Page 55 of Born into Sin

“My dad is going to kill us,” I say, voicing my worst fear. “He’ll never forgive me for this.”

Svetlana’s voice softens, and just the sound of it makes me feel better. “Your dad could never hate you, and you know that. Is he going to be thrilled that you’ve gone and fallen for a man who’s only a couple years younger than him, a man he’s now trusting to keep his precious daughter safe? No, probably not. When he told Dominic to keep his little princess safe, I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean while you’re naked and in his bed.”

“That is so helpful,” I tell her, but it makes me laugh, which was her goal all along. “And I haven’t been naked in his bed, just to set the record straight.”

“I’m guessing that’s not from lack of trying.” She bursts out laughing after she says it, and I can’t help but join in because she has no idea how accurate she is.

“You’re terrible.”

She lets out another laugh. “I can’t help it. You’re living the dream. I’m a little jealous, but I’m crazy happy for you.”

“I’m not living anything. I’m only here because my dad thinks it’s what’s safest, but that’s not going to last long, and then I’ll have to leave.” The thought makes my chest ache, and before I can start worrying and get all emotional, I say, “I need to get going. My dad’s going to be here any minute, and I know he’s going to want to see me to make sure I’m okay.”

“Try not to look as horny for Dominic as you did the night we went to his club.”

“I did not!”

She snorts out a laugh. “Whatever you say, principessa.”

I laugh at her terrible Italian accent and tell her bye, promising to let her know if anything else happens. As soon as we hang up, I send a quick text to Mia and Sasha through our sibling group chat, thanking Mia for the bag and letting them both know I’m fine. I know they’re getting updates from our parents, but I miss them and want to reach out. I smile when Mia’s message comes in.

I can’t believe you were in a gunfight. All the cool stuff happens to you.

Sasha’s response is right behind hers. Glad you’re okay, sis. Mia, I can tell keeping you safe is going to be my full-time job until the day I die.

She responds with the angel emoji and then throws in a few black hearts for good measure. God, I love the two of them. Still smiling, I put my phone away and start pacing again. I know I told Dominic I’d stay in here, but it’s not like me walking around downstairs is going to alert my dad to anything. It’d actually be weirder to stay up here in a guest room that looks like it hasn’t been used and is devoid of all my stuff. Dominic obviously didn’t think this one through.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I open the door and head back downstairs. I haven’t even gotten halfway down the staircase when I hear my dad’s angry voice.

“Why the hell didn’t you call me as soon as you got him?”

“He was found in my territory by my men,” Dominic calmly reminds him. “I wanted to see if he knew anything before I called you.”

“And how did you expect that to happen? Did you learn Russian while you were gone?”

I recognize my Uncle Roman’s voice, sounding just as pissed as my dad.

“You said you learned something,” my dad says, jumping in again. “How did you translate?”

Dominic hesitates just long enough to have my dad growling, “You better not fucking say what I think you’re about to say.”

The rage in his voice has me picking up the pace as I round the corner and barge into the office I’d just recently been warming Dominic’s cock in. I try not to think about everything we did in this very room while I look up at my dad and uncles before finally meeting Dominic’s eyes. The look he’s giving me makes it clear he’s going to have some things to say once we’re alone again.

“Princess,” my dad says, walking over to me and pulling me in for a tight hug. He kisses the top of my head, and a wave of guilt washes through me. The last person on earth I want to hurt is my dad, but when I look past him and meet Dominic’s brown eyes, I feel torn like I’ve never been before. He watches me while I hug my dad, his face completely unreadable, and when my dad pulls back to see me better, I turn my head to meet the worried look he’s giving me.

“Are you okay?”

“Dad, I’m fine.” When he still doesn’t look convinced, I smile up at him and add, “I promise. Have you heard anything else about Grigori? Is he still recovering okay?”

My dad keeps running his eyes over me, making sure I’m not hurt. “He’s fine, honey. He won’t ever be able to do his old job, but he kept you safe, and he’ll be rewarded for that.”

“Yeah, he’ll be living the good life from here on out,” my Uncle Vitaly jokes. “His wife will spoil him rotten, and he’ll get to relax and work on his beer gut.”

“I’m sure he’ll love that,” I say, feeling guilty for Grigori and the forced retirement he’s about to be handed.

Uncle Vitaly steps closer. “Are you kidding? He’s always talking about how he would love to live in a cabin on the lake and spend his days fishing and drinking beer. He’s going to be thrilled. Danil just hooked him up with a beautiful cabin, and Grigori’s wife is already having their things moved so he can go there once he’s released from the hospital. She thinks it’ll help with his recovery to get him out of the loud city.”

My dad, refusing to be distracted, runs a hand over his jaw, and I watch his lip ring move with the motion. “How does Dominic know what was said?”

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