Page 66 of Climbing Everest
Everest
I ’ve never really been a patient person, but the constant waiting, the constant anticipation is going to end up giving me a damn ulcer.
I’ll be honest – when my husbands sat me down when we arrived here and filled me in on everything, on the exact reason they were so forthcoming to our honeymoon location when they’ve spent so much time and energy keeping me under wraps the past few weeks I was scared.
Terrified. But not for myself. I was terrified my father would bring too many men for my guys to take on and I would lose all three of them.
The issue here is there’s only so much Kato can do to distract me from the proverbial clock watching. He can’t let his guard down too much, but he can’t make it too obvious that every moment of the past few days all three of them have been waiting for something – anything – to happen.
At first, I was kind of excited. Maybe excited isn’t the right word; it makes me sound bloodthirsty.
Okay, so maybe I’m a little bloodthirsty. Only because I feel as though I’m owed more than the look of shock from my dad and blasé attitude from my mom.
Since the night of our engagement party, I’ve run that night through my head, wondering why the hell the person who brought me into this world hates me so much.
Not like I had a whole lot of interactions with her.
She didn’t raise me. She didn’t comfort me when I woke up crying from a thunderstorm or fell off my bike.
Hell. Neither of my parents even taught me to ride my bike, it was one of the constantly rotating nannies. I swear they came and went so fast I never had a chance to grow attached to any of them.
Looking back, I can’t help but wonder whether my father was having affairs with any of them, if my mom ordered their execution out of jealousy.
Maybe they saw too much, and my father had one of his men put a bullet in their brain. Or maybe they just got tired of my parents’ bullshit and left of their own accord.
There is literally no reason for my mom to be jealous of me – not like my father ever gave me any more attention than she did. And since she didn’t raise me, I wasn’t the cause of any of her precious shopping time being reduced.
So…why? What the hell had I ever done to her to make her obviously hate me?
I suppose the more important question is do I give a shit? I mean, I suppose I love my parents solely because they’re my parents. But definitely not much love lost there.
Kind of funny how the rest of the syndicates see my mom as this quiet, proper English lady when I know she’s drunk more often than not.
Yeah, she’s fairly soft spoken and keeps her mouth shut when she’s dragged to any business functions, but I have a feeling my mom is just as cold, just as sick and twisted as my father to not give two flying fucks that her husband tried to kill her only daughter, her only fucking child .
Giving up on pretending to read the book in my hands while Kato scrolls through his phone, I set the book on the table and lift the remote. Apparently, if you have enough money, you can get every single streaming service even in such an isolated area.
Doesn’t really matter how many choices there are when my focus is elsewhere. It’s been five days since they let me in on everything and as each day passed, my nerves have strung tighter and tighter.
There’s a touch of anxiety, of fear constantly squeezing my heart. Every night when we go to bed, I wake at the softest sounds, convinced we’re under attack.
My guys have reassured me over and over that everything is planned out, that we’re completely safe, but I know my father far better than they do. I wouldn’t put anything past him.
What really irks the fuck out of me is the fact the Pakhan brought the information to my husbands instead of taking care of my father himself. If the leader of the Bratva wants his head, why hand the job over to the Greek syndicate?
No way would anyone in the Bratva go against Roman or fault him for taking out someone who proved they aren’t loyal. Unless, of course, they themselves aren’t loyal to their Pakhan.
Choosing a movie at random, I keep my eyes on the screen but don’t really see anything. As far as I know, I chose a porn or some shit for as much attention as I’m paying the TV.
I just want this over. I want the constant risk that’s been hanging over my head to be gone, and I want to have a life with my husbands without constantly looking over our shoulders.
I know they’ll still have enemies, still have people who would come after me to get to them, but they also have men who are loyal to them regardless of Kato’s age or how he came into power.
From the corner of my eye, I see Kato lower his phone to his lap and turn his head toward me.
I glance up and frown. He tilts his head toward the bedroom, my signal to get ready to lock myself in one of the two rooms with a locking door. The bedroom is where the weapons are stashed, but also has windows where someone could crash through if they really wanted to get to me.
That is if they even knew where I was hiding.
I don’t want to hide. I want to stand side by side with my husbands and face down my parents. I want to be the one to pull the trigger, to end the life of the monsters who tried to end mine.
No matter how much I’d pleaded my case, no matter how much I yelled and cursed, I’d lost that battle. It was three to one. Should have known from the moment they told me their plan I wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near what they consider a threat.
At least they made sure I’d be armed. Those just in case moments are far too common, and I would rather not have to hold someone off with a pillow until one of my husbands can get to me.
Speaking of my other two men, they should be making their way toward the cabana by now. I don’t know whether one of them texted Kato, whether one of the guards pretending to be distracted alerted him, or whether he actually heard someone approaching.
Whichever it was I really, really hope Madd and Brix catch on. I have no doubt when it comes to Kato’s abilities, but that will only be beneficial if it’s a fair fight and my father doesn’t somehow blindside us.
And see, those last two options…my father does nothing fair. He’ll take any and every opportunity to make this as quick as possible. I’ll be surprised if he gets his hands dirty instead of ordering one of his men to take me out like he did four years ago.
Ohh. I so badly want to walk right up to him, put the barrel of a gun to his forehead, and squeeze the trigger. I want to see the surprise in his eyes, the fear, then watch as the life bleeds from them.
He’d so badly wanted to be the Pakhan. I still don’t know the full details, but the guys finally let me in on some of the bullshit that had been going on with their shipments.
My father had put someone on the inside and had been stealing from them, diverting shipments so he could intercept them, all the while keeping it from Roman Yegorov.
That alone is enough to earn an execution, but the fact Dima Sidorov chose to run like a pussy instead of coming clean to his Pakhan sealed the deal and he practically signed his own death certificate.
It might have been easier had Roman or one of his men dealt with my father, but then I wouldn’t get the gratifying sense of justice. Even if none of my husbands allow me to be the one to wield the gun or knife, I’ll still be present. I’ll get to look him in the eye when he takes his last breath.
When they take their last breath. Maybe I’m as evil as my parents, because I believe they both deserve the same fate. My mother was aware and did nothing to stop her husband. She was aware I was alive and struggling yet didn’t so much as send me enough money for a meal.
Then the bitch had the nerve to throw my former job in my face as though surviving and staying under my father’s radar didn’t justify getting naked or spreading my legs.
And since it wasn’t only my life I thought I was protecting, I don’t regret a single thing I did. Now that all three of my husbands know the full truth, I know they don’t hold any of it against me, either.
Kato slowly pushes from the couch, pulling his arms over his head as though he’s simply stretching but I can see the way he’s completely attuned to every single movement outside the windows, listening for even the faintest crack of a twig.
They’d waited until dusk. It’s not fully dark, but just enough they can find their way around, get in position before attacking.
How many men did my father bring? What are the chances he brought Eriks and Mikhail? It would be so fucking awesome to take out all three of them at once, then track down my mom after.
Yep. I might have inherited more of their dark genes than I realized.
Not that I’ve gone around fantasizing about bathing in anyone’s blood. Nor do I actually want to bathe in my parents’ blood…
Wow. I’m freaking rambling in my own head.
I just want this over. I want to get on with our lives. We might never be able to actually bring a child into this world, but like Maddox said, we can adopt ten kids and give them the loving homes the four of us never had.
Kato turns his head and frowns at me before jerking his head toward the bedroom. No idea what he heard or saw, but it’s officially time to put an end to all this bullshit.
Doing as he’d done and pushing to my feet as nonchalantly as possible in case anyone is watching from outside, I step forward, tilt my head back for a kiss, and say, “I’ll be right back,” as though I’m simply heading to our shared room for something I forgot or to change clothes.
My steps are slow and measured as I walk through the dark hallway and into the darker bedroom. Our room faces the east, so it’s way darker in here than the main living area.
Sucks for me because just like at my apartment a month ago, I don’t notice the figure waiting in the shadow as I close and lock the bedroom door.
You know…the door that only locks from the inside.