Chapter 11
Georgi
Dad is in and out of the room, Raya sits in the armchair, and Santino stands guard near the door.
Nina hasn’t moved from where she’s sitting by her sleeping daughter. Taking in the ugly bruises that are forming on her face, I’m reminded of what she went through in the basement.
I’m not surprised she broke down. Honestly, I expected it to happen much sooner.
I know she doesn’t trust me, and she’s scared shitless, but that will change with time because I have no intention of letting her go.
Not because she’s Boris Pavlov’s daughter, but because I can’t. Just like with Raya, I need to know where Nina is at all times.
I can’t explain why. I’m fucking tired and in too much pain to care to look deeper.
I stare at her until my eyes fall shut, and as I drift between sleep and being awake, my thoughts are haunted by the horrible images of Nina being raped.
Suddenly, I remember Martin taunting Nina, telling her Anton is there and for her to get ready.
My eyes pop open, and as my sight focuses on her pale face, I realize tonight might not have been the first time that fucker raped her.
“Raya, Santino, you can both turn in for the night. I can’t sleep with you staring at me,” I tell them. Santino’s watchful gaze flicks to Nina, and to set him at ease, I say, “She’s half my size. She won’t hurt me.”
He doesn’t look happy, but waits for Raya to give my hand a squeeze before leaving with her.
When the door shuts behind them, I look at Nina again and ask, “How are you holding up? Do I need to get you a doctor?”
She keeps her head bowed, her focus on her daughter as she softly replies, “I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” I continue to stare at her until I’m unable to hold the question back. “Has it happened before?”
Her features tense even more, then she nods.
My eyes flick to the sleeping girl. “Where’s her father?”
Nina freezes and doesn’t even blink for a few seconds before she replies, “He’s dead. A long time ago.”
She’s lying.
I look at Simi again. “Is Anton the father?”
This time, Nina’s eyes fly to mine, and panic flashes over her face. “No!”
Fuck. She denies it with such vehemence that I can’t help but think she was forced to give birth to her rapist’s child.
When I look at Simi again, Nina repeats, “No, he’s not.”
“She’s your spitting image,” I mention.
Nina brushes her hand over her daughter’s hair again.
Needing to say the words to her, my voice is hoarse. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to stop him.”
She closes her eyes, the trauma of what she’s been through rippling over her beautiful features. It makes her look so fragile that for a moment, my body moves before I can think it through.
Every muscle throbs, and just as I place my hand on her shoulder, she jerks. I realize the last thing she probably wants right now is for a man to touch her.
Still, I give her shoulder a squeeze, hoping it offers her some comfort.
Pulling back, I say, “I’ll watch Simi if you’d like to go shower.”
Nina shakes her head, and when she speaks, her voice sounds hollow. “I’ll wait until she wakes up.”
Nodding, I lean against the pillows, suppressing a groan. After a few minutes of trying to fall asleep, I give up and look at Nina again.
“Who was the man on the third floor?”
“Ivan. He always guarded Simi.”
Interesting that the kid had a guard, but not Nina.
“And the woman?”
Hatred tightens Nina’s features. “My father’s whore who took care of Simi.”
I tilt my head as the puzzle pieces begin to lock into place. “Did they keep you away from your daughter?”
Nina’s eyes dart to mine again, and there’s another flash of panic in them. “I want my daughter with me at all times.”
“I never planned to separate you.”
She stares at me for a moment, then says, “I don’t trust you…or any of this.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “That will change with time.”
Nina lifts her hand and brushes some of her hair over her shoulder before resting her palm against her neck. “Why did you bring us with you?”
“There’s nothing in Bulgaria for you except more danger and trauma,” I answer honestly.
“We will be fine on our own.” Her mouth sets in a stubborn line I haven’t seen before, and it makes me smirk at her. Anger ignites in her brown irises. “We’re not your property. You don’t get to make decisions regarding us.”
“I do.” My smirk grows more cocky because I like seeing the fire burning in her. It’s so much better than the empty hollowness or ungodly fear. “You’re coming with me.”
Her eyebrows pull together, and she gives me an incredulous look. “Why? You don’t even know me?”
“I know more than you think, Nina.” Remembering something from the day she lured me out of the hotel, I add, “What was it you said? If you can catch me, you can have me.” I let out a chuckle. “I caught you.”
When I meet Nina’s eyes again, the fire is gone, and the fear is back. “You’re scared of me,” I state the obvious.
She turns her attention to her daughter, and some of her silky hair falls partially over her face as she says, “You kidnapped my daughter and me. What do you expect?”
I’m quiet for a moment while I think about how to handle this situation because she’s right. I am kidnapping her and Simi. They’re going back to New York with me.
What I’ll do with them once we’re there, I’m still unsure about.
I don’t want to give Nina too much rope because she might just hang me with it, so I end up saying, “Good. That means you understand the kind of man you’re dealing with.”
Nina’s head whips up, and her features draw together with desperation. “You can’t do this to me. Please…just let us go.”
She’s one to demand that of me after she lured me into an ambush. I haven’t forgotten about that.
“Are you hoping I’ll grow a conscience?” I let out a chuckle. “You should know better, Nina.”
“I’m begging you to.”
Anger surges into my chest because I hate hearing her beg. “Enough. Men like me don’t give back what we’ve taken.”
Never.
Her eyes widen, and she looks at me as if I’m insane. “I’m not yours to take.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, baby.” I stare at her for a moment before I say, “You became mine the moment you set me free.”
That’s a lie.
She became mine when she spent the night holding me so I could get some sleep, but I’m not telling her that.
Anger returns to her face, and her voice is much stronger than I’ve ever heard it when she snaps, “I should’ve left you to rot in that basement.”
“Yet, you didn’t, and now you’re mine.”
Disappointment and fear douse her anger. “I’ll never be yours willingly.”
A thick silence falls between us as I’m hit with the harrowing memories of Nina crying on the floor while I could do nothing but watch.
“I’ll never rape you,” I whisper, and it has her meeting my eyes again.
“I might be bad, but I promise you, here and now, I will never force myself on you, and I won’t beat you.
Those are two things that sicken me.” I can see she doesn’t believe me, and it has me adding, “The Cosa Nostra lives by a code, Nina. We don’t torture our women, and we sure as fuck don’t make them do anything they don’t want to.
Boris and Anton are fucking depraved scum. ”
When she continues to stare at me, not believing a word I’m saying, I realize it’s probably because every fucking man she’s known has hurt her.
Christ. I saw how the guards treated her.
Boris hit her in front of me and talked to her like she’s shit.
And Anton. That fucking asshole…
“You’ll learn with time that I’m nothing like the men you’ve known.” Closing my eyes, I let out a heavy sigh.
I lie with my thoughts of the past four days, but none of them are about what was done to me. I remember how Nina took care of me. With every passing hour, I was looking forward to the next time I’d get to see her.
In the room, Nina became warmth and comfort to me. She was the only human touch that didn’t hurt.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” I say, my voice soft.
“It was my duty. Nothing more.”
Chuckling, I rest my hand on my chest. “Sure it was.”
“If you’re so thankful, you can repay me by letting us go.”
“Nope.”
I hear a soft sigh escape her, and when I open my eyes again, it’s to find her staring at Simi.
“She’s not going anywhere. Get some sleep.”
Nina shakes her head, and when Simi turns onto her other side, facing me, she adjusts her little shirt that has a stain on it.
I only know of the hell Nina endured the past four days, and I’m sure there’s a lot more I’ll find out. It makes me worry about Simi.
“Did they hurt her?” I ask.
When Nina remains quiet, my worst fears make my voice turn hoarse. “Fuck, Nina. Please tell me they didn’t…”
She shakes her head quickly and looks at me. “They never did that. They just kept us apart. I was only allowed to see her for two hours every day. They threatened to hurt her if I disobeyed any orders, so I did what I was told.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
I have no words, and that’s saying a lot because I’m well known for never shutting up. Eventually, I think to say, “I won’t use your kid against you. That’s fucked up, even for me.”
When I see hope flutter over her face, I try to think of something else I can say to keep it there, but the door opens, and Dad comes in.
“How do you feel?” He only spares Nina a glance as he comes around the bed.
“I’m fine.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Like hell you are. You look like shit, son. What happened, and what’s the deal with the woman and kid?”
“I was just tortured a little. The usual thing.” Pulling myself up against the pillows, I gesture at Nina. “They’re coming with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I say so.” Dad stares at me, very unhappy with my answers. Letting out a huff, I add, “She’s mine.”
Dad lifts an eyebrow at me. “You decided that in a span of four days while being beaten and fuck knows what else.”
“Yes.”
He nods while glancing at Nina again.
Smirking, I say, “I know what I’m doing.”
“Hmm…” His eyes return to me and rake over my body. “I still feel very strongly about taking you to the hospital.”
“Nina’s taken good care of me up until now. Once I’m home, I’ll pay Dr. Milazzo a visit and have him give me a complete check-up just to set your mind at ease.”
“Okay.” Dad leans down and places his hand on my shoulder where a dull pain throbs deep in my muscles.
“Do you know what’s going on with the deal I made with Atanas?” I ask.
“Raya somehow managed to handle it all while we were looking for you. You did a good thing by making her your underboss.” He pauses for a moment, then says, “Atanas is very impressed with her.”
“I bet he is,” I grumble.
Dad lets out a chuckle, and shaking his head, he pulls his hand away and begins to walk to the door. “Get some sleep, son. We’re leaving early. Any business you have with Atanas can be done over the phone.”
I nod, and after the door shuts behind him, I climb out of bed. Once again, I have to suppress a groan because it hurts like a bitch to move.
When I struggle to pick up the first aid kit from where it’s lying on the floor beside the armchair, Nina darts up and comes to help.
My eyes drift over her stunning features as I say, “Can you see if there are any painkillers?”
She digs through the kit and pulls some out, checking something on the box before taking two from the foil strip. When she hands them to me, I walk to the bathroom and pour myself a glass of water. While I’m swallowing the medication, I look at my reflection in the mirror.
Christ.
My left eye is swollen, all dark blue and purple, and the cut Nina stitched up on my cheek is going to leave a scar. My bottom lip is torn up, and there’s a variety of colors all over my torso and arms. The beard I’ve grown covers whatever marks are on my jaw.
I turn my head and look at the wound I got when they knocked me out at the hotel. It seems to be healing okay.
When I roll my shoulders, they ache something fierce, and as I glance down at my arms and wrists, Nina comes to stand in the doorway.
“I agree with your father. You should go to the hospital. I’m not a trained professional.” She glances over her shoulder at the bed before looking at me again. “And they can give you something stronger for pain. Those pills won’t help much.”
“I’ll be fine. There’s no time for a pit stop at a hospital.” I walk closer to her, once again noticing the massive size difference between us.
Her gaze drops to the fresh red mark on my arm that I got when I hooked it around the banister to stop our fall, and a foreign emotion flashes over her face.
“Come, lie down so I can massage your back and shoulders,” she says, still stuck in healer mode.
Not giving her time to change her mind, I do as I’m told. Tucking a pillow beneath my head, I get as comfortable as possible and rest my arms beside me.
I barely feel the mattress move as Nina climbs on. “I don’t have the salve with me that I used previously, but I found lotion in the bathroom.”
“That works for me.”
When her hands settle on my shoulder blades, my eyes drift shut. Nina rubs softly at first, but after a minute or so, she begins to dig into my stiff muscles, and I have to use all my concentration so I don’t groan from how fucking amazing it feels.
The pain I experience when she focuses on a stubborn knot of muscles is bearable because it’s always followed by intense relief.
At some point, she alternates between my arms, shoulders, and lower back, and as she practically turns me to jello, I drift off to sleep.