Sasha: Chapter 35

The summer sun shone through the high windows of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral’s bridal suite.

Truthfully, it was a rectory, but the bridal suite sounded so much better. Dust particles traveled through the air, and I swore even that was giving me a headache.

Saturday weddings.

Autumn’s mother insisted Saturday weddings had better attendance. Not that I cared as long as my brother and Autumn, along with her parents were there.

By now, I regretted not planning my own wedding. It was too big. Too many people I didn’t know nor care about.

Senator Ashford was in attendance, bringing with him reporters and tons of news coverage. Not even sure how or why he got on the list. And why in the hell would he want to attend my wedding? Sure he’s my brother’s father, but he was never part of Alessio’s life.

It was stuffy in here. The sun pouring through the windows made it too hot.

I resisted the urge to rip my wedding dress off my body so I could breathe. I pressed a hand to my stomach, a bitter taste on my tongue. Last night’s alcohol swirled in my belly, making me nauseous. I wished I had followed my best friend’s advice and drunk only water and soda.

Yes, sad.

The bachelorette party was a hoot. Or not. One dead body wasn’t so bad. Right?

Glancing around, I ensured pale blue eyes were nowhere in the room. I was on pins and needles. I just wanted this over with and behind me. Then it’d be final and there’d be no chance of temptation in the form of the wrong guy.

Bile rose in my throat and I hunched over, covering my mouth. Nothing came up but a cold sweat broke out on my skin. I blamed it on the alcohol rather than Satan’s spawn.

Once Autumn and I got back to the hotel, I insisted on our Friday night movie tradition and we combined it with the Irish whiskey that Killian bought me. Let’s just say, Irish whiskey didn’t agree with me. Hopefully, I’d have better luck with the Irishman.

I scoffed, laughing silently at my stupid play on words.

Autumn was behind me, tugging at my laces. “Stop moving,” she grumbled.

“This dress was a bad idea,” I muttered, trying to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth.

I swayed on my feet. Jesus, there was no way I was still drunk. Was there? I only had like three glasses of that shit.

“Branka, stop moving,” Autumn repeated. My eyes flicked to the mirror and met her hazel eyes. She seemed nervous. Fidgety even.

“Are you alright?” she asked, chuckling nervously.

“The question is whether you’re alright,” I retorted dryly. “You’re fidgety.”

She was less nervous at her own wedding.

I watched her swallow and force a smile on her face. “It’s your big day.”

I blinked. Her explanation made no sense. “You weren’t nervous on your big day. That was barely a month ago. Why are you nervous now?”

She wore a pink, sleeveless dress. Goosebumps broke over her naked skin. Ever since the Middle East, she was often cold. Her hair was up in a fancy bun, but she opted for no makeup.

She tightened the last lace and I swayed again.

“Are you sure you’re not trying to kill her?” Juliette remarked dryly.

I flicked Juliette a glance, then returned to meet Autumn’s gaze in the mirror. Guilt flickered in her hazel eyes, but before I could even open my mouth, the door opened and Alessio walked in with my nephew.

“We found our women,” Alessio announced victoriously. He looked so much happier since Autumn and he got together. He smiled more. Even laughed sometimes.

He walked over to his wife and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “Love.” Autumn’s lips curved into a big smile. She glowed when he was around. “How is our princess?”

Their eyes lowered to Autumn’s belly and Alessio’s hand came to rest on her stomach. Little Alessandra would be with us in another few months.

“She’s being good. No kicking or pressing on my bladder,” Autumn announced.

“She’s going to be a good baby,” I told my brother. “Just as Kol was. Isn’t that right buddy?”

Kol grinned and Autumn’s hand ruffled his dark hair. “Just like their daddy.”

My stomach revolted and an acidic taste filled my mouth.

“Oh, God,” I muttered, and covered my mouth as nausea traveled up my throat.

“The trash can!” Autumn screamed. “Don’t get it on your dress.”

Juliette grabbed the waste bin next to her, and I met her halfway across the room before I threw up. Morning coffee and more alcohol. Jesus.

“Gross.” Kol grimaced.

Autumn rubbed my back as I puked up my guts. Acid singed my throat while Juliette held my dress back to ensure I didn’t get anything on it. I threw up everything in my stomach, retching even when there was nothing left.

“Irish whiskey is not for me,” I muttered, wiping my mouth with the back of a hand. “It’s poison.”

This was not a good start to the day or this marriage. Maybe it’s a sign, my mind whispered.

Juliette chuckled. “It takes a bit to build the stomach for it,” she mused. “Trust me, my first few times were brutal. Now I can drink most men under the table.”

“Good to know,” I croaked, then headed to the sink. I brushed my teeth, washed my hands, and then turned to find my brother waiting.

He shook his head. “Seems your bachelorette party was wilder than Killian’s?”

I rolled my eyes. “Did he have strippers?” I asked curiously.

He shrugged. “No. He ended up working through it.” My brows furrowed. Who worked through their bachelor party? “Ready?” he asked skeptically.

No. I smiled. “Yes.”

The soft piano notes vibrated through the cathedral. A cold sweat trickled down my spine, my fancy wedding gown was too goddamn heavy. In retrospect, I wished I picked something less elaborate. My hands were clammy, one gripping my brother’s sleeve and the other gripping my bouquet.

A bouquet of red roses.

Sneeze. Another sneeze.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to watch me. Killian stood in front of the altar, his dark hair reflecting a few rays of sun shining through the stained glass window. His eyes were on me, but I wondered if he saw me. Really saw me.

Even my brother didn’t really see me. He loved me but he only saw the fragile little girl in me. Not the woman I had become. A survivor.

The violins of Canon in D drifted through the church. My legs felt heavier than lead as I took the first step. The dress weighed me down, dragging behind me and my lungs squeezed.

I’m doing this, my mind whispered stubbornly. I’m doing this.

Another step, and another. Each one brought me closer to him and my grip on Alessio’s sleeve tightened.

I focused on Killian’s blue eyes. The wrong shade of blue. A better shade of blue, I immediately corrected myself. Panic bit at my veins and rose with each step I took.

He’s not looking at me like Alessio looked at Autumn, my stupid heart whispered.

A shuddering breath left me. I was only five feet away when a man stepped out of the pew, his back broad, and my step immediately halted. Leather jacket. Jeans. Fucking ass to drool over. I’d recognize that ass anywhere.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Sasha announced, his voice booming through the church. “Please go home.” The psychotic mobster was making theatrics in the church, even taking a bow. As if the audience at my wedding was here for him. Not me. “There won’t be a wedding happening today.”

I blinked, then blinked again. The words finally sunk in.

He. Did. Not.

The gasps of shock and murmurs echoed through the church, traveling faster than lightning.

“What in the fuck are you doing?” Alessio’s voice vibrated with so much restrained anger, I thought he’d kill Sasha. Right here and now. I overheard Autumn telling my brother it wasn’t appropriate to bring a gun to your sister’s wedding, but wasn’t sure whether he’d agreed or not.

So I waited, holding my breath while my ears buzzed.

Sasha grinned. That unhinged way about him was wide open for everyone to see. He never bothered hiding it, except when he was alone with me.

“I thought it was obvious,” he said, his tone bored and lazy. Sasha aimed a gun at my brother’s skull, his hand steady and his finger on the trigger. “But if you need fucking clarification, I’m kidnapping the bride.” He grinned then added, “Your sister.”

More gasps. Loud murmurs. Pointed fingers. The murmurs of the audience faded as my ears buzzed.

“Sasha, let the girl go.” Vasili, the oldest Nikolaev brother, showed up out of nowhere. “Remember your promise.”

“There’s an expiration date on that shit,” Sasha remarked, his tone cold. “This has nothing to do with you.” Sasha tilted his chin towards Alexei who still sat in the pew without any intention of moving, his arm hanging around his wife’s shoulder. “Nor you.”

“Minding my own business,” Alexei noted dryly. “Don’t point that gun at my wife and we won’t have a problem.”

“Or maybe I could arrest him, put him in prison and throw away the key,” Alexei’s wife chimed in. “It’d save us trouble at family gatherings.”

The Nikolaev family was fucking crazy. With a capital C. Jesus fucking Christ.

Killian went to move, but Sasha produced another gun out of nowhere. “I wouldn’t if I were you.” He fixed his cold stare on him. His eyes were cold enough to freeze the entire church. “You have no idea how much I want to.”

Killian didn’t have a gun on him. It was one of my conditions. No guns on our wedding day.

How was I to know we’d need a gun in a church? Jesus Christ!

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Killian growled. His fury burned, dark and dangerous, and for the first time since I met Killian, I could see the ruthless man under his charismatic exterior.

“Wynter, he’s your fucking lunatic friend. Stop him.” Juliette’s voice screeched from somewhere but I didn’t dare to look away. I was scared the psychotic mobster would shoot someone if I wasn’t staring at him.

“Sasha, think about-” Vasili didn’t get to finish his sentence.

“For fuck’s sake,” Killian’s father spat out. Liam Brennan was the classic definition of a hot daddy. If I didn’t have my issues, I’d totally be into him. Obviously his wife felt the same because she was even younger than me. “Why is it every time you show up somewhere, Nikolaev, there’s fucking trouble?”

Sasha shrugged. “Are you trying to hurt my feelings?” he said, but it was clear by the way he didn’t even spare Liam a glance that he didn’t fucking care either way.

My brother, on the other hand, was fuming. I was hot in this damn dress to begin with, but the heat radiating off Alessio was boiling me alive.

As if he read my thoughts, Sasha took a step forward, his one gun aimed at Killian, while his other one was pointed at Alessio’s chest.

“Sasha!” Autumn exclaimed, showing up out of nowhere. She came to stand in between the two men, and Sasha’s gun was barely an inch away from her chest. That sent Alessio into a fucking rage.

“I’m going to tear you apart for pointing that fucking gun at my wife,” Alessio growled, as he reached for his wife, shoving her behind him.

It was all Sasha needed. Before I could blink, his hand with those inked symbols wrapped around my wrist and pulled me to him, then continued pointing the gun at my brother.

“There we go,” he drawled lazily. “Now you are where you should be.”

“Let go of me,” I hissed, jerking against him.

“Nice dress by the way,” he grinned, but something dark lurked in those pale blue eyes. “I look forward to ripping it to shreds.”

“Don’t you fucking dare. It’s Chanel,” I hissed. “You touch me and you’re a dead man.”

“Oh, kotyonok, I’m already touching you,” he said, pressing his mouth against my ear and his big body at my back.

Killian took a step forward, fury on his face. “I’m going to end you for this, Nikolaev.”

Sasha let out a sardonic breath between his teeth. “I’d like to see you try.”

Killian produced a knife from his holster. “Don’t Killian,” I protested. I wasn’t sure if I did it to protect him or Sasha and I didn’t have it in me to evaluate it.

With Autumn securely behind his back, Alessio’s eyes flicked to Ricardo who never made any promises to come to church without a gun. The latter threw his gun through the air and Alessio caught it, then pointed it at Sasha.

“Sasha, step the fuck away from my sister before you find pieces of your tiny psychotic brain splattered all over the floor,” he threatened, taking a step towards him.

I didn’t doubt that Alessio wouldn’t think twice about throwing himself at Sasha and getting shot, then ensuring he killed the crazy asshole before he bled out.

My throat tightened. My chest heaved.

“Go ahead,” Sasha invited. “Shoot. It’s the only chance you’ll ever get. Use it or get out of my way.”

Alessio’s finger was already on the trigger. My heart thundered so hard against my chest, I found it hard to breathe. The fucking dress was too goddamn tight. My eyes met Autumn’s. Why was that look of guilt still in her eyes?

“Alessio, we can’t kill him,” Autumn tried to reason with my brother. Her hand came to her husband’s forearm, squeezing gently. “Remember, he helped us.”

Sasha grinned. “Listen to your pretty wife,” he purred but his words were tainted with darkness and a maniacal thrill. Almost as if he wanted Alessio not to listen to his wife so he could inflict some pain on him. The drumming of blood in my ears increased.

The vein in Alessio’s neck throbbed and his teeth clenched so hard, I could hear them grinding. I feared my brother would give Sasha the opportunity to unleash his crazy. I’d never forgive him or myself. My brother was my everything.

Before another word could be said, Sasha pointed the gun up at the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Bang. Bang.

Screams followed. Debris fell. People started to run. Commotion.

It was exactly what Sasha wanted. I had no idea when he put his gun away but his hands came to my waist and he threw me over his shoulder. I watched the world upside down, my upset stomach pushing against his shoulder.

“Let me go.” My voice sounded too weak. My chest heaved up and down. I feared I might pass out.

“Never, kotyonok.” His voice was dark, his words menacing. “We’re just getting started.”

I started to bang on his back, kicking and screaming. A sharp sting poked my ass.

And then heaviness pulled me under.