Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Katarina
As usual, I fall asleep on Win, but this time, I don’t wake up until we’re about to land. My clothes have been righted. I have no idea how he managed it, but I’m grateful when our friendly flight attendant appears and I’m not half naked.
It seriously diminishes my credibility as his retributioner if he comes in and finds me half naked and content post coitus.
As we exit the plane, a veritable army awaits our arrival. “Your brother sent all these people?” I ask, looking over at Win.
“Do you know how much security it takes to staff fifteen casinos? He’s got an army at his fingertips.”
“Good to know,” I mumble as we’re ushered into the back of an executive sedan.
The medical team gets in its own car. Apparently, they will be tending our wounds through our stay in America.
Being a duchess is going to take some adjustment, that’s for sure.
As the line of cars rolls out of the airport toward the suburbs, Win leans over to whisper in my ear, “We need to discuss Sver after we’re settled.”
I frown, looking at him. “What’s left to discuss? He’s off the Christmas list.”
“Do you wish to speak with him?”
I nip at my lip, considering. Sver was a figure who was always in the background of my life.
He was at my father’s house often. And I suppose he watched me a fair bit more than the other men who worked for my father. I thought it was creepy.
But we barely spoke.
At this point, I don’t see why we need to change that. I’m just glad to know that the man who tortured me wasn’t actually my father. It feels right. “Not particularly.”
“No?”
“Sasha says that my father used his favorite trick. He made Sver kill, threatening to kill us if Sver didn’t do as my father asked. It’s the same manipulation he used with Dimitri.”
Win’s face spasms. “I see.”
“Does that upset you?”
“It makes me feel…” Win’s chin drops. “He killed Rebecca to save you. I don’t know how to feel about that.”
Blood roars in my ears. That’s horrible and I wish I hadn’t told him. “I’m sorry, Win.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
I look down at my hands, pain radiating through me. “If it changes your offer—”
“It doesn’t.”
“Are you sure?” I pick up my head again, afraid to hope.
He reaches out and touches my cheek. “Katarina, you and I understand the shadows. I can’t go back to a relationship where some of that burden isn’t shared. There is no one else for me but you.”
My heart hammers in my chest. “I feel the same.”
“I…” He leans close whispering in my ear, “I never told my brothers about your father or how Rebecca really died. The world thought it was a break-in, an accidental death during a robbery. Understand, what we have is already deeper than any other relationship, and it’s because we are so strong, I can trust you to understand the truth. ”
I lean my forehead against his. “That’s odd, because I let myself soften with you in ways I’ve never allowed myself before.”
He kisses my mouth, slow and sweet. “That’s because I’ve got enough strength that you can allow yourself to let go when you need. We’re perfect for each other.”
“We are,” and once again, I feel tears pricking at my eyes. I take a deep breath to clear the emotion. “What is it you would like to do about Sver?”
“Would you be amenable to me cutting off his hands?”
I blink back my surprise. “What?”
“I can’t have him killing anyone else, Katarina. I’ll keep him alive if it matters to you, but he will have to pay.”
“I think I need to think about that one,” I answer quietly.
He gives a quick nod. “Of course.”
Win is right. We are creatures who understand each other, who can relax with one another, knowing that in moments of weakness, the other will be strong.
The car enters a familiar parking garage. “What are we doing here?” It’s the very apartment building I’d escaped from when I made the deal with Ryker.
“This is where the entire family is staying. We’ll have our own apartment, though Sasha and Ryker are in the penthouse.”
Sasha is here. So is my brother and all of Win’s family. I said I would never come back to this place, but by Win’s side, I know I’m not a prisoner. This time, it’s not a jail. It’s a bubble of protection. “I want to see my sister.”
“Of course,” he answers as we’re ushered to the elevator. He pulls out his cell phone to alert Ryker we’re coming.
I stare at the closed doors, the familiarity of the elevator is strange. It’s the same four walls, but everything else is different.
The doors slide open, Ryker standing on the other side of them waiting for us. I stop to see him, my eyes turning to slits as I glare. Speaking of Christmas, we might have a few awkward ones coming up... “If I’d known I was coming, I would have returned your ring.”
His brows lift, as he gives me an appraising stare. “You can keep it.”
Sasha appears in the kitchen, visible from the entrance.
Relief washes through me to see her, until my gaze slides down her. Her arms are covered in bandages. “What happened to my sister?”
Ryker’s hands come up. “Katarin—”
But I charge past him, grabbing a knife from the block. “Who did that to you, Sasha?”
“Kat,” she chides. “I’m fine.”
But I hold the knife straight out. I don’t speak to Ryker though, but to Win. “If you are taking Sver’s hands, then I’m taking his dick. I won’t—”
“I did it to myself, Katarina,” Sasha answers softly. “I…I just got…” She sighs. “I know you probably won’t understand, but no one loves me like they love you and—”
I spin toward her, dropping the knife on the counter and race toward her. “I love you,” I cry, wrapping my arms around her.
“Katarina,” she starts. “You don’t have to say that. I know we’ve never been close.”
I’ve been so closed off. I see that now. It’s Win who has opened me again. Maybe that’s why I’ve suddenly started crying. Some emotional block has been cleared. “I love you, Sasha. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it before. I was so busy being a soldier that I forgot how to show love.”
“But you left me,” she cries. “Left me here.”
“I left to find Ivan. To end this. To make the world safer for both of us.”
Tears slide down her cheeks as she embraces me. We stand like that for a long time, just holding each other. I don’t explain more and neither does she.
I barely notice as the rest of the Smith family files into the kitchen.
I just hold my little sister, knowing that everything is different. My life, in nearly every way, is better.
I squeeze her tightly.
When she finally lifts her head, Sasha whispers, “Is he really going to cut off Sver’s hands?”
My eyes widen. I probably shouldn’t have said that. “Probably,” I answer honestly.
Win nudges Ryker. “Hurt her sister and she really will cut off your dick.”
Ryker glares at Win. “You think she’s strong enough for that?”
“I’d hold you down and help her,” Win says with a shrug.
Ryker splutters a response, but it’s drowned out, as Win’s voice booms over the family. “I’ve asked Katarina to marry me, and she’s accepted.”
Sasha gasps, “You’re going to be the next Duchess of Grandmont?”
“I am,” I wink at her. “And we’ll be sisters and sisters-in-law.”
Sasha gives me a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you.”
I hug her back. “Now just tell me, do I need to castrate your husband or no?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “I’m handling him just fine on my own.”
“That’s my girl,” I step back as the family lines up to congratulate me and Win.
I remember them all. I was engaged to Ryker, after all.
I’m not really a hugger, my sister and Win are the exceptions, but I do my best to tolerate the gushing from my future sisters-in-law.
Triston’s and Gris’s wives are both really nice and incredibly gorgeous. Tris and Gris are twins, their polished good looks fit for GQ magazine.
Next comes Killian’s wife Chloe, who is the sweetest thing ever. Crazy considering Killian, he looks like the human incarnation of the devil. Ryker has the same rough features.
But Win, he’s the best of them all. Strength, looks, magnetism. My breath catches. He’s going to be my husband…
Halfway through the congratulations, I hear the elevator, my brother Dimitri appearing in the hall. He makes his way to the front of the crowd, his eyes wild.
“Katarina,” his voice breaks halfway through my name. “Are you all right?”
“It was a scratch,” I say, waving my hand. “I’m fine.” But even I’m surprised at the look of anguish on my brother’s face. I always thought I was just another tool for him to use in his war against our father.
But perhaps, my perception of Dimitri has been colored by how distant I was with everyone. I never gave him a chance to prove otherwise…
I reach out my hand, and he takes it in his, giving my fingers a squeeze.
“Did she just call a bullet wound a scratch?” Win’s youngest brother Rush asks. “Is she serious?”
Win comes to stand at my side, his arm coming around me. “She is.”
Rush shakes his head. “She’s a female version of Win. Are we prepared for this?”
Dimitri’s brows lift but he doesn’t ask. Which is good. I’ll tell him about the wedding announcement later. For now, it’s enough that we understand each other.
But right now, we have more important things to discuss.
“I’m sure, now that we’re all assembled in Vegas, father is coming.” Win squeezes my waist. “Which side of this equation is Sver falling on?”
“Unclear,” Sasha answers. “He says he’s been acting to protect us all along and then he nearly shot Killian.”
“I think that means we have to assume he’s our enemy,” I say, reaching for Sasha’s hand, so that I’m holding onto both of my siblings. I wasn’t attempting to bond us together. I just know that hearing this about Sver will be difficult for her. She’s got a much more tender heart than me.
But now that we’re joined, the world shifts. This was always how we’d beat our father. Together.
“I agree,” Triston answers, giving me a nod. “Mason Kincaid has volunteered to take all the women to his Colorado compound where his family and his security staff will keep them safe.”
Gris is married to Mason’s sister, so the offer is genuine.
I hear the murmur of assent that goes through the group, but I look at Win, my brows lifting. I’m not going anywhere.
I don’t need to say a word. He sighs and says, “I know. I know. You’re staying.”
“Damn right I am. But Sasha…she should go.” I look at Dimitri. “Anna and Ava too.”
Rush lifts his brows, speaking to Win. “Does she always dictate to you?”
“Watch yourself,” Win growls back.
“Don’t mind him,” Gris pushes Rush on the shoulder. “The new offices in New York are kicking his ass, and his new assistant has put his knickers in a twist.”
“That’s complete bullshit,” Rush fires back, his face getting dark and angry. “Nothing about me is in a twist.”
“That is a complete pile of bullshit,” Triston answers. “But we’ll weigh that shit later. Right now, it’s time to send the ladies on their way and get ready to end this war with Ivan.”
I give Sasha a hug. Our reunion is too short, but I’m glad she’s leaving, going where it’s safe.
Because Triston is right.
This is war.