Sinful Promise (Koslov Bratva #6)

33. Danil

33

DANIL

At some point I’m going to wake up and find myself still tied up in that damp basement and realize that the last hour has been nothing but a fever dream.

My body tenses at the thought, and I tighten my arms around Emily.

“Danil,” Emily whispers sleepily.

She’s been dozing on and off for the past hour in my arms.

I know I really need to get back to my brothers so we can finish taking care of Igor, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave her yet.

“Yes, malishka ?”

“We’re having a baby…”

I chuckle under my breath.

Emily keeps repeating this fact over and over, as if she can’t quite believe it’s true.

“We certainly are,” I murmur against her hair.

She traces her fingers along my forearm. “I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy.”

I watch as my skin pebbles beneath her touch, and my eyes flutter closed as I revel in the feeling of her against me. For a while there, I didn’t think I would ever get the chance to hold her ever again, and now we’re getting married and having a baby…

It all sounds a little too good to be true.

I kiss the top of her head. “Thank you for being mine.”

Emily snuggles into my chest, and I rest my chin on her head, listening to the soft sounds of her breathing as I stroke her hair.

I’m in desperate need of a shower. I reek of sweat and blood, despite the fact that I did my best to clean most of it off of myself, but Emily doesn’t seem to mind. I think she’s also just grateful that we’re together.

I’m tempted to use the shower attached to Emily’s hospital room but every time I think about leaving her side, my chest tightens, and I feel as if I can’t take a full breath.

As if Emily can sense my thoughts starting to spiral, she gently rubs her hand over my chest.

“I’m right here,” she whispers.

I cover her hand with my own and try to focus on the feeling of her warm skin against mine.

She’s alive.

We’re both alive.

Before I have a chance to tell her I love her for the hundredth time today, a soft knock sounds at the door.

“Come in!” Emily calls out.

Zara peers around the door and grins when she sees that her sister is awake.

She holds up a grocery bag. “I brought you some food. Is it okay if I come in?”

“Of course.”

I loosen my arms around her and help her sit up a little as Zara comes over to the bed and perches on the end.

I take in her tired face. “Did you get some sleep?”

Zara insisted she was okay with taking a nap out in the waiting room, but I bribed a nurse to give her a patient room with a bed.

She is pregnant, after all, and she deserves to lie down on an actual mattress rather than some shitty plastic chair.

“A little.” She shrugs.

“Are the twins okay?” Emily asks.

“Lucia is with them, so they’re probably having chocolate for breakfast.”

Emily’s body shakes as she laughs silently.

I chuckle. “I can’t wait for her to look after our kid.”

Zara’s eyes glass over, and I frown.

“That wasn’t meant to make you cry.”

Zara waves a hand as she forces a smile, despite the fact that she is now visibly crying.

“It’s the hormones. I’m just… I’m so happy for you two.”

“Shit, we really should tell Dimitri about us,” I mutter, which has both of the girls laughing.

Zara rifles through the bag and pulls out a packet of Oreos. “Anyway, sis, how are you feeling?”

“Like I could sleep for a week.”

“Well, once Dr. Brooks discharges you, we can take you home, and you can sleep. Although…”

I frown. “Although, what?”

Zara looks between Emily and me. “Where is home? I mean, you’re still welcome to stay with us, Em, but I figure you guys are going to move in together at some point?”

“I guess… Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, I haven’t been back to my apartment in weeks, and that place is definitely not going to be big enough for the three of us.”

“You’ll move in with me. Or we can get an entirely new place. Say the word, and it’s done.”

Emily smiles. “I think a fresh start sounds like a wonderful idea.”

Zara’s phone buzzes, and while she’s momentarily distracted, I lean down and press a quick peck to Emily’s lips.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“I can still hear you even if I’m texting,” Zara mutters under her breath, and I chuckle.

A deep crease forms between her eyebrows. It’s the exact same one that Emily gets when she’s thinking deeply.

I frown. “Everything okay?”

Zara holds up her phone. “Dimitri is asking for you.”

I guess there’s no avoiding it any longer. I glance down at Emily, and she offers me a smile in return.

“I’ll be okay. You should go and be with your brothers.”

“I don’t have to go.”

Emily reaches up and cups my cheek with her delicate hand, and I watch as her green eyes soften.

“You need to do this, Danil.”

She’s right.

My brothers and I have been living this nightmare for too long, and it would feel wrong not to end it together.

I unwrap myself from around Emily and climb off the bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I turn to Zara. “You’ll stay with her until I get back?”

“Of course. You don’t need to worry.”

I place my hand on Emily’s flat stomach. “I feel like that’s impossible. Like it comes with the territory now. But in a good way.”

Zara laughs. “You’re right. Welcome to parenthood!”

According to the message Dimitri sent to Zara, my brothers and Anton have taken Igor to our family’s warehouse in Chinatown. It seems fitting that that’s where Igor will meet his end, alongside all the other fuckers who dared mess with my family. Mario Gilanto and Giovanni Sacconne to name a few…

By the time I’m pulling up outside, the sun is fully risen, and the sky is clear and blue. The perfect weather to commit murder.

“About fucking time,” Mikhail mutters as I force open the front door of the warehouse to find my entire family waiting for me.

Alexei and Lev are huddled together in the corner, locked in some deep discussion, and Anton and Dimitri are both on their phones, no doubt checking in with their wives.

I glare at Mikhail as I slam the door shut behind me with my foot, but his attention has already moved back to his gun, which he is cleaning with the hem of his black shirt.

Dimitri glances up from his phone when he hears me approaching him. “How is Emily?”

There’re a few specks of Igor’s blood on his face from where he broke his nose, and his dark hair is a little disheveled—as if he’s been running his hands through it repeatedly.

“She’s good. Really good.”

Anton comes over to join us. “That’s great to hear.”

“Actually…” I glance around and realize I’m going to have to come clean about everything at some point, so it might as well be now when all of my family is present. “Emily and I… We’re, uh…we’re having a baby.”

A huge crash sounds, and I realize that Mikhail has dropped his gun.

His mouth is hanging open. “You’re what ?”

I grin. “And we’re getting married.”

For a moment, there is nothing but silence as I look at each of my family members in turn. Lev looks like he wasn’t listening, and Dimitri’s mouth is open so wide, his jaw is practically on the floor.

Here we go.

Alexei frowns. “I didn’t realize you two were even seeing each other.”

I glance at Dimitri. “We were keeping it a secret. For obvious reasons.”

Mikhail barks out a laugh and comes over to slap Dimitri on the back. “And here we were, thinking Alexei was the hard ass.”

Dimitri scoffs. “Fuck off. I was looking out for Emily. Let’s face it, she can do a hell of a lot better than this bastard.”

I scowl. “Thanks.”

Anton laughs. “It’s true.”

I fold my arms over my chest. “I distinctly remember being happy for each and every one of you assholes when you announced your engagements.”

Alexei shrugs. “Excessive teasing comes with the territory of being the youngest, I’m afraid.”

“I’m almost thirty-one years old.”

Mikhail snorts. “Practically a baby.”

“Fuck off, all of you.”

Dimitri envelops me in a hug.

“In all seriousness, congratulations, brat . Though you’re still a little shit for denying anything was going on with Emily,” he mutters in my ear, and I push him away.

“Come on, you knew I couldn’t say anything!”

Dimitri narrows his eyes and pretends to be pissed off, but then his face breaks out into a smile, and he slaps me on the back.

“You’re right, I would’ve cut off your balls.”

Anton shakes his head as he smirks. “Probably should have thought about doing that before he went and knocked her up.”

Dimitri sighs, and I can’t help but grin at him.

He shakes his head too. “So, does this make us double brothers, considering our wives are sisters? We could start our own bratva. You, me, the twins, and whatever spawn you produce.”

Alexei scoffs from across the warehouse floor. “No, you fucking won’t!”

I roll my eyes. “You make it sound like Emily is going to give birth to an alien.”

Mikhail shrugs. “Who knows, with your genetics.”

Alexei claps his hands once. “Enough with the yapping, we’ve got shit to do!”

Dimitri sets a hand on my shoulder. “One last thing, Danil. Before we get this party started.”

Everyone stops and looks at him.

“Just a gentle reminder that if you fucking hurt Emily, you’re a dead man.”

“Seriously? We’re having this conversation now ?”

“Danil!” Alexei calls.

I take that as my cue to walk away from Dimitri before he can give me ‘the talk’.

I roll up my shirt sleeves. “Where is he?”

Alexei tilts his head to the end of the warehouse. “Chained up out back. Still unconscious, but that might have something to do with the multiple blows that Mikhail gave him to the head while we were waiting for you.”

Mikhail shrugs as he passes by us. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”

Alexei nods. “Let’s get this over with.”

I can’t wait to have my turn with the man that wrecked our family and has been making our lives hell. But first, I need to apologize, to make them understand. “Alexei?—”

My brother holds up a hand. “Danil, you did what you had to do. It could have happened to any one of us.”

“But—”

“You made me proud, little brat .”

I nod as I try to swallow past the lump that has lodged itself in my throat.

He smirks. “Now, let’s go and have some fun.”

I follow Alexei through the set of double doors that lead off the main floor of the warehouse. We climb down a set of stairs that are a little too similar to the ones I descended when I was hunting for Emily, and my chest tightens.

If ever I needed some extra motivation, it’s the memory of finding Emily tied up in a basement.

Alexei leads me along the corridor of empty storage rooms that my brothers and I use as makeshift holding cells. “We’ve each had our turn with him. It’s your turn now.”

He unlocks the final door and pushes it open.

That’s when I notice the blood staining his hands, and my lips pull up into a smile.

I nod. “Let’s end this motherfucker.”

I almost laugh when I notice the state of Igor Ivanov.

After so many years of living in fear that he might take someone I love from me, seeing his unconscious body looking so weak and bloody makes me feel an immeasurable amount of joy.

Alexei hands me a blood-stained baseball bat, and a surge of adrenaline fills me as I wrap my hand around the base.

This is it.

After all this time, I’m finally going to get revenge on the man who murdered my parents.

As I stare down at Igor’s unconscious body, a deep-seated rage starts to build from within my core.

This man almost cost me the love of my life and my unborn child.

He deserves to die.

I lift the bat up over my head and with one last deep breath, I throw all of my weight behind the bat and slam it into the side of his ribs.

The answering crack of bone is a high like no other.

I repeatedly smash the bat into his ribs and flank.

One of the hits is aimed at his skull, and blood instantly starts to pool from the side of Igor’s head.

Part of me wishes his eyes were open so I could see the life drain out of them with every swing, but having his blood permanently stain the concrete will have to do.

“You tried to take us down,” I growl as I hit him again. “But the Koslov Bratva cannot be defeated.”

With one last swing of the bat, I slam it down on the top of Igor’s skull with such force that it caves in.

For a moment, I stare down at him as I try to catch my breath.

A few ragged breaths still escape him, but it won’t be much longer until the last of the air leaves his lungs. All it will take is one more swing of the bat, and it will finally be done.

I toss the bat onto the concrete floor. “Someone else should have the honor of finishing him off. I’ve got enough blood on my hands to last me a lifetime.”

Alexei glances around at each of us and just when I think he’s about to toss the bat to Mikhail, he changes his mind.

He holds the bat out to Lev. “You should do it. It’s only fair, considering the hell he put you through.”

Dimitri and Anton nod.

I wipe my sweat from my forehead on the back of my hand. “Do it, Lev.”

Lev eyes the bat before shaking his head.

“Lev, come on,” Dimitri starts, but Lev holds up a hand.

He cracks his knuckles. “I want to feel the life leave his body.”

I glance at Mikhail, whose lips have lifted up in a feral smile.

I move to stand beside Alexei, Dimitri, Mikhail, and Anton, and we all watch silently as Lev stalks over to the man he once thought was his father. The man who tortured and abused him for years and kept him locked away from his real family. From us.

I hold my breath as Lev crouches over Igor’s limp body and fists his shirt.

“I hope you burn in hell,” Lev snarls before lifting Igor’s head and shoulders off of the floor and slamming it back down so hard that Igor’s head smashes against the concrete.

The infamous Igor Ivanov has been reduced to nothing but a rag doll, helpless to Lev’s fury as he repeatedly slams his head against the hard concrete.

There is so much blood that it’s now forming a river that runs along the length of the room toward where I stand with my brothers.

It pools at our feet, but still Lev doesn’t stop. Not until we hear the sickening crack of Igor’s neck breaking echoing around us.

In that moment, as I stand beside my brothers and cousin with Igor Ivanov’s blood dripping from my hands, it dawns on me.

The nightmare is finally over.