Born into Temptation (Devils Will Rise: Melnikov Legacy #4)

15. Valentin

Chapter 15

Valentin

I blink my eyes, trying to stay conscious, even though every part of me is screaming for the relief that only passing out can give me. Miguel is angrier than usual today, and I’m pretty sure I now have several cracked ribs and a fever that refuses to go away. It’s the first time I’ve seriously considered the fact that I might die in this fucking dungeon of a basement. It was always a possibility, one I refused to give much attention to, but now it feels like a reality, an inevitable truth that’s drawing closer each day, and fuck does it make me want to burn the whole goddamn world down, because this isn’t supposed to be my fate. I’m supposed to have a lifetime with Yelena, we’re supposed to raise a family and grow old together, and the bastard who’s using me as a punching bag is threatening to take all that away.

A one-word command is shouted, and I look over at the sound of Mateo’s voice. The man looks furious. With his mouth in a hard line, he stalks over to where I’m hanging. I can’t resist letting out a soft laugh and whispering, “Uh-oh, someone’s in trouble. I tried to warn you, Miguel. I told you you’re not supposed to beat me to death.”

The man looks like he’d give anything for the chance to throw one more punch my way, but he’s too scared of the boss’s son to do it. I wink at him with the eye that’s not swollen shut while Mateo lets out a long string of Spanish that sounds both menacing and lyrical. When Miguel’s done getting his ass handed to him, he unhooks my wrists and drags me back to my spot. Max keeps his eyes on me, trying to hide the worry he feels. We both know I’m not looking so great, and I know it scares my cousin. Talia’s been stuck in here with us since the last time they brought her in, but, thankfully, no one’s laid a hand on her yet.

There’s concern in her eyes when she meets mine, but she doesn’t look at me the same way she looks at Max, and I’ve never seen him look at anyone like he’s starting to look at her. I’m both happy and devastated for him. I know he worries about her constantly, and we both know there’s not a damn thing he can do if they try to hurt her. More and more I feel like we’re living on borrowed time, and Lorenzo is losing patience fast. I can’t imagine this is going to end well for any of us.

“You okay?” Max asks. He’s trying to keep his voice calm, but the look on his face is saying don’t you dare die on me .

“Peachy,” I say, giving him a bloody smile. “I think Miguel is warming up to me.” He glances over at the very angry man who’s still glaring at me. “I don’t think he learned how to socialize as a kid. It’s like he likes me, but he doesn’t know how to show it.”

“Good thing you don’t have pigtails he can pull,” Talia whispers in Russian, making Max laugh.

Miguel’s eyes narrow. He doesn’t understand a word we’re saying, but he definitely knows it’s about him. When he tries to take a step closer, Mateo holds up a hand, instantly stopping him. Miguel’s rage is palpable, but he’s not willing to go against one of his bosses just so he can end me. He leans against the wall with the others, giving me a smirk before finally looking away. I’m not looking forward to our next session together. He’s going to make sure I regret pissing him off and making him look bad, and it’s very possible I won’t survive the beating.

The heavy metal door opens, and we all look over as the head of the Amaya Cartel walks in. Lorenzo doesn’t often deign to visit our humble prison, and that’s more than okay with me. Every time he comes down, shit goes from terrible to horrendous. His dark eyes run over his three prisoners, and when he sees me, he says something in Spanish to his son. I must look worse than I thought if it’s causing the boss to do a double-take. I’m not sure if his grim face is because he’s afraid I’m about to die or if he’s pissed that I haven’t done so already.

While they have a conversation in Spanish, I groan and lean my head against my cousin’s shoulder, using him to help keep myself upright. I’ve switched from burning up to freezing, and my body is shaking with the chills that run through me.

“Don’t you dare die,” Max whispers. “We’re getting out of here, Val. Yelena’s going to have your baby, and I’m going to spoil the hell out of my future niece or nephew. I’m determined to be someone’s favorite uncle, and I’ve got my heart set on your kid being the one to adore me.”

I grin and say, “Isabella and Roma adore you.” I don’t bother mentioning Samantha, since it’s kind of guaranteed as Sveta’s twin that I’ll be her kids’ favorite uncle. I see them way too often not to be.

“They do, but we both know Damien plays dirty. He keeps slipping them presents behind our backs. It’s hard to compete with that.”

A soft laugh is all I can manage, and even that makes me wince from the pain in my ribs. “I promise I won’t let him sneak his way into favorite uncle status with my kids.”

“I’ll do the same for you if I ever have kids of my own.”

“You will. First we need to get our asses out of here,” I say, and then I glance over at Talia and whisper too low for her to hear, “or maybe not.”

“Yeah, because Hotel Shithole is conducive to wooing a woman.”

I shrug and nudge his shoulder. “Seems to be working out so far.”

Max shakes his head. “Just focus on staying alive, Cupid.”

“I will if you will.”

“Deal.”

He seems relieved that I’m not planning on dying in the next few minutes, but we both know I can’t last too much longer like this. The fever is a very bad sign, and my body is still shaking when Mateo and his dad stop talking and step closer. Mateo keeps slightly behind his father, hands clasped behind his back, unreadable dark eyes and no hint of his slightly lopsided non-smile. It’s all tight lips in a straight line today, but his eyes stay alert and trained on the two of us. He never pays much attention to Talia, and we can only hope it stays that way.

Lorenzo’s dark eyes dart between Max and me. “My son thinks I should let one of you go. He thinks it’ll inspire trust between our families. What do you two think? Do you think a show of goodwill will help your stubborn family see the light?” He drags a hand along his cleanly shaven jaw when we don’t answer and says, “I think it would be better to cut one of you up into little pieces and deliver them to your parents’ doorstep, but Mateo’s convinced me that would only make more trouble for our family.”

I try not to show how much that scares the fuck out of me. The thought of my mom or Yelena opening the door to find pieces of me laid out like a macabre present makes me feel like I’m going to be sick. That’s not the kind of thing you see and then recover from. It would destroy them, and I would hate for my death to do that.

“You look like you’re already half-dead,” Lorenzo says to me. “I’m not sure there’s much point in picking you. You’d probably die midway through the flight.”

“He won’t,” Max quickly says. “It has to be him.”

Lorenzo looks Max over. “You don’t look like you’re doing much better. You sure you don’t want to take this chance to save yourself? He’ll likely be dead in a few days anyway.”

“I’m not leaving him,” I say, but Lorenzo ignores me while Max says, “Yes, you are.”

I look over at Talia. “Why not let her go instead?” As much as I want to go home to my family, I’ll never forgive myself if it means I’ve left my cousin and some helpless woman to die in my place.”

Lorenzo waves a hand in Talia’s direction but doesn’t bother looking at her. “I have plans for her that don’t concern you.”

Mateo steps closer and points a finger at me. “We should send him,” he tells his dad, but his face still isn’t giving anything away, and his tone has an I really don’t give a shit ring to it. “If he dies after we return him, they only have themselves to blame. It might work out better if he does. Maybe it’ll light a fire under their asses. They might agree just so they can save at least one son.”

Lorenzo’s quiet while he thinks, and then having made up his mind, he says something to the others in Spanish and then turns his back on us, leaving the room and making me wonder what the hell he just decided on. Mateo doesn’t waste any time. He quickly barks out several orders in Spanish, and when Juan and Jose walk over and start to undo my chain, I use what little strength I have left and fight to stay where I am.

“No!” I scream at them. I know what they’re doing, and even though I’m dying to see my wife again, the thought of being separated from Max is terrifying. We’ve been chained up next to each other for a month, and knowing that he’s going to be left here without me sends a searing pain through my chest. “Take him instead! Let him go!”

I manage to fight Juan off, and then I cling to my cousin. I wrap my arms around him, refusing to be separated because I have no idea what they’re going to do to him once I’m gone.

“You have to go, Val,” he whispers against my ear. “You have to go and help them find this place. Tell my parents and brother that I love them and that I’m okay.”

“I’m not leaving you,” I say, not caring that I’m crying in a roomful of hardened criminals. It’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to do it, and once it starts, I can’t stop it.

He grips me tighter and says, “I love you too, man. Now go, get out of here and be with Yelena. She needs you.”

I still don’t let go of the man who’s like a brother to me in every way possible. I feel like I can’t breathe, and it has nothing to do with the fact that Miguel has ruined my ribs. A small hand squeezes mine, and when I look up, I see Talia. She’s crying too, and I know it’s mostly because she knows how much this is hurting Max, but also because we’ve all created a bond down here. It’s not the same way she’s creating one with Max, but it’s impossible to not have some kind of sympathy for your fellow kidnapping victim.

She leans in like she’s going to hug me, but instead she uses the opportunity to press her face in close and whisper in Russian, “I need you to get a message to my dad. Find Vasily Medvedev and tell him everything that’s happened. Promise me you won’t forget. Promise me you’ll tell him.”

Before I can say anything, Juan gets tired of waiting and hauls my ass up. I have just enough time to squeeze Max’s arm before I’m ripped away from my cousin. I’m not the only one who’s been crying like a big baby. He wipes a hand over his face and then straightens his shoulders and gives me a small smile.

“It’s okay, Val. I’ll be fine.”

We both know it’s a lie. He won’t be fine, and this might be the last time I see him alive. I keep my eyes on his until I’m forcibly dragged from the room and I can no longer see him. Mateo follows behind us, and when I struggle against Juan and turn partially around so I can see him, I say, “Please don’t kill him. I’ll do whatever the fuck you want, just don’t kill him.”

Mateo’s dark eyes study mine, but he doesn’t answer me. Instead, he says something to Juan in Spanish and then walks off in the other direction, leaving me to wonder and worry. With a sharp yank of the chain, Juan pulls me forward. I cough and stumble after him. The chills have gone, replaced with a fever that’s so high it’s making me sweat. A wave of dizziness hits me, threatening to make me fall over, but I manage to keep myself upright.

I try to memorize the route we’re taking. The floor is highly polished marble instead of the rough concrete I’m used to, and vibrant, colorful paintings line the walls. Juan leads me up a flight of wooden stairs, and then down another hallway. We take a left and then two rights, and walk down another hall with a door waiting for us at the end. Once we’re at it, Juan takes a black hood from his back pocket and holds it up to slip over my head. I try to duck out of the way, but he just gives an annoyed grunt and slides it over my head, pulling it down so it bunches at my shoulders. I hear him open the door and pull me forward, and as soon as I’m through the doorway, I can tell we’re outside. This hood isn’t as thick as the one I’d had on when they brought us here. It’s thin enough for me to see through, even if it is a blurry view and I only have one working eye to use.

Sunlight hits the skin of my hands, and even though I’m burning up with fever, I still smile beneath my dark hood at how good it feels. Unable to resist, I breathe in a lungful of clean air and gasp when it triggers a coughing fit and we have to stop so I can catch my breath. Each cough sends a sharp, piercing pain through my chest, but Juan makes it clear he has no sympathy for my plight. His fingers dig into my arm while I focus on taking shallow breaths and also buying myself enough time to look around. With one eye swollen shut, my vision is cut in half, and I’m forced to fully turn my head to see what’s on my right. I give a few more shallow coughs so Juan doesn’t get suspicious while I try to memorize every detail of my surroundings.

After the shitty dungeon basement, the last thing I’m expecting to see is a fucking tropical paradise. A quick look back at the building we’ve just left reveals the corner of the largest mansion I’ve ever seen. Blue stucco and white trim make it look deceivingly charming. I can just make out a large balcony on the second floor and beneath it is a sprawling terrace filled with potted exotic flowers and lounge chairs that surround an inground pool. Any lingering doubts I had about our location dissolve. I can’t believe they actually had the balls to take us to Colombia, to their fucking home .

Cameras are strategically placed to ensure there isn’t a spot on the property that isn’t being filmed and watched by someone. The view in front of me is nothing but sandy beach and a large body of water. Palm trees are clustered together, their fronds blowing in the warm breeze as waves crash against the empty beach. Seagulls caw, and I wish my lungs didn’t hurt so bad because all I want to do is take in the fresh air after breathing nothing but the dank, musty smell of the basement and the stink of my own body.

Juan isn’t content to let me savor this moment, though, he curses at me in Spanish and tugs on my chained wrists, pulling me around and towards a well-worn path that leads into the jungle. Not wanting to let on that I can see, I trip over a stick that’s lying in front of me, nearly stumbling to my knees. We pass a group of men heading back to the house, and I take in as many details as I can. The fabric prevents a clear view, but I’m able to see camouflage, military-style pants, black boots, and black T-shirts, some are wearing tactical vests, and they all have AR-15s strapped to their backs and handguns at their waists. The uniforms might be somewhat mismatched compared to an army’s where everything is issued and identical, but these men are just as highly trained and even deadlier since they don’t abide by anyone’s rules but the cartel’s. They say a few words to Juan on their way past, but no one seems to pay me any mind, making it clear that a bound, blindfolded man being led around is not an unusual occurrence.

Wings rustle overhead, and loud squawks mix with the more melodic chirps of songbirds. The jungle around us is alive and teeming with animals and insects. When we head further in, I swear I hear monkeys in the trees around us. We walk for what feels like miles, but it might just be my exhaustion making it seem longer. I hear voices and a loud engine before we step out of the jungle and onto a wide field that’s been cleared.

Soldiers stand around the tree line, each of them in the same mismatched tactical gear as the men we’d passed on the trail, gun strapped across their chest, one hand resting securely on the handguard with the other wrapped around the pistol grip. They’re alert and ready for anything. I’m guessing no one escapes the Amaya compound. If I were to run, I’d be gunned down in seconds, and there’s nowhere to run to even if I did manage to get past them. The jungle is dense and there’s no telling how long it lasts, and the only other option is the Caribbean Sea. Death by shark might be preferable to death by a Colombian cartel, but that doesn’t mean I want to jump my ass in the water and experience it.

It’s a brilliant setup—one meant to instill fear and compliance. Anyone unlucky enough to be here is at the full mercy of the Amaya family, and that’s what I’m leaving my cousin to. The reminder hurts worse than any injury Miguel’s given me.

Juan has to give me another shove to get me moving. He leads me to the small plane on the makeshift runway. The twin propellers are already spinning, the engines so loud I hunch in on myself in an effort to muffle it. My senses feel hypersensitive along with my skin. Every touch, every noise, it’s all magnified and painful.

Without a word, Juan hauls me to the back of the aircraft where a set of stairs extend from the door. I try to see the identification number on the tail, and I’m so focused on it that I trip when he tugs on my chain and nearly fall on my ass. Sweat drips into my one good eye, and I’m soaked beneath my hoodie. I don’t know if it’s the fever or the humidity, but when we step into the aircraft and the air-conditioned interior hits me, I let out a sigh of relief. I’m pushed into a chair and buckled in, but before I can get a good look around, Juan lifts the hood from my neck and jabs a needle into my skin.

“Fucking hell,” I growl at him. I want to argue that there’s no need for it when it’s obvious I can’t go anywhere, but the darkness is closing in, and before I can even get a word out, my head slumps forward and I lose consciousness.

A sharp squeal of tires pulls me from the murky darkness, but my mind is still too groggy to know what’s going on. Yelling in Spanish, a pain in my ribs as someone kicks me, and then my body hits a hard concrete floor, and my first thought is that this was all a joke and I’ve been brought to the basement again.

“Max.” I try to yell the word, but my throat is dry and it comes out as a hoarse whisper. The hood is still over my head and my hands are bound behind my back. I’m too weak to do anything as tires squeal and the vehicle I’ve just been kicked out of speeds off. I groan and rest my head back on the hard floor. I must lose consciousness again, because the voice I hear next, the one that drags me back to the surface isn’t Juan’s or any of the other men I’ve grown used to hearing. Instead of Spanish, it’s Russian that’s being yelled around me, the hands that are running over my body aren’t there to inflict harm; they’re trying their best to avoid hurting me any worse than I already am. The hood is carefully pulled off, but I don’t have the strength to open the one eye that’s working.

“Val, can you hear me?”

“Dad?” I whisper.

“I’m here. I’m right here. We’re going to get you fixed up, son, just hold on.” He keeps his hand on my shoulder while he shouts orders at my Uncle Roman. He must be on the phone, because I don’t hear the response.

“Yelena,” I say, trying to pull myself up to get to her.

“She’s fine, Val. I promise. She’s safe, and you can see her as soon as we get you fixed up.” He keeps his hand on my shoulder to try and hold me in place while he yells for help, and then there are several hands trying to lift me up. When one of them hits my ribs, I hiss out a breath and groan in pain.

“Fuck,” I hear Vitya say. “I don’t know where to grip him that’s not going to cause more pain.”

“I’ll carry him,” my dad says, and before I can protest, he picks me up bridal style and starts walking. “This was a lot easier when you were a toddler.”

“I bet I smelled better then, too.”

“I was trying to be polite by not mentioning it.” He grunts and adjusts me in his arms before walking faster. “Your mom and I have been worried sick, Val. We’ve all been searching for you day and night since you were taken.”

“Max,” I start to say but my dad cuts me off.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Thank fuck,” my dad says. “Save your strength for now. You can tell us everything when your uncles get here. The most important thing is to get you looked at. Tony’s on his way over now.”

I hear the ding of the elevator and then my stomach drops when we start to rise. I’m too weak to do anything but slump against my dad. I don’t know how in the hell he’s holding me up. I’m a couple inches taller than him, and even though I’ve lost weight over the last month, I’m certainly not what I would call light.

“Your mom is going to have a fit when she sees you, so brace yourself. I don’t have anywhere else to take you, though. It’s our place or Vitya’s. I think it’d be better if your pregnant twin doesn’t see you like this.”

“Agreed,” I whisper. “She’s as dramatic as you.”

My dad huffs out a breath.

“Is Yelena really okay?”

“I swear to you she is.”

“And the baby?”

“Healthy and growing by the second.”

I relax at his words. My dad would never lie to me, especially about this. As long as she and the baby are safe, that’s all I care about. I can wait a little longer to see them. The last thing I want is to scare her by letting her see me like this. It’s bad enough my mom’s going to have to. I haven’t looked in a mirror since being a guest at the Amaya compound, but I’m guessing my face isn’t a pretty sight right now.

Already feeling dizzy, when I hear the doors slide open, I whisper, “In case I pass out, tell Uncle Danil we were held in Colombia. Coastline and jungle, an airstrip with a twin-engine plane, HK-7895 written on the tail.”

My dad yells for my mom to open the door while I whisper out the last bit. “Vasily Medvedev. I think they have his daughter.”

Right after I’ve gotten the words out the door opens. “Oh my god!” I hear my mom yell before her hands are on my face. She sobs and gently brushes my hair off my forehead.

“Hey, Mom,” I whisper, making her sob even harder.

“ Ptichka , he’s alive, baby. It’s okay,” my dad tries to tell her, but it just makes her cry harder. She presses her lips to my forehead as her tears hit my face. My dad gently lays me down on a bed, and when I peel my eye open, my mom cups my face and cries harder.

“I thought we’d lost you. We’ve all been so scared.” She very carefully runs her fingers over my face, grimacing when she sees all the cuts. “I’m going to kill those bastards.”

My mom rarely gets angry, and she never gets furious, but right now I have no doubt that if Miguel and the rest of the Amaya Cartel were here, she’d pick up a gun and shoot them herself.

“Yelena and Sveta are going to be so happy to see you,” she says, giving my hand a squeeze and choosing to focus on the good instead of the rage she feels at seeing me like this.

“Tony just pulled up,” Vitya says. “I’ll go down and meet him.” Before he walks out, he gives my leg a pat and says, “It’s good to have you back, Val.”

I lift my finger in a wave because lifting my whole hand is out of the question. The chills have come back, and my mom quickly pulls a heavy blanket over me.

“I’m going to get it filthy,” I warn her.

“Like I give a shit about that,” she says. She smiles when she very softly pats my cheek. “I’ve never seen you with a beard before.”

“Think I should keep it?” I ask.

“God no,” she says, making me crack a small smile.

“I think Yel would hate it,” I whisper.

“You can ask her yourself soon enough.”

When Tony walks in, my mom leans down to kiss my forehead, whispering that she loves me before she leaves the room to give me privacy. My dad stays, but I know he’d leave if I asked him to. He can handle what I’m about to say, though, whereas my mom could not. She’s seen the evidence of what’s been done to me. There’s no reason for her to hear every grisly detail.

Tony steps closer, running his eyes over me with a very concerned look on his face. His dark glasses are slightly crooked like he jumped out of bed and raced over here. I don’t even know what time it is or what day. I feel completely out of it, stunned and exhausted and in more pain than I’ve ever experienced.

Pulling the blanket back, he looks over at my dad and says, “We need to get his shirt off so I can see how bad his injuries are.”

My dad quickly steps forward, and I give a pained groan for what’s headed my way.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cut off the hoodie so we’ll just have to pull it off you instead of dragging it over your head,” Tony says.

With a pair of scissors he cuts a line up my chest, and it’s bittersweet to watch it happen. The day I was taken, Yelena wore this hoodie while I took her against the kitchen counter. It was the last time I was inside her, and I carried that memory, reliving it every day since I’ve been gone. Her sweet strawberry scent is long gone, and this shirt is now seeped in some truly traumatic memories, but I still hate to lose it.

Once it’s off, my dad lets out a low curse and Tony furrows his brows.

“Does it look that good?” I ask. I turn my eye to Tony. “I should probably tell you that I’ve been pissing blood, and I’ve had a fever for several days. This is not the greatest I’ve ever felt.”

“What did they do to you?” He asks the question while gently probing my ribs, but even that small touch has me wincing and fisting the blanket beneath me.

“Just the usual. It could’ve been a lot worse,” I say. I look over at my dad. “They could’ve had someone like Sasha on the payroll.”

“True enough,” he says, and I can tell he’s trying to keep his voice light, but I saw the quick glimpse of horror in his eyes before he buried it. If that had been the case, then Lorenzo’s comment about me returning in tiny pieces would’ve been the reality, not just a threat.

Tony presses down on my stomach, and as painful as it is, it isn’t until he circles around to my back that I hiss out a breath.

“You’re not going to like this, but I need you to come to Dominic’s. I need to take a better look at you, Val. I’m worried something might be going on inside that I can’t see.”

“Internal bleeding?” I ask, because that’s been a nagging fear in the back of my head.

“I also want to get you connected to an IV. You’re dehydrated and you need antibiotics.” Tony straightens back up and looks over at my dad. “We need to move him now.”

“I think I can help with that.”

We all turn as Vitya walks in, pushing an empty wheelchair into the room. When he sees the confused look on my face, he says, “Your sister is pregnant with twins and her back hurts all the time. I’m trying to convince her to let me wheel her around everywhere. She’s stubborn so she tries to pretend she hates it, but it’s obvious she loves the damn thing.”

I smile at the image. I can easily picture my twin putting up a fuss while secretly loving the royal treatment. “Usually I’d agree with Sveta and fight you on this, but I just let my dad carry me up here bridal style, so my pride is pretty much nonexistent at this point.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Samantha loves this thing,” he says with a laugh.

I grimace when I’m moved to the waiting chair, and when I’m settled with blankets tucked all around me I look up at my brother-in-law. “I bet she’s grown a ton since I’ve been gone.”

“She’s getting into everything, but don’t worry, you haven’t missed out on much, and she’s going to be so excited to see you. They all are.”

I can’t wait to see all of them, too, but Yelena comes first. My need to see her is overwhelming. When Vita starts to push me out, I tell Tony, “I’ll do whatever you need me to do, but as soon as you’re done, I’m going to Yelena. You have until the sun rises. The first thing my wife sees when she wakes up is going to be me.”

Tony looks like he wants to argue but thinks better of it and says, “Then we’d better hurry. I’m going to need every second to make you look pretty again.”

My dad laughs and opens the door for us. “Don’t listen to him, son. The Melnikov men are sexy no matter what. Our scars just add to our natural beauty.”

“Jesus,” I hear Vitya whisper, and the familiarity of this moment has my eyes burning as I hold back tears. I’ve missed them all so goddamn much, and I hate that I’m here and Max isn’t. Guilt weighs heavy on my chest, and all I can think about is what’s being done to him right now. Miguel is going to be even more pissed than usual, and I wouldn’t put it past him to take all that rage out on Max. I can’t trust that Mateo will keep him in check. Even though he seemed like the most level-headed of the lot, that doesn’t mean he’ll spare Max’s life. His loyalty is to his family’s business, just like ours is.

I’m not at all surprised to find everyone waiting for us at Dominic’s. Natalya and the kids are sleeping, but Dominic runs out as soon as we pull up, my uncles and cousins right behind him. No one likes to show weakness, but I sit my ass in the wheelchair, knowing my pride will only see me passed out after only a few steps. My breaths are shallow because of the pain, and I feel as weak as a little kitten.

“Jesus, man, we were so fucking worried about you.” Luka leans down and wraps me in a loose hug. He cups the back of my head and then gives a soft laugh. “You stink, Val, like really fucking bad.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to shower before I see Yel.”

Everyone else gives me a quick hug before Tony puts his foot down, insisting I need antibiotics. I meet my Uncle Danil’s eyes, but then guilt has me quickly looking away. I know my dad has already passed on my messages, but he deserves to hear it from me, so when I motion for him to follow, he falls in step beside me with Niki right on his heels.

“Max wanted me to tell you that he loves you and that he’s okay,” I say, and then I have to stop when my throat tightens at the memory of being pulled away from him, of how I just left him there.

My uncle’s mouth is pressed in a tight line when we get inside. After a few seconds, he gives me a nod, letting me know he wants me to keep going, even though it kills him to hear it. Tony’s led us in through a door on the lower level, bypassing the stairs and leading us directly to the surgical room in Dominic’s basement.

“Lorenzo is pissed that we didn’t accept the deal with Marty,” I continue as Tony helps me into the hospital bed. He starts hooking me up to various things while I keep talking. “He decided to let one of us go as an incentive. Max insisted it be me.” I shake my head and ignore the wobble in my voice when I say, “I didn’t want to leave him. I tried to stay with him, but they forced me away.”

When I can’t bear to see the pain in his eyes, I look away, but he steps closer and rests a hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Val. I saw what you did on the security footage. You could’ve left, but you ran back to help my son.”

I don’t say anything. I don’t deserve credit for doing something that any of us would’ve done. You don’t leave family. Running away while one of my cousins is in danger was never an option.

“You’re burning up,” my Uncle Danil says, his hand still squeezing my shoulder. “Is Max like this? Does he have a fever? Any broken bones?”

“No, he doesn’t have a fever and nothing’s broken.” I lift the corner of my mouth in the world’s smallest smirk. “One of their guards took a real dislike to me. He never did soften to my charm.”

Tony rubs an alcohol wipe on my arm, getting me ready for the IV while my uncle pulls up a chair and says, “Tell me everything you remember.”

My other uncles and cousins stand further back, and I know they’re all eager to hear what I have to say, so I start at the very beginning and tell them every single detail that I can remember. By the time I’m done, the antibiotic drip is working its way into my system and Tony’s already used the portable ultrasound to look for internal bleeding. Luckily he didn’t find any, but I have three cracked ribs, bruised kidneys, and if the antibiotics don’t get my fever down, then I’ll have to undergo more testing. My broken nose is healing and, thanks to Max’s skill, won’t end up crooked, but a few cuts on my face needed stitches and didn’t get them, so I’m going to have some scars to show for it.

My Uncle Danil is quiet while he thinks about everything I’ve said. Niki is already digging around on his computer, determined to find the exact location of the Amaya compound. He’s already confirmed that the number I’d seen on the small plane was bullshit. His search had led to a fake corporation, nothing but a dead end—disappointing but not all that surprising.

I look at the clock on the wall and raise a brow at Tony. “I’m leaving soon,” I remind him.

“Are you sure that’s the best choice?” my mom asks. She’d been quiet for most of this, but I can tell she’s not pleased with my decision to move. “We can always bring Yelena here.”

“I don’t want her to see me like this.” I look over at Tony. “What can you do here that you can’t do at my apartment?”

“Monitor you on a 24/7 basis.”

“Well, it’ll be a damn shame to miss that, but can’t you just check up on me. I mean, I can bring this with me, right?” I ask, pointing at the IV bag hanging above me.

Tony sighs like I’m making his life way harder than it needs to be. “You’re going to have to be attached to that thing for a couple of days. After that if everything looks better and your fever is gone, I can switch you to a pill.”

“I’m not staying here for three days, Tony. I want to see my wife, and I want to sleep in our own bed. If you want me to get better, then that’s where I need to be.”

“Fine,” he relents, “but I’m only agreeing because I know if I don’t, you’ll just find a way to sneak out and end up hurting yourself even more.”

“Look who’s learning,” my dad says with a soft laugh while smacking Tony on the back. “Now, tell me how we can get him washed up because this,” he says, gesturing around me like my body odor has created a visible aura, “needs to be stopped.”

“There’s a tub in there, but he can’t be left alone,” Tony says. “You can wheel the IV in with him.”

My dad gives me a big smile. “Ready for bath time, son?”

Luka laughs and says, “I’ll start the water.”

I groan while my mom steps closer to kiss my forehead. “I’m going to spare you the embarrassment and wait across the hall. I’m so happy you’re safe. I love you, Val.”

“I love you too, Mom,” I say, giving her hand a squeeze before she steps back. My dad gives her a kiss and whispers something in her ear before she leaves the room. He stops at the side of my bed and grins down at me.

“Do you think you can walk, or should I carry you again?”

“As long as you help, I think I can manage a few feet,” I say.

“We’re going to leave so we can keep working on this,” my Uncle Danil says. Before leaving, he leans down and gives me another hug. “Rest up, Val. We’re going to need you with us when we go after these fuckers and get my son back.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” I tell him, because there’s no way in hell I’m sitting this one out.

“We’ll talk soon,” he tells me. “Just focus on getting better for now.”

I nod and then hug my younger cousin back. Before I let him go, I whisper, “We’re getting your brother back, Niki. I promise. He’s strong, and he was looking a hell of a lot better than I do right now when I left. He’s going to make it through this.”

Niki nods when he pulls back, but I can see the pain that’s written all over his face, and he looks exhausted and a hell of a lot older than his seventeen years. I watch him walk away, and then everyone else is crowding in to say goodbye. When Sasha pats my arm, he smiles and says, “When you feel better, I’ll tell you what we did to Marty.”

“Marty’s dead?”

Sasha grins even bigger. “Fuck yeah he is. That’s how we knew you were probably in Colombia. The city he named along with your description is going to help Niki and Uncle Danil find the place.” He gives a soft laugh. “I’ve never gone out of the country to kill someone. This should be fun.”

“Okay, okay,” my dad says, “go dream about your future kills somewhere else, Sasha. I need to give my son his bath.”

My cousins laugh while I groan and let my dad help me up. With one arm using him as support, I grip the IV pole with my other hand and slowly make my way to the bathroom. Just the sight of the filled tub with clean, hot water has me nearly crying with gratitude. I had no idea I could feel this dirty, and I’m more than ready to wash off this layer of grime.

“Well, this is going to bring back memories, isn’t it?” my dad asks, a cheerful grin on his face, not looking evenly slightly fazed that he’s about to wash up his twenty-one-year-old son. “Remember how you and Sveta used to take baths together? Your mom would give you popsicles, and you’d eat them while you played until you were a couple of little prunes.”

“That was a long time ago,” I say with a soft laugh.

“Well, I may be a bit rusty, and we don’t have any popsicles, but surely between the two of us we can figure this out. I can always call for your mom if we need her help.”

“No, you absolutely will not,” I tell him.

“You’re our son, Val. You don’t have anything we haven’t already seen, so let’s get you naked and scrubbed up.”

I don’t bother arguing. This is happening whether I want it to or not. There’s no way I’m crawling into bed with Yelena smelling like a filthy goat who’s been locked up in a barn all winter long. I’m still not wearing a shirt, so my dad and I just have to rid me of my jeans and boxers. When they’re off, my dad tosses them aside and says, “We’re burning those.” Then, to my absolute horror, he looks down and adds, “Damn, son, glad to see you’re doing the family proud.”

“Jesus Christ, Dad,” I groan as he laughs and helps me into the tub. The delicious feel of hot, soapy water cocooning my body is enough to make me forget about the awkwardness of the moment.

I close my eyes and rest against the back of the tub while my dad fiddles with the handheld nozzle and gets the soap and shampoo. It’s a long process. We have to drain and refill the bathtub because I’ve made it too dirty, and it takes two shampoos for my hair to get clean. He helps me clean my upper body, but I draw the line at any below the belt action. When I grab the soapy rag from him, he laughs and says, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to clean your pee-pee, Val.”

“My pee-pee ? Please don’t ever say that to me again.” I shake my head while he laughs again and shrugs. “That’s what you called it when you were little.”

“I was two.”

He just laughs and sits on the edge of the tub, giving me his back so I can have a modicum of privacy. While I clean, he talks.

“Sveta is going to be so excited to see you, and Yelena, well, you have every right to be proud of her.”

“How has she handled everything? Be honest. I want to know the truth.”

He sighs and rests his forearms on his thighs. “She and the baby are fine. That’s the most important thing.”

When he hesitates, I say, “But?”

He looks over his shoulder at me. “It was really hard for her, especially in the beginning. You’ve always been the center of her world, and she had to learn to get by without you.”

My heart aches at the pain I’ve caused her, but what my dad says next is a thousand times worse.

“She almost lost the baby, Val. Matvey had to rush her to the ER. She and the baby are fine, but it was a terrifying few days. After that, she’s done everything she can to keep herself and your baby healthy and strong. She eats, even though she has no appetite, and she gets enough sleep. Evgeny spends all his time with her, keeping her company and trying to take her mind off everything. She’s doing much better now, but she needs you.” My dad gives me a sad smile. “She doesn’t do well without you, none of us do. This family only works if we’re all together. We’re getting Max back, and then we’re doing whatever is necessary to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

I nod and let him help me up and into a towel. While he drains the tub, I grab one of the new toothbrushes that are in a drawer and scrub the hell out of my mouth. Someone’s brought me a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, and nothing has ever felt as good as being clean and in a fresh pair of soft clothes. I hold the hoodie, unable to slip it on all the way while I’m connected to the IV. My dad gently pats my cheek and smiles. “Bath time is over. Let’s get you to your wife.”

Uncle Matvey and my mom are waiting for us. My uncle wraps an arm around my shoulder, helping me over to the wheelchair that they insist I use. Tony disconnects the IV long enough for me to slip the hoodie on before reattaching me to it, and then he gives them all instructions that I’m too tired to listen to before handing over a few bags of the saline and antibiotic solution.

“I’ll be over to check on you in a few hours. Call me immediately if anything changes.”

“Will do,” I promise him. “Thanks for the help, Tony.”

He nods before we follow Dominic out. Once we leave, the trip to Yelena seems to take hours. The sun is already rising, but I’m hoping she’s still asleep. When we finally reach their apartment, Aunt Alina and Evgeny are waiting. They both pull me in for a hug. My aunt is crying, and Evgeny looks exhausted and relieved to see me.

“Thanks for staying with her, Ev,” I tell him.

“I was afraid to leave her alone,” he admits. “She needed someone to keep her out of her own head, and I was more than happy to do it.” He smiles and says, “Damn, it’s good to have you back, Val. She’s sleeping in her old room.”

My dad sets the collapsable IV pole back up and then pushes me to Yelena’s doorway, but I insist on walking in on my own. He kisses the top of my head and squeezes my shoulder before walking away. Nervous and excited and anxious to feel her in my arms again, I open the door and step in to be with my wife.