Page 29 of Scorch

“Shit,” Nikko mutters when the screen goes black. “We lost the connection. This is the last fucking time she goes to one of these things.”

He shakes his head, shuts off the phone, and turns to me.

“Does that appease you at all?”

I look away. I still don’t like how any of this went down, but it seems like I don’t have much of a choice. What else will I do? Who knows where Timur is now and even if a fraction of what they said about him is true… God.

I don’t want to go back to him.

But I don’t want to be manipulated, either.

Maybe they put Vera up to this. Maybe they didn’t.

The front door opens with a bang, and the tall man with tanned skin marches out straight toward us. Mikhail? I think they called him Mikhail.

Viktor bristles beside me.

“Are you going to deal with her?” he snaps, his attention on Viktor. “Or will I?”

Viktor stands, a low growl purring in his chest, and rises to his full height, which is impressively huge. He folds his arms across his chest.

“Lydia, meet my brother, Mikhail.”

I glare at him and grit my teeth. “How nice to meet you,” I snap, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mikhail ignores me and stares at Viktor. He’s so close to us now I can see his flared nostrils. A vein throbs in his temple. “Don’t push it, brother.”

Viktor opens his mouth to retort when Nikko steps between Mikhail and Viktor.

I can feel the tension radiating off Viktor’s body. Heat emanates from him in waves.

“Push what? My duty to protect the woman who I’m going to marry?”

My heart does a little twist in my chest. There’s something about the way he says it that unnerves me.

Mikhail steps closer, Nikko a wall between them. I swear one of them is going to break a blood vessel.

“Alright, alright, settle down,” I say, shoving my way in between the wall of alpha man chest. “No need to fight, boys. Geez.”

Nikko’s lips twitch, and his brows rise. “You look nothing like Vera, but there are definitely some similarities.”

I shrug. “Yes, and suffice it to say, I could say the same exact thing about your brothers.” I quirk a brow at him. “You all look nothing alike but seem to subsist on shots of testosterone and self-assurance.”

I blow out a breath and roll my eyes. “Honestly. It’s a shame Vera and I haven’t chatted at length more recently.” I turn to Viktor. “Can we go inside now?” I look at Mikhail. “So he can ‘deal with me’?” I suffuse as much mockery as I possibly can in my tone.

Viktor hasn’t hurt me, and I’m starting to believe he wouldn’t.

“Guys.” The younger one, the asshole who drugged me, stands on the steps outside. “Just got a call. We’ve got the captain of the Ledyanoye Bratstvo hostage.”

“Where?”

“The Ironworks.”

I feel Viktor’s hand clamp on my arm. “You’re getting dressed, then you’re coming with me. I want you to see this. Every fucking second.”

They spring into action while I stare up at Viktor. Mikhail’s ordering things in Russian and obviously pissed, Nikko is busy on his phone, and the other guy is gone, probably because he doesn’t have a death wish, and Viktor might murder him if he breathes the same air as I do.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it pleases me a little.

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