Page 68 of Beautiful Beast

“Please,” I whisper. “Please.”

Something flashes in his eyes—something like guilt—before he turns to Nadia. “Let’s get you home.”

Nadia follows him obediently, even though she looks like her heart is breaking. If her heart is breaking, then what do I look like?

ERIK

Nadia is quiet on the drive to her father’s house. She looks so sad and dejected. With Anya, it’s fun to play. Anya has the power to withstand it, but Nadia doesn’t. She looks like a kicked,abandoned puppy, and for some reason, that makes me feel like a piece of shit.

Now, I don’t normally feel like a piece of shit. Normally, I love hurting people, both physically and psychologically.

But as I glance at Nadia beside me, all I can think is that this girl doesn’t deserve to have a piece of shit father like Sergei.

Anya doesn’t deserve it either.

If Nadia were eighteen, I’d let her stay with us. Maybe when I first met Anya, I would’ve said no just on principle. But now, I’ve seen how much these two sisters fight for each other. It’s admirable.

And if I’m being honest, I don’t want Anya to hate me. If taking care of her sister made her happy, I’d give it to her.

But Nadia isn’t mine to keep. She isn’t Anya’s to keep either. She belongs with Sergei, and he will demand to have her back. I cannot risk losing my alliance with him over a couple of girls.

Even if one of those girls is my wife, who I’m starting to have strange, complicated feelings for.

“Why did you not stay hidden?” I ask Nadia.

She startles, then slowly gives me a response. “Because I needed to make sure Anya was ok. You hurt her.”

“I did, and I didn’t.”

Nadia’s face scrunches up in a cute way. “What do you mean?”

“You’re so young and innocent. Ask your sister. She can explain.” I clench the steering wheel tightly. “Will your father really hit you when I bring you back to him?”

“Normally, he would just hit Anya. But now …”

“Now, he’ll hurt you.”

She bows her head in response.

“I rarely say this, Nadia, but I’m going to say it to you. I am sorry.”

She inhales sharply and looks at me with suspicion. I don’t blame her. She just saw me torturing her sister.

“I am,” I say. “If you were eighteen, I wouldn’t bring you back to your father. But we live within the Bratva, and you belong to him.”

“I know. I’m willing to go home if it means Anya stays safe.”

“Even at the expense of yourself?”

“Always. She would do the same for me.”

We arrive at her father’s house, and I stop the car in the driveway. Sergei comes storming out of the house, glaring in our direction. I honestly hate the man, but I made a deal with him, and I can’t break it.

Nadia opens the door.

“Nadia, I meant what I said. I’m sorry.”

“Maybe you should tell Anya that.” Then she slams the door behind her and walks up to her father. He puts his arm around her and walks her inside the house.

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