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TWENTY-THREE.
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Little Bird TWENTY-FOUR.
ACE. As I swiftly grasp the compact bundle of papers that Ismail had dispatched, a resounding knock on my office door at Club Infinity demands immediate attention. I've been diligently tracking every single minute, fixating on the relentless movement of the hands on the grandfather clock as if I possessed the skill to manipulate time itself. I yearn to uncover the depths of Ismails' knowledge regarding Birdenes' adoption. I will exploit it ruthlessly against the Black family to secure the pipeline from Flynn without hesitation. I wanna be the lord of this whole damn city. But to make that happen, I have to get my hands on the Black family's turf, along with the Serbs, and the Kade family's turf. The Drakos' and Lopez family can keep their turf due to the blood contract my grandfather signed with the heads of their families twenty-two years ago. Besides, their dealings bring more foot traffic to my side of town, which means more bodies are filling my clubs during the weekend
Little Bird TWENTY-FIVE.
ACE.“Branko, my side now, little brother,” Dejan commands in an authoritative tone that drips with irritation.Branko slowly moves to stand tall at his brothers' side, “sounds like Ace Ripley is a little butt hurt that his crush was caught in the crossfire.” He chuckles vigorously, causing his shoulders to bob up and down.“I’m too old for a crush, you fucking moron,” I spit out at his childish comment. "But I will tell you this. Birdene Black is like a drug. Intoxicating, addictive, all-consuming. As much as I desire to hate her, never hear or see her... I crave to bind her to me.” My body trembles as the words leave my lips in a possessive tone. Contemptuously, “you’re in love with the hazel-eyed beauty. Cute!” Branko replies, wagging his brows. “Maybe I should’ve taken her and showed her how a real man fucks.”Lowering my gun as Dejan stands in front of Branko like a human shield, “funny that. I’m almost certain your limp dick wouldn’t make much of an impression on Birdene. All t
Little Bird TWENTY-SIX.
Pain as I’ve never felt before licks every inch of my body as I slowly surface from the darkness. Coughing and wincing in pain, I pry my eyelids open, desperately trying to fill my starving lungs with enough air to keep them pumping. As my gaze falls on Volkov, my bottom lip trembles as reality hits me like a freight truck. Everything that had occurred before I lost consciousness flickers before me. I whimper in a tearless cry, feeling somewhat guilty for Volkovs’ death.Granted, I didn’t know him very well, but he tried to save me until the very end.“I… I’m sorry…” I whimper as I crawl over his body, feeling his sticky blood cling to the bottom of my palms like a second layer of skin. I painfully crawl through the broken windshield, slicing parts of my flesh in the process from the shattered glass that is strewn everywhere.I try not to concentrate on the pain. If I allow myself to absorb it, it will consume me entirely and prevent me from doing what I need to do next.Staggerin
Little Bird TWENTY-SEVEN.
I gradually find my way back to the present by the sound of muffled voices penetrating the darkness in which I have once again found myself submerged in deeply. “I can’t believe you brought her here, Eleni -” “Don’t call me by that name, Theo. You of all people know the fucking trauma it has attached to it.” I faintly hear Ele whisper harshly with so much pain lining her words as she converses with whom I assume is her brother. “You have no idea what kind of trouble you have brought to our fucking doorstep.” Theo snarls back. “I couldn’t just leave her there, Theo.” “Yes, you could have. When are you going to learn that you just can’t go around saving every fucking stray you come across, Ele? We have enemies. How do you know this wasn’t a set-up? It’s a known fact that the Bratva like to use women to destroy their foe's kingdoms from the inside out.” “You’re always so paranoid, Theo. It’s been five years now. If the Bratva were to seek vengeance, they would have done so alread
Little Bird TWENTY-EIGHT.
Resting my head against the wall, I lower my gaze as Ele returns to the room with a cold can of Pepsi in one hand and a small bottle of pills in the other.“Hey, is everything okay?” She asks with a concerned look appearing across her face as she walks towards me. “Did my brother say something to upset you? Because if he did… I swear I will maul his eyes out with my bare fucking hands.”“Whoa…” I snort, believing every word she’s just said. “Retract those claw's kitty. He said nothing that I can’t handle on my own.” I chuckle in a light tone, pointing to the can of Pepsi and pill bottle in her hand. “Are those for me?”Thrusting them forward, “yeah. These bad boys right here are the good shizz - morphine.” She shakes the white bottle before I take it from her. “I took them from Theos’ medicine cabinet in his room. He doesn’t have a clue that I know the pin on his cabinet door.” Her lips hesitantly twist. “It’s the date our mother died.”My brows knit together at her words as I untwist
Little Bird TWENTY-NINE.
ACE.I sit back down behind my desk, pulling out the file Ismail had delivered earlier. If the Serbs didn’t take Birdene, then who the fuck did?There has to be more to Birdene Black that we have all been blindsided by.Killing Branko hasn’t deflated the rage that is still simmering in my chest, threatening to light my entire body up in flames.Someone took her and until I find out who, I will not rest, and I won’t show an ounce of mercy either.I don’t claim myself to be a possessive man but with Birdene…She is like a little ray of sunshine I didn’t know that I needed in my life; calming the chaos that holds my soul captive.I have to find her.If something happens to her, I will never be able to forgive myself. And I sure as hell won’t be sorry for the path of devastation I will leave in my wake, wiping out every bastard whose hands are dirty from her abduction.Slipping my reading glasses over the bridge of my nose, I pull out the small stack of papers from the envelope and star
Little Bird THIRTY.
“ACE!”I jolt awake, covered in sweat, feeling like the weight of the world is pressing down on my shoulders, causing the air in the room to thin out; making it difficult for me to catch my next breath.Sitting upright in the bed, I close my eyes as I try to focus on my breathing and not the miserable life I’ve been handed. Rubbing my palm over my aching chest, I slowly swing my legs over the edge of the bed and pull myself up.The sound of the SUV rolling and the gunshot that claimed Volkovs’ life still rings loudly in my ears. Every time I close my eyes, the images of Volkov, Alana and the other henchmen lost in the crash burn my eyes and when I open them… The images begin to fade, but they don’t fade quickly enough to allow me to forget about them.My throat still feels raw and after the friendly chat I had with Ele and Theodore, I purposefully slept through dinner, doing my best to avoid them both. It’s like, no matter where I go, I always find myself trapped in someone else's
Little Bird THIRTY-ONE.
“If you can, I’d like you to sit up straight and take a deep breath for me.” Doctor Raymond says softly, pressing the cold stethoscope between my shoulder blades.Straightening my posture as I sit on the edge of the bed, I draw in a deep breath, pausing for a split second when a sharp pain spreads across my chest.“Good, now exhale.”I exhale, sighing with relief, completing the task without any pain.“Okay, that’s very good, Ms. Montgomery. One more time, please.” Doctor Raymond requests as he moves to stand in front of me, pressing the stethoscope against my chest.Silently, I obey, even though I think this is a waste of time and I wish Ele would have listened to me when I told her that I was fine and didn’t need a doctor to check me over. The fewer people I am around, the better.“Superb. I can hear you wincing when asked to inhale. I can’t hear any fluid in your lungs, which is good, but I do believe they are bruised from the force of impact and wearing your seatbelt.” Doctor Raym
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