All We Ever Needed Page 2

  “Tomas, no!”

  He ignored Elin’s command and she shot two more times. A crimson splash bloomed like a rose on the guard’s stomach. With a surprised expression, Tomas collapsed. Rudii reached down and snatched the crowbar from the dead man’s hands, holding it like a bat at the group.

  “Baby! Are you alright?!” he shouted over his shoulder. Jesus Christ! These were his fucking in-laws. And they’d just tried to kill him! Presently, the oldest man, her father, Rudii presumed, was regarding him with rabid hatred. Disconcerted by the enmity, his grip on the metal tightened.

  Before Elin could answer, an eerie howl filled the suite. The startled group searched for its location. Piercing and mournful, it came from an anguished Tage. Ziva was in his arms, gasping as her husband tried to prevent the bleeding from the small hole in her chest.

  "Don’t leave me, beloved!"

  “Tage…be good…Otto...” Ziva coughed up blood as her husband rocked her and frantically kissed her upturned face. “Don’t… let him… turn out…”

  “Ziva!” Madeline cried, coming to help Tage support her body. She began to pray, and Vera joined in.

  Julian grabbed the hotel phone and made a call. He fired off orders in rapid Swedish, glowering at his sister the entire time before finally hanging up.

  “For Christ’s sake, someone call a fucking doctor!” Rudii shouted.

  As it wasn’t necessary, no one moved.

  Belatedly, he realized the woman was gone.

  Killed by Elin’s bullet that ricocheted off the crowbar.

  “Oh my God,” she whimpered, sinking to the floor, eyes fixated on her dead sister-in-law. In one fell swoop, she’d made her brother a widower, and his child, motherless. “Sweet, sweet Ziva.”

  “Elin.” Rudii dropped the crowbar and leaped across the bed to get to her. He grabbed the silk comforter and wrapped it around his naked wife.

  "What have you done?!" Tage screamed raggedly at Elin, spurring Ivar into motion.

  “Father no!” Julian’s protest was overshadowed by his brother’s hysteria.

  The crowbar was in Ivar’s hands, swinging toward Rudii’s head. The motion shook Elin out of her stupor. She shoved her husband forward and out of the way, taking the brunt of the blow. Exploding stars clouded Elin’s vision. The pain was pure fire and something warm and wet dripped from the side of her forehead.

  It was all she remembered before everything went blurry and she blacked out.

  ***

  The downpour of freezing water over his head woke Rudii. Weak from starvation and aching from the beating, it took sheer will for him to lift his head. Through nearly shut eyes, Rudii barely managed to make out the distorted shapes of Elin’s brothers. Jerking and shivering, his muffled shouts could be heard even through the gag in his mouth. Abruptly, he was cut down from the hook hanging from the rafters and landed on the wet concrete, rinsed free of his vomit. Although now clean, the stench of his sickness lingered in the chilly air. The fall was excruciating to his beaten body. Every breath, labored and jagged, felt like it could be Rudii’s last due to his broken ribs. Ivar’s minions had also pistol-whipped him, fracturing his nose and cheekbone.

  “Where’s my wife?” he hoarsely demanded when the gag was wrenched out of his cracked, swollen lips. She was the hope he held onto to get him through this ordeal. And their baby. Unconsciously, Rudii knew she hadn’t mentioned the baby. He wouldn’t still be alive if that was the case. “What have you done with Elin?”

  “Hopefully, she’s in hell, rotting away. It’s the least of what she deserves.”

  This came from a haggard Tage, who reeked of alcohol. The man’s grief was a decaying wound. He’d aged considerably since their last encounter, and Rudii couldn’t blame him. But that didn’t excuse his behavior. Elin hadn’t killed Ziva deliberately.

  “I’m gonna kill you!” He tried to push himself up, but he was weak, and the pain was…agonizing. Gasping, he fell back, convulsing, as tears poured down his bloodied face.

  “So, you’re a killer like your wife, eh?” Tage sneered his disgust. “No wonder you’re so well-suited!”

  Puzzled, Rudii focused on him as best as he could. “What are you talking about? My wife isn’t a killer! Look, man, I’m sorry for what happened to your wife. It was a freak accident, though! Elin didn’t mean it…” he drifted off lamely.

  Where had the gun come from? With a silencer too?? And the way she’d held it with familiar ease, pointing it gracefully at her targets. As if she were used to doing it… Rudii’s conscience concluded.

  “Didn’t mean it?!” Tage yelled. “Have you any idea who you’ve married? Elin could shoot the wings off a fucking hummingbird, you moron! Or were you too concerned with her pussy to find out anything else about her? She’s a goddamn killer!”

  “That’s enough, Tage!” Julian sharply interjected. “You know it was an accident. I mourn Ziva and for you and Otto as well. And we know Elin does too. It was a horrible and unfortunate occurrence.”

  “Go to hell, Julian! You’re defending that duplicitous cunt because you knew what she was doing all along! Admit it! You’re the only one that didn’t look surprised when Father informed us why we’d been gathered in the middle of the night! The two of you have always been thick as thieves! Meanwhile, this idiot she married knows nothing about her!”

  Tage pivoted around to Rudii who was now on his feet, swollen eyes ping-ponging between them. “Have you finally wised up? She works directly for our father, you stupid farm boy! Elin’s a Guardian! She’s a professional assassin! She’s killed at least twenty-five people that I know of who’ve been stupid enough to threaten Falk family interests and investments.”

  “You’re lying!”

  Tage’s grin was malicious. “Then tell me what Elin does for a living? Is she a stewardess? Fashion model? Sell encyclopedias? What occupation did our dear sister possibly give that convinced you of why she traveled so often?!” He tapped the side of his head for emphasis. “Use. Your. Damn. Head!”

  “What is it that you do, sweetheart?”

  “I’m an au pair currently in between jobs. My last post ended two days ago, here in Copenhagen, and I’ve now been assigned to a family in Sweden…”

  “Is that why you’re so sad?” Rudii wondered.

  Elin looked surprised. “Who said I was sad?”

  With a sympathetic smile, Rudii pointed at the mirror behind the bar. “The eyes don’t lie, darlin’. I could see your sadness from the entrance.”

  “My work is very…complicated.” She took a sip of her cosmopolitan and offered him a weary half-smile. “It’s changed me in ways that I never imagined.”

  “You get too attached to the little ones?”

  “Something like that…”

  The brothers’ expressions said it all. Julian’s was a mix of pity and accusation. Tage’s, grief and pure loathing. They shared an underlying factor—honesty.

  Rudii felt as if he’d been knocked on his ass all over again. “Where is she? Take me to her now!”

  “That’s exactly what we’ve come to do.” Tage pulled a pistol from the back of his pants and aimed it at his new brother-in-law's chest. One of the guards tied his hands behind him with rope. “Walk. It’s time to decide your fate.”

  ***

  “You’re a disgrace!” Ivar Falk declared contemptuously to his daughter. “I don’t care if I have to cage you; you will not leave this house unless ordered!”

  The declaration was accompanied by a resounding backhand that jerked Elin’s head back against the wall. She winced from the impact and shook her tangled hair away from her face. Normally resembling gold-spun silk, it was now darkened and matted with dried blood in some areas. The three-inch gash to her forehead from the crowbar had been stitched by the family physician. One-by-one, her fingers had been broken and her feet were manacled to the floor. These actions should have rendered her useless. The group of men in the room knew better, however. It was the reason the chair she
was chained to had been shackled to the wall, and they were warily giving her a wide berth.

  Slowly Elin turned her head back toward her father, her face on fire. She’d bitten the inside of her cheek, and blood covered her tongue. She swallowed it instead of spitting it out. Elin wouldn’t put it past her father to make her lick it up.

  “Tonight should never have happened. I should have come to you about Rudii. I’m sorry about that and Ziva’s death. I will mourn her beyond my grave,” she spoke quietly, sincerely. “How did you find me?”

  “You overestimate yourself. How much value do you think the apologies of a liar hold? Ebbe’s sister, Hava, was having lunch at the Gladstand today and saw you and that bastard entering the hotel across the street! She left her luncheon to follow you! According to that busybody, you were getting into the elevator when she arrived. Hava inquired at the front desk about you and relayed the information to Ebbe. Traitorous whore!” Ivar seethed.

  “Your actions have ruined this family forever. You want cock that bad, eh? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tie you down and let the men feed you theirs repeatedly!”

  His voice climbed octaves with every word, his hands curling as if to reach for her once more. Elin was appalled and fascinated by his lack of control. Her father was born from ice. Always cool under pressure. The rumors of how he achieved his wealth were still whispered in covert circles. Was he mafia? Did he really own brothels and sell drugs? In the end, it didn’t really matter because no one was bold enough to inquire aloud or in his presence. The few that foolishly denounced him in public had vanished without a trace, some by Elin’s own design.

  Madeline complemented Ivar in every way. Where he was frigid, she was the warmth by a fireside. As his devoted wife, she always made sure that he sounded and looked impeccable. His sons, Julian and Tage, resembled him with their elongated, aristocratic faces and thin lips while Elin favored their mother with her soft, luminescent beauty. Madeline loved her country, husband, and children, but she also understood business and the importance of balance. Madeline did not bat an eye nor shed a tear when the day came for Julian, Tage, and Elin to enroll in Instruction. She accompanied Ivar to every lesson, and cheered and critiqued their progress, providing support readily to aid them in adjusting to their duties.

  Presently, she sat rigidly next to Ivar’s desk, perfectly coiffed and impeccably dressed, flawless makeup covering her impassive face. The other men in the room took their cue from her and remained stoic. Madeline hadn’t so much as winced when her daughter’s bones had snapped. Eyes shimmering with unshed tears, she’d nodded her approval at Elin who silently accepted the repercussions of her betrayal. Ivar, on the other hand, was pure madness. He’d shed his suit jacket and tie, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, and his normally groomed hair was skewed all over his head. His cool, blue eyes were dark with murderous rage, his complexion splotchy.

  Spittle flew from his mouth when he snarled, “You’ve forsaken the oath you pledged! For some lowly American carpenter?! You wish to be the wife of a trashy commoner? That is not your life! Your life is here, serving your family! I’ve given you the world, and you’ve stabbed me in the back!”

  “I have a new life now,” Elin spoke quietly, refusing to be intimidated. Her eyes searched the room for understanding but found none. The odds seemed hopeless now. However, she’d gotten out of far worse. “This life here serves me no longer. I’ve apologized exponentially for what happened, but I did leave you a letter explaining my position.”

  “You left a letter,” Ivar mocked, approaching her stealthily, his eyes calculating. He didn’t stop until her throat was in his grip. He was squeezing as if he could crush Elin’s newfound independence from her. Until black dots danced before her eyes and her airway was completely constricted. “A letter? I deserve more than a damned letter!” he fumed. “You ungrateful, arrogant little bitch! Tradition will not be defied! You’ve humiliated me and Nolan and tarnished my relationship with his father!”

  “Ivar, that’s enough!” Madeline rose to her feet and crossed the room to pull at her husband’s arm. He ignored her. “Enough, I said!”

  Elin’s broken fingers attempted to grasp at the chair’s arms, trying to twist away, but Ivar used his other hand to hold her in place. Her skin was turning blue from the lack of oxygen, and Elin’s eyes rolled back in her head as her strength depleted. Still, Ivar persisted, enjoying his daughter’s helplessness. Unexpectedly, she was freed when he was shoved aside.

  “No! Don’t kill her!”

  The protest came from Tage. Elin felt fleeting relief that her brother came to her defense. It quickly transformed into caution, however, at his appearance. He reeked of alcohol, and there was a slur to his words and a sway in his stance. Anguished, bloodshot eyes regarded Elin judgmentally, like the true villainess she was in his broken fairytale. Perhaps in time, he would be able to forgive her, she despaired, her heart breaking for destroying his.

  “Tage, I wish I could take it all back,” she implored, slipping into an abyss of sorrow at all of the pain she’d inflicted. “You have to know that! I loved Ziva! She was my sister!”

  Ignoring her, Tage dully replied to their father, “Kill him. Then we’ll be even.”

  “Absolutely not! I forbid it!” Madeline gasped, taking her youngest son by the arm. “You need to be with your child. Go, darling. We’ll handle this situation accordingly.”

  “A death for a life is ‘accordingly’!”

  Those in attendance considered his alternative then reluctantly nodded their agreement. While they held Elin in the highest regard and deferred to her, clemency would not be granted because of her sex or family ties.

  This was all her fault.

  Rudii would never go home to the warm, wonderful family she’d only heard lovely things about. They would always wonder what happened to him. He would die because he’d done a delightfully, hazardous thing by falling in love with her, Elin Falk, daughter of the most ruthless man in Sweden. Her child deserved Rudii and his generous brand of loving.

  Julian came forward to defend her. “We’ve already lost too much tonight! Despite what has happened, I refuse to lose another sister and aunt for my children.”

  Ivar could barely stand to look at his youngest offspring. Elin had been his pride and joy. She was excellent at her trade and he’d trusted her implicitly. Most people assumed that they were inseparable because they worked together, but little did they know, she actually led his security detail. Lovely girl that she was, Elin could slip in and out of places undetected due to her physicality. Hence her moniker “The Illusionist”.

  And she’d turned her back on him like he was nothing for that degenerate.

  “Bring him in!”

  Rudii was brought in to stand before Ivar. Defiantly, he spit in his father-in-law’s face and was kicked sharply in the back of the knees until he fell at Ivar’s feet. Madeline rose and handed her husband a tissue.

  "Min kärlek (My love)!" Witnessing Rudii’s injuries did what Ivar’s brutal ministrations couldn’t. Tears fell in rivulets down Elin’s face. She strained to break free from the chair and get to her injured husband.

  “She’s gone and married a fool,” Madeline stated disapprovingly.

  Ivar watched his daughter as he wiped his face clean of blood and saliva. His once attentive, obedient offspring hadn’t even looked his way to see how he’d respond to the blatant disrespect. Ivar grabbed a fistful of Rudii’s hair and powered his fist into his already injured nose, knocking him down again.

  ”Death it shall be,” he decreed with finality.

  ”Enough! I beg of you!” Elin screamed at her parents. “Leave him alone! It was all me! He had no idea of my background or who I was! I lied to him about everything! Punish me instead!”

  Rudii tried to roll around to face her. Blood poured from his broken nose, and he felt psychotic by what he could make out. Elin, bound and bruised, sobbing over him with regret. By rights, he sh
ould hate her. She was nothing but a beautifully seductive liar. And yet, he couldn’t. Judging from Ivar’s personality, the outcome still would have been unfavorable if they’d been formally introduced. Elin had wanted to protect him from this insanity. His head lowered sluggishly in defeat, trying to figure out how he could possibly rationalize with this lunatic and get them out of here if an opportunity presented itself.

  ”Surprise, surprise. More lies from a liar,” Ivar jeered at her.

  Julian stepped forward, in front of Rudii. ”She’s telling the truth! Hear her out!” he beseeched.

  ”Get out of my way, boy!”

  ”Ivar, wait!” Madeline placed a hand on her husband’s arm, not at all intimidated by his ferocious scowl. ”I agree with Julian. What purpose will death serve now?”

  ”It will help restore honor to our house!”

  Elin could no longer keep quiet. ”I hate that it has come to this; unfortunately, you’ve left me no choice. I request a private meeting between the immediate family, Rudii, and me. There is something I should tell you before you proceed with your plans.”

  “Everyone out at once!” Madeline commanded.

  Since she never raised her voice, the men hastened to do her bidding. She stepped over Rudii to get to her daughter, hating that Elin’s happiness had ostracized her from them. Ivar had not been her first choice, and Madeline had hoped that, in time, Elin would grow to love Nolan and they’d build a fruitful union. The American had nothing going for him or to offer except love. She felt more than a twinge of disappointment that her daughter chose to be ignorant to the life lessons Madeline tried to instill in her.

  “Elin, my love, I hope you’ve considered your next actions more wisely than your previous ones. Only a fool would open their mouth and prove their accuser correct.”

  “I believe that to be true as well. That is why I will keep my contingency plan private.”

  “Contingency plan?!” Ivar echoed.

  For the first time that day, Elin smiled faintly. “I know I may not seem like it now, but, I am your daughter. If anything were to happen to Rudii or me…” she spared her barely conscious husband a determined glance, “that should be proof enough that I mean what I say.”