Page 12 of Kings of Cruelty

I scowl at the new message.

Should you find yourself at loose ends, don’t hesitate to reach out.I will ensure Kyran controls himself. -S

How the fuck did Silvano Cresci even get my phone number? And why would Ieverwant to deal with him? It’s bad enough that we owe Victor Corvi now, all thanks to my stupidity.

My heart flutters strangely when I see the car coming down the driveway—Kotya’s car. They’re a little late, but everything to do with the hospital runs late. All it’s done is make my anxiety ratchet up.

Maybe I should have left. I could take my motorcycle and travel across America, doing odd jobs for cash or scamming people the way I used to, before I’d met Kotya. I doubt Kotya would bother to chase me down.

But that sounds cowardly even to my ears, and I sit, clenching my fists, while I wait for them to find me.

Nikolai is first in the house, guiding Sierra along with an arm around her waist. His expression hardens when he sees me, but hers is more inscrutable. She looks pale and fragile, and guilt gnaws at me as I take in the sight of her. She starts to take a step toward me, but Nikolai holds her to him.

Kotya follows behind them, shutting the front door. His expression is hard, and I can feel the disapproval radiating off of him.

I get up and go down the few steps, but I stop at the foot of the stairs. My throat is dry, and I have no idea what to say.

“Yura,” Kotya growls. “We are taking Sierra to her room. Go away. You’re bothering us.”

The accusation cuts through me, but I nod. “Yes, sir,” I mumble, stuffing my hands into my jacket pockets.

“Kotya…” Sierra says, and while her voice is quiet, it’s steelier than usual. She glances around us, noting the presence of guards near the door, and her protest halts. She pins him with a stare, though, saying quietly enough for only us to hear, “Enough.”

She’s no mafia princess, to command the leader of the bratva, but I have to admire her courage.

Kotya meets her gaze and shakes his head. “Yura doesn’t deserve to touch you, Sierrochka. He almost…” He sneers and clenches his fists.

“He’s right,” I add with a sad smile. “You should be mad at me, Sierra.”

“I’m a big girl,” she says, her voice quiet but fierce. “I decide who I’m mad at. And seeing as how I’m the one who ended up inthe hospital, I think I should get a say in who gets to be around me.”

Nikolai’s arm tightens around her waist, and she swats at his arm. She tries to evade him but ends up wincing as her shoulder twists, and she gives up.

“God, you guys are apes,” she mutters.

Kotya glances between all of us. “How do we resolve this, then? Nikolai and I are not ready to forgive Yura.”

“It’s not just about you anymore, zaya,” Nikolai bites out. “You have to take the baby into consideration.”

My breath catches in my throat. “The baby?” My eyes go to Sierra, to her stomach. She wraps her arms around herself and scowls.

“Yes, yes, you did it. You got me knocked up. Congratulations. I’m more upset about that than being shot, for what it’s worth, but no one seems to care about that,” she snaps.

More guilt slams into me. I try to say something, but the words catch in my throat, and I don’t even know how to apologize in Russian, never mind English. I look to Kotya, and I want to beg for absolution.

Kotya glares back—but after a few seconds, his stance gets looser.

“A whipping. I think that’s what I promised you,” he says.

“Kotya—” Sierra starts.

Nikolai is the one to interrupt her. “He’s lucky Kotya wants to forgive him at all,” he says, and while his words are harsh, his voice is steady. “This isn’t something to argue about. If you want Yuri—” and it hurts that he calls me Yuri—“to be forgiven, he needs to be punished.”

“I accept,” I answer, forcing myself to stand taller. “Whip me bloody if that’s what it takes.”

“Yuri…” Sierra says, but she trails off when Kotya and Nikolai fix their stares on her again. She grimaces. “And then this isover? You stop fucking with him? You let him be a person again?”

Kotya nods. “That will be it. Penance in blood.”

---