Guns and Roses

BONUS ~ Alexander II

I toss and I turn relentlessly before I eventually give up. I check my phone and it's about 3am. That means i got two hours sleep. That's a new record for this week.

Fucking insomnia.

Light from my lamp nearly blinds me and I groan and rub my eyes. My back cracks as I sit up, shit I'm getting too old. If only retirement was an option.

I hear laughter from a nearby room and I shake my head with a chuckle. My passerota with a friend like Quinn is unbelievable but I'm not disappointed. He'll keep her on the right path even when she comes home with some street rat boyfriend and I knock his fucking teeth out and watch him choke on the shattered pieces of bone.

If only she could have someone like Quinn.

I just want her to be happy and I know she'll never get that from someone like us and it's going to break my heart when she walks down that aisle and marry a man that will be 'good for business' rather than someone she loves.

Well, I'll never let that happen. For as long as I live, I will make sure that girl is happy even if it means kidnapping her in the middle of the night, moving to Mexico and changing our names.

I already have the passports ready and have done since child support tried to take her from us when she was about four.

She's going to get me killed one day.

I get up and grab a pair of jogging bottoms off the floor and slip them on. I can pretty much hear Lisa nagging at my to pick up the rest of my clothes as I do so and since I've got some time to kill until dawn I do some tidying up.

I check the clock again. 3:15am. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Someone knocks on my door and it can only be Rya or Quinn. Who else would be up at this time in the morning?

When I open the door though its neither. Instead its Mika.

I dont even try to mask my displeasure of having a Petrov on my doorstep, "What do you want?"

She tightens her dressing gown around her waist, "I couldnt sleep and I saw your light was on. Can I come in?"

I look down at the 16 year old girl and sigh, "Sure, come in."

I step back and she walks past me but hovers by the door still. I sit down on the bed and look at her, "was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"

She nods, "Viktor. I know he's your friend and Rya's father so you would never talk bad about him but he's my family too. Would he really kill his wife like that?"

I groan. It's not something I'm happy to talk about. Bella was a part of the family just as much as the rest of us and to have lost her is one of the worst things that could have happened. To think that Viktor could have done it is even worse.

My chest tightens as I think about Bella. If Viktor did do it then we'll never find a body. The blood stained bedroom is probably all that's left of her now and that breaks me inside.

In this life, people die all the time. I kill people all the time. I dont even feel bad about it. I made a child kill another human being.

But losing one of our own is something I havent felt since Oliver died. But this time it's worse because Bella was a victim. From the evidence it looks like they've had an argument, Viktor's got in her face and she's grabbed a knife and then it escalated. Now shes dead and hes gone.

I realise I havent said anything and Mika's still standing there, "Yes," I say honestly, "I think he did."

I stand up and stand by the end of the bed, "Have you got anything else to talk about?" I want her out of my room now.

She pushes her hands into her pockets and looks up at me with teary eyes, "I wanted to apologise," her voice is shaky, "it was my sister Ellie that told the Italians where Rya would be. But I gave her the phone, I let her go."

Ellie. Quinn's Ellie. That means they're both in danger.

I look at the door, about to run out and tell them, tell them not to trust the Petrovs, but a loud bang followed by the lights going out distracts me.

Rya shouts.

My hand goes to my abdomen where I feel hot blood pouring from a gunshot wound. I stumble back as I start to have trouble breathing, she hit a lung, I'm going to choke to death.

I hit the end of my bed and my legs give in. My lungs are filling with blood and I start to cough, spraying more blood onto the carpet. Everything's dark, the bullet must have went straight through and hit the lamp.

The door opens, the lights turn on and I see Rya. Passerota. She shouldn't have to see this. Tears fall down my cheeks as I realise this is the last time I'll ever see her.

I cant breathe but I'm fighting for a few seconds, just a few more seconds with her. Shes talking but I cant focus on her words, everything's going fuzzy.

"I love you" She says. Shes crying and I cant console her.

I use the last of my strength to smile and grab her hand, "I love you too, Rya."

Then I feel it.

I'm finally free.