31 | mend promises

AVELINA'S HEAD WAS covered with a cloth bag. She had been thrown in the backseat of a car just before the door was slammed behind her. She tried for the one-thousandth time to free her hands from the restraints of the rope they knotted around her wrists, but like all the other countless times before, she failed. She was sure she could feel her wrists blistering up every time she moved her hands around, the friction burning her skin.

"Please," Avelina cried. Deep down, she knew that her begging was probably only adding fuel to the fire of their greediness. It was probably music to their ears, a symphony of the richest sound. They didn't care if she begged or if she cried, and even though she was already aware of that, nothing could stop her pleads.

She didn't want Adrik to get hurt. She needed him to be okay. She didn't trust these people—even if they were her own damn screwed up family. Blame it on her gut feeling, but something told her they weren't just going to let her go. They had plans on keeping her with Adrik's money. She stabbed their boss, her mother, for God's sake.

For the short amount of time she had been around the mafia—with both her brother and Adrik—she knew they weren't just going to let that go. No price tag could ever pay for that. In this world, it was an eye for an eye.

The brakes squealed as the gravel crunched underneath the tires of the vehicle. Her breathing grew heavier and heavier as they turned the car off. There was so much tension in the car that she even stopped begging for her life to be spared. All she could do was silently wait and rely on her sense of sound to understand what was happening.

She gazed down at her lap, seeing as it was the only thing the bag allowed her to see. Just as she did, the bright headlights of another car could be seen directly in front of them. Her heart was thumping vividly in her chest, she was scared it was going to jump out. It had to be Adrik.

"Let's get the bitch!" the mean guard cheered. Suddenly, she could feel the cool breeze of the air as the back door was yanked open and she was practically dragged out of the vehicle.

Avelina was accompanied by a cool metal that was forced onto the side of her head, directly on her temple. She wanted to be strong or at least appear strong, but her body was quivering against the man as he forced her closer to him. Tears were falling from her eyes and every hair on her body was standing, demanding to be in the arms of Adrik Zolotov where she felt safe.

"I would like to see her face," Adrik's voice rang in her ears. It halted her quivering as the smooth sound of his voice danced its way into her ears. He sounded so calm. She failed to understand how someone could be so calm in a situation like this until she realized it was Adrik. Adrik was always calm.

The bag was jerked off her face and thrown to the floor. The man was quick to place the gun back to her head. Immediately, she made eye contact with Adrik. He was able to see the glassy look of her blue eyes and for a moment, everything was okay. She wasn't in pain, she wasn't scared, she was with Adrik and she was happy—genuinely happy.

Suddenly, the passenger side door of the car she was held hostage in had opened and her mother stepped out. Avelina glared at her, angry that she didn't inflict more damage with the piece of the glass.

Adrik glanced at her mother, taking his eyes off Avelina just for a moment. She was sure he was just as confused as she was. A woman that was the exact replica of Avelina was staring at him.

"Zolotov, imagine my surprise when I hear the woman you impregnated was no one other than my own daughter," she said letting her words cut through the air like the piece of glass Avelina struck her mother with. "I was going to take your lady, no matter who she was. You have what I want... money and power. And if I want it, I'll take it, no matter who the hell it is I have to kill just to get to it."

That couldn't be the woman that raised her. It just couldn't be. She didn't want to allow that woman to taint her every childhood memory. However, the harder she resisted the thoughts, the more they kept coming. The only thing that ran through her mind was how all of it was just pretend. Every hug, every wipe of her tears, every time she picked her up and deemed how proud she was to be her mother, every cheer, every kiss, every goodbye, every smile was fake.All the love she spent missing and chasing her was for no reason. The woman she idealized for her entire life was nothing but a monster that stood in front of her with that evil, selfish look in her eye, and not a single care in the world about her own kid.

She couldn't understand it. After Marina was born, she held her close to her chest and the outpouring of love was unlike any other. Her heart swooned at her little face and as they locked eyes with eachother, a whisper of a promise shed around them like a protective shield as they declared to always be there for one another. No matter what—no matter the odds, it would always be the two of them against the world. They promised like a pinky wrapped around another to never let a single day be viewed as unhappy.

It was impossible for her to understand how easy it was for her mother to let all of that go. To forget those feelings and those promises. She wondered what could've gone so wrong in her life that she was willing to take it out on the single person in the world who would protect her heart like she was taking a bullet from those ready to shatter it.

Adrik didn't say a word. He only turned back to Avelina, surveying her body for any foul play. When he had seen she was okay despite her wide, teary eyes, he held up a sack full of money.

Avelina's mother chuckled darkly as she slammed the passenger door shut and began to make her way over to Adrik. Just as she reached him, Adrik held the bag behind him. His glare settled on her mother.

"I want Avelina," he demanded.

Her mother let out a loud exaggerated groan. With a roll of her eyes, she snapped her fingers. Immediately, the man smelling of cheap cigarettes and dirt had released her. Avelina fell to the floor due to the suddenness of the loss of her weight being supported.

Immediately, her eyes sought her mother's only to see that she didn't bother to spare her a single glance. Avelina didn't know what she expected—maybe some compassion—but nothing could compare to the disappointment as her gaze settled on the gravel underneath her.

"Be careful with her!" Adrik demanded. The authority in his voice shook her to the core. She looked at him to see he was reaching out a hand, but he was so far away, that she couldn't grab it. Never in her life had she ever felt so defeated.

"Go, bitch!" the man yelled, ramming his foot into her side. She tumbled over in pain, grabbing ahold of her side. Adrik quickly pulled out his gun. He raised it up and aimed it directly at the man. Just as he did, her mother did the same, only she did fire the weapon, killing her guard in the process.

The man fell to the floor, clasping his bleeding leg as he did. He looked over at her mother with wide eyes.

"What the fuck?" he shouted. "What the fuck was that for?"

"I don't recall telling you to do that. You know the deal... follow my rules or you're gone," her mother said ruthlessly. She turned back to Adrik, still avoiding all eye contact with her own daughter.

"Where's my money?" she asked, raising a brow. He threw the bag over to her. She had changed her aim from her guard to Avelina, as she opened the bag to make sure everything looked good. As she did, Adrik bent down and picked up Avelina bridal style.

"Drop her," her mother said.

"Now!" Adrik shouted.

The moment he did, the bag had began to tick like a bomb. She threw the bag down on the ground and immediately began to run. As she did, Adrik raced over to the car with Avelina in his arms. Her mother began to fire shots, shooting at whatever she could as she ran to find cover.

Suddenly, the bomb went off.

"No!"

-

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I know it's been a while. I'm in my senior year of high school so I got a little stressed out about colleges and GPA, prom, working, and all that kind of stuff so it just got a little difficult to find space in my mind for writing. However, I graduate in eight weeks, and I got into college with a full ride! Everything is finally working out so I feel less stressed and I can finally begin writing again. I've missed you guys so much! (Update 03/30: I'm actually going through a heartbreak now because my ex cheated on me so it's really over this time—men suck)

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Thank you for reading!

A. Marie