Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
KATYA
M y legs are tended to.
Fortunately, none of the glass hit any arteries. I would’ve been dead if that had happened.
The nurse continues to eye Anton over warily as she and the doctor bandage my cuts.
“I’ll write you a prescription for antibiotics,” the doctor tells me, handing me a slip of paper. “You need to take them. Even though your glass cuts weren’t deep, it could still lead to an infection, and you don’t want to risk that.”
“Understood.”
Anton has his hand on my shoulder—he’s had his hand on my shoulder this entire time. I’ve never seen him stand so possessively next to me like this before. I kind of like it.
“I’ll make sure she takes it,” Anton says.
I shoot him a look. “I’m not stupid, Anton. I’ll take them.”
“I just want to make sure you’re not too stubborn.”
“You’re the stubborn one.” I flip my hair over my shoulder. “I’m the smart one.”
He shakes his head, but there’s a small smile on his lips.
“Just take them,” the doctor repeats. I take the prescription from him with a nod.
Once he walks away, the nurse turns to me. “I really do need to speak to you alone for just a minute. It’s procedure.”
“Whatever you have to ask her, you can ask her in front of me,” Anton says in a cold voice.
“No. I’m sorry. I need to talk to Katya alone.”
I tap Anton’s hand. “It’s ok. Just give me a minute.”
He looks at me for a few long seconds before pulling his hand away. “I’ll be right outside.”
“I know you will.”
He gives the nurse a suspicious look before leaving the room.
“What is it?” I ask the nurse.
“I have to ask. How exactly did you get the cuts on your legs.”
“Anton and I got caught in a burning building. He broke a window so I could go through, and my legs got cut up.”
“How come he isn’t hurt?”
“Because I went through the window first. He was trying to get me out of there as fast as he could.”
She hugs her clipboard to her chest. “I have one more question. Is he abusing you?”
Her question startles me so much I’m not sure what to say. My first instinct is to say no. Anton has never beat me.
But he has locked me up. He’s chased me. He’s played mind games with me. While those mind games can be a little thrilling, they’re also a little toxic.
Anton is not a good man, I know this. I’ve never pretended that he’s good.
But he did save me from Luca. He could have let me die and not given a damn. He could have gotten a new wife and moved on.
And yet, he didn’t.
He was right there with me when we were in that burning building. He admitted to me that, if given the time, he could have fallen in love with me. Well, we’re alive. Maybe now we have the time.
Anton didn’t leave me to die. He stuck by my side like a real husband does.
Despite all our issues and differences, I know for a fact he would save my life again if it came to that.
It takes me a long moment to answer the nurse’s question given how complicated it is.
“Does he abuse you?” she asks again.
This could be my chance to get away from Anton. Have the police come and arrest him. I could be a witness to all the murder and mayhem he’s caused. He could spend the rest of his life in prison.
I’d be free of him. I’d return home and live with Dimitri and Evie. I’m still mad at Dimitri for what he did, but I could learn to forgive him, I think. I could try.
“Katya, I need you to answer my question. Does Anton abuse you?”
The word is on the tip of my tongue. I’m just not sure which one. Yes or no?
“Katya,” she says gently. “Please answer. We can get you help if you need it.”
“I’m telling the truth about the burning building. Anton didn’t give me these cuts.”
“All right. But you still didn’t answer my question.”
Why is it so hard to just get the word out. This is it—the moment to make my escape.
But none of it feels right.
I’ve lived my entire life within the Bratva. Daughter to Aleksander Ivanov, a feared Bratva man. Sister to Dimitri Ivanov, an even more feared Bratva man.
I knew I would one day have to marry a man I didn’t love to help my family. I knew it in my bones.
Luca could come for me again, and the only person who’s proven themselves to be able to save me is Anton.
Anton is my future, whether I like it or not.
And honestly, the idea of never seeing Anton again hurts in a way I never could have expected.
So, I give the nurse the answer that feels right.
“No. He doesn’t abuse me.”
She hesitates, then nods and writes something down on the clipboard. “All right. But you can tell me, you know. You’re safe here.”
“I know I am. But Anton doesn’t abuse me. He’s my husband.”
“Husbands can abuse their wives.”
“Anton saved my life tonight. I’d be dead if weren’t for him.” Granted, it was because of him I was in that position in the first place. It’s his fight with Luca that put me there. But Anton didn’t ask for Luca to kidnap me. He didn’t ask for Luca to put his hand on my breast the way he did.
Anton saved me, and that thought makes my heart flutter in a way I never knew it could.
“Ok,” the nurse says. “Do you want me to call him back in?”
“Yes.”
She leaves, and Anton returns. “I don’t think that nurse likes me,” he mutters, walking to my side. “What did she want to talk to you about?”
There’s no point in lying. “She asked me if you abuse me.”
Anton tenses. “And what did you say?”
“I thought about it. I could have told her yes. You would’ve gone to jail. I could have pressed charges, and you’d be out of my life for good.”
“Katya,” he says in a low growl.
“But then I thought about it some more. And I know you’re my husband, Anton.” I take his hand with mine. His eyes widen slightly. “I told her no. You don’t abuse me. You saved my life tonight, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if you would. I hated doubting you like that because I don’t want to live a life where I doubt if my husband will save me or not. That’s too scary of a place to be. So, I’m telling you right now, Anton, I trust you to be there for me when times get tough. That doesn’t mean we’re good. That doesn’t mean I’m in love. But it’s a start. I’m choosing to trust you because you’re my future. And I want a husband I can feel happy with.”
He looks at me for a long moment with unreadable eyes. Is he angry or sad? Happy? I can’t tell because, in many ways, Anton is still a mystery to me.
“I never expected you to say any of that,” he admits.
“What did you expect?”
“I expected you to snap at me. Yell at me or something. You like doing that.” He inhales sharply. “But what I didn’t expect was for you to tell me you trust me.”
I hold up a hand. “Tentatively. You still have to prove yourself to me.”
“Mmm. Baby, it’s the other way around.”
“I do not have to prove myself to you,” I huff.
“Ok. Just keep telling yourself that.”
“Don’t make me regret telling the nurse you’re not abusive. I could have, you know.”
Something glints behind his eyes. “And you should know that nothing can keep me from you.”
His words settle in my stomach like a flutter on the wind. I wanted to make Anton want me when we first married because I thought that would make things easier. But now, I’m not so sure. I’m learning Anton can be a bit possessive.
I sigh. “I just want to go home. I’m tired. It’s been a long night.”
“Then let’s go home.”
“It’s safe, right? Luca won’t get to us there?”
“I’ll make sure of it.” He speaks with so much confidence, I choose to believe him.
My clothes are soot-stained.
And blood stained.
My hands shake as I try to peel my dress off, but I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of what Luca did to me. He could have raped me. If he hadn’t been so focused on taking Anton down, I could’ve been violated. My safety within my body could’ve been ripped apart.
Even though he didn’t rape me, I still can’t get the memory out of my head of him touching my breast. Of how his guard, Jack, held me down. I felt so hopeless and helpless.
I didn’t even feel that on my wedding day to Anton.
On that day, I knew I was making a choice to save my family, and that made me strong. But with Luca, I only felt weak.
I fucking hate feeling weak.
A sob rips out of me, and I fall onto my knees as the tears spill from my eyes.
Anton finds me like this. I wish I could pick myself up and be strong before him. He’s probably going to make some smartass comment, and I won’t be able to snap back at him. Our banter is something I’ve always been able to rely on.
But right now, with me on my knees and sobs racking my entire body, I can’t be the woman Anton normally expects of me.
I can feel him watching me, but I don’t look up. I can’t see the disgust that’s surely written on his face.
Anton sighs and crouches beside me. “Why are you crying?”
“Because …” I sob even harder. Snot comes out of my nose. I’m disgusting. I never wanted Anton to see me like this. Giving him an ounce of vulnerability is like giving a baby a machine gun. He’ll use it against me, whether he means to or not.
“I saved you tonight. We made it out of a burning building. You should be happy.”
“I’m happy about that,” I say around my tears.
“So, then, why are you crying?”
“You’ve never seen a woman cry before?”
“Not really. It’s fascinating. I mean, I’ve seen people cry when they’ve begged me for their life. But you’re not begging me for your life. You’re just … crying. I’m not sure I like it.”
“Why not?” I finally look at him.
“Because I don’t like seeing you look so …”
“Weak? You can say it. I know you’re thinking it.”
“I wasn’t going to say weak. I was going to say …” Slowly, he places his hand on my back, and its warmth makes me feel instantly safer. “I don’t like seeing you afraid.”
The comfort he shows makes me cry harder. My tears spill down my cheeks and land on my lap, mixing with the blood stains there.
“What happened with Luca?” he asks.
“Nothing. He didn’t rape me.”
It’s then I notice just how tense Anton is. He relaxes slightly. “Ok. So, then, why are you crying?”
“Because I was so scared,” I finally admit. “I was scared I was going to die. I was scared Luca might hurt me even more. I was scared you wouldn’t come for me. I was just so scared.” I bend over and burrow my face into my knees. My tears seem endless.
Anton doesn’t say another word.
Instead, he stays by my side, resting his hand on my back, until my tears finally dry.
ANTON
Watching Katya cries is not something I enjoy.
That might sound obvious, but I have a tendency to enjoy people’s tears. In fact, making people cry is a favorite pastime of mine.
But with Katya, seeing her cry is not fun at all.
It makes my chest feel tighter. It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before, and I’m not sure it’s one I want to feel again. I didn’t even feel this way when I learned Luca kidnapped Katya or when we were fighting our way out of the burning building. I was calm in those moments. I knew what I had to do, and that was to save Katya.
But I have no fucking clue what to do when it comes to her crying.
Eventually, she stops, and I’m fucking grateful for that.
“All good?” I ask her.
She looks away from me, suddenly bashful. It’s a cute look on her. “I guess. I just needed to let it out, you know?”
“Oh, I know. Usually, when I’m upset, I blow things up.”
She studies me with curiosity. “Have you ever cried before?”
“Not since I was a baby.”
“Really? Surely you’ve must have cried a few times in your life. It’s a human emotion, Anton.”
“Nope. Not that I can remember. I’m not an emotional man.”
“Of course you’re not,” she mutters, blowing out air. “Well … thank you, I guess.”
“For what?”
“For not mocking me. For just sitting with me while I cried. I didn’t know you had that in you.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
We share a long, lingering look. The urge to kiss is her so strong I can’t hold it back. I cup the back of her head and lean in.
Katya doesn’t pull away as our lips meet. In fact, she moves in closer to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I hug her in close and pull her onto my lap.
She winces. “My legs.”
“Right.”
We stare at each other for a moment longer.
“You should probably go,” she whispers. “I’m hurt and tired. I just want to sleep.”
“Understood.” I know not to push her. Teasing Katya is fun, but right now, she looks too tired for me to even attempt that. “I’ll leave you to it.”
I help her stand up and then walk to the door.
“Anton?” she calls out.
“Yeah?”
She opens her mouth like she wants to say something, then shakes her head. “It’s nothing. Have a good night’s sleep.”
“You, too.” For a moment, I hoped she’d ask me to stay with her, but the moment passes, and I leave her bedroom so she can sleep alone.
I was hoping to spend time with Katya this morning, but instead, I’m woken up to the sound of someone banging on the front door.
I really don’t expect to see Dimitri on the other side. “What are you doing here?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you got involved with Luca Moretti?” he growls, barging into my house like he owns the fucking place.
“How did you find out?”
“So, you don’t deny it?”
I cross my arms. “No. I don’t deny it. Luca was threatening to kill Katya if I didn’t comply, so I had to work with him. But I don’t work with him any longer. Not after he kidnapped Katya.”
Dimitri’s face goes pale. Clearly, he didn’t know that part. Shit. I never did learn to keep my mouth shut. “Luca Moretti kidnapped my sister, and I knew nothing about it?”
“Well, she’s my wife now, Dimitri. I take first place over you.”
He grabs my shirt and slams me against the wall. “You should have told me!”
“What’s going on?” Katya asks, coming into the foyer. She looks so effortlessly beautiful in her pajama top and shorts.
But the issue with her shorts is that they showcase her bare legs. Her bare bandaged legs.
“What happened?” Dimitri demands, walking over to her. “You’re hurt.”
She stares back at him with so much defiance, I can feel it across the room. “Like you care.”
He flinches. “Katya, of course, I care. You’re my sister. I never want you to get hurt.”
“And yet you gave me to Anton in a marriage contract I had no say in. How was that you protecting me?”
“Evie told me you were making it work with Anton.”
“Making it work and wanting to marry him are two different things. I’m making it work because I have no other option. Anton is my husband. If I want to be happy with him, I need to try with him. But if I’d had a say, I never would’ve married him in the first place.”
“Ouch,” I say, placing my hand over my chest.
She shrugs. “You know it’s true.”
“What happened?” Dimitri asks.
“How did you learn about Luca in the first place?” I demand to know.
“Nikolai caught wind of it. One of his guys saw you meeting up with Luca. I came over here because I wanted to tell you to stay away from him. He’s bad news. And you’re supposed to be business partners with Nik, Maxim, and me. You can’t just go off and make deals with other Mafia men.”
“For your information, Dimitri, I never made a deal with Luca. He forced me to work with him because he threatened Katya’s life. I was just working with him until I could figure out a way to take him down.”
“Then why didn’t you come to me? We could have come up with a game plan together. That’s the point of being business partners.”
“I have pride, Dimitri. I didn’t come to you because I wanted to handle it on my own.”
“And how well did that work out? You just told me Katya got kidnapped!”
“Well, yes. Luca did kidnap her, but I got her back. I saved her. Tell him, Katya.”
She looks between her brother and me before sighing. “He did save me, Dimitri. We both could have died, but Anton made sure to get me out.”
“Get you out of what?”
“A burning warehouse,” I say. No point in denying it.
Shaking his head, Dimitri runs a hand down his face. “I can’t believe this. My sister could have died because of you.”
“Your sister is alive because of me.”
“Why does she have bandages on her legs? Huh? Answer me that, Anton.”
“She got cut,” I explain. “Glass. Now, she’s fine. That’s all you need to know, so you can leave.” I open the front door wider for him.
“Unbelievable,” he mutters. “If you can’t take care of my sister, I will take her back. I will make you divorce her, and I will kill you, Anton. I will murder you for hurting her.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’d like to see you try.”
Dimitri lunges at me and grabs my shirt, slamming me against the wall.
“Stop it!” Katya screams. “Dimitri, stop it!”
With a huff, Dimitri lets me go. “That was a warning.”
“Dimitri, Anton got me to the hospital. He made sure I was all right. I’m on antibiotics to make sure I don’t get an infection. I go back to the doctor in a week to get my legs looked at again. I’ll be fine. I feel fine.”
“You’re not fine,” he growls. “You could have died. How did you get kidnapped anyway?”
“I went to see Evie at the library, and Luca’s man found me there. I think he’d been watching Anton and me. It wasn’t Anton’s fault. He saved me. He made sure I was ok. That’s all you can expect from him.”
“No. What I expect from him is to make sure you don’t get hurt. And yet, you’re standing before me with bandages on your legs.”
She places her hands on her hips. “Oh? And I never got hurt when I lived with you? I distinctly remember getting kidnapped a few times under your care. I almost died countless times. You know that. It’s just a part of our life. The Bratva life. So, unless you and Anton are both willing to retire from this lifestyle, there will always be danger lurking around the corner. I will never be fully safe, and you know that. Don’t come here and berate Anton.”
“Why shouldn’t I? He caused so much chaos before. You can’t honestly tell me you’re happy with him.”
Her eyes flick to me and back to her brother. “I’m not sure how I feel. But what I do know is Anton is my husband. He showed up for me by saving my life. That’s all you can ask of him. He’s never beat me. We’re making it work.”
“You’re really standing up for him?”
“What else do you want me to do, Dimitri? Say how much I hate him? Doesn’t it make you feel less guilty about what you did to me that I don’t hate Anton?”
His lips part, and no sound comes out. I want to make a witty remark, but I keep silent. This moment is between Katya and her brother.
“Katya,” he says slowly.
“I know you feel guilty. I know that’s why you waited months to tell me. Luna mentioned that you knew for months. Hell, almost an entire year, before you made me marry Anton. You lied to me for so long. I’m still pissed at you for that. I’ll always probably be a little angry with you, Dimitri, for deciding my future for me. For keeping that from me.”
“You would have tried to stop it, and I couldn’t risk that.”
“So, why are you trying to stop it now?” she asks quietly.
He glances over at me, and I can’t help myself. I smirk. It makes him scowl as he turns back to Katya. “I just want to make sure you’re ok.”
She glares at her brother in silence for a long moment before she nods, her eyes softening. “I’m ok. As ok as I can be. I know you’re not happy with this. A part of me still isn’t happy about this. And yes, Anton should have told you about Luca.” She gives me an annoyed look.
“What can I say? I like to go at things alone.”
Dimitri huffs and shakes his head.
“Anton,” Katya says, “You have to include my brother and the others in your plans. You know this. If you want to make this alliance work, you have to learn to trust.”
“The only person I trust is myself.”
“Not even me?” she asks.
I don’t have an answer for that because I honestly have no fucking clue about how I feel for Katya. At one moment, I want to have power over her. The next moment, I want to possessively wrap my arms around her and keep her safe. No one has ever invoked these feelings within me.
She turns back to Dimitri. “And you. You can’t break up Anton and me just because you feel guilty. I said my vows. I agreed to marry him. I’m making this work. That’s a lesson I think you need to learn as well.”
Dimitri looks stunned, and I can’t blame him. Katya is a powerhouse when she wants to be.
“Now, stop fighting,” she says and walks away.
Dimitri turns to me. “Don’t keep anything else from me. You got it?”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “I got it.”
Dimitri looks somewhat appeased, but we both know things aren’t going to magically go smoothly from here.
That’s impossible when it comes to a man like me.