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)
Gio may have saved me, but he also hadn’t come to my brothers. He hadn’t told them what happened, and with each passing day, my brothers would see that as a betrayal… among other things.
Gio was, after all, family.
“Just go,” Amara said with a hell of a lot of strength in her voice. “Give us a moment, okay?” She stared at her husband, giving him a look I was pretty sure no one else had ever dared to. “Boys, please.” Her voice sounded soft but held a note of pleading in her tone. “Just a few minutes, all right? Pretty sure you two acting like barbarians isn’t helping or going to get you any answers.”
Dmitry and Nikolai stared at each other, their jaws clenched, their fists curling and relaxing. Finally, they huffed out a breath and left, shutting my bedroom door behind them louder than needed.
I held in my eyeroll as I stared at my sister-in-law, then looked back out the window.
My mind and body felt so raw and used from the emotional intensity of fighting with my brothers, dealing with the assault, and waging war with my thoughts concerning Gio.
Amara stayed quiet for long seconds, but I sensed her come closer. I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself as the weight of the silence in the room grew and pressed down on me.
“Look at me,” she said softly.
I did as the woman requested and saw she had an expression on her face that was like a knife to my gut. I didn’t want nor need anyone to feel sorry for me.
Amara had such a soft and sweet demeanor. I could see why Nikolai loved her so much. I hoped Dmitry would find that someday soon.
Nikolai was a wild card. A stick of dynamite with barely a fuse. He was certifiably insane. A sociopath. But somehow, this woman had made him… love.
“How are you doing, Tatiana?” Amara asked gently, her voice a soothing balm that helped smooth out the frayed emotions coursing through me.
She moved to sit on the edge of my bed and watched me silently.
I managed a weak smile, actually grateful for her presence, because I felt her calmness wash over me. “I’m fine… despite my appearance and the fact that I’m crying like I can’t control myself.” I brushed away the wetness on my cheeks. “My brothers make me so angry. They are so—”
“Demanding and hardheaded,” Amara inserted with a small smile of her own. She snorted. “To say the least.”
I chuckled softly.
And then we sobered as I felt the conversation shift to what she really wanted to talk about.
“We've been so worried about you,” she confessed, her tone filled with empathy. “When we heard what happened….” She glanced down at her hands, which she had twined together in her lap.
I too looked down at my hands, unable to meet her eye as I thought about last week. The memories were raw and scary and painful.
“It's okay,” she added softly. “You don't have to say anything until you're ready. I just wanted to be here with you and to let you know you're not alone.” She glanced at the door. “And to get the source of your current irritation away for a moment to give you breathing room.”
I exhaled and said, “I’m sure they are right outside the door, huffing and puffing like a couple of penned-up bulls.”
Both of us started chuckling.
“How is Luca?” I asked Amara. I missed my nephew, but I was glad she’d kept him away. The last thing I’d ever want was for that adorable little boy to be in the middle of this family warzone. The negative energy would have been too dark for his sweet, innocent soul.
Amara’s smile lit up as she thought about her precious son. “He’s wonderful. Rowdy and already causing issues—”
“Just like his father,” I cut in this time, and we laughed.
I knew I couldn't stall any longer in talking about my issues, so I decided to just get this shit over with. I took a deep breath, the knot in my chest loosening just a fraction. I knew they meant well, that they were here out of love and concern.
But the words, the act of recounting the nightmare out loud, felt like I would be reliving it. And I hadn’t realized until that moment that… thinking about it scared the fuck out of me more than anything else.
“We want to help,” Amara whispered, her voice breaking slightly. “But we need to know what happened, so we can figure out how.”
I nodded slowly, lifting my gaze to my sister-in-law. I swallowed hard, preparing myself to do this.
Amara placed her hand on mine. Her support moved through me.
The room suddenly felt charged with a tense anticipation of the words about to spew from my mouth.
“I was stupid as hell.” I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. “I went to one of those underground fights at the old slaughterhouse.” The silence felt even thicker, and I dropped my hands to look at her and see the judgment in her eyes.