When she’s not in the gym, the tension starts to build. I go back and check her room thinking maybe she needed some space to get her mind right. But then I see the bed is untouched and the lights are out. That is when I start to panic. I get out my phone to text her as I make it to the garage and see all the cars and bikes are there.
Where the fuck are you princess?
I’m about to call security when I hear laughter coming from the kitchen. I peek around the corner and my eyes don’t process what I’m seeing. Evie and my father are… laughing.
I stay there in stunned silence, listening to them when eventually I hear he’s telling all of my most embarrassing stories.
Great, the last thing this brat needs is more ammo on us.
Though I pretend I’m annoyed in my head for the sake of my pride, I can’t help but stay and listen. I love every giggle he is able to get out of her and every chuckle she gets from him. I haven’t heard my dad truly laugh like this since my mother was alive.
A pang hits my heart, and I begin to wonder if someone put something in the wine with everything I’ve been feeling lately. I can’t help but picture my mother in there with them, telling stories and being sure to tell Evie to give me hell.
Damien comes into view looking just as confused as I’m sure I did and Lev isn’t far behind. We don’t interrupt them though, we just take the time to listen to our girl’s laughter. I didn’t know if I would be able to really let my father back in after all this time. But, if he keeps making Evie laugh like that, I just might have to forgive him.
Chapter 53
“Gear up. Cars move out in ten.” Alexi’s voice rings through the garage as we all start putting on our tactical gear. Bulletproof vests, combat boots, Kevlar lined pants. I add two straps to the outside of my pants and put three knives on each side. My hands shake, but I keep moving, knowing that if I stop I’ll start to regret every move that led us to this point. Every moveIset into motion.
“Come with me, I forgot something.” Damien tugs my hand just as I finish strapping up my boots.
“What could you have forgotten?” I ask as I hurry after him.
We turn the corner and he pushes me up against the wall, his thigh moving between my legs to pin me there as he grabs my hands and holds them above my head.
“This,” he says right before he collides his lips with mine. The sensation is like a volcano erupting and my legs go weak for this man. The building anxiety bleeds out of my limbs as he consumes me.
He takes my hand in his, pulling us back toward the garage the moment he breaks the kiss. My fingers touch my lips that are now tingly with the feeling of him.
“I love you,” I tell him before we leave the house.
“I love you most, Little Shadow.” He kisses my forehead before he opens the door and I see my other guys waiting for me by the car. As I walk towards them, headlights illuminate them from behind and a strange silver car pulls up.
Something catches my attention and I stare at the man who gets out of the car as an awful realization unfolds before me.
“What are you doing here, Rostya?” Boris asks the man as he approaches. He embraces him in a hug and my gut churns. The man moves around the car and our gazes lock. Cold eyes assess me, then just as fast as they came, he’s moving away. Tossing his arm around Boris he walks away, but not without a glance back at the rest of us.
It can’t be him.Why would he be here?Nothing makes sense. Every muscle in my body goes tight, the anxiety that was just washed away comes back tenfold. I know those eyes, that cocky grin, the sure way he saunters down the drive.
I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the moment I hear his voice I know for certain. “Control your anger, my friend. It could be the death of you.”
He looks at me right then, almost as if he wants me to know who he is, and what he did, as he says those words.
“You need to leave,” Boris tells him through a tight expression. The man nods and heads back to his car. As quickly as he came, he’s gone, but my whole world was just turned upside down a-fucking-gain.
My shock and train of thought are cut off when Damien picks me up and forces me into the car. I don’t register a single thing around me. My body is in a state of total shock.Who is he? Why was he here? How did he know Boris?
I try to remember what I heard him say to my parents before he pulled the trigger on them but things aren’t adding up.
“Why do you think your dad was here?” Alexi asks Damien and my brows furrow.
“Your dad?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“I have no idea, we don’t talk. We haven't since the car shipment went missing.”
Damien sits back in his seat and our car makes it to the airport just as my mind catches up with what I just saw. I know that man; his face lives in so many of my nightmares. His words still echo in my head. His voice sounds the same as it had when he pulled the trigger that changed the trajectory of my life.
Damien’s dad killed my parents.