A child's smile can make heartache disappear in a flash
Can make a heart soar when it was destined to crash
A child's innocence is everything pure that exists
To the thankless world, these angels are God's gifts..
Tatiana Petrov's POV
I couldn't breathe. My deprived lungs struggled in my chest while my heart was gripped in icy horror. It was as if I was drowning, desperately trying to find something that I could hold onto but I came away with nothing but fists full of darkness each time.
Light was a luxury that was determined to evade me.
My head throbbed as it tried to contain its memories within its walls but they kept pushing at its tenuous balance, threatening to plunder it irreparably.
I wanted to shout at my mind to shut up and let me be at peace for a second but all my mouth could muster were laboured pants that shook my entire being with every exhale.
A peaceful second, a treasure that had costed me a million nightmares yet was unattainable.
"I will have you again and again until you have nothing left to give."
A shudder ripped through me as those ominous words surfaced in my mind. I wrapped my arms around myself in a protective cage and for once I wasn't the brave girl that could single handedly take on the world.
No I was once again the scared girl who had watched her soul die a painfully slow death and it being left in so dilapidated a condition that it could never be whole again.
But it wasn't all gone. No that would be too easy- being empty. It was still there inside me, laying uselessly like shards of broken glass that kept hurting as I seem to be prancing about barefoot all over them.
My heart wept as my soul bled a colour darker than red.
The shrill sound of the cordless phone at my bedside table rang in my ears. I mechanically unwound my arms from around myself and I could physically feel myself slip into my hard shell once again.
I reached over and plucked the handset out of its stand to answer.
"Hello?" My voice was even and relaxed.
" The King has asked for you in the conference room right now, Princess."
" I'll be right there." I said before hanging up.
I quickly brushed my teeth and changed into a black tank top and denim jeans . My gaze fell outside through the open doors of my balcony. The sun had not bared its face to world as of yet but I could see the bright hue over the horizon that sang of its approaching arrival.
The birds chirped to welcome a new day while most of mankind was still doused in an ignorant slumber.
I reached the conference room and saw my father sitting at the head of an otherwise empty table. He gestured for me to take a seat.
I slipped into a chair and waited for Father to speak. The light frown on his face seemed to be telling me that something was wrong and out of habit I know that it's the Italians at work after laying low for a while.
I swear sometimes I feel that we Russians are some kind of superhero league on a quest to purge these villainous Italians.
But in truth we are bad too. We are into supplying drugs and ammunition among other things that are deemed illegal by law. But the Italians...they are worse .
We kill our prey and move on but they.....those vile barbarians exploit before going for the kill.
" The Italians have set up a new prostitution ring right in the heart of our area."
I sighed. This isn't the first brothel that they own. But having it on our land is like they want to instigate us.
" So I go there and shut it down, right?" Pretty simple if you ask me.
" Let me finish." Father said in a stern voice.
I nodded.
" Our source in the NYPD has reported half a dozen missing children in the last few days. All of them are girls of about ten or so."
I slammed my fist angrily on the table .
" Those f*cking bastards!" I snarled furiously.
" Calm down Tatiana. We plan for a day or two and then we will attack."
" No! A day is too long a wait to save a child's innocence and a child is too precious to not save. I will gather my men and attack as soon as the sun is below the horizon. This is enough time to get the facts and the details of the layout of this place."
My father knew better and just nodded.
I stormed out of the room and got to work laying out the course of action with a dozen of my men in interaction with our source in the police.
Half of the day passed and now I sat in my car, speeding through the busy streets of the city. Rage boiled under the surface of my skin as I overtook people and skipped stop lights.
The tires screeched loudly as I slammed the brakes and stopped a few blocks away from the brothel.
All my men scattered in different directions, leaving me alone as I walked briskly through the crowded streets.
I reached the address and the building in front of me appeared to be a cheap, smelly bar by the looks of it. I felt for the holster that was belted to my upper thigh.
The place was quite desolate apart from the people who were stepping into the bar.
I saw a few of my men merge into groups of people and enter the bar .
But I knew that the bouncers here would be on high alert not for my men but for me . They would recognise me in an instant.
So be it.
I walked up to the place right next to the door of the bar, within sight of the two bouncers . I made a big show of slowly removing my long black overcoat.
I shrugged off one of the shoulders first, leaving the creamy skin of my shoulder bare. I turned my head to look at the two men and winked. Their eyes clouded over as they looked at me like hungry wolves.
I turned fully to face them and shimmied seductively out of the coat and let it pool at my feet, leaving me in a short, shimmery red dress with a plunging neckline and sexy red pumps for my feet. I could see their eyes run lustily down my long legs .
