Page 54 of Mafia and Scars

“Yeah, a bad one. I mean, what sort of mom gets everyone else to look after her kids?”

They share another laugh, and my cheeks pinken as Viktor’s boots stomp heavily on the floor and around the corner. A thud against the wall makes the picture frames shudder. I exchange a glance with Matvey before I stand and hurry toward the door.

Exiting the rec room, I catch sight of Viktor dragging both men down the hall.

One of the men keeps running his mouth. “But Boss, her baby won’t stop fucking crying. And the mess—there’s toys and shit everywhere. We’re trying to fucking work and?—”

“You don’t like the noise? I’ll cut your ears off,” Viktor hisses. “You don’t like the toys? I’ll gouge your goddamn eyeballs out. You don’t like her presence? Then get the fuck out!” The sound that rips from his throat is closer to a snarl than words. “You want to complain about crying children? Then do it while you’re digging your own fucking grave!”

Matvey sprints off somewhere. And I rush down the hall as Viktor shoves the two soldiers into another room. But another thud followed by gasping and choking sounds makes me hesitate outside the door.

“I’ve got three fucking rules for you,” Viktor roars at them.

I peek around the door to see he’s got one large fist around each of the men’s necks, pinning them to the wall.

“One, you don’t cuss in front of the kids!”

I wince, another thud sounding as he rams both men against the wall to emphasize his point.

“Two, you don’t badmouth their mom.Ever!And three, if I order you to change a shit-filled diaper, you do it without a single fucking complaint, or I’ll cut your fucking tongues out! Got it?”

“I’m pretty sureshitcounts as cussing, as doesfucking. And the kids can probably hear you...with how loud you’re being,” one of the men gasps.

Viktor growls and grabs his knife.

Matvey rushes past me. “Don’t worry, Avelina, Nikolai is watching the kids,” he blurts out before bursting into the room where Viktor is. Grigory has also suddenly appeared.

I follow very slowly.

Grigory shoves an arm between Viktor and the men. “Okay, okay, they get it—we all do!’ he yells at Viktor.

“They get it, Viktor,” Matvey repeats as he eases Viktor’s hands away. “Put your knife away, yeah? We all get it.”

“I suggest you two get the fuck back to work,” Grigory snarls at the two soldiers. Then Grigory’s gaze swings toward me, and the icy look he shoots at me makes his feelings patently clear. He thinks I’m causing trouble between his men.

My eyes drop, and guilt gnaws at me from the inside. “I’m going to take the kids upstairs for a while,” I croak. “It’s almost nap time.”

“Good,” Grigory snaps.

Pivoting on my heel, I go back to the rec room. And scooping up Leon and taking Sofia by the hand, I flee upstairs. And I wonder if this is fate’s way of telling me that staying here with this man is a really, really bad idea…

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

VIKTOR

Avelina disappears around the corner, and I stare after her, the furrow of my brow still in place. It’s too early for Leon to have a nap, and Sofia was absorbed in the puzzle. It doesn’t quite make sense.

Grigory storms off after giving me one last piercing look.

Matvey hums deeply. “We gonna talk about what just happened?”

I glare at him. “Nothing to talk about.”

“You would have gutted those two soldiers if I hadn’t got between you.”

I roll my eyes. I wasn’t going to do it—at least not yet. It was just to drive the threat home.

I shift a little on my feet. I don’t quite understand what just happened. The men’s words echoed in my head, and then my feet carried me to them as if I’d been possessed. Because hearing them talk about Avelina like that… I clench my jaw and exhale hard.