Chapter 4 #3
In Russian I ask Nikolai, “Did Ilya tell you to bring a sedative?”
“He did. It’s in my bag.”
“Get it,” I tell him as I reach over and grab Nina before putting her on my lap.
“Hey, what are you doing?” She struggles against me, but it doesn’t take much to restrain her.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her, “but this has to be done.”
When I nod to Nikolai, he grabs her arm. She freaks out when she sees the syringe and turns her wild eyes to mine.
“Please don’t drug me,” she begs.
“It’s just a sedative, Nina. I promise you’re safe. It’ll make you fall asleep, and when you wake up, all this will be over.”
I tighten my grip on her when Nikolai gives her the shot.
She turns her head, and I can feel the heat of her breath on my neck when she whispers my name before the sedative takes effect and her body slumps against mine.
Instead of letting her go, I keep holding her on my lap while Nikolai works.
I don’t know why I don’t just set her down, but some part of me doesn’t want to let her go.
She’s curled up against me, her small, steady breaths hitting my neck, her dark, silky hair brushing against my jaw.
I keep my arms wrapped around her and watch the bear take shape on her skin.
There’s no denying the possessive streak that awakens inside me or the way my cock immediately stiffens when I see my name being slowly tattooed onto her skin, permanently marking her as mine.
It’s fake, I remind myself, the whole marriage is fake, but the reminder doesn’t change how I feel.
It doesn’t change the giant protective and possessive part of myself that’s suddenly decided to show itself and stake claim on the small woman in my arms. Right as Nikolai is putting the finishing touches on her arm, my phone vibrates against my thigh.
Checking the screen, I read the text from Ilya.
Got him. Need anything else tonight?
Relieved that it’s taken care of and one less thing for me to worry about, I tell him to go have fun.
I know he and Andrei are anxious to go find someone to fuck after dealing with David.
Killing and fucking tend to go hand-in-hand.
All that adrenaline needs an outlet, and I’m guessing they won’t be back for hours.
“She’s good to go,” Nikolai says, rubbing some ointment on her skin before wrapping it up.
Before I’ve even had a chance to think it through, I ask him, “Do you have an extra needle in that bag?”
He lifts a dark brow at me. “You want a tattoo?”
Being careful to not jostle Nina too much, I roll up the sleeve on my right arm to where there’s a small piece of skin that’s unmarked and hold it out for Nikolai.
He’s very careful to not look surprised when I tell him to tattoo Nina’s name in Cyrillic.
Without a word, he gets everything ready and starts working.
It doesn’t take long before he’s finished and Nina’s name is written on my skin.
I’d made her get mine. It seems only fair that I do the same.
“Thanks, Nikolai,” I tell him as he packs up his stuff. “Andrei and Ilya are out picking up women and drinking too much if you want to join them.”
He laughs and grabs his phone to text them. “I’ll definitely do that. American women are so different. They can’t get enough of the accent. All I have to do is start talking, and their panties drop to the floor.”
I laugh because I’m pretty sure it’s not just the accent.
Nikolai is a tatted-up wall of muscle, and I’m guessing that might also have something to do with it.
He wraps my arm and then leaves with his equipment.
I stay with Nina in my lap for several more minutes until Ruslan comes over and nudges my hand with his head, letting me know he needs to go out.
Picking her up, I let Ruslan out and then carry her upstairs.
She’s still in her clothes, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to undress her while she’s unconscious.
The last thing I want is for her to wake up and think I had my way with her while she was out of it.
Pulling back the covers, I put her in my bed.
My eyes run over her, and when I see how her skirt has bunched up, I reach to pull it down and then freeze when I see the bruises.
There’s no way in hell I can’t not look, so I slide her skirt up a bit more and bite back a curse when I see the bruises dotting her thighs.
They’re obviously from someone’s fingers, and the image of someone holding her down while raping her nearly sends me into a rage.
The only way I can get under control is by promising myself that I will make every single one of those fuckers pay for what they’ve done to her.
I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to kill every damn one of them.
I carefully pull her skirt back down and bring the covers over her body so she won’t get cold. Her face is relaxed in sleep, and I can’t resist running the back of one finger along her cheek. She lets out a soft whimper as her eyelids flutter widely but remain shut.
“It’s okay,” I whisper in Russian before kissing her forehead. “You’re safe now, Nina.”