Page 8

I adjusted the gloves against my wrist and tossed the syringe to the floor while I watched the sight of them resting against each other, Pchelka and her brother. They both had bloodied faces, but I was more concerned with the sunshine princess, whose golden hair had mingled with streaks of red. The other one, with dark eyes and a spitfire mouth, had her eyes shooting daggers at me, Rafayel, and Arlo.

She’d woken up first.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Timur Yezhov, but none of those briefs warned me ahead of time that you’d be this dumb.”

“I’m going to slice your fucking tongue off, bitch,” Arlo sneered beside me in Russian, but I raised a hand. There was no use spilling her blood yet. We had to hear more from her; then I’d decide if keeping her alive was worth it. Her feistiness was interesting to watch—entertaining, even. She was good sport.

Jerking my chair closer to their huddled bodies, I propped my elbows on my knees, leaning forward. She didn’t even flinch. Cocking her head to the side, she regarded me with an arched brow when I spoke.

“Oh, really? I’m dumb, Colombo? Tell me more.”

She tilted her head forward, narrowing her eyes. “My father’s not going to let this slide, Yezhov , and you know it.”

“Why?”

“ Why ?” she asked, like I couldn’t have posed a question more birdbrained. “You unleashed your fucking animal to come kill me. I didn’t die, and now you have me tied up like one of your dogs.”

Raf mumbled calmly beside me, and I heard the shink sound of silver close to my ear. He played with a pocket knife, sheathing and unsheathing it. The roll of Russian on his tongue would have been more menacing to her if she understood his words.

“I’m going to do the slicing off.”

“Not yet,” I said to him.

Facing her, I crossed one leg over the other, tilting back on the chair with folded arms. It was no wonder the young one thought she was so special, with so much confidence in the backing of her father.

Enzo might have been a beast in the field of business, but everyone knew he brought out extra claws where his children were concerned. It was somewhat unfortunate that the girl wasn’t bluffing. The only reason we hadn’t welcomed a storm of Italians was because Enzo didn’t know.

Before I’d caught a tinted black Benz roughly pulling up in the parking lot on the CCTV cam and watched three bloodied bodies being dragged into the basement by my brother and a willing Arlo, I hadn’t known, either.

Rafayel had taken my words literally. After I dismissed him and Arlo, he went hunting the next day. Looking at Enzo’s daughter now, I felt nothing. Not pity or regret for dragging in the wrong fish to shore.

“You’re a misplaced victim, Leonzilla Colombo.” I said to the girl. “You can’t blame anyone here for your unfortunate circumstances when you were, in fact, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Next time—that’s if you’ll be lucky enough to leave here and run to your daddy—think twice before sticking your neck in what doesn’t concern you.”

The heat in her gaze blazed to a fiery furnace. “It’s Leonara, you fucking piece of—”

“I fucking dare you to complete that sentence if you think you’ve got the balls.” Rafayel stepped in front of me and lowered to his haunches to meet her at eye level. “Come on, say it. Call him what you want to.”

Arlo lowered his mouth to my ear, concern for me in his steely tone. “He’s going to kill her.”

I got up from the chair, walking past Arlo to the door as I watched them both. Like the colors of a rainbow, my brother had different sides. He had his days: good ones, bad ones, crazy ones, and bloody ones. I didn’t trust him to keep his cool with this foolishly brave girl. But fuck interfering. I wasn’t going to stop him.

Whatever he decided was going to be her fate. She was his problem to deal with now.

“Let him do whatever he wants. My only concern is those two.”

“But Enzo….”

“I’ll blow his fucking head off if it comes down to the worst.” I was unbothered, and I made sure he understood that.

“You know what? Forget your fucking brother….” The Italian and Rafa were still at it. “ You’re the piece of shit, you crazy fuck! Who stands in the middle of the road with a gun anyway? My papa’s going to have your head for this!”

“Boy, am I going to enjoy killing you. You called me a dog. Pleased to inform you that I barely bark; I fucking bite.” The shink echoed in the room, and silver pressed against her throat. I had to give it to the girl; she was audacious. Not even a blink. “You think you’re courageous and shit, right? Like one of those fucking Disney princesses who have everything go their way. Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m going to have the pleasure of bursting that perfect bubble.”

“Go ahead,” she taunted. “Kill me if you have the balls.” Her eyes met mine over his shoulder. “Deep down in that web-filled heart of yours, you know you don’t want a war with my father.”

I nodded toward my brother. “I’m not the one you’re pissing off right now, sweetheart. You should worry about the one with a knife to your throat.”

A moment of silence and palpable tension hung over the room as Raf pressed the blade deeper into her skin. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew him well enough to imagine him expressing the sick pleasure he derived from scaring her.

Then, he paused and journeyed his knife lower down her chest region, past the curve of her ribs, to her back. He hovered over her, leaning forward to whisper something into her ear before pulling back with cut ropes dangling in his grasp. Rising to his feet, he dropped the ropes and backed away from her.

Dusting her jacket, she stood up, smirking triumphantly, as she strode past him to the door, knowing she was right; as much as I was indifferent to her situation, and my brother did want to spill some of her blood tonight, we weren’t in the mood to handle Enzo’s madness at this time.

When she was close enough, I whispered under my breath, “Next time, you won’t be so lucky. Stay out of our fucking business. That’s your only and final warning.” And her back disappeared through the threshold. Arlo marched off after her, and not once did she look back.

“Now, that’s over with.” Rafa shoved the sheathed blade back into his pockets, dusting his fingers like there was dirt on them as he walked back to me. “I’m out of here to get myself a fucking drink. Those ones are your problems to deal with. And Arlo was right; even in that state, she’s sexy as hell.”

“I don’t need a reminder.”

When he smiled, I knew it came out wrong. I’d meant to address the former statement about not needing a reminder to know they were my problem to deal with, not the latter. And somehow, the more I thought about it, the more I felt a rising urge to punch my brother in the face.

I clenched my jaw.

When it came to her, the sunshine sister, I wanted to be indifferent, but somehow, knowing my brother was the reason she was lying on the floor in a crumpled heap stirred an uncomfortable constriction in my chest. Was this what it felt like to be concerned? It was slightly nauseating. And it didn’t help that his eyes lingered on her for more than a second.

Shaking his head, he patted my shoulder before leaving me in the silence of ragged breaths and unconscious captives.

I was about ready to follow him out of the room when movement from the ground caught my attention. She stirred, mumbling something under her breath while blinking rapidly. I strained hard enough to hear the name flowing like a rushing river from her lips.

“Jay….” It started like a soft purr, a silent mumble. Until it became incessant, and her eyelids parted open. “Jay!” she screamed as if coming out of a bad dream.

Leaning my shoulder against the doorframe, I watched her intently. She kicked her feet and fought with the ropes tied on her wrists behind her back, with tears streaming down her cheeks—all efforts to get to her unconscious brother.

“Stop moving. You’re only going to hurt yourself more.”

I didn’t care about this girl.

I just didn’t want more blood smeared across the floor.

She stopped moving, only realizing now that I was in the same room. In a calculated, slow move, her head followed the sound of my voice, stopping when her eyes met mine. Seeing her now, I’d almost forgotten how vibrant the blue in her eyes was and how brightly purity and innocence shone. It was like a neon notice, reminding me that the world was not all bad, and there were some guiltless ones around, and it was still fucking irking.

“Please….” Serena was whimpering, lips trembling. “Please, don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt us. We’ve been hurt enough. My brother—he’s been bleeding. He needs a…. He needs to see a doctor. Please, I can’t…I can’t lose him. He’s the only one I have left. I can’t—”

“I don’t like tears or begging. They’re sickening.”

The instant flow of tears ceased, and she hiccupped, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red as they swelled. She was holding it in, trying not to upset me even more, and I was unsure what reeled me in, dragging me closer to where she lay.

I dropped to my haunches. Maybe it was her willingness to sacrifice her emotions to save her brother or the surreal glow that radiated over her like she was some fucking saint. The last time I saw someone that looked like this, she’d been used to force information out of her parents. Two bullets went through her heart that night.

Gritting my teeth, I asked the one before me, “There’s still a debt to pay, and you’re asking for my help?”

A well of tears rose to her eyes, and she hiccupped again, more violently, trying not to let them spill. “Please….”

I slapped her cheek.

It wasn’t hard enough to cause fatal damage, but it was a slap, nonetheless. The tears streamed down her cheeks effortlessly, and my heart squeezed more uncomfortably. “I told you, don’t fucking beg. It’s fucking irritating.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry.”

This girl….

I wanted to laugh. I’d slapped her, and she apologized? Rising to my feet, I shoved my hands into my pocket. The only thing left was a fucking halo. “And don’t fucking apologize, either. Look, I don’t run a hospital or a charity organization. Your father still fucking owes me, and according to the contract he signed, it means your brother owes me, too. But, considering the situation, I’ll give you a new offer, a one-time offer.”

She looked up, eyes guarded and full of salty water. She didn’t have to hide it; she didn’t trust me. “What’s that?”

“If you’re willing to take Jayden Skye’s place and give yourself to the Bratva instead, we will consider your brother a freeman.”

A flash of horror replaced her crinkled nose and teary eyes. I’d literally shoved her into a tight spot. After my visit, I’d taken the time to run research on the female sibling. She was a sixth-grade teacher, and that was one of her major achievements. No social life. Extracurriculars included baking, reading, and taking care of more kids, including her brother. Her job meant a lot to her, but nothing else could compete with her brother’s space in her life.

I saw it, her reluctant resignation, before she shook her head slowly. “Fine, I’ll do it.” Her voice was weak. “But my brother needs a hospital.”

“You’ll do what?”

By the deeper crease on her forehead, I knew I was putting her through what was possibly the most painful moment of her life, pressing her deeper into a corner from which she had no literal escape. But I needed the clarification to make sure she knew what she was signing up for.

“I’ll take Jayden’s place.” Her eyes met mine again, with a deeper sadness but fierce protectiveness over her brother. “I’m surrendering. But get my brother to a hospital.”

She didn’t beg. Wonderful.

I chuckled. “Good.” She was learning fast enough. Turning around, I told her over my shoulder. “You should know, there’s no turning back. This is it for you, Serena Skye; I own you now. You’re stuck with me. For good.”

Arlo said bad things happened when I chuckled. Now, we were just going to have to wait to watch how terrible things would get.