, his 6'3 was large and intimidating. His lustrous hair was the same dirty blonde as mine that looked dishevelled and untamed as if he had been running his fingers through them repeatedly for god knows how long. His eyes were the same shade of grey like mine but certainly more piercing and smouldering accompanied by the familiar scowl that permanently lined his lips. His dress shirt clung to his muscled chest as he towered over me. Zeiss was intimidating and temperamental. He was dangerous in all honesty. His looks and reputation both attracted women. He was the biggest man-w***e I'd known my whole life. ''Zara,'' Hearing him say my name in his deep voice was like a slap back to reality. To think that I had just been thinking about him. Of course it was him. It was always him that hurt me in every possible way. I should've known it was him. The man had been warning me about my own brother all along. Controlling the anger building up inside me, I spoke, keeping my voice emotionless, ''Zeiss.'' He pulled away from the door frame and straightened his intimidating figure. He walked towards me until he was right in front of me before doing the least expected-- he crouched down on the floor. He looked so odd and out of character doing that. ''Have you heard from Papa recently?'' He questioned as his emotionless eyes bored into mine. I couldn't even find myself to feel slightly excited at the mention of our father. I felt numb. I mutely shook my head at him and waited for him to continue. The sooner we got done with this, the better. He reached out and his cold and rough hand gripped the side of my face and as much as I tried to pull away, I couldn't. I was stuck. ''That's because...'' He trailed off, as a fire ignited in his grey eyes, ''he's dead.'' I blinked; dead? My heartbeat picked up the tiniest bit but that was it. Nothing more. Why? Because to me he had died along with our mother. To me it had been four years since I became an orphan. Nonetheless, I couldn't be as cruel as they were and I swallowed a bit of saliva before speaking up. ''I'm sorry.'' ''You're sorry?'' Zeiss blinked as the fire in his eyes sparked up even more, ''That's all you can f*****g say? Is that the only word you can offer this family after his passing?" ''Well...'' I began sarcastically now, not fazed at all by Zeiss's outburst, after all this was quiet normal since we were kids, ''I'm really sorry?'' His hand gripped my face tighter and I could feel the bruise forming on the side of my face. His nails continued to dig into the skin of my face as he stared into my emotionless eyes. Suddenly he let go of my face as he stood up and yelled out in anger. His back was facing me and his hard frame moved as he took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. It was the easiest thing to rile him up. I never intended on making him mad or fighting with him but every-time we were in the same room or even in the same building it seemed inevitable. A chuckle involuntarily escaped my lips at the sight of his uneven breathing and he immediately turned towards me with a glare. See what I mean? All I had to do was breathe and he'd flip. ''Did you just f*****g chuckle at me?'' ''As a matter of fact,'' I smiled teasingly, ''I did, Zeiss.'' At the sight of my smile, his own lips tugged up into a bitter smirk. He stalked towards me once again and stopped once he was right in front of me. He leaned down and stopped once our faces were levelled. ''Remember the deal father told you about a year ago?'' He started, the wicked smirk never leaving his face. My eyes instantly narrowed at his face before a hiss left my lips, ''What about it?'' The last time I had seen my father had been just as unpleasant as the rest. Father was the co-leader of the gang called Vierling alongside Christopher Pierce who was the actual founder. It was him that had dragged our father into the entire mess. Him and father had come up with a deal that stated that I was to marry Christopher's dangerous and infamous son named Christian to further strengthen the bond between our families and as yet another sign of unity. As soon as I had heard it about, I had yelled and begged for him to let it go and to my bewilderment he had. It was the only time that I had seen a bit of humanity in our father after years. "I won't do it," he had spat out before leaving. I never saw him after that maybe because he died soon afterwards. No-one in this business survived for long. Zeiss's chuckle brought me back to reality and I cringed at the cruel expression on his face. He brought his face even closer before whispering. ''Are you ready to seal it?'' My heart stopped beating at his words as I choked out a quick sentence, ''What do you mean? He said he wouldn't do it! He said he would let it go.'' Zeiss continued to smirk, ''Father is gone and I never said I was letting it go. Prepare yourself to meet your fiance." I rolled my lower lip into my mouth as I tried to keep a scream from escaping my lips. He was insane; Zeiss had officially lost it. How could he do this to me? I had to know. ''Why are you doing this?'' Zeiss stepped back and straightened his figure once more before replying, painfully slowly, ''All I can say is...'' he trailed off dramatically as he walked towards the door. ''All you can say is what?'' I whispered through gritted teeth. Just get it out with! ''Welcome to Hell on Earth,'' He completed his sentence from before, ''and a very warm welcome to Vierling.. the dark side of life.'' ---------------------------