Chapter 21
Damien
Misha and Yuri are quiet as they drive me to wherever the hell they’re taking me.
I don’t try to break the silence. Instead, I pull out my phone, trying to not think about how I’d just been using it for light so I could watch how beautiful Sitka looked while taking my cock.
The memory makes my chest hurt. All I can think about is how terrified she’d looked when I’d left with her brothers.
Watching her bang on the window while she screamed my name is not something I’ll ever be able to forget.
Anyone else in this situation could send a quick text, but instead of wasting my time trying to get that fucking tiny keyboard to make sense, I ignore it and pull up the emojis.
I know Sitka’s already called Max, so there’s no way Luka doesn’t know I’ve been taken, but I want him to at least know I’m okay.
I send the grimacing emoji but add in a thumbs up to let him know I’m okay so far.
His response is immediate—a question mark with a map.
I send him a question mark with the guy giving a shrug.
When he sends me back a knife and a hamburger with a question mark, the corner of my mouth quirks up, because I know he’s asking me if I think we’re going to the warehouse they took us to before we got lunch.
I send him the thinking emoji and then the fingers crossed one.
When he sends me back a thumbs up with the timer and car emojis, I know he’s telling me to hold the fuck on because they’re on their way to get my ass out of this mess.
Misha and Yuri don’t make any attempt to take my phone from me, and I’m guessing it’s because they know Sitka’s already sounded the alarm. They don’t seem even slightly worried about it. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one.
“I wasn’t lying earlier,” I say.
Yuri doesn’t even bother turning around when he says, “Shut the fuck up, Damien. Telling us how much you love our little sister right now is not going to help your situation.”
I sit back and stare out the window. Instead of reaching forward and punching the fucker in the back of the head like I want to, I stare out the window and try to figure out where the hell I am.
Nothing looks familiar. It’s too dark and too unfamiliar to me.
I keep expecting to see lights or other houses, even a few businesses, but there’s nothing but forest and shadows.
When we turn onto a side road and follow it up a long, windy path, the surroundings start to click.
Reaching the top, the headlights illuminate the vast expanse of absolutely fucking nothing before Misha parks at the top of the cliff.
It’s the same spot where they hold their races, and when Misha and Yuri get out, I sigh and do the same.
The headlights are still on, giving us plenty to see by, and when the brothers walk to the large clearing where not too long ago I’d seen Sitka race to her victory, I follow, stopping when I’m several feet from them.
“Am I allowed to explain things now?” I ask, making no attempt to hide my irritation.
Misha raises a brow at me while Yuri lets out a low laugh before saying, “Pretty fucking cocky for a guy who’s been lying to our faces since the day he arrived.”
“I haven’t been lying. And nothing was going on between us when I first got here. That happened later. I didn’t say anything at the warehouse, because your demonstration,” I say, letting the sarcasm drip from that one word, “had nothing to do with me.”
“The fuck it didn’t,” Misha says. “We knew something was going on between you two. We just hadn’t realized how much. Sitka obviously had a crush on you, and we wanted you to understand that you weren’t to touch her, no matter what.”
I shrug and say, “I fell in love with her,” because that’s the only explanation I can give them. “I want to marry her.”
Yuri takes a step closer. “Stop fucking saying that. She’s too young. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“She’s eighteen,” I remind him. “And she’s fucking smart enough to make up her own mind.”
Misha ignores the very valid points I’m making and asks, “Is she the only one you fucked, or did you try to get into Allie’s or Yulia’s pants too?”
Anger rips through me at the insult and I take a step forward. “Fuck you, Misha,” I yell at him.
His eyes widen slightly in surprise and I’m not so sure anyone’s ever gotten into his face before.
I see his fist coming for me, and I barely have a chance to block it.
Instead of breaking my nose, his fist swipes the side of my face.
Even with the force of it being dulled down, it still hurts like a bitch.
Bringing my own fist to his ribs, I hit him hard enough to push him back a step.
Yuri edges closer, but he doesn’t try to grab me. As pissed as I am at them, they’re not the kind of guys who would be content to have one of them hold me while the other beats the hell out of me. They aren’t pussies. I’ll give the jackasses that much.
It is still two against one, though, and when Yuri steps in closer, I don’t waste any time and throw a punch at him.
I hit the corner of his mouth, throwing his head back and busting his lip.
Instead of yelling at me, he grins and comes at me hard.
I take a few hits before landing one to his kidneys that has him doubling over and taking a step back.
As soon as he does, Misha takes his spot.
By the time we hear the dirt bike approaching, we’re all breathing heavily and spitting blood.
Calling a silent truce, we turn to see who’s joined us, and when Bran gets off the bike, staring at the three of us like he’s not sure whether to laugh or shoot us, Yuri says, “He looks really pissed. I think he’s upset with you fuckers. ”
Misha ignores his brother and signs, That was fast. How’d you find us?
Bran holds up his phone, showing a pulsing dot on a map. I followed you.
You tracked our phones? Misha signs. What the fuck?
You two are crazy. He motions at us, and I’m sure we all look a bloody mess right about now, so he’s got a valid point. You can’t kill him.
I look over at Misha and Yuri and grin. “Told you.”
“Don’t fucking start,” Misha says, but his words are cut off when several vehicles come around the bend and start parking.
“Jesus,” Yuri says, watching the long line of trucks and SUVs. “Who the hell did Sitka call?”
“My very-soon-to-be fiancée called my cousin,” I say. We’re all signing everything we say, and I see Bran shake his head from the corner of my eye, probably wishing I’d shut the hell up and stop antagonizing his crazy cousins.
“What the fuck is going on?” Volodya asks, getting out of one of the trucks and making his way over to us. His brothers are right behind him, along with the rest of their cousins.
I knew they’d all show up, but when I see my brother’s face, the last thing I’m expecting is to see our dad right behind him.
His mouth is in a hard line as he looks around at the Medvedev family, instantly sizing up the situation before his eyes meet mine.
I see the quick nod he gives before he starts to walk over.
Ev and Max step out along with the rest of my uncles and cousins, all of them making their way to stand behind me.
A united Melnikov front while the Medvedevs stand across from us.
Misha and Yuri eye Sasha, and it’s the first time I’ve seen even a hint of worry cross their faces.
My dad stands next to me. He takes a second to look my face over. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I wipe the blood from where it’s still dripping from my nose, but it’s not broken so I don’t care. “Why are you here?” I ask, looking at him and then at the rest of my family.
“We flew out as soon as Luka told me about your lunch,” my dad says.
I look over at Luka, but he just shrugs. “I knew you’d need backup, little brother. Plus, they need to be here when we sort out the wedding details.”
“Wedding?” Volodya asks, catching the word, even though Luka had kept his voice low. He’s standing with his sons and looking about as angry as they’d been when they caught us walking out of the woods. “What fucking wedding?”
“I’m going to marry Sitka,” I tell him. “I love her, and she loves me.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “This is the first I’m hearing about any of this. My wife calls me, scared to death because my sons have taken Damien and no one knows where they went or what they’re going to do to him. And by the way, he and Sitka have been secretly seeing each other.”
“Three fucking rules,” Vasya says, cutting in and giving me a hard stare that’s probably scared the hell out of every man who’s ever been on the receiving end of it. I might not be pissing my pants in fear, but even I can admit it’s unnerving. “All I asked is that you follow three fucking rules.”
“I followed two of them,” I say. “The third proved to be too difficult.”
“What was the third rule?” Misha asks. “Don’t fuck Sitka in the woods?”
“Jesus Christ,” Volodya groans before swiping a hand over his face. “I don’t want details.” He shakes his head to get whatever images have appeared out, but then he quirks his head and asks, “Did you say the woods?”
“Genetics,” Yuri says with a shrug, and I have no idea what the fuck they’re going on about.
Volodya’s back to being pissed when he looks at me and says, “We trusted you, and you came here and you fucked my daughter.”
The palpable anger in his words is strong enough to be felt, but that’s not what makes me wince. It’s the sound of my Uncle Vitaly saying, “I’m not so sure fucked is the most accurate word for this situation,” that does it.