Punish: Dark & Deadly, page 1
Punish - A Dark Mafia Romance
Nicola Jane
Copyright © 2023 by Nicola Jane.
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.K. copyright law.
Meet the Team
Editor: Rebecca Vazquez, Dark Syde Books
Proofreader: Jess Jug
Formatting: Nicola Miller
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any similarities are entirely coincidental.
Spelling Note
Please note, this author resides in the United Kingdom and is using British English. Therefore, some words may be viewed as incorrect or spelled incorrectly, however, they are not.
A Note from the Author
This story was written as part of the Dark & Deadly Tales, a collective of different authors each writing a dark and deadly tale, which is to be released at one book a month beginning August 2023. Therefore, you can expect this story to be dark. This story contains most things considered to be trigger worthy, so please do not continue if you’re easily triggered. There is also no happy ever after.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my dedicated readers who literally read anything I put out there. I appreciate you all.
Contents
Playlist
1. CHAPTER ONE
2. CHAPTER TWO
3. CHAPTER THREE
4. CHAPTER FOUR
5. CHAPTER FIVE
6. CHAPTER SIX
7. CHAPTER SEVEN
8. CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Playlist
What Was I Made For? – Billie Eilish
The A Team – Ed Sheeran
Idontwannabeyouanymore – Billie Eilish
Something in the Way You Move – Ellie Goulding
hostage – Billie Eilish
Going Under – Evanescence
Playing With Fire – Thomas Rhett ft. Jordin Sparks
You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi
Trouble (Stripped) – Halsey
Praying – Kesha
A Little Too Much – Shawn Mendes
Creep – Radiohead
One More Night – Maroon 5
The Voice Within – Christina Aguilera
CHAPTER ONE
GRACE
I’m cold. How I made it through the night is beyond me. I rub my hands together and blow into them, trying to warm them. I watch people weave in and out of each other, making their way to work. They don’t see me. I’m invisible to them. The funny thing is, I used to be just like them. I had a good job in the accounts department of a huge firm. I was working my way up and then things changed. Sometimes, I want to stop these people and tell them how quickly they can lose it all. They wouldn’t listen, though, because we all think it won’t happen to us.
“Grace,” my friend, Danny, heads towards me holding up a coffee, “wanna share?”
I smile gratefully. It’s good to have a friend on the streets. We look out for one another, and when one eats, we both eat. I take the Styrofoam cup and hold it, enjoying the warmth. “Any luck?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’m invisible, remember.”
“It’s the wrong time of day. People are too busy,” he reminds me. “Let’s go and see Lenny. He might sneak us in for a shower if the boss ain’t around.”
When we arrive at The Lodge Hotel, Lenny greets us with a smile. He’s worked here for years, and I once stopped him being robbed by another homeless guy. Lenny is over sixty, and I don’t agree with stealing from the elderly or kids. As a thank you, he said I could pop in from time to time and shower at the hotel. He usually finds us an empty room and gives us those little free shampoos you get when you stay. Today is no different. He gives us a key to room ten, then we make our way up in the elevator.
“You go first,” Danny tells me. “I’m gonna go down to the laundry and see what there is.”
“Go to lost property,” I say. I don’t want to take advantage of Lenny’s good nature.
I shower and brush my teeth using the disposable brush Lenny gave me. I wrap myself in a towel and go back into the bedroom just as Danny rushes back in, thrusting some clean clothes from lost property “Quick,” he snaps, “put these on, we’ve gotta get out of here.”
IVAN
I walk with purpose, causing my men trouble keeping up. “Boss, I need to brief you before we go in there,” says Lev. Lev, my Sovietnik, advises me, but today, I’m not in the mood.
“You know what today is?” I ask.
“Of course.”
“Then you know I’m not in the mood to talk.” He slows, trailing behind, along with my two bodyguards.
The hotel is busy, and this immediately worsens my already terrible mood. Lev goes to the front desk to see if our guest has arrived. “Who found this place?” asks Maxim, looking around in disgust.
“It was Lev’s idea. Less conspicuous,” I mutter.
“Through there,” says Lev, pointing to a set of double doors.
I spot Akin right away. He stands to greet me, bowing his head. “Make it quick, I have somewhere to be.” I turn to my entourage. “Go. I don’t need you lingering behind me.” My men disperse, standing by the doorway instead, but Maxim stays. As my second in command, he’s always by my side when it comes to business.
“Did Lev brief you?” asks Akin waiting for me to sit before he does the same.
“Why would he need to brief me? I’m here in person. Brief me yourself.”
He glances nervously at Lev, which tells me I’m not going to like what I hear. “There’s nothing, boss. No one is talking, and those who are, say they saw nothing. There’re no more businesses to threaten, no more houses to upturn. We’ve approached every known enemy. We have nothing.”
“You have nothing,” I correct him. “Six months and you have nothing. That makes me look weak. It makes me look like a fool.”
“Boss, I swear, I’ve tried everything.”
Lev steps forward. “Boss, maybe it’s time—”
I stand abruptly, and he immediately moves back. “It will never be time, Lev. Someone knows something, and I won’t stop until we’ve made them pay for Lara. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” he mutters, bowing his head.
I storm out the room towards the exit, accidentally knocking the shoulder of a man. I take notice because he looks out of place, like he’s homeless. He apologises, and I give him an angry glare before continuing on my way.
“Idiot,” mutters one of my guards.
I step out into the fresh air. I should check my phone before I head to the cemetery, so I go into my pocket, but it’s not there. I pat myself down. It’s not here. “Everything okay, boss?” asks Maxim.
“My phone, it’s not here. Nor is my wallet.”
GRACE
“Why the rush?” I ask, pushing my damp legs into a pair of jeans with great difficulty.
Danny holds up a wallet and mobile phone, grinning. “He looked posh, so he might realise it’s gone soon.”
I give him an uneasy glance. “Maybe we should hide out here?”
“No, he took note of me. He’ll give a description, and they’ll know exactly who he’s talking about.”
There’s a tightness in my chest and I groan. “Danny, we’re not supposed to do anything to upset Lenny. He’ll stop us coming here.” I pull on the sweater and grab my rucksack. “And let’s face it, no one else is lining up to take a chance on us.”
“Relax, hopefully, the guy won’t even notice until he’s eating caviar for lunch, and by then, I’ll be a distant memory.” He grins, grabbing my hand.
We take the back stairs, breaking out into the alleyway that runs behind the hotel. “Maybe we should split up in case he’s hanging around,” Danny suggests.
I shake my head. “No way. If you’re in trouble, then so am I.” He gives me a knowing smile before opening my rucksack to put the wallet and phone in there. We’re fiddling with the bag when a shadow falls over us, causing us both to look up at the same time. At the entrance, there’s a group of men. They don’t look like good people, and I glance at Danny nervously. The hairs on my arms prickle and a shiver runs down my spine as the man in front assesses us with curiosity.
“You have something that belongs to me.” The man speaking is important. It’s obvious just by the way he stands, so confident, like the world belongs to him. His expensive suit and gold Rolex show his money, but his demeanor shows his power.
“No, I don’t,” snaps Danny. “Now, fuck off.”
My eyes widen in panic at the tone of Danny’s voice. “Danny,” I hiss. I don’t feel like these are the type of men who’ll listen to his fake threats.
“I’ve got a knife,” he continues, and I groan.
“Just hand it over so we can all go on with our day,” says another of the men.
I pull the zip on my bag. “What are you doing?” hisses Danny.
“We don’t want any trouble,” I mutter.
“Bring it to me,” the man commands.
I take the items from my bag, hesitating war
I look back at him. “You got caught, accept it.” I don’t see the hand until it’s around my throat. I drop my bag and his belongings. The mobile skitters across the ground, smashing the screen. I gasp for breath, trying to prize his fingers from my throat.
“What the fuck, man?” Danny yells, running towards us. He falls to the ground in a heap, and I frown in confusion. My neck is released and I fall to my knees, holding my throat and gasping to pull air into my lungs. My eyes fall to Danny, who lays still. Something feels off, but I can’t place a finger on it. I crawl to him, rolling him onto his back.
I gasp at the blood covering his face, and I gently shake him. “Danny,” I whisper, smoothing his hair from his face. He remains still. “Danny, wake up,” I say, more desperately this time. I glance back at the men watching me and I wonder why the fuck no one seems to be moving or helping or even bothering to look remotely alarmed. I grab his jacket and shake harder. His lifeless head falls onto my lap and blood smears over my jeans. “Oh fuck, Dan, please wake up. Please,” I beg.
“Take her,” the powerful man orders, bringing me back to reality. Another man steps forward, and I cling to Danny harder, shaking my head. He grabs me under the arms and drags me back, and I stare in horror as Danny’s head falls to the ground with a sickening thud. My tatty trainers scrape along the floor as the man tries to get me to my feet, but I wriggle until he loses his grip.
Scrambling to get away from them, I rush back down the alley towards the hotel’s fire exit. As I reach it, I see it’s firmly closed and I cry out in anger, slamming my fists against the cold metal. “Help,” I scream. “Help me.” Two men pin me against the door. One slams my head against it, holding it still, and I feel the other grabbing my arms and pulling them behind my back. Next, I feel a sharp scratch against my thigh, and I look down in time to see a syringe being withdrawn.
“Night-night, pretty,” one of the men murmurs in my ear, and I feel my eyes growing heavy. Each man takes an arm and they begin to lead me back towards the exit. Danny has been moved to the wall. He’s slumped with his head on his knees, and his coat has been wrapped around him. He looks like he’s sleeping. My legs feel dead and they begin to drag on the ground. One of the men pulls me into his arms, lifting me from the ground with ease. I feel like I’m floating as I allow myself to drift away.
IVAN
I crouch by the graveside of my beloved Lara, placing the white roses beside her headstone. “I need you. I love you,” I say quietly. It’s the same words I utter each time I come here. It’s the same words she’d tell me each day she woke in my arms. I miss holding her in my arms.
I stand, inhaling sharply. Six months since she was cruelly taken. Six months of pure hell, not knowing who did it or why.
I hear a commotion from the vehicle and sigh. Is five minutes peace too much to ask for? Maxim rolls down the window. “Boss, she’s awake, and Lev has no more stuff to shut her the hell up.”
The woman begins to scream, so I move quickly, opening the back passenger door and grabbing her by the hair. I pull her from the vehicle, and she falls to her knees, but I force her to look at me. “Unless you want to end up like your friend, you should be quiet.”
“You lied,” she whispers, her expression full of hurt. “We gave you the things back, and you killed him anyway.” I stare at her innocent face.
Her green eyes give away every emotion she’s feeling. They remind me of . . . I shake my head, pulling her to her feet and shoving her back inside the vehicle. I climb in beside her so she’s sandwiched between me and Lev. “Drive,” I tell Alek.
I made the unusual decision to bring the woman back to one of my homes. I could see the questioning expressions on my men’s faces. They wanted to ask why, but none dared to. Instead, they followed my orders, and as we enter the large mansion, they bring her in kicking and screaming. I smile to myself. She’s a live-wire. I like that.
“Downstairs,” I instruct Igor, and he helps Alek manhandle her to the basement.
Maxim follows me to my office. “Should I ask?” Out of all my men, Maxim is my closest confidante. He gets away with much more than anyone else. I’ve known him since he was eight and I was thirteen, and that gives him a free ticket to ask me things no one else dare.
“No.”
“We could have killed her too and yet you spared her. Then you bring her to your Morozov manor.”
“She was an unexpected find. It was the closest property.”
“Will she be joining our girls?”
I think over his words before shrugging. “I haven’t decided.”
“Of course, she can’t go back onto the streets of London, but we have a lorry going to Poland this evening and a boat going to Russia tomorrow.”
“I haven’t decided,” I repeat, giving him a warning glare.
“Ivan,” he says with a sigh, “what’s going on?”
“Get me her name and run her checks.”
“I know it’s been hard, and today is harder than most—”
“I’m bored,” I say bluntly. “She might liven things up a little.”
“You’re going to toy with her?”
I shrug. “I haven’t decided. Do as I ask and run the checks.”
GRACE
I’m thrown into a basement. It’s cold and dark, and there’s only a small window high up on one wall that gives a slither of light. There’s nothing down here but a bucket, and I dread to think what that’s for.
The door opens and footsteps descend the stone stairs. A man comes into view and pulls a cord, then a light flickers on, but it’s dim, hardly making a difference.
“Name?” he asks firmly.
“Fuck you.”
“Name, little girl, or I will make sure fucking is all you do.”
“Fuck you,” I repeat.
A smile plays on his lips. “Your boyfriend made a stupid move today. It was his own fault.”
“Not my boyfriend.”
He holds up my rucksack, and I rush to him, trying to grab it. He kicks me away like I’m a dog, and I fall back onto my arse. “Touch me again and I will slit your throat,” he warns in a deadly tone. He proceeds to open the bag and empty the contents on the floor. My passport hits his foot and he grins, swooping down to collect it. “Grace Parker,” he reads. “Welcome to the Manor.”
“I’m not scared of you,” I warn him. “You’re a bunch of dicks, and when I get out of here, I’ll make your life a misery.” I say it with promise, but if I ever get out of here, I’ll run as far as I can away from him.
He laughs hard, throwing my bag on top of my few belongings. “I’ll look forward to it.”
It’s been over twenty-four hours. I know this because it’s been dark and now it’s light again. A woman brought me food last night, but it remains on the step, as does the breakfast she brought earlier. There are also two bottles of water which I refuse to drink in case I’m forced to use the bucket. Even being homeless hasn’t made me resort to acting like an animal. I find public toilets every time.
The door opens and I watch as shiny black shoes step over the food and head down towards me. The man who I suspect is in charge towers over me. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since the alleyway, but his presence has the same effect on me and I shrink back into the shadows. “Maria tells me you did not eat.” His voice is deep and full of authority. I remain silent, going back to resting my forehead on my knees. “Is my food not good enough?” When I still don’t reply, he sighs heavily. “And you haven’t drank?”
“Why do you care?” I snap, looking up.
“Do you want to die down here?”
“Of course not. I don’t want to be here at all.”
“Drink.” He holds out a bottle of water. I shake my head, even though my mouth is dry and my throat hurts. “You must be thirsty.” I stare at the bottle longingly, then my eyes go to the bucket. He smiles. “It’s the bucket putting you off?”
“I’m not an animal,” I mutter.
