Page 7 of Cruel Russian Monster (Safin Bratva #2)

I struggled to sit up in the back seat, gun loose in one hand, the other lightly pressed against the wound in my side.

I bit back a groan. I needed to stay conscious. If anyone was following us, I had to be ready. I had to protect Vera.

When I saw those assholes surrounding her in the parking lot, I didn’t think things through. I jumped out and put a bullet straight through the first bastard’s skull for laying his filthy hand on her.

I couldn’t help but smirk when she gouged the eyes of the man behind her, it gave me just enough time to take out the other two. But one of them got off a lucky shot that caught me in the side. Bastard.

After I killed the last one, the one who tackled her to the ground, I wanted to shoot him again when I saw the bruises already forming on her neck.

Inhaling deeply, I winced as I attempted to sit up straighter.

I glanced at the rearview mirror to check if we were being followed, when my eyes locked with Vera’s. She looked worried, and I hated that.

The car jolted. Another wave of pain tore through me as I groaned.

“Dammit,” she mumbled, panicked, before she spun around quickly and whispered, “Sorry,” before turning back to focus on the road.

If I wanted to stay awake, I'd need to stop this damn wound from bleeding. If I couldn't do that and we ran into trouble and anything happened to Vera, I'd never forgive myself.

Vera tried to run away, remember? If anything happened to her, it would be her own damn fault.

I tried to focus on steadying my breathing as my heart thundered in my chest. By slowing my heart rate it helped to slow down the blood seeping from my side.

I grimaced as Vera made a hard right.

Was the bullet still lodged in my side, or had it gone clean through?

I needed to know what I was up against.

Slowly, I lifted my shirt out of my pants. The fabric stuck to my skin, damp with blood and sweat. I hissed through my teeth as I peeled it away, exposing the angry, raw hole torn into the flesh just above my hip.

With my jaw clenched, I reached around to my back and felt for an exit wound. My fingers found the torn, bloodied skin of another hole. This time smaller.

It went straight through.

Pain spiked, flashing white behind my eyes. But I felt relieved. I didn't need to go for surgery. I just needed to stop the bleeding.

I tried to apply more pressure to the wound, but my hand was shaking. I was too weak to stop the blood from trickling between my fingers.

I gritted my teeth as dark circles crept into my line of vision. I felt my head drop to my shoulder. And no amount of willpower forced it back up.

No matter how hard I tried to focus…tried to keep my hand on the gun…tried to stay conscious…my body had other plans.

My eyes closed, and everything went dark.

I wasn’t sure how long it had been before someone pulled me out of the backseat. My eyes opened into slits.

Tomas?

What the hell was he doing here?

I felt a firm hand on my wound, pain slicing through my body. I swore right before I blacked out again.

The next time I stirred, I was in a bed. My eyelids fluttered open to see Vera’s pale, panicked face hovering above me. Her fingers trembled as she tried to unbutton my shirt, and I heard murmurs around me.

I groaned softly, trying to stay awake.

“Vera…”

But my eyes shut again, my body dragging me back under. All I could think about was her.

Her touch…her warmth…her comfort.

When my eyes opened again, we were back in that old hotel room in Delaware, the one where we’d hidden away from the world.

I was leaning against the headboard, still inside her. Vera was naked, straddling me, her head resting on my shoulder as she gently massaged the back of my head with one hand. My fingers traced slow, lazy lines down her spine.

“Have you ever thought about having a family? Having kids?” she asked softly, lifting her head to look at me, biting her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous.

I reached up, slipped her lip free with my thumb, and kissed her gently.

“As a man, having a family is a must. Someone has to carry on my lineage.”

She frowned, and I knew there was something else she wanted to ask. But instead, she just dropped her head back onto my shoulder.

“Vera, look at me,” I commanded softly.

She lifted her head again, those blue eyes locking onto mine.

“Malishka,” I murmured, cupping her face, “what is it?”

Her voice barely made it out. “Have you…have you ever thought about having them with me? I know we usually keep things light between us, and hell, we don’t even know each other’s last names…I just…it's been six months and…”

I stared at her. I didn't say anything as I drowned in the depths of her eyes.

God, I wanted that.

I wanted nothing more than to slip a ring on her finger, add my name to hers, and put a baby in her belly.

A life with her that went beyond hotel walls and stolen hours. One where I could show her off to the world, kiss her good morning, and slip between her legs at night.

She looked away and whispered, “It was a stupid idea.” She started to move off me, but I stopped her with my hands on her hips.

I kissed her desperately.

Her hand tightened in my hair, and I felt myself harden in her. She moaned.

I pulled away, breathing heavily.

“I’d love to have kids with you. I’d love to make you my wife.” I cupped her jaw again. “But you’ll have to finish college first. Okay? You’re mine, Vera. Mine.”

“I'm yours, Jaro. Now and forever.”

I growled and kissed her again. This time, more possessive, more claiming. She was mine. We’d figure everything else out later. Especially how I was going to break the news to her that I was Bratva.

But for now, I just wanted to please her the best way I knew how. I lay her down gently onto the bed and made love to her all over again.

After we both collapsed once again in each other's arms, I whispered against her lips, “I love you, Vera.”

“I love you too, Jaroslav.”

I wrapped my arms around her, and she nestled against my side.

How had I gotten so lucky to find a woman like her?

I kissed her on her forehead and smiled. I closed my eyes, looking forward to a shared life with the woman in my arms.

Images flashed behind my eyelids…me pacing the hotel room, my phone clenched tight in my hand, waiting for a message from Vera. Dread is eating away at my stomach. She should have been there two hours ago. My calls and messages went unanswered. And then my calls went straight to voicemail.

Did my enemies find out about her? Had they taken her?

Days passed without sleep, without food, without focus.

Then, her message came. She said she’d used me. That none of it meant anything.

The rage that followed was unlike anything I’d felt before.

I was supposed to interrogate a man caught skimming from our drug shipment, selling on the side. I was meant to extract information, find out who else was involved. But all I saw was red.

I pummeled him with my fists until he was unrecognizable. The boys had to pull me off him. My hands were soaked in blood, my breath ragged.

Later, I sat in the back seat of the car, pain stabbing through my chest as Tomas drove us back to headquarters. My fists were still stained red. My jaw ached from clenching, my heart from something worse.

I groaned and shifted in the seat.

My arm was wrapped around someone.

My brows pulled together.

A soft, familiar voice mumbled beside me, then she nestled in closer.

My eyes snapped open.

Vera.

Her hair was mussed as she slept next to me, not in my car, but on a bed.

One hand curled on my chest, the other curled tight in the narrow space between us.

I glanced down at my stomach. I was shirtless, bandaged, and wearing sweatpants.

The pain in my side throbbed dully, more of an irritation than a real ache.

I looked around.

We weren’t in my room; we were in hers.

But what the hell was she doing sleeping next to me? Tucked against my side? And should I even be complaining about it?

My eyes landed on a bowl of water, and as I looked closely at the hand curled on my chest, I saw there was a rag in it.

How long had I been out?

I looked back at Vera, studying her closely. There were dark circles under her eyes, exhaustion carved into her face. She must’ve stayed awake to monitor me, to take care of the wound. I shut my eyes for a second.

She’d wanted to escape and had stolen one of my damn cars to do it. I only found her because of the tracker.

And yet…after she realized I was injured, she could’ve easily left.

But she didn’t.

Why?

She could've dropped the car at the compound with me in it. Even called Tomas after she left. But she didn't do either of those things. She stayed.

“Jaroslav…” she whispered in her sleep. “Please, don’t die.”

I exhaled slowly and pulled her closer to me.

Vera, what are you doing to me?

I wanted to hate the woman curled up beside me.

The one who betrayed me.

The one who said what we had meant nothing.

But, how could I?

She had saved my life. She took care of me when she didn't have to. She could've left, could've escaped, been halfway around the world by now.

But here she was, in my arms. A place I didn't think she'd ever be again.

And I hated it.

I hated how good she felt in my arms.

Hated how much I still felt for her.

Hated that she still had this hold on me.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I’m not going to die, malishka,” I murmured. “Thank you…for saving me.”