Page 32 of Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet 2)

Molly

Hannah is pale and silent the entire way home.

When we get back to the apartment, I go lay Theo down for his nap and then find Hannah in the kitchen. She is eating some of her leftover French fries that have to be cold by now. She looks up as I enter and gives me a small smile.

“How freaked out are you?” I ask, not wanting to avoid the elephant in the room.

“I’m worried about you,” she says, even as her voice breaks. “That was … quite a scene.”

I don’t know what to tell her.

I could tell her the truth, that Viktor’s life looks like that a lot. It was the first time I’d really seen it firsthand, but I’ve bandaged him up enough times to know he puts himself in harm’s way every day. However, I don’t think that information would comfort Hannah at all.

I could lie, but she would see right through it. After seeing Viktor fight that way, taking down those two men like it was nothing, no one could deny he is very practiced in hand-to-hand combat.

I could also be honest with Hannah and myself. Because until this point, I’ve been lying to myself, too.

The truth is, I saw Viktor take out those two men, and while I was horrified that Theo and Hannah saw him that way, and that he had put himself in danger, I also found it incredibly attractive.

Viktor’s body was strong and capable, and he overpowered two men by himself. It was barbaric and harsh and violent, and underneath my horror, was lust. A primal attraction to the strongest man in the vicinity.

That reality scares me more than anything else.

I am still trying to decide what to tell Hannah when the door to the apartment bursts open and Viktor comes charging into the kitchen. The second he sees me, he tips his head towards the hallway. “We need to talk.”

He is fuming. In the car, he was quiet and respectful. He allowed me to bandage him without complaint and talk back to him, but it is clear he is done with that now. Now, we are going to fight.

Hannah’s eyes go wide, and she disappears into the living room without a word. I follow Viktor into the hallway and towards the study on the opposite end of the apartment.

The second I close the door I spin around and start talking before he can.

“You attacked two men on a street corner in the middle of the day. What in the hell were you thinking?” I say, fighting the tremor in my voice. “You could have been killed. You were alone. Where was Petr or any other enforcer to help you? And you did it in front of Theo.”

I try to organize my anger into coherence.

“I’ve been terrified for weeks that something would happen to you or someone would break into this house and hurt me or my son or my unborn baby, but turns out, I should have been worried about you walking around and putting yourself in life and death situations. I mean, for God’s sake, Viktor, what would happen to all of us if you died on a street corner fighting off dealers? Where would we be then?”

Viktor steps forward into my space, his body close enough that I have to stop to draw in a sharp breath.

“You were supposed to tell me before you left the house,” he says, reminding me of my promise. “I had no reason to believe you or Theo or your friend would be anywhere close to that scene today.”

“Hannah. Her name is Hannah, and so much for keeping your business secret from her. She got an eyeful today.”

“Fuck Hannah,” Viktor says harshly, his neck turning red. “I’m worried about you. Why didn’t you tell me where you were? What would have happened if you’d run into those two men on your own? They recognized me, so I have every reason to believe they would have recognized you, too. You could have been hurt or kidnapped or worse.”

“We had guards,” I say, rolling my eyes as if that very scenario hadn’t already played in my mind. “Besides, that area was supposed to be Kornilov territory, right? Even if I had told you we were going there, you wouldn’t have done anything differently. Or have territories changed since the last time we spoke about it?”

“No,” he says, nostrils flaring.

“Okay, then.” I cross my arms and hold my ground. “So, if I’m not safe in territories that are supposedly ‘safe,’ then where am I safe?”

The question comes out hot and angry, but there is a current of fear beneath it.

Where are we safe?

Viktor steps forward until his chest is pressed against mine. I want to pull away from him for the simple reason that his nearness makes my head fuzzy, but I don’t. I stand firm.

He lays a hand over my bicep and drags it down until his fingers tangle with mine. “You’re safe here. With me.”

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