Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I opened my mouth but didn’t say a thing. I couldn’t find the words to speak. It was then I heard the click-clack of nails coming toward us out of the kitchen. I watched as Dmitry’s Doberman, Sasha, trotted over to me. She sat beside my feet, and I instantly crouched, wrapping an arm around her back and pulling her in close.
I instantly felt calm as she nuzzled against me, sensing my unease.
“Прежде всего…” First off… Dmitry’s voice was dangerously low and his words even. “Мы поговорим о том, где ты была всю ночь.” We’re going to talk about where you were all night.
I stayed crouched as I stared at my big brother. It was then I felt a prickling wave settle over me and knew Nikolai had also turned his full attention on me. I dragged my gaze from Dmitry to stare at him, the man whom I’d heard through the rumor mill once took sadistic pleasure in tearing the finger and toenails off a man for cutting him off in traffic.
There was menace radiating off Nikolai to the point that Sasha growled and moved her body to position it in front of me.
“Кто, черт возьми, сделал это с твоим чертовым лицом, Тати?” Who the hell did that to your fucking face, Tati? He stood and tossed his phone onto the coffee table with a loud clang against the glass.
He moved a step forward, and Sasha took a threatening stance. I watched as she lowered her head and growled more aggressively.
“I don’t want to talk about this right now.” My voice was harsh, scratchy, and fuck did it hurt to speak. Keeping my eyes on Sasha, I didn’t look at my brothers to see their reaction. I knew they would be livid.
The big, black-and-brown beast growled again, and I finally glanced at my siblings.
Nikolai’s jaw clenched as he stared at the Doberman. “Дмитрий, контролируй Сашу, чтобы мы во всем этом разобрались.” Dmitry, get Sasha under control, so we can figure this shit out.
While she had stayed at his house while our brother was in jail, Sasha was actually attached to Amara, not Nikolai. I’d laughed many times in the past five years, as I watched the protective dog take this same stance in front of my sister-in-law when her husband got too bossy or hotheaded.
“Саша, приди.” Sasha, come. Dmitry’s voice was firm.
I felt Sasha’s muscular body tense, as if she wanted to go to her owner but also wanted to stay next to me and protect me from the “threat” she deemed immediate.
“чёрт возьми, Саша.” For fuck’s sake, Sasha, Nikolai snapped. “Она моя сестра. Я не собираюсь причинять ей боль.” She’s my sister. I’m not going to hurt her.
Sasha moved toward Dmitry then, as if she understood what Nikolai said. But I could see how contracted her muscles were under her sleek, dark coat as she sat beside one man but kept a laser-focused eye on the other.
No one spoke for long seconds, and then Dmitry exhaled and ran a hand over his short hair.
Nikolai stared at Sasha for a second, his jaw clenched tightly as he ground his molars. Finally, he huffed out a curse and walked toward me.
I noticed Dmitry petting Sasha, probably to keep her in line so she didn’t lunge toward us. I pulled back my shoulders and stood to look my brother in the eye, albeit about a foot higher than my own, wanting him to see that although my appearance was no doubt shocking, I wasn’t weak. I wouldn’t—not even in the face of my brothers’ protective wrath—be intimidated.
“I’m tired,” I whispered, but I still didn’t sound like myself. It hurt to even breathe, let alone force words out of my mouth.
Maybe it was the look in my eyes or the hard set of my face as I glanced between my brothers, but I saw this… almost resignation cover Dmitry’s face, as if he knew I wouldn’t budge on this.
“I’m just as stubborn as the two of you,” I muttered under my breath in English, my skull pounding from a massive headache and my entire face feeling like it had been run over with a semi.
Dmitry chuckled, and Nikolai cut him a scathing look.
Although both of the men were hardcore in everything they did in life, out of the two of them, Nikolai was the legitimate sociopath. And right now—as I stared into his wild-looking eyes—I could see the only thing on his mind was vengeance.
Before I knew it, Nikolai was standing mere inches from me, his breathing increasing the longer we stared at each other.
“Даже если ты не расскажешь нам, кто это с тобой сделал, Татти…” Even if you don’t tell us who did that to you, Tati… Nikolai ground the words out from between his clenched teeth. “Ты чертовски хорошо знаешь, что мы собираемся выяснить, кто это был.” You know damn well we’re going to fucking find out who it was.