Chapter 6

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Afanas's POV:

She was still the same beautiful feisty Calla, that much was clear. But her constant attraction to getting herself in trouble was becoming an issue. Months ago, after we saved Calla from the Bratva gang, we welcomed the man who helped us save Calla into the Russian Mafia family.

Sebastian. He had proved to be helpful to us, he allowed us to make contact with Calla after she had been taken, which allowed us to track the phone and save her.

Sebastian had been keeping an eye on Calla lately, at the request of Sinister, keeping us in the loop and informed on the reckless acts Calla seemed keen on accomplishing.

Her jumping off the bridge while intoxicated was the first strike, her openly threatening a member of the family was the second strike, and her getting shitfaced in a club full of horny men and shooting a member of the family in the leg was definitely the third strike.

Sinister told me to knock some sense into her. And that is exactly what I plan on doing.

After her call with Sinister she went into her room to shower, so I sat on the couch of her apartment, the weight of my pistol in my jacket pocket was a friendly reminder that I could always threaten her into being compliant.

I glanced behind me to see Callas friend trudging into the living room. Her hair was went from a shower, and she wore baggy grey sweatpants and a faded t-shirt.

She was fairly attractive. with pale skin and brown hair that shone. She had wide green eyes, and her body was full and mature.

I got to know her pretty well when I carried her drunk ass out of the club. She was talkative when she was intoxicated, she told me all of her favorite foods, sex positions, and brands of tequila. She was heavy enough as it was, but she wanted to play "rocketship" while I was trying to carry her. Which meant her trying to climb up my body and jump into the air.

It was not a fun game.

She stared at me as she slumped into the couch.

She reminded me of Carly, an old girlfriend I had. We had broken up when she went back to working the clubs as a stripper. I didn't want to be in a relationship with a woman that showed her body to anyone with a coupon to the Cheesecake Factory, so we broke up.

"Hey, you look like Jason Borne, but the Russian version." She said plainly, her big green eyes looking me up and down.

"And you look like Melissa McCarthy." I retorted, pulling out my phone.

she scrunched up her face, "I'm THICC, not FAT." She growled.

It was true, she wasn't fat. But she wasn't tiny like Calla, she had much bigger boobs, and a bigger ass.

"Who are you anyway? I don't recall Calla ever mentioning a Russian man coming to violate our privacy" She asked, her face was scrunched up in confusion as she stared at my expensive profile.

"A friend of Calla's. If you don't recall, I'm also the man that saved your life." I said, not looking up at her as I texted Sinister.

"You're not that asshole Sinister, are you?"

Anger pooled through me. She had no idea what she was talking about, this clueless bitch. She had no idea the amount of joy it would bring me to put a bullet through her face.

"What do you know about Sinister?" I asked slowly, trying to keep my voice steady as I turned my attention towards her.

She toyed with her wet hair, "only that he's the dick that destroyed my best friends heart. She told me they dated for awhile, but he broke up with her for no reason. He sounds like a total prick."

My body tensed as I glared at her, "Then you don't know the full story. He had his reasons for doing what he did."

She leaned forward in her seat, "tell me the full story then, Gucci boy."

She did not just fucking call me Gucci boy.

"I wont test your limited IQ by telling you the story." I said plainly, pulling out my phone again.

She made an agitated noise, and frankly I didn't care. I was only relieved that Calla wasn't stupid enough to break omerta by telling her friend. At least she was smart about that.

"Why are you here anyways? I think Calla made it pretty clear you're not invited here." Her voice was sassy, I almost felt bad for the bitch. She had no idea who she was talking to.

"Listen very closely to me, you little pizda. Who do you think paid for this lovely apartment you live in? Who do you think is the reason Calla has the money to buy all of your food and clothing? Who do you think is the reason you both are alive right now?" (Cunt)

She frowned at me, her dark eyebrows crooked at she said nothing

I continued, "that's right, Sinister pays for it all. You have no idea what you're talking about. Next time you open your incompetent mouth to say shit about him, think twice, because you and Calla both owe him more than you know."

She opened her mouth to say something back when Calla walked in.

I didn't think many things were beautiful, but she certainly was. Even now, with no makeup and plain clothes, she was stunning. Me calling her beautiful wasn't an expression for my affection towards her, she was simply someone I cared for, nothing more, but I had never been able to get over the beauty she possessed.

Calla glanced at me with her bright blue eyes, I could see the dozens of questions she had. She glanced at Rachel, who was now eating a bag of Cheetos.

"Rach...can I have some time to talk to Afanas, alone?"

Rachel shoved a chip in her mouth, "you guys can talk in front of me, I don't really care."

I felt my patience shallow, and I considered threatening her with my .9 mm that was shoved in my pocket. Instead I pulled out my wallet and held out a hundred dollar bill.

"This is yours if you leave."

Her green eyes sparkled as she grabbed the bill from my hand and trotted towards the door.

"I'm gonna go spend this money on drugs!" She chirped before skipping out the front door.

I settled my gaze on Calla, who had her knees pulled to her chest. Her ink black hair fell around her waist, she looked tired.

There was so much this girl didn't know. She thought Sinister didn't care about her, but he did. That man has been a fucking wreck ever since her let her go. He actually shot a member of the family in his rage. He let her go to keep her safe, and I know why he did. His love for Calla put a target on her back. As the leader of the Russian Mafia, Sinister was a very powerful man, but nothing could keep a man like him from having enemies.

He couldn't bring himself to ever be away from her, so he married her. My best friend thought that he could protect her, but nothing can save the ones you love from the chaos that is the Mafia.

Calla was so young, she deserved to have the life of a normal teenager. She needed a life where she could find a normal man, with a normal job, and have normal kids. She needed an ordinary life.

But it was so clear to me that she would never stop loving Sinister. She had that fire in her eyes that screamed the fight she had. I knew she would never stop thinking about him, or fighting the distance between them.

"Does he still love me?" Her eyes were a watery blue that made me picture her alone in the ocean, swimming towards a man who was drowning in his conflict.

Sinister was a complicated man, but there was always one thing that was certain about him: He loved this girl.

I paused for a moment, "he never stopped loving you, Calla."

"We can get through it" her voice quivered "I'll even stay indoors and away from trouble. I'll never leave his side."

"Calla..."

She shook her head furiously, "You don't understand, I can't be without him. I can't stop thinking about him. I try, but sometimes I'll see something that reminds me of him, and I cant take it anymore. He gave me everything, he gave me a reason to live. I've tried to be strong, but I can't live without him. I don't care if I die, or if I get hurt, I just have to be with him."

I felt my heart dip at her words, a tear trickled down her cheek, and I felt my heart hurt.

"You might not care if you die, but he does. If you ever got hurt, he wouldn't be able to live with himself."

She pulled her legs to her chest and took in a shaky breath, "I don't care. Everything in me hurts, it hurts because I feel so deeply. And despite the pain, loving him is worth it."

The room was silent, all that could be heard was the shaky breaths from the broken girl beside me. I never really understood love. Most people say it without giving it a thought. People love their best friends, people love their family, but I think I understood the love Calla felt for Sinister.

She had built up these walls for years, keeping everyone out. Then he came into her life and with a touch of his finger, her walls had crumbled to ashes.

I think I finally understand the love they have, its the kind where you will do anything for each other. That kind of love, that is so strong, it hurts. Sinister may have fell in love with Calla despite the world he lived in.

But Calla fell in love with a monster, and that made all the difference.

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