Chapter 3

Alessandro walked towards the torture bunker while waiting for his enforcer, Romero. He knew the man would be back very soon and the thought that he was coming with a Russian spy made his skin crawl with excitement, he had no idea how she managed to get to Romero but the game has just begun. if they thought he was capo for being this stupid then they need to think again, this man wasn’t someone they could mess with. This man is Alessandro Russo. 

He had a few of her brothers in the torture bunkers and he wondered if he should get rid of them before she arrived, maybe they would blow her cover and he wouldn’t enjoy the checkmate moment. They were Russians, their boss doesn’t think before he sends them without thinking. Romero already talked about the prowess of this woman that was coming and her taking down Ash without having to try meant she was above average in the terms of physical strength.

He walked towards the bunker whistling and he tried not to let his excitement show, the fact that he would be going even with Dominica Egornov, their boss made him happier than he should have. The Russian bastard killed his brother, his son and his wife in the cruellest way possible. It may have been a long time ago but Russo still craves revenge like it was a kind of air for him to breathe.  

The Russian captive was found on the bank of his island and he was trying to send something that he threw into the water immediately. Russo is still mad that they were unable whatever he was willing to risk his life to send home. What’s worse is that he’s refusing to talk to any of them even with all the torturing. The Russians are a loyal set of bastards, you have to give them that. His men were better, the mafia oath bound them together. 

“Capo, the enforcer has landed.” Someone called out in the intercom wrapped around his ear and Russo made a beeline for the airstrip, he was going to welcome home his boys. Even if he looked suspicious, he didn’t care at this point. Revenge made you high on some kind of drugs and you have no idea what’s going on. Even if the spy suspects that her cover has been blown, he still wants to play the same game Egornov enjoys playing with her. 

“Capo” Romero called out before he bent his head in respect, Russo tapped his shoulders lightly before he shook hands with his boys. The New York job was a neat one and he berated himself for doubting Romero’s prowess and that he probably would never do that again. the job success rate was a twenty per cent and his boy made it home with every soldier intact and even brought new recruits. The war with the bikers had cost him a lot of soldiers and he needed to breach the gap very fast before things go south.

“This is Alissa,” Romero called out curtly and Russo walked closer before stretching his hands forward for a handshake leaving her breathless.Se didn’t look Russian and he wondered if Romero had been wrong in his findings. Maybe she was from the bratva or the bikers club then, he wasn’t ruling Russians out completely. He would put nothing past Ergonov. Till he would be able to prove where she is from, he would keep her close. His father’s favourite saying has to be “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” 

“Dobro pozhalovat', moya ledi, kak dela?” he asked hoping to get a response and she shook her head. [Welcome my lady, how are you?]

“Unfortunately I don’t speak Russian,” Alissa replied back and he could hear the crisp American accent in her words. maybe this was messier than he thought it would be. Till he knew what she was and what she wanted with him, he would be keeping her close. Distract and sway her until she realises whatever organization she was working for wasn’t worth it. 

“Ha, Nice. I haven’t had American soldiers in a long time and it’s refreshing to have you here. Welcome!” He said with a smile that looked like a threat but Alissa took his outstretched hands and she shook it. If anything, she needs to keep the bureau untraceable. 

___________

A month later…

They walked into the club together and  Alissa watched the way everyone stood stiff and saluted him as he passed them. They looked pretty organised for people behind some of the world's greatest crimes and she wondered how many stars bringing all of these men to pay for their crimes would get her uniform. She pressed down those thoughts, she wouldn’t let them distract her from doing exactly what the bureau ordered her to do. 

“I own here and everyone here answers to me.” He said before moving on like he didn’t just tell her he owned a large club with enough men to make a whole SWAT team look like a child play. She nodded as they took a turn, the intense smoke from the drugs they were taking made it uneasy for her to breathe properly and Rusoo noticed this very soon from the way she was coughing and trying to get a grip. 

“Wait outside the door, I need to speak to Rocco and the other guys.” She opened her mouth to protest but he already moved through the dark halls leaving her no choice but to make a turn and wait outside as he instructed. Something about the way those guys look made her uneasy and she didn’t want to be in the same space with them but whatever the boss wants, he gets. As if they could hear her thoughts, one of them made his way towards her. 

“Are you the new thing in the capo’s bed?” he asked with a snicker and she refused to give him a reply, as far as she was concerned, she doesn't answer to anyone else except Russo. He had made that clear to her, and even though sometimes he acts like he's in on her ploy, it vanishes almost immediately. 

“Probably not. She looks too boring to give him an erection. I wouldn’t even sleep with a woman looking like this. It’s sex, not wrestling.” One of the men replied and the rest laughed really loudly. Alissa took calming breaths and she tried to tune out their voices. It was as if the demons in her head chose that moment to reappear. Was that what mike thought of her too and was that why he slept with the neighbour without feeling guilty? Because she was too boring to give him an erection?

The guys kept on cackling and she decided she has had enough of it. If she let them walk all over her now, they would do it forever. She was going to fight for their respect and she would do it now. 

“What did you say?” She asked him through gritted teeth. He gulped his whiskey and he spat it in her face. Nothing prepared her for the stinging effect on her eyes and the way the rest started to cackle made her more irritated, she wiped her face before grabbing the man by his collar. She took him by surprise and she slammed her fist into his face, before he could get his balance, she started to pummel him faster without giving him a chance to recover. The more she had flashbacks of Mike and her neighbour, the more she hit him. His nose was broken and his blood was splattering on her face but she didn’t care. She would not take this kind of disrespect likely. 

Someone pulled her roughly and she turned to see Russo standing and his eyes blazing fury, almost half of the club men stood at the door watching the fight going on. A way for her to get undercover without pulling attention and now she was making herself the centre of attention because she keeps letting her anger get the best of her. Russo turned to the other men before he started speaking Italian fast. His anger was so evident and for the first time, Alissa feared for her life. 

Alissa bit her inner cheeks as she waited for what her punishment would be, Russo had made it clear that he would not entertain disrespect nor would he entertain her stepping out of the line. She wondered what happened to her self-control and how she allowed the son of a bitch to get a reaction out of her. The ride home has to be the most uncomfortable ride of her entire life.

She was tired of the silent treatment and this wasn’t the Russo she enjoyed working with. This one was too silent, too guarded and she had no idea what was going through his mind. He just ordered that the guy should be fed to the lions and that made her scared, he wasn’t even speaking to her. Who knows what her punishment would be, maybe he would choke her to death in her sleep. 

They walked into his study with her trailing behind him and she decided to throw all caution to the wind and ask. A little question won’t kill anyone but with someone like Alessandro Russo, you can’t really tell. The man was as unpredictable as they come and the more reason she was scared. 

“What’s my punishment? I can’t stand this silent treatment.” She said lowly and he spun around to face her. The look on his face made her a little excited and scared at the same time, the man before her looked like he was going to devour her in whole. He did the unthinkable, he pulled her close and he kissed her... HARD!