Stay With Me

5

Days go by. Alexei took every chance to see Mercedes on the days the two weren't busy. The feeling of seeing her physically was almost too much for Alexei. His throat would become dry and he would just want to stay with her forever. Yet he's a busy man. A busy man that was dangerous.

He begins thinking about his future. He would want to keep Mercedes around. Even if he has to stay a little longer in America. But when he goes back to Russia, he would want to continue to see her. He had to continue seeing her. The thought of another man being with her made him furious.

The thought that another man would touch, kiss, speak, or even think about her was too much. He didn't want to let her go. He was selfish. He has always been selfish. He would keep a good thing to himself just for him to have.

Why should he give up Mercedes?

It wasn't even an option. He couldn't let her go. He wouldn't.

Alexei holds Mercedes as she rests in his arms. They were watching a movie but even before, Mercedes were already tired. He moves her hair away from her face. The scent of her perfume hit his nose. Placing his nose into the crook of her neck, his lips slowly peck her skin.

He didn't mind smelling like her. It would only remind him that he wasn't dreaming. That Mercedes was not just a figment of his imagination.

His eyes flutter close as he wraps his arm around her. His hands go under her shirt but it stays right on her abdomen. All he wanted was to feel her warmth. It gave him a cozy feeling inside. As if he wasn't alone.

❍

Alexei eye the man as he talks. In many ways, Alexei was just like his father. The two looked similar to one another but their actions reflect one another. Just like his father, Alexei doesn't talk much. He rather stays silent and just listens.

It was something his father taught him at a young age. It was always better to listen to a man than to talk to one.

Yet he also had his father's temper. It wasn't as bad as his father's but it still wasn't a pretty sight. Another uncanny thing was their facial expression. To see either one of them visibly annoyed or mad, was something you wouldn't want to witness. For the most part, they were both scary men.

Even though Alexei was handsome, he was just as intimidating. The only difference was that Alexei is still young. Many men don't respect him as much because they don't take him seriously. It bothered Alexei. It bothered him that people always talked about his father.

He was tired of his living in his father's shadows.

"I didn't ask what you didn't want to do, I told you what to do," Alexei says as his accent falls out.

"Listen, I don't care who you are. You're not your father-"

Alexei doesn't wait any more time before pulling out his gun. He shoots the man in front of everyone in the warehouse. He doesn't stop until his clip becomes empty. Alexei glares at the dead man before looking up at everyone else.

"Would anyone else like to piss me off?" Alexei asks as he slips his gun back into the waist of his jeans.

A few men slowly shake their heads as the room becomes silent.

"Thought so, clean this shit up." He tells them before walking away.

Boris walks beside him as he slips his phone into his back pocket.

"You should calm down-"

"Don't irritate me, Boris," Alexei says with his heavy Russian accent.

"Fine," Boris mutters.

Alexei pulls out his phone and looks at the text message. He texted Mercedes earlier but she never texted him back. It had been a couple of hours and it only made him more annoyed. He runs his fingers through his hair before blowing a big breath.