Page 25 of All the Dangerous Things

I looked toward the door, the reality of the situation crashing down on me, because I knew my time was up.

I wasn’t trying to protect the fuckerwho hurt me.

I’m protecting Gio.

There were hushed whispers on the other side, and I knew Amara, Nikolai’s wife, was trying to talk her behemoth of a brother-in-law down from the damn ledge he was on right now.

Nikolai would only pour gasoline on that inferno.

Before I could respond, the door swung open, slamming against the wall, revealing Dmitry and Nikolai on the other side, and Amara looking frustrated as she stood right behind them.

My brothers' expressions were hard, their blue eyes blazing with intensity, and I felt a charge in the air.

I was going to suffocate. Again.

“Right here. Right now, Tatiana. You’re going to tell us what happened,” Dmitry growled, stepping into the room with Nikolai close behind him.

I looked out the window, holding in angry tears.

“Tati, we need to know.”

I felt a sudden surge of tension and anxiety as I faced my brothers. Amara came into the room, her expression now worried and unsure.

I took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back now, and there was no stopping this derailed train.

“Guys, maybe we should just take a breath and calm down,” Amara inserted softly, trying to diffuse the tension.

“Kukolka,”Nikolai said to his wife but still had his focus on me, “this has gone on long enough. Longer than we’d allow anyone else to withhold information from us.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not just anyone,brother,” I spat that last word out. “This is my problem and mine alone.”

A low rumble left both Dmitry and Nikolai. I knew my words were a lie. We were a family. My problem was theirs and vice versa.

“I think we can all agree Tatiana has been through enough. Maybe we should just take a step back and reevaluate the situa?—”

Dmitry cut Amara’s words off with a grunt, and Nikolai gave him a warning glare. Dmitry looked at him and exhaled, muttering, “??????.”Sorry. He tipped his head in respect to Amara. “Retaliation has to be met.”

“You’re our sister,” Nikolai addressed me, his voice sharp. “We have a right to know who hurt you.”

I met my brothers’ harsh gazes, seeing anguish and protectivenessreflected back.

I knew they wouldn't stoptrying to find out the truth. They had their own dark code to abide by, and when someone hurt who they loved… death followed.

Gio may have saved me, but he also hadn’t come to my brothers. He hadn’t told them what happened, and with each passing day, my brothers would see that as a betrayal… among other things.

Gio was, after all, family.

“Just go,” Amara said with a hell of a lot of strength in her voice. “Give us a moment, okay?” She stared at her husband, giving him a look I was pretty sure no one else had ever dared to. “Boys, please.” Her voice sounded soft but held a note of pleading in her tone. “Just a few minutes, all right? Pretty sure you two acting like barbarians isn’t helping or going to get you any answers.”

Dmitry and Nikolai stared at each other, their jaws clenched, their fists curling and relaxing. Finally, they huffed out a breath and left, shutting my bedroom door behind them louder than needed.

I held in my eyeroll as I stared at my sister-in-law, then looked back out the window.

My mind and body felt so raw and used from the emotional intensity of fighting with my brothers,dealing with the assault, and waging war with my thoughts concerning Gio.

Amara stayed quiet for long seconds, but I sensed her come closer. I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself as the weight of the silence in the room grew and pressed down on me.

“Look at me,” she said softly.

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