Page 100 of Cruel Knots

Anxiety settles in my gut. Callum might’ve put people to watch the area around our estate. They could easily ambush Mikhail, kill him, and take Lucia away.

Cold washes over me each time the thought crosses my mind.

“You haven’t eaten a thing today,” Lilja’s voice sounds from nearby. She’s spread out on a couch, her long, skinny legs dangling off the side. “Do you have to worry so much about the asshat? He can take care of himself.”

“Why can’t he just answer my calls?” I shout. “Would it kill him to give me at least one update? This is the thing I hate about him. He doesn’t respect my authority. He thinks everything’s a game.”

“He’s been dying to get close to Lucia,” Lilja says while her gaze stays stuck on the screen of her cellphone. “You can’t blame him for grabbing the opportunity to have her all to himself.”

“He’s selfish!”

Lilja sits up on the couch and crosses her arms over her chest. “It’s kind of your fault.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t give her proper clothes to wear. She barely gets to eat unless one of us takes pity and hands her something to eat. You’re the one who’s turned Lucia into a helpless damsel. She’s so pitiful, Damien. Can you blame Mikhail for wanting to be her knight-in-shining-armor?”

I scoff. “We’re no knights.”

“Well, you’re going have to learn to be one,” she says with a sagely expression. “Princesses fall for knights. There’s a reason you don’t hear love stories about fucking assassins.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” I ask, annoyed.

“Nope! I’m waiting for them to come back. Lucia will have a lot to tell me when she returns.”

“Why would she do that?” I ask suspiciously.

“We’re best friends now. Actually,” she leans in and covers her mouth with her hand. “We’ve even kissed.”

“What?” I bark.

Loud chuckles escape her as she rolls on the couch. Clutching a cushion to her chest, she stares at me like a wide-eyed monkey. “Jealous, big brother?”

Jumping off the couch, she twirls around the room with her arms flung wide. “I kissed her twice. Na na na na...”

Great, I think, staring at my slightly crazy sister.

Being ignored by Mikhail is bad enough. Now, I have to deal with Lilja who thinks it’s the funniest shit to be kissing the girl her brothers wanted. We’ve known her long enough to know she’s straight, so this is just one of her stupid pranks to rile us up.

My phone vibrates on my table. Picking it up, I see a text from David, the head of our surveillance team. Mikhail has finally been spotted speeding toward the estate.

Relief spreads through my veins at once. My brother and Lucia are safe.

Getting off the chair, I walk around my desk and head toward the door. Anger chases away the momentary relief I felt. Mikhail has to explain himself tonight.

“Where are you going?” Lilja calls out.

“Mikhail’s home.”

She stops her dancing and immediately follows me.

I hurry down the hallway to reach the entrance hall before my sister gets a chance to warn him.

Everything is quiet this late in the evening, allowing me to hear the revving sound of Mikhail’s motorcycle as it gets closer to the manor. Standing at the door, I look ahead, yearning to catch a glimpse of Lucia to make sure she’s with him.

I glimpse a woman in tall, tan boots, a colorful skirt, and a dark jacket seated behind him. For a moment, I can’t tell whether it’s Lucia because of the helmet concealing her face.

It’s Lucia, I think with relief when she awkwardly climbs off the bike and moves near the light spilling through the open doorway.

---