Page 55 of Twisted Obsession

“Umm, yes. I requested your sister's records and it’s in there.”

“That’s confidential information,” I scream across the room and the man pauses for a moment, but only until Callum grabs him by his tie and pulls him up on his tiptoes. “Who is it?” he snarls.

“D-Dominic Romano,” the doctor stutters before Callum throws him aside and storms towards the door.

“Callum!” I scream, but there’s no stopping him.

“That fucker is dead! But not before I make him hurt in ways he can’t possibly imagine,” he promises.

Ciaran follows and I crawl out of bed, another surge of adrenaline powering my limbs.

“No. Please!” My words fall on deaf ears. I grab hold of the frame of my bedroom door, staring into my living room, where Emylyah is now blocking the entrance to my suite of rooms.

“Get out of the way, Lyah,” Callum spits, and even though I’ve never been afraid of my brothers in the past, right now, they are both downright scary.

Emylyah stands firm though, refusing to budge. “No. You damn well listen to Roisin before you start getting all gung-ho and trigger happy.”

Callum growls and it’s a terrible sound. “Emylyah, I will remove you bodily if you don’t move in the next five seconds.” Hereaches out a hand, but before he can touch her, Nikolai detaches himself from the shadows and clamps a firm hand on Callum’s shoulder.

“I strongly suggest you do not lay so much as a finger on my wife,” he says in his very correct, Ukrainian accented English.

“Stay out of this, Niko,” Callum warns, narrowing his eyes at a man he’s always tentatively called a friend.

“I’m afraid that will not be possible while you are threatening my wife,” he says with deceptive mildness.

“Cal…” There’s a warning in Ciaran’s voice and they do that silent conversation thing in place of words.

Callum sucks in a breath that even from the other side of the room I can hear is shaking with barely restrained fury. “Please move out of the way, Emylyah,” he grinds out, his hands fisted at his sides as he tries to keep himself in check.

“No,” Lyah states once again. “Not until you talk to your sister.”

The growl that emanates from deep in Callum’s chest has Nikolai moving to stand in front of his wife. “Tebe nuzhna khoroshaya porka.” Lyah flushes and dips her head as he repeats the same words I’ve heard him say before. I make a mental note to look up what they mean, but to Callum he simply says, “I think you have enough on your plate with the Cosa Nostra, without making more potential enemies. Is it really too much trouble for you to spend a few minutes giving Roisin the courtesy she deserves to hear her out?”

Callum's jaw clenches, his eyes flashing dangerously. For a moment, I think he might actually try to fight his way past Nikolai. But when Maricela aligns herself next to Emylyahand glares, Ciaran places a hand on his shoulder, murmuring something I can't hear. The tension in Callum's body eases slightly, though his fists remain clenched at his sides.

"Fine," he bites out.

I sag against the doorframe in relief, my legs trembling beneath me. Emylyah hurries to my side, supporting me as we make our way back to the bed. I sink onto the mattress, gathering my thoughts. How do I even begin to explain?

“Did he rape you?” Callum grinds out before I can even collect myself.

"What? No!" I gasp, horrified. "God, no. It's nothing like that."

Callum's jaw clenches. "Then what exactly is it like, Roisin? Because from where I'm standing, you were being held captive and that bastard took advantage of you, no matter how you look at it, and I’m going to make him pay."

“He did, didn’t he,” Callum pushes. “The doctor’s report said there were bruises… some of them in ‘intimate places.’ Why the fuck are you protecting him? Is it just because he got you up the duff? You owe him nothing,deirfiúr, but I can make sure he never lays a finger on you again.”

“No! Stop it,” I cry, tears streaming down my face. “He didn’t do anything I didn't want or ask for,” I tell him, hating that I have an audience for this conversation.

“Explain, Roisin,” Ciaran demands, his tone only slightly softer than Callum’s… probably because Maricela is right here in the room, and our circumstances aren’t really so different. Something I won’t hesitate to point out if it comes to it.

I suck in a breath, and try to stop myself from hyperventilating, knowing I need to make them understand, and the only way to do that is to tell them everything. “There was a danger to me after I was abducted,” I finally admit, wringing my hands.

“I fucking knew it,” Callum shouts, turning and punching his fist through the drywall behind him.

“But not from Dominic!” I shout, realizing he’s losing what little control he has left. “The Viper, yes. He assaulted me, tried to… tried to…” I can’t say the words, but I don’t need to, I can see the truth dawning on my brothers’ faces, along with Maricela’s quiet tears.

“I fought him off, that’s how I got the bruises. But Dominic stepped in and protected me,” I hurry to explain, feeling their anger like a living thing invading the room. “He hid me in a room where the Viper couldn’t find me, but I knew I wasn’t safe. Knew if he found me…”

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