Chapter 26
Sunshine’s intended. Fiancé? Marriage? At fourteen?
I think the fuck not.
I've protected her since I was sixteen. From everything. Including the bastards selling her off to….
Him.
Her so-called intended. Fiancé. Future husband. Whatever you want to call it, it's not happening.
Over my dead fucking body.
I squint, really taking him in. He's a child dressed in a suit, with shiny shoes and a damn smirk. Defiantly, he lifts his chin, staring straight into my eyes. He’s issuing a challenge for me by saying he's not backing down.
Well, challenge accepted, motherfucker. I have an arsenal of crazy in my back pocket. Me. Arrow. Jericho. We'd be able to take him on.
All in due time.
Is it wrong to want to punch him? Wait! How is this even legal? Is he even of age?
He's tall. Maybe 5’7”. So, not fully grown. No facial hair, either. But he did have a slight accent. Russian, maybe?
Fuck! Shadow’s words from before filter through my mind about marrying Sunshine off to mafia heirs and whoever else he could get his hands on.
I’d do anything to protect my sister. If I have to banish her fiancé into a cement pit, then so be it. He'll float with the fishes. And Sunshine? She'll be none the wiser.
“I think I have something in my ears. Your what now?” I ask, looking the little intruder up and down again.
"Journey," Sunshine says, turning beet red. "Um, maybe we could talk. And..." I hold up a hand, stopping her immediately.
Sunshine has always been my responsibility. My sister. The girl I carried to and from doctor's appointments, trying to find a solution to our problems with our limited resources. I killed for her, protected her from all this. As best I could, I guess. And now she's gone, thrown all my work in the trash, and promised herself to this little Jericho clone.
"Who the hell are you? And why do you think you can marry my little sister? She's fourteen." My fingers curl into a fist, ready to rear back and smack him into next week.
"Perhaps we should take this into Sunshine's suite and discuss why I am marrying your sister." This boy raises his dark brows, demanding obedience with one glare.
I'm about to tell him to fuck right the hell off, but Shepp jumps in and stops me, putting his hands on my shoulder, cutting off my view of them.
His eyes soften. Those ocean eyes I could get lost in. Find comfort in. They pull me in, draining the rage pouring through me. With just one touch on my chin, he offers me a smile.
“Did you know about this?" I swallow hard, attempting to find the answers in his eyes that give nothing away.
He immediately shakes his head, somehow leading me into the room so Sunshine and the dead man walking can enter without dying.
Shepp digs in his pocket with a sigh, scribbling a note with determination.
I eye Sunshine and the prick, walking toward the sofa across the way. His arm wraps around her tightly. Possessively. Like a precious jewel.
The room is massive. A suite fitted with a kitchen, living room, and separate bedrooms—two, if I'm seeing it right.
Well, I see who the favorite child is.
She got this massive room, and we got the regular one. Of course, we were defiant prisoners, and she was the compliant one. I guess she's given Shadow precisely what he wanted—a chess piece he can move on his board.
'I had no clue until five minutes ago when my father and that prick signed a contract for Sunshine's hand in marriage. He's only 14. And the heir to the Bratva.’
The paper hangs in front of me, taunting me with its words. Fourteen? Marriage? Contract? Bratva? Those words shouldn't exist together in a sentence—especially the fourteen part.
They're goddamn children being forced into adult roles.
I fucking hate it.
I jerk my gaze to Sunshine, who looks so fucking guilty, staring up at me with wide eyes from the loveseat across the room. She swallows hard. Her face shows all her emotions.
“J,” she whispers with a plea, begging me to understand.
But I don't. Kind of. A little voice reminds me of what I've done for her. And what she said to me before she walked out of the caves with Shadow.
It was her turn to be the hero for me. But not like this. Not with a marriage to a stranger.
"Explain this, please," I say, trying to take deep breaths. I can't just fucking explode. Not on Sunshine. I'm sure she has good intentions. I hope. "A contract marriage, Sunshine..." I trail off, my words tinted with hurt—memories of my own float through my mind.
My mother sold me to Gabriel, giving me to Jericho like a prized pig. Granted, it didn't turn out horribly for me. Jericho could have been worse. His friends, too. I mean, he only married me without my permission and let his bestie take out my birth control. Now, I belong to them. Fit in with them.
Fuck. Remind me why I miss them so badly.
"And you knew about this?" I breathe to her, trying to bite my tongue.
"It just happened, J. I swear. It... I'll be okay." Sunshine nods, trying to reassure me with her sweet smile and bobbing head that she'll be okay.
And maybe I'll believe it in the future. Right now, I'm too lost. Too broken from everything that's happened.
The little punk sits tall beside her, holding her in his arms. His pinched expression takes in the hurt oozing from her and takes it on himself.
His deep blue eyes slice through me with a frown. "It's for her safety," Mikhail says, raising his chin with a challenge. "And I can assure her of that.” He says nothing further when he unwraps from her and stands, offering her his hand. "Now, I heard we were making breakfast this morning, Princess."
Sunshine beams at him, erasing all the hurt from her expression. They peer into each other's eyes, holding contact longer than necessary. I’ve seen that look before. When he looks at her, the light in his eyes is tinged with a bout of crazy. He means what he says. He believes it with all his damn heart.
But how can I allow this to happen? How can I let her go with him to wherever he's from and get married? They're so young. So na?ve.
I shake myself from my thoughts.
"Her safety? You don't know the first thing about her safety. Or what she's been through. Or..." I roll my lips together when my stomach sloshes. I swear, since we got on this island, I can't keep anything down. Mixing that with the crazy emotions roaring through me has me wanting to puke my brains out.
Maybe I need this brunch more than I thought. Oh, and a nap, too.
Mikhail runs a hand down Sunshine's back, gently soothing her as she cracks an egg and then another. She relaxes into his touch like they've known each other for years. He leans in and kisses her cheek, whispering something in her ear. She giggles. Fucking giggles at him, sounding freer than I've ever heard her before.
She went from a trailer prison to a hospital and now to this. Everywhere she's been, there have been four walls holding her hostage. Will he?
Shepp gently grabs my hand, pulling me to the loveseat. Something about his touch sends fireworks through my system—a rightness, a calmness. I squeeze my eyes shut.
Breathe, you idiot. Just calm down and think about the future.
“There's no stopping this, is there?” I murmur, swallowing my unease.
Shepp's lips roll together, and he shakes his head.
“Wonderful,” I murmur, rubbing my temples.
The sound of bacon sizzles on the stovetop, filling the air with its aroma. My stomach turns, knots, and then freaking growls from the smells. I sigh, sealing my lips together, and lean on Shepp's shoulder. His arm wraps around me, holding me close. Watching my sister and the inevitable about to happen has tears prickling my eyes.
Fuck.
What is wrong with me? Can I stand by and let her get married for safety reasons?
“Join us?” Sunshine asks softly, gesturing toward the small round table fit for four people. “We've got eggs, bacon, and even some pancakes.”
“With sprinkles,” Mikhail chuckles, moving beside her.
“Even sprinkles,” she sighs, taking in his softened expression.
“Shall we?” Mikhail eyes me as he speaks, setting four empty plates and forks on the table.
Reluctantly, Shepp and I sit at the table, taking it all in.
“So, you cook?” I ask Mikhail, gesturing to the food.
Mikhail cocks his head. “You ask that like it's strange for a man like me to do all this.” He nods toward the food and fills Sunshine's plate, piling it high.
“Not strange,” I say, clearing my throat. My eyes drift to Shepp, who eyes me with a smirk. “It's just unexpected. How long have you been cooking for?”
Internally, I cringe at my questions. I'm just so lost on what to say. Do I want to grill his ass for stepping in and taking my sister away? Yes, absolutely. I could convince him to back off and leave her alone. I could do a lot of things.
But I can't.
Sunshine lights up when he gently hands her a fork and gestures for her to eat the food he had plated, including the fruit bowl.
“Ever since I could remember. My parents have always been away on trips for business, leaving me at home to learn. Through our private cook, I've learned invaluable skills.” He leans down, takes a bite of his eggs, and hums.
“It's so good, Mik,” Sunshine says, batting her eyelashes like crazy.
Mikhail smiles, his entire body melting at her words.
“And you were born into the mafia?” I ask again, pushing my food with my fork.
Half of me is concerned about poison after what happened to Shepp and me in the caves. But the other half watches as Sunshine digs in and smiles, eating without worry.
“Born and raised,” he smirks. “Just like Shepp, eh?”
Shepp stiffens beside me, quickly signing something. Mikhail nods, chuckling under his breath, and signs something back.
Son of a bitch. I need to learn ASL sooner rather than later. So I can be in on the special conversations.
A knock sounds at the door, halting all our movements. Mikhail stands with a huff, answering it. He nods a few times, then shuts and locks it stiffly. Mikhail keeps his back to us for a few beats. Several deep breaths expand his back and move his shoulders with the movements before he turns toward us. There’s nothing written on his face when he looks us over again.
“Well, it seems we're needed elsewhere,” he hums, taking Sunshine's empty plate and putting it in the sink. “We've got a meeting with our fathers. Business to discuss.” His face stays impassive, but the fire in his eyes has my brows furrowing. “It seems we'll have to discuss more at a later date. More privately,” he adds the last part in a softer voice when he helps Sunshine from her chair.
“I'll see you at dinner tonight, J.” Coming around the table, Sunshine wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. She sighs in my embrace before pulling back. “Try to… To think it over, okay? I'll be fine.” She nods her head once, keeping her hands on my shoulders.
My eyes stray to Mikhail, who patiently waits behind us, watching her closely.
“I will.” I gently kiss her cheek and then let her go out the door and into whatever type of meeting they have.
Shepp wraps an arm around my shoulders when we leave the room and head down the hall.
“Shall we explore?” I murmur.
Shepp nods eagerly, taking my hand.