Page 54 of Cruel Knots

“Oi, motherfucker,” says the girl in a callous tone. “Wanna let me go or do I do it myself?”

“Stay quiet, bitch,” Callum barks. “I’ll fucking blow your hea—” A funny scream escapes my brother before he can finish threatening her.

He stands at an awkward angle while the young woman holds him by his arm. The gun clatters to the floor as Callum struggles against her.

“You were saying?” she asks, thrusting her knee into his leg, forcing him on the ground.

The men surrounding Callum move forward at once.

The young stranger lets go of Callum to face half a dozen men who are taller and more powerfully built than her. There’s no way she can stand against them.

To my surprise, the young woman proves me wrong. Her movements are like fluid water as she punches the closest man while her other elbow digs into a guy who’d crept up behind her.

I watch wide-eyed as she fights them all at the same time.

“Watch out!” I shout, almost running forward to warn her as one of the men aims a gun at her.

Damien’s arm tugs me closer to him.

“She needs help,” I say urgently.

Amusement swirls in those pale blue eyes. “And you’re going to be that help?” he asks in a mildly sarcastic tone. “Just watch. Lilja’s going to be fine on her own. Besides, Mikhail’s close by. We also have our snipers. She’s perfectly safe. Just let her take her frustration out on those dogs. She deserves that much.”

I look back at the scene playing out before me.

Callum is still on the floor, watching the young woman fight like a ninja. The astonished look on his face is both amusing and satisfying.

Did he think every woman he meets is as weak and submissive as me? If it weren’t for our dad, I’d have run away a long time ago.

At one point, one of the men succeeds in capturing her from the back. She tries breaking his hold and fails.

A second guy moves forward to hit her.

Staying stuck in the hold, Lilja lifts her feet off the ground and kicks the man prowling toward her. She continues to flail against the guy holding her from behind.

I look toward Mikhail and Leon. They stand still, watching the girl struggling without making a move to help her.

Glancing toward Lilja, I find a slim hairpin clutched in her right hand. Without warning, she raises her arm and jabs the sharp end into her attacker’s face.

The hairpin hits the guy right below his eye. He backs away at once, howling, the pin still jutting out from the spot.

Within minutes, the men around her are either passed out cold or writhing on the floor. Callum remains on the ground, his expression turning deadly. He hates losing and he absolutely can’t bring himself to accept defeat.

“It’s time you left, asshole,” says Lilja. She stands over my brother with her hands on her hips. “Don’t bother coming back or I’ll be stabbing you in the neck. Or the dick. Soz...”

She skips up the stairs and hugs Mikhail. Her head barely brushes against his shoulder.

“You’re such a showoff,” he says in a surprisingly sweet, adoring voice as he rubs the top of her head.

She croons and rubs her face against his chest, smiling broadly, looking like a happy, purring kitten.

“Who is she?” I whisper.

“That’s Lilja, our sister,” Damien whispers back.

I stare as Lilja throws herself at Leon next. He laughs and pats her back. “Good job, kid. You managed to keep them all alive.”

“I know, right? It was so hard to control myself. Only the thought of cleaning up the mess made me stop.”

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