Page 69 of Darkest Game
“I’ll talk with them. No need to get the police or anyone involved.” I turn to Irina. “I’ll come find you.”
Her nod is a small gesture. Two nurses wheel Irina out of the room and I follow behind.
“Where are you taking her?” Mikhail demands of the nurses.
“We’re not obligated to say.”
“We’re both her brother-in-law,” he says, gesturing to him and Nico. “We have more of a right to know than him.” He tosses me a sneer.
“I’m her husband. I have more of the right.”
“You’ve only know her for a week,” Nico scoffs.
“And so have you. You didn’t spend any time with Irina when she was held prisoner in Denis’s home. I know because she told me how locked up she was. So don’t get all fucking high and mighty with me, acting like you know Irina better. You don’t. Her sisters are a different story. But you two? You don’t have any right to Irina.”
“Neither do you,” Mikhail growls. “You took her from her family. You hurt her. She’s in the hospital because of you.”
I turn to the nurses. “Get her to her room. I’ll deal with them.”
They quickly wheel Irina away. There’s a good chance they’re going to call for security soon. I don’t want to be kicked out of the hospital too.
I square off against Mikhail and Nico. A quick glance to my right shows that my mom is still there. She’s just not getting involved. Good. “I didn’t hurt Irina.”
Nico scoffs. “Bullshit.”
“My wife is worried,” Mikhail says. “She wants her sister back. You will give us Irina back and we won’t kill you. That’s a fair deal in my opinion.”
“I didn’t take her back. I was saving her.”
Nico rolls his eyes. “I saw you grab her and run when we were in Central Park.”
“Because Elaine was there and she was trying to kill us.”
“How fucking convenient.”
A flare of anger courses through me and it takes everything inside of myself not to punch the shit out of these two men. “You know what? It is convenient because it’s the truth. Elaine has been trying to kill me and Irina for days now and no one seems to believe me. She went after my own mother just to get to me and Irina. That’s how Irina was hurt. Elaine cut her throat before I shot her.”
“She’s dead?” Mikhail asks.
I hesitate. “Well… no. I shot her in the shoulder. She was holding Irina by knifepoint. I couldn’t risk killing Irina.”
“And yet, she still ended up in the hospital. Like Nico said, what a very convenient story.”
“For god fucking sakes,” I groan, dropping my head back. “I know you want to see me as the enemy. And I deserve it. I did kidnap Natalya and Sasha a year ago. I was trying to mess withyou two. That is true. But I only took Irina now because Jack wanted me too. After I took Natalya and Sasha, I decided I didn’t want anything to do with them. I didn’t want to be at war with you. But Jack wanted it. So I took Irina. Yes. But it was Jack who forced me to marry her. It was Jack who was going to rape her on our wedding night so I killed him and that’s why his wife, Elaine, is after me and Irina. She wants revenge. She was there at Central Park. She was trying to shoot me and Irina. I showed up at the park not knowing Irina was going to be there.”
Nico snorts. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, it’s true,” I snap. “I just happened to be there when she was. Elaine was there for one of us. I’m not sure which. But she got lucky. We happened to both be there at the same time. I took Irina again to save her life. I didn’t have time to explain that to you. And besides, I knew if you caught me, you’d kill me. You’re not letting me explain. You don’t trust me. Fine. I get it. I don’t trust you fuckers either. I’m not fully innocent in this. Yes. I’ll own up to that. But I did not hurt Irina. In fact, I have been doing everything in my fucking power to save her life. To save her from being raped. I might have been forced to marry her but she is my wife now. And I am going to protect her. Whether you believe me or not. Now, I’m going to spend time with Irina. Make sure she’s fine for the night while she heals. You can either join me or get the fuck out. But I am not leaving my wife.”
Mikhail and Nico stare at me stunned. I don’t give them time to answer as I walk over to a nurse and ask for Irina’s room.
Her new room is more private and secluded. Good. I wouldn’t want her to have to share a space with anyone else.
Her eyes light up when she sees me. I’m not sure I deserve it but I’ll take it.
“I tried to explain it to them,” I tell her, taking her hand. “Now it’s up to them to believe me or not.”
“You’re… fighting for… me.”
