Page 50 of Sins He Taught Me (Bratva Crime Syndicate 3)

I come back to the present moment, gasping as if that all just really happened. When I realize what I’ve been doing—fantasizing about this fucking captive who tried to betray me—I slap myself across the face once.

“Get it together, Matvei,” I growl. “Right the fuck now.”

When I’ve caught my breath, I return to my office, figuring the one thing to clear my head is business. I have contacts to arrange meetings with, as well as speaking to Timofei and Miron later tonight.

But when I sit in my office, all I can hear is the sound of Victoria crying down the hall. It goes on forever, lulling every now and then, but a few minutes later, she’s sobbing loudly again.

I rub my temples and sit back in my chair, groaning.

There’s a knock at the door, and Nikolas twists open the knob, stepping inside. He stands in the middle of my office, teddy bear in his arms, and looks at me.

“Yes, Niko?”

“I can’t sleep … Can I sleep in here?”

I fight back the urge to sigh and say, “Fine. But you have to be quiet. I’m going to be making phone calls.”

He nods and climbs onto the sofa, still clutching his teddy bear to his chest. There’s a moment of silence before he asks, “Is Victoria mad at me?”

“What do you mean?”

“She wouldn’t read a book to me tonight. I think she’s mad at me. And she keeps crying, too.”

“Don’t worry about her, alright?”

He purses his lips together and nods, rolling over towards the back of the couch. I resist the urge to march down the hall and reenact my fantasy, with an added spank or two for what she’s doing to my still-fragile nephew.

At least, until I remember the fact that, even though I know she involved him, she didn’t let him take the blame.

She lied to protect him, to keep me from hurting him like she thought I might. That has to count for something, and it’s the one thing that holds me back from yelling at her anymore. When Nikolas finally gets to sleep and Victoria stops crying and quiets down, I’m thankfully able to finish everything I need to do.

* * *

The following days are more than uncomfortable, and I rarely spend time around Victoria because of it. Anytime I walk into a room, her entire body tenses up and she looks like she’s ready to make a break for the door. In any other situation, that would be my preferred reaction. I like knowing that those around me are aware of just how terrifying I can be.

But when it’s her, I feel more ashamed than anything else.

I know that will be her reaction the moment I enter the living room with a large pizza in my hands, and I purposely avoid looking at her because of it.

Niko smiles delicately when he sees what I’m carrying. But Victoria doesn’t look at me. “I’ll leave you guys to it,” she says. “If you need me, I’ll be in my room.”

“No,” I say, turning around to look at her. She’s wearing a comfortable pair of pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt. Her hair is pulled up into a bun, too. Somehow, she still looks attractive in that getup. “Eat with us.”

“But—”

“It wasn’t a question.”

She hesitates, bites her lip, and then nods before following me into the dining room and taking a seat at the opposite end of the long table.

We all settle into our places. As we eat, I ask about how Nikolas has been doing and if he’s feeling comfortable enough to go back to school. After what happened to his parents, I spoke with some of his teachers and they told me that it was okay to give him some time off.

When Victoria says that she thinks he’s ready to go back and how proud she is that he’s made progress and is opening up more about his feelings, I can’t help but notice her demeanor change. She isn’t about to cry. She talks about him confidently, pleased with how far he’s come. It’s a different side of her, and for the smallest second, I’m glad that she isn’t utterly traumatized by that day in the safe room.

Nikolas begins telling me about the movie he and Victoria watched, and as he excitedly recaps all the plot points, I see Victoria smile. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that. I can’t explain how it makes me feel, but it’s a good change of pace.

“Niko, take the pizza box to the trash can,” I tell him.

He nods, hops up and grabs our plates and the box, running off to trash them. I turn my gaze to Victoria. “I want to ask you something.”

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