Chapter 15
Nina
The house seems empty with everyone gone.
Katya is back at her apartment above the garage, and Svetlana went out earlier to do some shopping.
She’s getting excited about the new house that’s being built and wanted to get some things for Andrei.
The quiet is starting to drive me crazy.
I’ve been pacing and worrying, and when I realize my agitation is starting to rub off on Ruslan, I force myself to stop.
“You’re a good boy,” I tell him, rubbing his big head and laughing when he quickly rolls over, begging me to scratch his belly.
I give him what he wants, making sure to spend extra time on the spot by his ribs that he loves so much.
When he’s satisfied, he jumps up and shakes his fur out, leaving a puddle of loose hair on the carpet.
Tibetan Mastiffs are not the easiest dogs to clean up after, but Ruslan’s more than worth it.
I open the door to let him out back, laughing when he gives a happy bark and bolts outside to relieve himself and inspect the perimeter.
While he’s out, I grab the vacuum, not wanting Svetlana to have to clean up the mess I made.
When I’m finished and Ruslan isn’t pawing at the door to be let in, I decide I’d much rather fidget and worry in my cozy library.
The sunroom is a totally different room at night.
It’s so cheery when the sun’s out, even on overcast days, but at night it takes on a very different tone.
I still love it, though. It feels cozy in a very different way.
With all the windows, I don’t want to turn on the overhead light and put myself on full display, so I stick to the soft light from a table lamp.
Grabbing the book I’m almost done with, I settle in and start reading, or at least try to.
My mind keeps wandering to Vasily, though, and I keep having to reread passages.
I’m just about to admit defeat and put the book down when a slight movement behind me catches my attention. Before I can turn to look, I feel a hand on my neck and a voice in my ear that I’d convinced myself I’d never have to hear again.
“Miss me, sweetheart?”
My whole body starts shaking at the sound of that voice. It immediately catapults me back to that damn bedroom. The memory so vivid I can feel the ropes around my wrist and the searing pain between my legs as he takes everything from me yet again, stripping me down to nothing.
“No,” I whisper, refusing to believe this is happening.
He tightens his hand around my neck in a rough grip that’s in such sharp contrast to the way Vasily holds me.
Even when he’s rough with me, he’s careful and always in control.
This man is just cruel, feeding off the pain of others.
I let out a frightened whimper before I can stop it when he brings his face closer to mine and I feel the scratchy ski mask against my skin.
“Did you really think I’d just let you run off and get married? Where’s your big, scary husband? He’s not here keeping you safe, is he? I’ll admit it wasn’t easy to sneak in here, but it wasn’t impossible, and poor Vasily is going to be so angry about that,” he says with a harsh laugh.
Hearing him insult Vasily is the kick in the ass I need.
I lunge forward, trying to break his hold on me, but all he does is tighten his grip and press me back against the chair.
My mind panics as he cuts off my air. I claw at his hands, but he brings his other arm across my chest, pinning me in place.
Somewhere in the back of my head I register the sound of Ruslan’s deep bark.
The ferocious sound startles the man enough to make him loosen his grip just enough for me to take in a big lungful of air.
I dart my eyes around the dimly lit room, spotting Ruslan’s large silhouette pawing at one of the windows, frantic to get inside.
The relief I feel at seeing him makes me momentarily forget my fear.
The reprieve is short. All of it comes rushing back when he pulls out a knife and holds the sharp blade up for me to see.
Keeping ahold of my neck, he steps around the chair so he’s standing in front of me.
I recognize the rage in his brown eyes all too well.
I know what’s coming, but knowing it doesn’t prepare me for the sharp blow across my cheek.
His tight grip on my neck stops my head from jerking too far to the side, but it doesn’t do anything to stop the pain.
A scream escapes as tears prick the corners of my eyes, and it sends Ruslan into a frenzy.
He’s snarling and growling and pawing wildly at the glass.
“Don’t fucking scream,” he growls, bringing his face closer. “If that dog gets in here, you won’t like what happens.”
Hearing him threaten Ruslan sends me over the edge. I forget about the knife and start swinging my arms at him. “Don’t you dare hurt him!” I scream, barely feeling the sharp sting of the blade as it slices through my arm.
Seeing me fight back pisses him off. He’s not used to it. He wants me to cower and cry and beg him to not hurt me, but I’m not fucking doing it. I’ll fight him or die trying because there’s no way in hell this man is getting inside me again.
“Nina,” he growls, grabbing my arms and pinning them to the couch.
“Fuck you!” I growl right back, bringing a leg up to try and kick him in the balls.
He dodges me at the last second but lets out a satisfying grunt when I hit his thigh instead.
His leg buckles, forcing him to his knees.
Right when I think I may have actually pulled this off, he rears up and grabs me, slamming me onto the ground in front of him.
My head hits the floor hard enough to daze me and darken my vision.
My phone starts ringing, and even though it sounds like it’s a million miles away, I know it’s on the chair where I was sitting, just a few feet away.
I know it’s Vasily, and knowing he’s so close but still impossibly far away nearly destroys me, but it also gives me hope.
His frantic calling and texts means he knows something’s wrong and that he’ll be here soon.
I just need to hold on a little bit longer.
The man on top of me pins my wrists above my head with one hand and sets the knife down beside us.
“No!” I scream as soon as I find my voice again. “Get off me!”
“Oh, I’m going to get off all right, sweetheart.” I start to cry when I hear his zipper being yanked down. “Ruby’s not here to make sure I wear a condom.” He lets out a harsh laugh and leans closer. “Let’s see how much Vasily loves you when it’s my child in your belly.”
His words are enough to send me into a rage.
The thought of this man raping me again is more than I can take.
I won’t survive it this time. I know I won’t.
Not after Vasily’s shown me what it’s like to be with a man who loves me.
I can’t go back to being used by this monster.
My survival instincts take over, mixing with the rage that’s consuming me, and using the last of my strength, I raise my head fast, head-butting him in the nose.
I’ve never head-butted anyone, and I clearly don’t know what I’m doing because I’m pretty sure it hurt me a hell of a lot more than him, but it does surprise the hell out of him, making him let up on my wrists enough for me to break his hold.
I grab the knife as he reaches for his bloody nose and then bury it in his stomach right as I hear a loud crash and breaking glass.
The man screams when Ruslan bites around his neck and pulls him off me.
I scoot away, holding my aching head as angry, snarling growls fill the room.
“Nina!”
I look up when Vasily runs into the room, staggering to my feet as he gives Ruslan a one-word command that has him letting go and coming to stand by me.
I’m so dizzy I nearly pass out, but as soon as Vasily is close enough, I throw my arms around him.
His brothers come in with Andrei and Ilya.
They take in the scene quickly and go to make sure the man doesn’t get back up.
“He’s still alive,” Volodya says, checking for a pulse near the angry gashes that Ruslan left in the man’s flesh.
“Are you okay, zolotse?” Vasily asks me, holding me so tightly I can barely breathe.
I feel his body trembling against mine, and I know he must’ve been scared to death that he wouldn’t get here in time.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I tried to get here faster.
I’m so sorry,” he says again, and the pain in his voice hurts me worse than anything that happened tonight.
“I’m okay,” I quickly tell him. “I managed to fight him off and then Ruslan took care of the rest. He busted through the window.” I turn my head to try and get a better look at the dog that saved my life. “What if he got cut?”
“Baby, he’s fine,” he says, trying to calm me down.
He cups my face, looking over my injuries.
When he sees the cut on my arm, he lets out a string of Russian, and then pulls his shirt off, wrapping it around the bleeding wound and tying it tightly to stop the blood.
His fingers are gentle, lingering on my skin.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers again before turning to Volodya and saying something in Russian.
He must be giving him a command to move the body because Valeri bends down to help him.
“No,” I say, surprising everyone. “I want to see you end him, and I want to see who he is.”
“Baby,” Vasily starts to say, but I cut him off.
“I need this,” I tell him. “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life without closure. I want to see his face, and I want to see him take his last breath.” When he still hesitates, I grip his arm, clutching it tightly. “Please, Vasya. I need this.”