Page 26 of Darkest Game (The Dark Mafia #3)

Chapter Fourteen

Irina

M ikhail and Nico whirl around to face Liam. I see the moment Mikhail pulls his gun out.

“Stop,” I try to scream but my voice barely comes out above a whisper. “Don’t hurt each other. Please.” My voice scratches and breaks as I try to get the sound out. “Liam, it’s ok.”

“What are you doing?” Liam barks at them.

“We’re taking her back home to her family,” Mikhail says, putting his gun away, fortunately. “Where you can’t get to her. Where you can’t hurt her.”

“I just… told you,” I say. “He didn’t do this… to me.”

“Honestly?” Nico says. “I believe her. Why would she lie? If Liam did that to her, why not tell us? Why protect him then?” He sets his intense eyes onto me.

It’s a wonder how Sasha can even stand to make eye contact with him.

Nico is a very handsome man. But he’s not the one my heart flutters for.

“If Liam did this to you, wouldn’t you want him dead? ”

I hesitate. “I… I don’t want to… wish death on… anyone.”

He sighs. “Fine. If Liam did this to you, wouldn’t you want him out of our life? Is that better?”

I nod.

“See? If Liam had done this to her, then she wouldn’t be fighting so hard to protect him. I think we have to consider that –,”

“Don’t say it,” Mikhail snaps.

“That we might be wrong.”

Mikhail slams his hand against the wall. “I promised to protect Natalya’s sisters. I couldn’t protect Sasha from you.” He throws Nico a dismissive look. “But I can protect Irina from Liam.”

“You’re not taking her from me,” Liam says. “I realized something today. I’m not going to let Irina go.”

My heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest. Liam is fighting for me. Once more.

“He saved… my life,” I say. “Don’t kill him.”

Mikhail sighs, running a hand down his face. “I promised I would protect you.”

And you can , I write. But don’t kill Liam. Let me be with him. And let me be with my family.

“You can’t have both,” Mikhail says.

“Why not?” I ask.

“Because I don’t trust Liam not to backstab me.”

“I trust him even less,” Nico says. “I know you want me dead, Liam, for Cillian’s death.”

“I do,” Liam responds, not sugar-coating it.

“I don’t trust either of you to not stab me in the back either.

” He inhales deeply and lets it out slowly.

“But… I know I want Irina in my life. The fact that you’re not shooting me in the head right this second is a good sign.

Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement. ”

“What agreement?” Nico asks warily.

“We work together to kill Elaine Finnigan.”

Mikhail shakes his head. “We spoke to Elaine. She says she’s innocent in everything. That you’ve been trying to kill her.”

“And you believe the word of a woman you barely know?”

“I don’t trust your word, Liam.”

“Irina is literally telling you that I saved her life. Which I have. Many times now. She’s my wife and I’m willing to do what I have to do to protect her. Elaine wants us both dead. If you want to protect Irina, it’s not me you need to protect her from. It’s Elaine.”

“Yes,” I say. “He’s telling the truth.”

Mikhail looks down at me with a softness he usually only reserves for Natalya. “Elaine tried to hurt you?”

She gave me over to men to rape me, I write honestly. But Liam saved me from that . I give Mikhail a pointed look. He has to believe me now.

“Why would another woman do that to you?” Nico asks.

“Because Elaine is insane,” Liam answers for me. “She’s jealous that her husband wanted Irina. Plain and simple. You want to protect Irina? Then help me kill Elaine. And then we can go back to hating each other. But I have no desire to hurt Irina. None.”

Mikhail crosses his arms. “How do I know you won’t backstab me and Nico the first chance you get?”

“I brought Irina here to the hospital because I didn’t want her to die.

If I didn’t care for her, she’d be dead by now.

Her sisters would never get the chance to have her back in their lives.

I’m not going to backstab you… as long as you don’t backstab me.

Let’s just agree to a temporary truce. Kill Elaine. And then…”

“What?” Nico asks. “Irina doesn’t seem to want you dead. Once our truce is over, we kill you?”

“Or you work together,” I suggest. All the men look at me like I’m crazy. “It’s a smart idea. Russian, Italian, and Irish… all working together.”

“Can you actually work with us?” Mikhail asks.

“Can you actually work with me?” Liam fires back.

Nico raises his hands. “Let’s just kill Elaine together and then we can figure things out. See if we can trust each other then. How does that sound?”

“You murdered Cillian right in front of me,” Liam says. “I’m not sure I can ever forgive you for that. But… if this is the only way I can keep Irina safe, I’ll agree to it.”

“She lives with us,” Mikhail says. “Me and my wife. Not with you.”

Liam stands up taller. “She’s my wife.”

“Only your wife because she was forced into it. She’ll live with me and Natalya. I’ll keep her more safe than you could ever.”

“You’ve never kept her safe,” Liam growls. “She was taken at your house on your watch. I’ve saved her multiple times now by the skin of my teeth. What the fuck have you done?”

Mikhail narrows his eyes and goes eerily still. “Don’t test me, boy.”

“Boy? I’m only a few years younger than you are.”

“Enough,” Nico says. “Irina stays with Mikhail and her sisters. And we’ll help you kill Elaine. It’s a fair trade. Take it.”

Liam sneers before catching my gaze. His face softens. “Irina? It should be your choice.”

Mikhail scoffs.

“It should be,” Liam snaps. “Irina?”

“I… I’ll stay with Mikhail.” Even though I want to stay with Liam and explore our relationship further.

But I know I need to give Mikhail and Nico something.

They can’t think Liam is getting everything and they’re getting nothing.

But you have to let me see Liam. You have to let him come over to your house.

If he’s going to work with you , I write. A compromise .

“Deal,” Nico says, looking at Mikhail and Liam expectantly.

“Deal,” Mikhail says after a moment.

Liam sneers once more before he speaks. “Deal. But if Irina gets hurt on your watch, I’m going to personally kill you.”

Mikhail sneers back. “I’d like to see you fucking try.”

I stifle my sigh. This is not going to be easy.

Since the men made a deal, they all agreed it would be best for me to spend the night in the hospital. Mikhail goes back to his house to get my sisters so they can come see me while Nico and Liam remain on guard duty in case Elaine tries anything.

My three sisters and mom rush into the room the second they arrive.

“Oh my god, Irina,” Natalya says, taking my hand. “Are you ok?”

I have to rest my voice , I write them.

“You actually got cut in the throat,” Sasha says, her eyes wide. “When Mikhail told us, I almost didn’t believe it.”

“I’m just glad you’re ok,” Mom says. She squeezes my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, honey, that I haven’t been able to protect you.”

I only shrug. I don’t blame my mom for any of this. Denis had her under lock down just as much as me and my sisters were.

“I can’t believe Liam is allowed to stay,” Sasha mutters. “He kidnapped you, Irina!”

He and your husbands made a deal , I write.

“You like him?” Natalya asks. “Actually like him?”

I know that I’m drawn to Liam. I know that I feel safe with Liam. I know that I want him in my life.

But there’s still so much I don’t know and with my family hovering over me, I’ll probably never get to find out.

“Yes,” I say. “I do like him. And you can like him too.”

Sasha huffs. “I’ll never like the guy who kidnapped me and Natalya and you. I had to kill people the last time Liam kidnapped us. I’ll never like him and I have no idea how you even like him.”

“I was going to be… raped,” I explain. “Liam saved me.”

All of their eyes widen.

“Well, shit,” Sasha says after a second.

“Maybe we just stop harassing Irina right now,” Mom offers. “And let her rest. Clearly, she and Liam has some sort of connection. We don’t know all that she went through. Let’s not judge her for liking her husband. You two like your husbands.”

Natalya flushes while Sasha averts her gaze. They both know our mom has a point.

“Let’s let Irina rest. She’ll be able to come home tomorrow. We’ll celebrate the good news.”

Mom ushers all my sisters out of the room, leaving me alone. Though not for long. Liam arrives. Nico watches from the doorway, probably making sure Liam doesn’t try to kill me when I’m vulnerable. I sigh. Will they ever trust Liam like I do?

“Hey,” Liam says, sitting in the chair by the bed. “I’m sorry, Irina.”

“Sorry?”

“For not saving you the way I should have. For putting you in danger. My mom is still here. She wanted to talk with you. If you’re up for that.”

I have this , I write, waving the notepad and pen at him.

“I’ll go get her.” Liam walks past Nico. The two men share a glare before Liam leaves the room.

“I don’t know what the hell you see in him,” Nico mutters.

“He’s a good… man.”

Nico stares at me for a second before scoffing. “Liam is not a good man. But frankly, neither am I. Neither is Mikhail. Don’t let your feelings for him blind you to that fact. He might have saved your life but that doesn’t make him good.”

“Then what does it make him?”

Nico doesn’t have an answer for me.

Liam comes back with his mom, shooing Nico away. With a grumble under his breath, Nico finally leaves.

“Hi,” Liam’s mom says. “I’m Ashely. We haven’t been formally introduced yet.”

I take her extended hand and she cups my hand between hers.

“My son was telling me how he feels for you. I told him to fight for you if he cares about you. It seems he does. I’m sorry I wasn’t at your wedding.”

“You didn’t even know about it,” I rasp.

“True. I don’t like this life Liam is involved in. But he said that you’re kind. The kindest person he’s ever met. I had to see it for myself.”

“And?”