- 6 2 -
Taking a quick shower, I blow dried my hair and then straightened them, because why not?
After that I put on some eyeliner that made me look like a total badass, and red lipstick, smacking my lips together in satisfaction at the crimson colour.
Looking at my outfit, I wore it quickly, my confidence growing ten folds as I slipped on my boots and looked in the mirror, smiling to myself.
Nodding to myself, I adjust the belts and chains on my outfit, tying my shoelaces together and grab my knives, placing them in strategic places if the need arose.
I grabbed my phone and some money, stuffing them in one of the many pockets before making my way downstairs.
"Thea, you ready?" Zarina said coming out of her own room with Zephyr behind her, both dressed in all black outfits.
"Yup." I said.
"Wow, you look bad ass." Zephyr said giving me a once over when I flipped my hair dramatically.
"Thank you, I aim to please." I said when they both chucked.
"Oh you'll be aiming at something tonight, that's for sure." He said as we made our way downstairs where my brothers were already waiting for me, along with Ivan, dressed immaculately in their suits.
"All ready?" Alex asked giving me a once over and smiled in satisfaction when I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm ready. I think." I said chuckling nervously.
"We'll be there, kotenok." Ivan reassured me and I smiled when Ana joined us with a smile.
"You're coming too?" I asked when she smiled.
"Yeah, in case of any emergencies or anyone getting injured. I could be of help." She said when I glanced at Anton who just shook his head and I chuckled.
"Sounds good. Let's go, yeah?" I asked when Anton nodded, leading us all outside.
"You know, I want to see Roman's face when he realizes that Heather was the one who shot their men. And that she's our best sniper." Zephyr said hen I rolled my eyes.
"Ooh, looks like someone's getting in trouble." Zarina nudged me playfully with her shoulder when I smacked her away.
"Shut up, idiots." I said, hiding my own smile as I looked at the passing scenery out the window. Zarina, Zephyr, Ivan and I were in one car, and Alex, Anton, and Ana were in another.
We reached the familiar estate in the following hour, our security entourage taking their places before the front door opened and Enzo strolled out with Gabriel.
All of us came out of our cars, shaking hands with the two men when Roman strolled out in all his glory, dressed immaculately in all black suit with guards behind him.
His hair was neatly combed back, the first two buttons of his black dress shirt kept open that revealed the tattoos on his chest, his light stubble framing his face and his lips pressed in a thin line.
His face was as emotionless as ever, his bright green eyes lifeless and cold as he greeted my family but when they fell on me, they lit up in the slightest, making something tug inside of me.
His eyes raked over my body slowly, lighting a fire in their path while I bit my lip in nervousness when Ava nudged me.
"Is that him?" She whispered to me and I nodded absent minded.
"He's hot." She commented when I smiled and looked at her, nodding.
"He is." I agreed when he walked over to me, his hands in his pockets when I smiled at him and held my hand out.
"Mr. Angelo." I said cheekily when his brows shot up in amusement.
"Angel." He said when my smile grew wider and his hand reached out for mine and pulled me closer to him instead of shaking it.
I crashed into his chest with an 'oomph' when he pressed his lips to mine, not caring who was watching as his lips moved with mine before my brother interrupted our moment.
"I thought I said I'll think about it, darling, not that you could start making out with him in front of us." Anton grunted in displeasure as I pulled away from Roman and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry." I smiled cheekily at him when Roman pressed his lips to my cheek, pulling me into him.
"Where's the sniper?" Gabriel asked looking between me and Roman amused before questioning Anton who smirked.
"Oh, yes, I'd love to meet the person who shot down all our men from such a big distance. I'm a big fan. Although between us, Roman has other plans for the guy." Enzo said in a dramatic whisper when I glanced at Roman.
He was already looking at me and raised his brow at me in question when I smiled nervously.
This is not gonna end well.
"The uh-... sniper is uh-..." I stuttered when Zephyr burst out laughing along with Zarina.
"Oh my god, they have no idea!" They both high fived looking at me smugly as they laughed in their faces.
"What's so funny?" Enzo asked confused when Alex smirked.
"Gentlemen, meet Heather Elias, our sniper. And the best one as of yet." Alex said smugly as all eyes turned to me, shocked and surprised.
"What the actual fuck." Enzo said wide eyed when Roman's arm tightened around me.
"Angel." He said in a slight warning tone when I chuckled humourlessly.
"Surprise, Romy." I said looking up to him sheepishly and bit my lip at the emotionless expression on his face.
"What the fuck? Who the fuck is Romy?" Anton asked confused.
"Roman, Rome, Romy." I said pointing to the man beside me when Ivan burst out laughing.
"Romy? The fuck kotenok?" Ivan slapped his thigh, laughing and Alex soon joined him when Roman grunted in response.
"Shut the fuck up Malev, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in that big, fat head of yours." Roman warned when Ivan smirked, looking at me.
"Oh you'll do no such thing, Angelo. You won't lay a hand on anyone she loves and fortunately, I happen to be one of the people she loves most." He said smugly when Roman's grip on me tightened and he glared daggers at the man and Anton sighed.
"Let's not discuss nicknames for each other right now. Is everything settled?" Anton turned to Roman who nodded stiffly and we all walked inside the house.
We were all instructed on what we had to do, even though we already knew what we were supposed to do.
Once everyone had taken their places, with me on the roof, I made sure the gun I had was to my liking before looking down at my brothers who were conversing with each other when I felt someone behind me.
I smiled, knowing full well who was behind me when two large arms wrapped around my waist and a kiss was placed in my neck.
"Roman." I whispered into the quiet night, feeling his breath fan the back of my neck when he hummed.
"Baby. Did I tell you how sexy you look tonight? I feel like taking you right here so the world knows you're mine." He said huskily when I gasped, smacking his arm, but my face was beet red.
"Thank you for the compliment, I'll have to pass up on your offer, though." I said a little shocked when he chuckled and shook his head,
"How are you holding up?" He asked when I shrugged.
"I don't know. I feel... scared... for some reason. I'm not very fond of guns." I said sighing when he hummed.
"I know baby. You don't have to do this."
"I want to. I mean, I have to get over it sooner or later. I have to face my past someday. I have to face him, someday." I whispered the last part when he turned me around in his arms and pressed his lips to my forehead.
"I know baby." He replied, holding me to him, because that was all I needed right now. For someone to hold me tight.
"Igor Malev was-... is, Ivan's younger brother." I breathed out finally, feeling him tense around me as we sat on the edge of the roof, looking down..
"You don't have to talk about it right now." He whispered, stroking my cheek softly when I smiled sadly.
"I want to." I whispered back, covering his hand cupping my cheek before sighing.
"We grew up together, knew everything about each other, every crush, every secret, every prank. At least I thought so." I sighed, looking out into the distance.
"It was expected of us to eventually fall in love and for a while, things were... perfect. Life was amazing. I thought I was in love, because I was." I said with a small smile.
"He was a few years older than me. We got engaged when I was seventeen because we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. He was 22, then."
"We planned to get married on my eighteenth birthday in Russia, travel the world, plan a family. It was all decided, until, it was not." I said as my eyes glossed over.
"Anton was always weary of him. Never liked the guy, and it upset me a lot that the two people I loved most didn't get along. He never approved of Igor, but he let me have my way anyway." I chuckled humourlessly to diffuse the tension in the air but it was still there.
"For good reason." Roman muttered when I shrugged.
"We had an engagement party on my seventeenth birthday. I had gotten engaged to him a few weeks ago. It was perfect. My dress, my hair, my ring, my cake, my partner, all perfect."
"But there was an argument that day and Anton found something out about Igor. He had been stealing money from us and was helping our enemies overthrow Anton so he could take over." I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"I didn't believe it, obviously, until Igor pointed his own gun at me. His eyes, I still remember them." I sniffled, wiping the stray tears away.
"They were so cold, lifeless, nothing like the ones I'd loved. And he... he pulled the trigger." I said shakily as Roman's arms tightened around me.
"Except, I never got hurt. Anton did. Anton shot Igor too and I thought both shots were fatal, but apparently, they weren't, and both men are very much alive." I said, more tears streaming down my face.
"I thought it was all my fault Anton died, and you know what happened afterward." I said, breathing a sigh of relief as I looked at the full moon, feeling a certain heaviness lift off my chest my shoulders relaxing.
None of us said anything as Roman gently wiped my tears away and held me close to his chest, whispering sweet nothings in my ear in Italian.
I didn't understand anything, but his accent and voice soothed me a lot as I snuggled further into his embrace.
And that was all I needed. For someone to hold me and tell me it was okay, that it was going to be just fine.
"Thank you for telling me baby, it means a lot to know that you trust me." He said, looking deep into my eyes when I smiled.
"I trust you." I told him and saw his small smile that made my heart flip at how beautiful he looked.
"Good." He whispered, nuzzling his face into my hair and taking a deep breath before sighing.
"Can I ask you something baby?" He asked and I nodded.
"Do you still love him?" He sked and I knew whom he was referring to when I pursed my lips.
"I don't know, honestly. He was my first love, and I thought he'd be my last. He held a special place in my naïve heart, and I think I'll always have a soft spot for him." I said and saw Roman nod.
"What about Ivan? Do you love him?" He asked and I hinted the possessiveness in his voice and smiled.
"Yeah, I love him a lot." I said when his jaw clenched and he held me tighter.
"You're not engaged to him anymore, are you?" He asked cautiously when I shook my head.
"No, we broke it off." I said and saw heard him hum in response.
"So you're not marrying him?" He asked when I laughed.
"No, Rome, I'm not marrying him, don't worry."I said patting his chest when he sighed in what seemed to be relief.
"Thank fuck. But you still love him?" He asked sitting up straighter when I grinned.
"Yeah, I really do." I nodded when he frowned.
"Then you'll stay away from him, yeah? I don't want him near you." He said when I laughed, throwing my head back.
"Oh my jelly man, I don't love him like that, it was fake." I said laughing when he frowned, confused.
"Fake? Explain, angel, right fucking now." He ordered when I grinned wider, and told him everything about my fake engagement with Ivan.
"So all this time you kissed him... was fake?" He asked flabbergasted and I nodded.
"Yup." I popped the 'p' when he shook his head, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips.
"It was all fucking fake, I was worried for nothing." He stated when I shrugged.
"Kept you on your toes though, didn't it?" I asked when he nodded, pecking my nose before leaning down to my lips.
"But you're mine now." He murmured, brushing his lips against mine when I smiled softly.
"I'm yours now." I whispered before pulling him to me and pressing my lips to his firmly as he pulled me closer to him so that I was straddling him.
He kissed me back hard, firm, as if he was telling me I was his through the kiss, sealing the deal when I heard someone grunt in annoyance and we had to pull away.
"Why is it that whenever I leave you two alone, you start making out like two horny teenagers?" Anton sighed in annoyance when Roman rolled his eyes.
"Actually, scratch that, you are a teenager." Anton looked at me pointedly when I smiled cheekily.
"I know. Piss off." I said showing him my middle finger when he glared at me and Roman chuckled, pecking my cheek softly.
"Manners, darling. And Roman, our guests are here." Anton looked at both of us meaningfully before I sighed, patting Roman's chest as I got off his lap.
"Are you ready, darling?" Anton asked me and I nodded, taking my place behind the rifle and smiling at both men.
"Stay safe, angel." Roman pecked my forehead and I smiled as both of them left, leaving me all alone to wallow in my thoughts on the roof when the earpiece in my ear came to life.
"Thea, can you hear me?" Zarina spoke and I hummed.
"I can, where do you need me?" I asked.
"Three o' clock, man with blonde hair, tall, wearing sunglasses. Seriously though, who wears sunglasses at night?" She said when I chuckled.
"Anyway, he's wearing a black suit, do you see him?" She asked and I looked at the men who got out of a car and spotted the man immediately.
"I see him. Do I take him out?"
"Not yet, let the other men go and take your shot when he's alone. He's the main bodyguard." She explained.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Thea, man with dark brown hair, six feet two height and muscular build, beard and moustache. He's in a grey suit, do you see him?" Alex spoke into the earpiece.
I looked at the front, watching Alex stand next to Anton and Roman as they watched the men get out of the cars. I spotted the man immediately near the last car, smoking, hidden from the others' view.
"I see him, he's alone. Do I take the shot?" I asked.
"Yes, take it." He said after a few moments when I smirked, turning on the laser beam and pointing it right at the man's chest, I aimed the gun and with a deep breath, took the shot.
The man fell to the ground immediately and Roman's men discreetly carried his body away without anyone else knowing.
"Done." I said.
"Good job. Second man in the car, driver's seat, bulky build and black beard. Take the shot." Anton said and I hummed, taking the shot which hit him perfectly.
"Done, who's next."
"Ivan Malev, tall, black hair, grey eyes." Roman spoke in the ear piece when I giggled.
"Shut the fuck up, Angelo." I heard Ivan and chuckled a bit.
"Yes, yes, we love you too, no need to get your panties in a twist." Enzo said and I shook my head at the men as I took another shot, and then another, and then another.
"Where's your boss?" Anton asked a man in a blue suit who was balding but still seemed powerful when he smirked evilly.
"He's here, Mr. Elias, don't you worry." He replied when I rolled my eyes,
Must they be so dramatic?
"We don't have time to waste, so go tell your boss he better show his ass here or we'll drag him out of the cars." Alex warned when I heard a very familiar laugh, my blood running cold at the voice.
"Anton, Alexander, my old friends, no need to get feisty. I'm sure we can work everything out. Am I wrong, Mr. Angelo?" He looked at Roman whose jaw clenched tightly, his fists closing shut as he glared daggers ta the man in front of him.
"Thea? Thea, are you there? Are you alright?" I heard Zarina's concerned voce through the ear piece while I took deep breaths to calm myself down.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
"I-I'm okay, I'll be okay." I whispered shakily, closing my eyes tightly so the memories wouldn't resurface.
"Angel, listen to me baby, listen to my voice, can you hear me?" I heard Roman's deep voice and sighed.
"I-I can hear you. He wasn't supposed to be here, I-I'm scared, Roman." I whispered, clutching tighter onto the rifle.
"I know, I know baby, but I need you to listen to me. I need you to be brave for me, be the strong girl you are. Don't let him get under your skin. I'm here for you, it's going to be okay, si?" He asked and I nodded my head frantically.
"Y-yes." I answered, feeling myself breathe again.
"Good, now keep your eyes on me baby, and don't worry about anything. I'll kill him before he can even think about you." He said and I smiled.
"Okay, Roman." I said softly, keeping my eyes on him but somewhere in between keeping my eyes on Roman, they unconsciously went to someone else entirely.
Someone I wasn't supposed to see.