Chapter 19 #3
He laughs and points a finger at me. “I’m too busy being happy you didn’t get an erection to be pissed about the blood spray.”
“Can we not?” Mia asks, scrunching up her brow when she looks at us.
Our dad laughs and ruffles her hair. “You’re the one who wanted into the all-boys club.”
“I didn’t realize we’d be talking about my brother’s penis,” she says, making me groan while the others laugh.
“All right, I’m going home now,” I tell them.
“You haven’t even played with the body yet,” my Uncle Vitaly says.
“I don’t play with the bodies,” I tell him.
The truth is I used to. I’d practice stabbing them after they were dead, but I no longer need to do that.
I know exactly where to stab now, the correct angle and how to slip between ribs to hit the lungs or heart, so I no longer need to practice on real bodies.
My dummies are good enough to keep my skills sharp and my aim accurate.
Before I start to leave, I tell them, “Cyn and I are getting married as soon as the others get back from Oregon. We don’t want to wait.”
“Your mom is going to be so happy to hear that,” my dad says.
“She’s a real sweet girl,” my Uncle Matvey says.
“Perfect for you,” my Uncle Roman agrees.
“Yeah, your Aunt Katya and I really like her too,” my Uncle Vitaly adds.
Damien steps closer and asks, “Will her family be at the wedding? Do they know who we are?”
“They don’t, and I doubt it. I don’t like them, and Cyn needs to get away from her mom for a while. The woman isn’t good to her.” With a grin, I add, “Her stepdad definitely won’t be there.”
My Uncle Vitaly shakes his head at me. “What about the family rule?”
I grin and say, “He’s not my family.”
He looks to everyone else for support. “Come on. You’re not supposed to kill family, right?”
My dad shrugs. “I killed Jolene’s brother.”
My Uncle Vitaly shakes his head at us. “The two of you wouldn’t know a moral line if it were lit up in neon.”
“We killed Katya’s brothers,” my Uncle Matvey reminds him.
My Uncle Vitaly’s face softens at the reminder of what Katya’s family did to ours. “That was different.”
“Her stepdad was an abusive drunk. My job is to protect Cyn, so that’s what I did,” I say.
My dad squeezes my shoulder. “You did the right thing, son.”
“Just don’t kill her mom,” my Uncle Vitaly warns. “The stepdad, all right, I get it, but don’t kill her mom, Sasha. She’ll never forgive you for that one.”
“I won’t if she doesn’t hurt Cyn, and I don’t plan on ever telling her I killed her stepdad. I took care of it. He started drinking again, and they both think he just split. Niki helped me plant a few debit card purchases that make it seem like he left town.”
“That’s good,” Mia says, “but be careful about secrets, Sasha.”
“It’s the only thing I plan on keeping from her, and it’s only to protect her. It will weigh on her, but his death will never bother me. It just makes sense for me to carry it instead of her.”
“I never thought I’d ever hear you say anything romantic,” my Uncle Vitaly says while the others laugh.
“Yeah, yeah, have your fun,” I tell them.
“Oh we definitely will,” my Uncle Vitaly says. “Get the Scoop is making your wedding cake, by the way.”
“That should be interesting,” I tell him. “Just remember that my future wife is going to want an actual cake and not a gag gift.”
My Uncle Vitaly tries to look offended, but he’s also trying not to laugh. “As if, Sasha. Adele is a very skilled cake decorator. I’ll do you proud. You have my word.”
“I can’t wait to see this,” Val says from behind me.
“Me, too,” Damien says with a grin. “I’ll be sure and let Niki know about it when I see him tonight.”
“Lyra’s a cutie, isn’t she?” my Uncle Roman says, smiling at the thought of our newest little Melnikov.
While everyone agrees, my dad leans in and says to me, “No pressure, but your mom and I want about five more grandkids. Nat says it’s your turn since she’s already two ahead of you.”
I grin at the thought, never once thinking I’d be sitting here smiling with my dad while thinking about my future kids. My mood turns sour when I think about everything Tom just said.
“Cyn wasn’t the one Ben was after,” I tell him. “You heard Christine. Cupid was after Savanna.”
My dad nods, knowing she’s Cyn’s best friend. He says, “We’ll put someone on her.”
I agree, knowing Cyn would want us to protect her friend, and I have a feeling Niki will insist on being in charge of her surveillance.
Wanting to get back home, I say a quick bye and then head outside.
I notice the blood spatter on my clothes when I start my bike and grin behind my helmet.
This won’t be the last time I come home like this, but my Cyn already knows that about me.
It’s a relief to not have to hide who I really am, to know she’ll never judge me for it.
She’s not going to look at me with disgust when she sees me like this.
In fact, I have a feeling her reaction will be very different.
I can already picture her sexy grin, the hunger in her pretty green eyes, and the soft gasp she’ll make before she turns and runs, knowing damn well I’ll be chasing her.