Chapter 10 #2
“You brought this on yourself. You’ve been beating her for years, and now it’s time for you to feel a little bit of what you’ve put her through.
You don’t deserve her, and you will never see her again.
She’s mine now, and I’ll be taking care of her from here on out.
You are no longer a part of her life. Do you understand? ”
He moans an “Mm-hmm.”
“If you ever try to hurt her or get in contact with her again, I will kill you. Do you understand?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Good.” I stand back up and press my boot against his arm, pinning it in place. “This is going to hurt. Try to be a man for once in your life and take it with some dignity.”
Volodya puts a hand over his mouth because we both know he’s going to scream, broken jaw and dignity be damned.
With the image of Evie’s bloody face clear in my mind, I raise the bat and bring it down with enough force to break several bones on the first swing.
His muffled scream fills the room, but I’m hoping it’s not loud enough to filter out to the porch.
“He’s fucking slobbering all over my goddamn hand,” Volodya groans. “I hate it when they do that. It’s so fucking gross.”
I give her dad’s hand a few more solid hits before concentrating on the fingers. He passes out before I even get to the third one.
“It’s good to see you in love, little brother,” Volodya says as I bring the bat down yet again.
I laugh at my psycho older brother and get to work on the ring finger. By the time I stop, I’m fairly confident that her dad will never be able to use his right hand again.
“God, that’s going to suck when he wants to jerk off,” Volodya says with a laugh, wiping his wet hand on her dad’s shirt to get the drool off. He’s conscious and groaning, and he’s in for many weeks and months of pain. It’ll give him time to reflect on his shitty parenting skills.
Volodya rolls him over and unsheathes one of his knives, letting Evie’s dad get a good look at the vicious thing. I didn’t think the man could get any paler, but I’m proven wrong when he goes a few shades lighter.
“Do I need to remind you that you’d better not say shit to the cops about this?”
“Mm-mmm,” he moans, shaking his head and wincing when it hurts his jaw.
“Good, because if I find out that you talked to them or told them anything about us, I will come back in here while you’re sleeping and cut your fucking balls off before I shove them down your goddamn throat.”
I knew slicing off balls would come up, and I’m so glad he didn’t go with Evie to the porch. We both head up the stairs to grab her stuff, ignoring her dad’s moans and pleas for help. I scrub a hand over my face and say in Russian, “She looked at me like I was a monster.”
Volodya slaps my back. “She’ll forgive you. She loves you.”
We find her room easily enough. She’s already packed up most of her stuff.
I grab the few things that are laying around and shove it all into the last empty box.
I eye the small bed and the way she’s tried so hard to make this dreary room as cheerful as possible.
The blue paint on the walls and potted plants in the window help, but there’s no denying the depressing air to this house.
It’s seen too much pain to ever feel cheerful, no matter what color you paint the damn walls.
Grabbing the boxes, we head back downstairs, stepping over her moaning father and walking out without a backward glance.
He can lie there crying all he wants. He’s not getting a drop of sympathy from me.
The fucker will live, but I know he deserves to die, and it’s irritating that I can’t finish him off.
When I step onto the porch, I can’t bring myself to meet Evie’s eyes. I’m too afraid of what I might see.
Volodya follows me to my car and helps me load the boxes into the back. I open the passenger side door for Evie and wait.
She stops several feet away and asks, “What about my car?”
“Volodya can drive it back.”
Volodya laughs. “The fuck? God, you owe me big time,” he says in Russian. “No one better see me in this goddamn tiny car.”
Any other time, I’d laugh my ass off at seeing my brother squeeze into Evie’s Mini Cooper, but I can barely even manage a smile at this point. Vasily’s laughing enough for the both of us and taking photos as Volodya flips him the bird before driving off.
“I’m sending that to everyone,” he says, laughing even harder. “Maddie’s going to love that.”
Evie gets in the car, and I shut her in before walking over to Vasily. “Thanks for coming and for talking to her.”
“I didn’t tell her about the Bratva. That needs to come from you.” He smacks my back and digs out his keys. “Get your ass out of here. The cops will probably be here soon.”
“Yeah, if the neighbors haven’t called yet, I’m sure her dad will manage to crawl to his phone and do it himself. I’m going to bust his windshield out before I leave, though.”
“Make it quick,” he warns over his shoulder.
Instead of answering, I tighten my grip on the bat and walk over to his precious fucking truck, the thing he cares about more than his own daughter.
She’d been so terrified at the small dent she’d put in it, but I’m about to do a hell of a lot more than that.
I knock out the headlights first and then start on the windshield.
Watching it splinter and crack is therapeutic as hell.
I keep beating at it until it caves in, and then I make quick work of the other windows before finally backing away.
My eyes run over his ruined truck, and I’m finally able to laugh.
With a smile still playing at my lips, I get in the car and toss the bat in the back.
Pulling away with a squeal of tires, I get us the hell out of there before the police show up.
Evie doesn’t say a word, and the drive back is a quiet, tense one.
As we pull into the parking garage, I spot Vasily leaving with Volodya in the passenger seat.
They give us a wave as they pass and then I’m pulling into my parking spot next to her car, wishing like hell we could start this day over again.
She stays silent, grabbing a couple of boxes and following me inside.
I look over at her in the elevator, eyeing the damage to her face and the way she won’t meet my eyes.
Once the doors open and we step into the apartment, I’ve had all the goddamn silence I can take.
“Evie,” I say, but she throws her hand up to cut me off.
“I don’t really feel like talking right now.”
Several different scenarios run through my head, things that I should probably do, like give her some space, offer a comforting hug and tell her I’ll be here when she’s ready, but fuck all that.
That’s not the kind of relationship we have.
I close the distance between us, ignoring the flash of shock and anger that flits over her face, and pick her up, holding her tightly against me.
“Fuck that,” I tell her. “I’m not letting this come between us, and I’m sure as hell not going to let you just disappear and close yourself off to me.”
“Let me go,” she yells, struggling against me, but I just hold her tighter until she finally gives up and slumps against me.
“I can’t let you go,” I tell her. “Even if you hate me, I won’t let you go. I’ll lock you in this goddamn room with me and make you remember how much you love me.”
“Apparently I don’t even know you, Valeri. I just watched you threaten and beat my dad, and then you destroyed his truck. Who the fuck are you, and what in the hell is going on?”
I can feel her putting walls up, hiding herself from me, and it fucking kills me to see it. I can tolerate a lot of things, but Evie pulling away from me isn’t one of them.
“Don’t hide yourself from me,” I whisper against her neck. When I kiss the spot right behind her ear, I feel her body stiffen, and it pulls a pained groan from me that pushes me over the damn edge.
“No,” I growl against her skin, setting her down long enough to roughly pull her yoga pants down, taking her panties with them. “You are mine, lapochka, and I think you need to be reminded of that.”
Before she can say anything, I’ve got her pinned against the wall and I’m already undoing my pants and freeing my cock. Gripping her hips, I lift her up and press the head of my cock against her slit. She sucks in a quick breath and clutches at my shoulders.
“I’m going to remind you that every part of you belongs to me, that there is no going back, and that I will burn this whole goddamn world down if it keeps you safe.”
Keeping one hand on her ass, I slide the other one under her shirt and then under her bra, pushing it aside so I can fill my hand with her. She lets out a soft whimper when I brush my fingers over her taut nipple.
“That’s my good girl,” I murmur against her skin, kissing a path along her jaw while I very slowly feed her my cock, one thick inch at a time. The tight wet heat of her envelops me, and it’s like pure fucking heaven on earth. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.
“You’re my home,” I whisper against her lips when I’m fully seated inside her. “I can’t survive without you, Evie. I love you so goddamn much.”
“I love you too,” she whispers, and hearing those four words loosens something inside me and pushes aside the darkness that’s been threatening to consume me ever since I woke up this morning and couldn’t find her.