Page 50 of Disgraced (Russian Sinners 3)

His hand came to my shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I didn’t deserve my brothers. They made so many sacrifices for me and all I have done was lie to them. About this, about my parents. I should have told them who my father was the moment I found out. Instead, I buried it deep and ensured they would never know. I didn’t want to lose them, didn’t want them to look at me with hate.

He took a deep breath. “Just always remember, Sergei. You have us and we are always here for you. Even though we are across the pond, we’d drop it all to come here for you.”

That statement made me feel even worse.

“Noted and likewise,” I told him. I meant it too. I would do anything for my brothers, although if this ever came to light, they might not want me around. Hell, they might even kill me and I couldn’t even argue with them. I killed men for less. “Let’s go in.”

“Good idea,” Nikolai agreed. “I need a shower myself.”

* * *

I stood in the library of my home reading Michail’s message. He was worried Scarlett was getting depressed and urged me to come home. I really wished I could but it wasn’t an option now. How could I explain to him I was trying to redeem myself by helping Anastasia? I owed her that much. If she’d be under our protection for the next five months, I had to stay here.

Although it gutted me not to see Scarlett. I missed her with each heartbeat and breath I took. She wasn’t trying to get into my heart but she succeeded. It was ironic really. I was trying to woo her and have her fall in love with me and here I was. My heart was bleeding for her, dying to be with her.

I typed a quick message back.*What makes you think she’s getting depressed?*

The message came back swiftly.*All she wants to do is sleep. Barely eating too.*

Fuck, and I knew firsthand how much she loved to eat.

*Keep an eye on her. I’ll be back as soon as I can.*

The door of the library opened and Dimitry strode towards me, a grim look on his face. He had just taken Anastasia to be checked out by our own doctor to ensure she was okay and he looked like he was ready to murder someone.

“Is Anastasia okay?” I asked although I dreaded hearing the answer. The guilt was stacking up quickly.

“She wasn’t raped but,” he growled, “she’s bruised all over. Those bastards should be tortured long and slow.”

I couldn’t agree more with him. Even those assholes I planted there. Fuck, I should be tortured too since I was the one who handed her over.

“You killed most of them,” I tried to calm him down, although my own rage pumped through my veins. “We could go back and kill the rest?”

Dimitry took a deep breath, pushing his hand through his hair. He was still in the same clothes he rescued Anastasia in and a holster on him. He rarely relaxed and no matter where we were, he always had a gun on him.

“No, I don’t want to leave her here alone,” he muttered and confirmed my suspicions. He liked the woman… a lot. He reached into his pocket and handed me an iPhone.

“Thanks, but I already have one,” I told him sarcastically.

“It is Anastasia’s, you smartass,” he retorted dryly. “Her dad had it for her in the bag he sent. Nikolai ensured it is safe, removed all social media accounts and downloaded Rosetta Stone with Russian on it.”

I took the phone and was surprised it was unlocked. “Wow, her dad must trust you not to have a passcode on it.”

“Highly unlikely,” he smirked. “Since I didn’t know it was in the bag, and I wasn’t going to snoop through the woman's clothes.”

I rolled my eyes. For being a ruthless killer and a mobster, he had some weird sense of honor. We shall kill but we shall not go through women’s bags and dig through their undergarments.

“I’ll get it secured,” was all I said instead. No sense in edging him on when he was so tense. “Why don’t you go get showered and changed?”

“Are you trying to tell me I smell bad?”

“No, but you smell of blood and gunpowder,” he scoffed at me. “Your woman won’t appreciate that.”

“Sergei,” Dimitry’s growl was my warning.

“Just go get cleaned up,” I ignored his warning. “I’ll go find Anastasia. I’ll give her a little tour of the place so she feels comfortable for the few days we’ll be here. Then we can figure out the plan going forward.”

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