Page 27 of Thorns of Lust
It would seem those videos made me paranoid too.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Okay, maybe not so paranoid. I didn’t know anyone that frantically rang the doorbell then banged on the door like a fucking maniac. Well, maybe Sasha but he would have called first.
Reaching for the coffee table, I put my hand under the table and patted around until I found the gun Adrian had tucked there. For security, he always said. I didn’t argue against it. Sasha and Vasili used to keep guns in every fucking corner. It was easier to find a weapon in our house than chocolate.
I grabbed the gun and put it behind me as I headed to the front door. It was at times like this that I wished I had live-in staff like Isabella. But we couldn’t have it all, could we?
I released the safety latch on the gun once five feet away from the door when someone started pounding on it again. I just about jumped out of my skin.
“Come on, Tatiana,” Isabella shouted. “I know you’re in there. You never were an early bird.”
Releasing the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my shoulders slumped and the tension left my body. I shook my head at how ridiculous I was being. It had been months since Adrian’s death and nothing had happened. Why would someone come kill me now?
For fuck’s sake, I had to get my head screwed on straight.
Putting the gun away in the nearest drawer, I opened the door and came face-to-face with my best friend.
“You scared the bejesus out of me,” I grumbled as I pulled her into a hug.
The expression in her eyes was one of disbelief. “Are you drunk?” she questioned.
“Not yet,” I grumbled, suddenly feeling very thirsty. But I had a rule of not drinking till after 10.00 A.M. at least. Before it, you were just labeled an alcoholic. My mind mocked that stupid rule, but I ignored it.
“Good.”
She shut the door behind her, and I realized she was alone. “Where are the kids?”
“I left them with Vasili,” she retorted. “To keep him busy. Aurora is doing the same with Alexei. She’s on her way.”
Warning shot up my spine. “What happened?”
“She found some stuff and so did I,” she explained. Just as I opened my mouth to ask her more, another bang on the door sounded and I startled.
“It’s probably Aurora,” Isabella noted, completely unfazed.
“Jesus, I should just give you all a key,” I muttered as I took a few short steps and opened the door to see my other sister-in-law standing there. Sweaty and panting like she had run a marathon. “You know, you’re all wet and stinky. I could have had you picked up.”
“Haha,” she retorted dryly. “I ran five miles.”
Isabella and I shared a glance. We hated exercise with a passion. Aurora was the runner though. Apparently, she liked self-torture. No wonder she and Alexei fell for each other. Two psychos!
“You are nuts,” we said at the same time.
“We’ll see who’s nuts when you two have hips and I don’t,” she remarked smugly, making a shape with her hands.
“Vasili loves my hips, so whatever,” Isabella announced grinning, but her smile quickly faltered and her eyes flickered my way cautiously.
I waved my hand nonchalantly, but something deep in my chest squeezed. Those two had a rough patch but they came through and their marriage looked like a fairy tale from where I stood. Of course, I was happy for them, but the green monster of envy wouldn’t let me be.
Adrian and I had a rough patch. A long rough patch, but our story ended differently.
Unlovable.Like my mother.
I pushed the thought away. My mother was a lunatic, through and through. I wasn’t quite there. Not yet anyhow.
“What’s the reason for this interruption now?” I asked, hiding my jealousy and pettiness. I turned on my heel, heading for the living room, taking my seat on the couch. My yoga pants felt loose indicating I had lost more weight. Thankfully, my off-the-shoulder long sweater hid it well.
