chapter 26: part 1

Nic's POV

Tick......tock.....tick....tock. Seconds passed as I stared at the clock above me. The only noise in the room was the sound that it made. It felt like a ticking bomb as the tension grew in the room. I heard a tapping sound and I looked down to find my left leg dancing on it's own. I guess this happens whenever I'm nervous. I drifted my eyes away and looked at my hands. I stared at the object that is firmly held in my tight grip. My heart was racing and my head was hurting. I didn't know if what I'm doing is the right thing but I can't help but want to do something about it. About this entirely fucked up situation. I let the object down on the table in front of me and looked at the thing beside it; a phone. His phone. It laid silently on the table as I waited.

I was back in the apartment, Rita's apartment as I'm clearly moving back with her and ashley. Sitting in front of the kitchen counter waiting for that ring. That one ring I knew was going to come. It had to come. It had to. I'm growing sick and tired, I do feel dizzy after everything that happened but the adrenaline is keeping me awake. Her image in my head is keeping me awake. I clenched my teeth as I recalled what happened. If only these assholes would call then I could get my hands on them. But was it they're fault? What if I left her before any of these would happen? What If I pushed her away after the black box? Maybe none of this would happen. Maybe she would be home safe. Maybe her and Jonathan would finally be together and start their own family. I just had to be in the way.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the phone ringing. His phone ringing. I looked at the ID and froze, this is it. This the moment that I've been waiting for. I picked it up and breathed out as my heart started racing. I pressed the green button and heard a female voice, a familiar female voice. "Andrei, did you do it?" For some reason, this voice reminded me of someone I met. It clicked a button in my head. A name that made me question the truth about her. After what happened to me and the reason why my body is aching me. The reason why I was in the hospital for a whole week. The name Elizabeth.

"beth?" I spoke, questioning the woman behind the phone. I waited and waited but no response. It was dead silence. I took the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen, but the call was still going. I frowned and put the phone back to my ear. Still, no response. I grew impatient. "Elizabeth!!" I yelled her name and heard a shriek. It is her. I clenched my teeth as my anger started building up. This woman was involved all along but all I needed was evidence to prove it and now I have it, right here on the phone.

"Where is Andrei?" I heard her speak, her voice shaking, clearly nervous, not expecting me to be the one who responded. "So that's his name." I spoke, remembering his pale dry skin and lifeless eyes. Those eyes will haunt me, I know they will. I never saw a dead man's eyes in my whole life. Let alone a dead human's eyes. Words are not fit to describe the emptiness inside, his black orbs no longer shining from the light but more dull and empty. Emotionless with despair. Pain doesn't existed to the soulless eyes and numb can not describe it perfectly. No words is what I can say to his eyes. No words. A lot of people say the eyes are the windows to the soul. You can see what's inside and read a person's mind but how can you read a dead human's mind if they have no soul inside? how do you expect the dead eyes? They're unimaginable.

"Where is he?" I heard a firm angered tone and I shook my thoughts away. I thought of the perfect words to tell her. I have to be careful with the words I choose. They're are two ways that I can pick to handle the situation; I can yell, taunt and scream out my frustrations and misery or I can stay calm, think rationally and pick up the reasonable side. I decided to head for the latter. "He's no longer here. He was found dead in the street as the ambulance came and took him away." I answered while biting my tongue to stop myself from calling her names.

"What does that mean?! What did you do?" She yelled and I clenched my teeth. "What did I do?" I mocked her and shook my head, scoffing. "Isn't he the one who showed up to what was supposed to be a beautiful night? Isn't he the one who tried to ruin my life from the starter? Isn't he the one who pulled the damn fucking trigger? He shot himself." I replied angrily as she gasped but I wasn't done. "I didn't have a gun, I wasn't the one who was a carrying it-"

"You're lying!!" She interrupted me, yelling at me with rage and I could hear her voice trembling. I chuckled and I'm sure I sounded like I'm on drugs or have officially gone crazy. Well, maybe I have.

"You will never know whether I was telling the truth or not because you weren't there. I was." A dead silence grew as I closed my mouth with my explanation. I don't care if she believes me or not but I need to know their location.

"Andrei is my brother." I heard a different voice this time. It didn't belong to Elizabeth. It was rougher and deeper, a vivid russian accent can be heard. "You were the reason why he was put in prison a year ago. What did you think? We were going to let you live your life? After what you've done? That's absolutely outrages. You deserve to pay and that girl of yours." He paused and chuckled. I could the venom sipping out of mouth and I was disgusted. "She was so easy to trick. Why did you think she left you?" What? But that doesn't make any sense. My mouth hung open as I tried to process what he's saying. She left me for Jonathan. She told me that she sympathized me and that she was actually in love with my brother after all these years of them being apart.

Then it clicked. "You threatened her?" I breathed out as I felt more weight being dropped on to my chest. He laughed and I heard a clapping noise. "Smart girl!! Although, I thought you were smarter. Can you be more anymore naive?" He joked even more and laughed like the maniac he is. It send shivers down my spine.

"All I had to do was show her pictures. Remember that day you left to bring her dress for your parents wedding? we were there, in the building, waiting for you to leave........

A knock was heard from the front door and that awoke Lauren up. She groaned and stretched but staid laying down. She called out for Nic so she would open the door but no answer was received. She slowly sat up and looked at the blanket that was covering her. It's her favorite one. She smiled as she realized that nic covered her with it. She took the blanket off of her, as well as the heating pad on her abdomen that Nic always give her whenever she had her period. She heard the knocking growing louder and she shock her head, frustrated with the thought of nicole's whereabouts.

She looked through the peep hole and was confused to see a strange man wearing a dark blue suit. He was handsomely tall and lean with fair skin. He had pretty blue eyes and his blonde hair was combed to the back. His face was flawless and his jawline was perfect. You see, everything about him could swoon any woman and probably a man too, but a clear scar outstretched from the middle of his forehead, cutting through his right eyebrow, to his eyes, can scare a cockroach away. There was something cold in his eyes and that's when lauren noticed something weird in his eyes, she stared long and hard as he moved his feet back and forth while looking around.

His right eye...... he had a prosthetic right eye. For some reason, Lauren felt a dark aura around her and was hesitate to open the door but eventually did. Not knowing it was something she was going to regret.

"Hi." The man said with a bright teeth showing smile and stretched his hand out. Lauren looked at him confused but nonetheless shook his hand. His hand was soft and his grip on her hand was gentle.

"I'm sorry but who are you?" She asked with her eyebrows frowning at the man. He smiled cheekily at her and asked to come inside, not answering the question that was given to him. Lauren noticed the strong russian accent in his voice and shook her head at him, not trusting the man as he didn't answer her question. She felt more and more nervous and exposed somehow, to this creepy strange man. He sighed and looked down, disappointingly before he looked up and smiled again. "The name is Alec."

Lauren looked at him more confused and still not stepping aside to led the man in. He doesn't expect to give his name and she'll let him in? That's stupid and outrages. "I know nicole, your girlfriend." He said as his smile never disappeared. "We knew each other from russia, she was an excellent student, one of the top in class. May I come in, now?"

Lauren frowned at this man and his creepiness before stepping aside and letting him in. Her doubts were still in her head. She saw how the man walked with his back straight, with a prefect stance. He has confidence. He looked behind and smiled at her as she was still standing with the door open. Lauren closed the door before she walked ahead of him, leading him to the living room.

They sat calmly on the couch with a few distance away from one another. The silence was murderous. Lauren hid her fear and looked at the man with a new set of confidence. "Would you like to drink something?" She stood up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. He yelled out. "Tea would be nice."

She prepared his tea and looked behind her to see him sitting still on the couch. "Do you want me to add some sugar or....?" She asked loudly and he replied with a no, thank you. She looked at the kitchen drawer and opened it slowly and quietly. She looked back and he was still sitting on the couch with his back turned towards her. She dig through the drawer and found what she was looking for; a thin but sharp knife laying beside the spoons and forks. She pulled the knife out and placed it inside her right sleeve shirt. She's not going to risk this man attacking her. Nic never once talked or mentioned his name.

She carried his tea and went back to the couch, being careful that the knife on her sleeve is not visible nor cutting her wrist. She handed the tea to him and he smiled thankfully. She sat on the same spot she sat a minute ago and watched as he sipped his tea while it's still very hot. Lauren studied the man's body. He seemed like a royalty by the way he was sitting; his leg was above the other and his back was as straight as a wall. He drank his tea with his pinky finger pointing up. His entire outfit and the way he was acting screamed he is a wealthy man. Lauren looked at him, trying to fetch more from the man's physical appearance. Confident and rich, she thought.

"So, what brings you here? Did you came to visit Nic?" Lauren asked, trying to start a small conversation and also to find out more about this mysterious Alec.

He placed his tea on the coffee table and turned his body so he was facing lauren. He smiled that cheekily smile and it slowly turned into a grin, a mischievous grin. "I didn't come here to visit Nic. I came her to talk to you." He said and Lauren got more confused, not understanding what she has to do with him? "I'm sorry, what?" Lauren asked, debating wither she heard him right or not.

"I'm sure Nicole hasn't told you about me and that's because she doesn't know me." He said and that caused Lauren to adjust the knife in her shirt sleeve so it would be easier for her to pull it out and defend herself if he tried anything. "Nic had caused me some troubles in Moscow." He paused, staring intensely at Lauren. "And because of her, my brother was sent to prison. All because she couldn't keep her mouth shut." He shake his head as his eyes drifted to the floor, staring into the distance, getting lost in the memories in his head.

"Did she ever tell you about Ryan?" A few minutes of unbearable silence, He looked up to Lauren and asked. Lauren nodded her head. "He's Nicole's friend from uni, she told me he died before she came back." She said as she became curious about alec and what does he know about Nic's past in Russia. Nic never told her about the things she went through the past six years. She did mention the car accident that caused some issues in her shoulder and she did speak about some happy memories but there was still a lot hidden. There's still secrets in the box, nic hasn't spoken about.

"Did she ever tell you how he died?" Once again, Lauren shook her head, clueless and still very much curious. She leaned forward to hear more about what alec was saying. Alec chuckled before he stood up, startling Lauren, and walked around the living room. He stood in front of a picture on the wall of her and nic in Hawaii. They went together on Nic's birthday. It was one of the best days in Lauren's life. "He was killed." He turned around and faced Lauren who's eyes grew wide. "My brother killed him and Nicole saw it all happen in front of her eyes. That's why my brother was sent to prison." He continued and Lauren stood up hastily, her heart is pumping hard in her chest. She shook her head, not believing it. There's no way this is true, Nic would have told her. This is not something you can easily hide, not from someone you love. But of course, this is Nic we're talking about, she's a none ending puzzle.

"Why did your brother murder Ryan?" Lauren asked holding on to the knife as it started to slip out of her sleeve. Alec sighed as he moved around the living room, Lauren's eyes followed him as he started speaking.

"Because ryan refused to pay his debut. Ryan was a druggie, Lauren and he bought drugs from us for a really long time until he went broke. We, my brother and I, were kind enough and gave him some drugs without any money taken but of course we said he has to pay the debut after he gets the money." He paused and sighed. "He didn't."

"So you kill him?" Lauren shouted at alec, disgusted and terrified from the news she just received. How did he know her name?, She thought. Alec laughed at her and shook his head. What a stupid ignorant girl, he thought. "Who exactly are you?........" Lauren asked discomposed by his glacial stony eyes. It frightened Lauren but she hid her emotions. It's no time to show her weakness, not in front of a dangerous man like him.

"I'm Alec Kovačić, one the most wanted man in the world. The biggest drug Lord in Moscow. My brother is Andrei Kovačić. Your girlfriend messed up with the wrong people, laur. She almost caused ME to get caught by the police. So, what do you think we want?" He ranted and took step after step closer to Lauren until he was an inch away from her face. His cologne drowned her and she felt slightly dizzy from the strong scent. Her fear growing each second passes by.

"Revenge." She said, almost above a whisper. Alec nodded his head as she finally understood what he wanted. She felt sick to the chore as he breathed on her face. He placed his hand on her cheek, his fingers caressing her cheekbone as he slowly drifted his hand down to her jaw, lingering for a second before going down to her neck. He had a tight grip on her neck and Lauren was breathing heavily, afraid and paralyzed.  Just as she was about to pull the knife from her sleeve, he stepped back, taking his hand away from her and stood a meter away.

"Now Lauren, I want you to do something for me. Something very important and secretive." His Russian accent send shivers to Lauren's spine and it wasn't the good kind. "I want you to break her heart. Nic's heart. I want her to feel a deep emotional pain." He paused as Lauren looked at him, baffled. No way she would do that to her, she thought. "I know that you'll never do that for me and that's why I'm giving you this." He dug through his jacket suit and pulled out an envelop. He handed it to Lauren who was hesitate to reach out but did it nonetheless. She opened it while catching glances at Alec who was wearing an emotionless expression. She reached inside and pulled it out to find pictures. She fell down back on the couch as her legs weakened. She looked through them all. Every single one of them. Each picture terrifies her more and more.

"What the fuck....?" She whispered as tears threatened her eyes. Each picture was a picture of man, a woman, a child with their eyes wide open. Eyes that held no life in them. Dead eyes. Blood pool was underneath each body and it scared Lauren. It scared her deeply. She threw the pictures away as tears filled her eyes. "There's more pictures if you would like to see." He reached out to his pocket but she lifted her hand up, telling him to stop.

He smiled at her distress and sat down next to her, leaving no space between them. "You see, my brother is out of prison even though he was sentenced to life, I managed to get him out. I can do anything I want and I mean anything. I can and will make Nic become one of them." He said and pointed at the pictures while Lauren cried softly. "I can make anyone you know become one of them. Your girlfriend, your mother, your father, your sisters, your friends; Danielle and Ashley. Anyone you know can fall in my hands." He said as Lauren buried her face in between her hands.

"Please, leave." Lauren begged in a quiet almost unhearable voice and Alec nodded his head. He stood up and smiled down at her. "Think about it." He said and left, leaving a bothered Lauren behind.

"You fucking peasant." I stood up after he finished explaining Lauren's secret. Why didn't she tell me? I could've protected her. I could've shielded her from my problems. It's not her problem to deal with, it's mine. And now she's gone. All because of how ignorant I was.  "Just wait until I put my hands on you. I'll-" I threatened him but he disrupted me.

"I don't think that's going to happen. Why don't you open the door for the guests outside?" And that's when he hung up. Knock..Knock..knock

I placed the phone back on the counter and walked outside the kitchen door, to the hallway that led to the front door. I stared at it long and hard before hearing the knocking again. I didn't dare to move and open the door. A minute passed and the knocking turned into banging and that's when I knew it, I had to move. I went back to kitchen and took the phone with the object with me. I hastily put them in my pocket before hearing gunshots on the front door. I got outside the kitchen, to the hallway and ran to the back of the house. I heard the front door breaking and quicken my feet to move faster. I reached the door at the end of the hall and turned the lock on. I looked back and saw a gun being pointed at me by a large bearded man in a black suit. I pushed the door open and felt a deep coursing pain shouting through my shoulders. The bitch shot me.

I ran and ran, trying to ignore the pain as it meant nothing right now. What matters is for me to find somewhere that I could hide. I didn't leave Lauren's side to get killed at the end. I need to be back for her, I need to be on her side. Her picture in my head, her bright smile, her beautiful brown eyes are what keeping me going. I'm not going down without a fight.

After awhile of none stop running, I fell down and held on to my chest, breathing heavily. I touched my shoulder and felt blood, I whimpered as I felt the pain. I was in so much discomfort. I moved and leaned my back against the building beside me. For someone who just got out of the hospital, who was advised to stay at home and rest, I should not be running this much. But for the love of my life, I'll do anything. Even if this kills me at the end, I'm not giving up until I get justice for Ryan, Lauren and myself. This has to end tonight.

But how? I dug through my pocket and pulled out his phone. I stared at it and thanked god that it doesn't have a password, it made it a whole a lot easier for me. It seems new as he didn't have the chance to put a password on it. I went through the pictures, but found nothing, empty. I went through his messages and saw a few text from an unknown number. I clicked on it and read through it.

It had nothing important until I saw my name and read the things they planned for me tonight. The man who I found out his name is Andrei was supposed to kill me tonight. To lure into the dark and shot me in the head. Stupid me, I followed him, wanting revenge on what he did, not knowing it made their plan easier.

I scrolled through the text wishing for something important, anything that would do me good. That's when I found it; an address. Of what's supposed to be their temporary stay. The address looked very familiar to me and that's when I looked up

and saw that I was sitting right against the building.