Chapter 14 Volodya #3
She settles into me, letting me hold her as tightly as I need to while we wait in silence for the nurse to come back.
When she does, all she can tell us is that he’s still in surgery and to take that as a good sign.
Her eyes run over our small group, taking in every detail, noticing the tattoos and worried faces, before sizing up the three women and the way they’re being held and comforted.
Coming to a decision, she steps closer and says in a low voice, “I made a note in your file that you and your girlfriend were doing some home remodeling and you were cut by a rusty nail when she fell off the ladder.” She pauses and adds, “We’re required to report anything that’s not accidental.”
I meet her eyes and give a small nod. “Thank you.”
She walks off without a word. I’m not sure why she decided to do it.
Maybe she knows it’s a waste of time and doesn’t want to bother with it, maybe she realizes that whatever happened tonight was necessary, I don’t know, but I’m grateful for one less thing to worry about.
Valeri’s gunshot wound will get reported, but I know he won’t say anything.
It’ll go down as him being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A case that everyone knows will never get solved.
After another tense hour where no one says a fucking word, and it’s only the feel of Maddie’s heartbeat against my chest that keeps me going, the surgeon finally walks out.
We all stand and wait for him to speak. My arm is wrapped around Maddie, holding her close, and when the doctor smiles, I nearly sink to my goddamn knees.
“He’s going to be okay. I had my doubts there for a little while, but he’s a fighter. He’s still sedated and won’t be waking up for several hours.”
“Can we see him?” I ask.
“Come back tomorrow and you can for a little bit, but he needs to rest as much as possible. He survived, and he’s damn lucky to have done that, but his recovery isn’t going to be a quick one. He’s going to have to take it easy.”
“He’ll love hearing that,” Vasily says, laughing with the rest of us. I can hear the relief in his voice. He grips my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. I know he was just as scared as I was. We all were. We thank the doctor, and as he walks away it’s like we can all breathe again.
“When he’s better, I’m going to kick his ass for scaring us like this,” I say with a smile.
“I’ll hold him down for you,” Vasily says.
“I need a fucking drink,” Nikolai mutters. “A big one.”
Maddie looks at her bloody shirt. “I really need a shower.”
I kiss her head and turn to the others. “I’m going to take her home.
” Vasily ruffles my hair like he used to do when we were little and the look he gives me makes words completely unnecessary.
We both know how close we came to losing one of us.
Family is everything, and we almost lost a big part of ours tonight.
Giving Nina and Svetlana a quick hug goodbye, I nod to the others and gently lead Maddie to the car.
A wave of exhaustion hits me, threatening to completely overwhelm me, but I push it aside and get behind the wheel.
The drive back is quiet. I hold her hand when I’m not shifting, and when I pull up to the gate, Boris quickly runs up to the car.
“Any news?” he asks. Word’s spread through the Bratva, and everyone is waiting to hear about Valeri.
“He’s going to be okay.”
Boris lets out a heavy sigh and pats my arm. “He’s going to have to answer for all the grey hairs he just gave me.” Bending down, he gives Maddie a wave. Noticing her bruises, he looks at me and asks, “Everything okay?”
“It is now,” I assure him.
He grins and takes a step back. “I’ll spread the word that Valeri’s okay.”
“Thanks, Boris.”
I give him a wave and drive up to the house.
The dogs whine when they see us and smell blood.
Maddie bends down and gives them each some love, letting them know she’s okay.
Standing up, she grabs my hand and leads me inside, taking me up to our bathroom.
She starts to fill the tub and then grabs onto my T-shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking care of you.” She smiles and pulls my shirt up, waiting for me to bend down enough for her to remove it.
When she starts to unbutton my jeans, I cup her face, running my thumb lightly over her bruised cheek. “I’m so fucking sorry, kiska.”
“You saved me tonight. That’s what I remember.”
“I remember walking into that room and seeing a man about to rape you after he’d already beaten you,” I tell her, the image permanently seared into my brain.
She keeps working on my pants and shakes her head softly. “You got there in time, Volodya. That’s all that matters. When I look back on this night, all I’m going to think about is how you stormed into that room and saved me.”
When we’re in the tub, she makes sure my bandage isn’t in danger of getting wet and then leans back against my chest. I wrap my uninjured arm around her, lightly stroking her upper chest with my thumb.
“I need you to tell me everything that happened tonight,” I tell her. “Every single detail. I need to know what happened to you.”
She thinks for a second and turns her head so she can see me. “I will if you will.”
I smile and kiss her forehead. “Deal, kiska, but this is a one-time thing.”
Settling back, she starts from the moment I left this evening, telling me about the text from her mom and everything that happened after she showed up there.
I don’t interrupt her or say anything, but inside I’m seething at the things he did to her, and if I could bring him back to life, I would, just so I could kill the fucker again.
When I’ve got control of my anger, I say, “I didn’t rape Kaylee. I’ve never raped a woman in my life, and I sure as hell didn’t beat her.”
“I never thought for one second that you had,” she says, and I can hear the truth in her words, and it means the world to me. She knows what I’m capable of, seen my demons come out to play, but even after all that, she knew I wouldn’t rape someone.
“She made it clear I could have her if I wanted, and I made it clear that wasn’t going to happen. I hurt her pride, and then I told my men they weren’t allowed to touch her, even if she begged for it. I guess that really pissed her off.”
“Yeah, that would do it,” she agrees. “And it doesn’t surprise me at all that she lied.”
She grabs a washcloth and starts to slowly wash the blood off me while I tell her what happened tonight.
I may not keep my word to assholes who deserve to die, but I keep it with her.
By the time I finish, we’re both clean and getting out of the tub.
We don’t bother with pajamas. Sliding under the covers naked, I pull her against me, spooning her, and even though I’m exhausted physically and mentally, I’m not surprised to feel myself growing hard.
Without saying a word, she reaches an arm up and cups the back of my head, pulling me closer as she lifts her thigh.
With a groan I grip my shaft, moving myself into position as she kisses me hard.
She’s soaking wet, more than ready for me, and when I slide in, our groans join together, filling the room.
Being inside her feels like coming home.
Every time I fill her tight little pussy, it’s like a goddamn religious experience.
She gives my bottom lip a bite, urging me for more, and when I dig my fingers into her thigh and start to fuck her harder, she smiles against my lips and fists my hair.
Cupping one of her bouncing tits in my hand, I pinch her nipple and slide my other hand up her thigh.
My fingers drag along where we’re joined, running through the slick arousal that coats her.
Spreading my fingers, I cup her in a possessive grip while I fuck her harder.
“Mine,” I growl against her lips. “Mine and no one else’s.”
“Yours,” she pants, rocking her hips to match my rhythm.
Bringing my fingers to her clit, I roll her swollen bundle of nerves between my fingers and pinch her nipple hard, forcing the orgasm onto her in a relentless rush that has her arching her back as she lets out a raspy scream that has me pounding into her even harder.
Her pussy grips me so tightly that I’m helpless to resist. With a growl, I empty everything I have inside her, filling her until she’s fucking overflowing with my seed.
Her body shakes against mine, too exhausted to even open her eyes.
I kiss a line along her jaw and whisper against her skin.
“I’m sorry you had to see me kill him, kiska, but he was always going to die because I can’t stand the idea of another man walking around, knowing what it feels like to be inside you. ”
I give her shoulder a bite that sends a shiver through her body. “I’m a jealous man when it comes to you, sweetheart.”
I don’t offer an apology because it would only be a lie.
Derek’s days were numbered. His stupid stunt tonight just sped the date up.
She grabs my hand and kisses it. Already half asleep, she mumbles, “I’m jealous too, but I don’t think I have the arm strength to kill all the women you’ve been with. ”
Dragging my nose along her skin, I bury my face in her neck and breathe her in. “What women? I only remember you.”
She lets out a lazy laugh. “That’s a very good answer.”
“It’s the truth, kiska.” I wrap my arm tighter around her chest, keeping my softening cock buried inside her because I’m not ready to lose the feel of her.
She smiles and threads her fingers through mine, falling asleep in seconds. I bury my face in her hair, surrounding myself in her scent and join her.