Page 84 of Born into Sin

I recognize Roman’s voice when he says, “We take them out on the count of five, and then I want everyone in that fucking house. Keep the men inside alive if possible, but Natalya’s safety comes above all else.”

I raise my gun and aim it at one of the men in front of me. I choose the fucker who’s leaning a shoulder against the house, relaxing and smoking a goddamn cigarette while my woman is being tortured inside. Fuck him. The quick death I’m about to give him is way too good for him, but I don’t have time for anything else.

Roman starts the countdown, and as soon as he gets to one, I fire my gun, hearing the others do the same, and watch the man’s head jerk back with the bullet I’ve just put in his brain. Several other bullets hit him and the man standing beside him. Their bodies jerk and flail from the impact, but I don’t stop to watch and enjoy their deaths. I run for the front door, Lev and my cousins right beside me.

The front door is unlocked, but sneaking in isn’t something I’m worried about since there was no hiding the gunshots that just went off moments before. I have just enough time to meet Lev’s eyes before we both step in, guns raised and ready to do whatever it takes to save Natalya. Somewhere in the distance, I hear the sound of the backdoor being kicked in, and then yelling in Russian and a gun going off.

Lev and I run through the living room and straight into hell. The kitchen floor is covered in blood, some of it splattered onto the cabinets, most of it pooled on the floor, and Natalya’s barely conscious body is bent over the table. Alexei is standing behind her, one hand gripping her shorts like he was in the act of pulling them down before we barged in and ruined his fun. I can’t see his other hand, though, and I have no idea if he’s pressing a weapon to her.

I point my gun at his head. “Get your fucking hands off her.”

Alexei grins and then looks at Lev, who’s still standing right beside me. “Your daughter’s been a lot of fun to play with, but we’re just getting to the good part.”

“If I see your dick, I’m shooting it off,” Lev tells him, lowering his gun so it’s pointed right at Alexei’s crotch. “Now get the fuck away from my daughter.”

“Do it,” Adrian says, looking over at his son. I wouldn’t call the look he’s giving him concern or even anything resembling love. It’s more calculating. He’s a Bratva boss with no sentimental attachments. He’s already trying to figure out how he can negotiate his ass out of this.

My eyes run over Natalya. She’s bleeding from so many places that it’s impossible to tell how many wounds she has, but her chest is moving, and when her blue eyes meet mine, I see them fill with fresh tears.

“Let her go, Son,” Adrian says again. “You’ve had your fun. It’s time for the bosses to talk now.”

Alexei looks like a petulant child who’s just had his favorite toy taken away when he finally steps back, giving Natalya’s ass a hard smack as he does so. She winces from the pain, looking like she’s seconds from passing out. Matvey grabs Alexei from behind, roughly shoving him to the ground while Roman does the same to Adrian.

Lev and I close the distance, both of us running our eyes over her, terrified of touching her and causing more damage to her beaten body. I can tell by her breathing that he’s cracked at least one rib, probably several, and the wrists that are tied behind her back are swollen and her fingers are turning a purplish-blue color that has me quickly reaching for my knife.

“I’ve got you, principessa,” I murmur, not caring that her dad can hear me. I very carefully cut the tight fabric from her wrists, grimacing when she moans from the pain.

She tries to say something, but it’s more of a choked cry than anything else.

“It’s okay, princess. You’re safe now,” her dad tells her, gently stroking her head, and I can tell he’s fighting back tears. I think Lev could withstand any kind of torture thrown at him, but not this, not seeing his daughter bloody and beaten and in so much pain she can’t even talk.

Natalya tries again, and when Lev hears the “D-” she starts to say, he leans closer to her, but instead of the Dad he’s expecting, “Dom” falls from her lips. I register the hurt look on his face right before I bend down and kiss her cheek.

Pressing my lips to her ear, I whisper, “I’m here, baby. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

She relaxes at my words, and after running my hands over her enough to convince myself that moving her isn’t going to cause a spinal injury or internal bleeding, I very carefully pick her up and cradle her against my chest. She whimpers in pain and then slumps against me, one hand clutching my shirt like she’s scared to death I’m going to let her go. I want to tell her that’s never going to fucking happen again, but before I can, Lev steps closer and kisses his daughter’s head.

“I love you, honey.” He kisses her forehead again and whispers, “I’m so sorry, princess.”

When he meets my eyes, the look he gives me isn’t nearly as sweet. He’s not going to say anything and risk upsetting his daughter, but it’s clear that he and I are going to be having a chat very fucking soon. I give him a tight nod, letting him know I’m ready whenever he is, because I’m not backing down from this. I’m marrying his daughter whether he likes it or not.

“I love you, Dad,” Natalya whispers, completely oblivious to the silent conversation going on above her.

Lev kisses her head once more and then grabs his phone so he can call Jolene and let her know their daughter is okay. With Natalya in my arms, I take a quick look around the room. A man I don’t recognize is bleeding from a shoulder wound while Danil and Max zip tie his wrists behind his back. The same is being done to Andrik. The two Zolotov men are being led roughly from the room by Roman and Luka, and I wish I could see the look on Adrian’s face when he realizes he’s not going to be able to negotiate his way out of this, but that would require me to leave Natalya, and that’s not going to fucking happen. He and his son will be dying slow deaths. Maybe I’ll be able to witness and take part in it and maybe I won’t, and for the first time in my life I really don’t give a fuck. The woman curled up in my arms, who’s in so much pain she can only take shallow breaths that I feel hitting my neck, each one a reminder that she’s alive but broken, has completely changed my priorities in life. Bloodlust takes a backseat to the love I feel for her, because she’s more important to me than anything else.

I carry her to the porch and bring her closer so I can kiss her head. “I’m so sorry, principessa,” I whisper against her skin.

“I’m okay.” Her words are nothing but a featherlight whisper against my neck. “Take me home, Dominic. I want to go home.”

“I’m taking you to my house.” I’m not sure which home she’s thinking of, but as far as I’m concerned she only has one, and it’s mine. “My doctors will be waiting to take care of you. We’re going to get you fixed up, sweetheart. I just need you to hang on a bit longer.”

She lets out a breath, and it almost feels like she’s trying to laugh but can’t manage it. “That’s what I said. Take me home.”

I kiss her head again and walk her out front. A couple of the Bratva’s black SUVs are now in front of the house, and when I head to one, Vitaly and Val walk over to meet us. Pyotr, the man who works as a medic for the Bratva, is with them, and when he motions towards Natalya in silent permission to touch her, I nod my head and reluctantly lay her down on the SUV’s backseat. She grabs my hand, wanting me to stay, and I quickly kiss it.

“I’m not leaving you ever again, principessa. You don’t need to worry about that.”

She gives me a faint smile as I brush back a strand of her hair. It’s covered in blood, but so is the rest of her. Most of her cuts have clotted and dried, but a couple of them are still bleeding freely.

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