Page 28 of Viktor

I can’t stand to see her like this. I need to kill them all slowly. Or better, keep them alive so Amaia can take her revenge.

“Take them both to the warehouse in separate containers,” I snap as I carry Amaia out the door.

Getting in the car, I lay her across my lap in the backseat. Konstantin comes out not long after us and drives us back without a word. The others have another car, so I can concentrate on getting her safe at mine. I’ve probably just started a war, but she is worth it.?

When we arrive at my house, I carry her to my bedroom. She doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t look at me. I’m not even sure if she can hear me while she’s in shock. I tenderly lay her on my bed and cover her up, then call the doctor I have on my payroll. She eventually falls asleep while we wait them to show up.

She still hasn’t spoken to me or anyone since I found her. But I stay to watch over her, making sure she’s safe. I brush a strand of hair from her face, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead when she cries out in her sleep. Then I move back and sit in the chair. Eventually, my eyes feel heavy, and I can’t keep them open anymore.?

The click of a gun pulls me from my sleep. Automatically, I reach for mine, finding it isn’t on my nightstand. My head swings up, and my eyes meet hers. She’s holding my own gun to me.?

“You killed him. You killed Dmitri,” she seethes. I clench my jaw; I tried to keep it a secret.?

“You want to shoot me?” I ask.

She doesn’t respond but instead takes another step back. I stand, knowing that I am scaring her when she starts shaking and uses both hands to hold up my gun. I can’t bring myself to move forward and scare her again.

“Do it,” I say. “If that’s what you want. Do it, pull the trigger.”?

Her grip tightens, and tears gather on her lower lashes. She tries to blink them away. There is a strange twinge in my heart; I’ve had it since I found out she had been taken. Like she would be gone forever.

“Was I just a game to you?” she whispers, but I shake my head.

“No, I didn’t know who you were until after we met.” It’s not a lie.?

“Do you even care that you killed a man?” The gun shakes in her hands, and her voice trembles. I don’t move. I know the question is important to her, as it’s her brother we’re speaking of. But I also can’t lie to her, even if she will hate me for a while.?

“No, I don’t. Your family killed my mother. After a war, where many others died, we made a treaty. Someone who worked with us had to marry a member of your family. For almost ten years, everything was fine. They broke it. I wouldn’t take it back even if I could. He deserved it and knew it would happen. He dug his own grave.”?

The tears roll down her cheeks, and I long to wipe them away, knowing I’m the cause of them. I wish she could understand how my life works.

She moves back again. I keep talking. “But you, Amaia, you’re the only Koskovich I would never hurt. You’re the only one I would lay down my life for, because for some fucked-up reason, I found myself falling for you,” I confess, my heart thumping in my ears to fill the silence between us. I want her to say something and tell me she feels the same. Or at least that she doesn’t hate me.?

She finally shakes her head. “You already hurt me. You made me open up to you, trust you. I let you inside my body,” she cries while waving the gun around.

I need to stand firm before she hurts herself by accident. “Shoot me or give me the gun.”?

Her shoulders drop at the command in my voice, and she collapses to the floor in a heap, the thud of the gun instantly putting me into action. I kick the gun away and kneel in front of her, wrapping my arms around her small body, but she thrashes against me. Screaming at me not to touch her.

I know I should let go, but I can’t. She’s breaking, and I caused this. My eyes burn as my own emotions fight to break free. I haven’t cried since my mother died. Now I’m losing another woman important to me. I don’t know who I hate more right now. Me or Ivan Koskovich.

I kiss her temple. “At least let me make sure you haven’t been promised to marry someone else.”?

She freezes in my arms. “What?”?

I sigh, knowing that I’m going to hurt her more with the reality of being in the Mafia. Even if she didn’t grow up with them, she is Ivan’s only daughter. She won’t be off-limits. Especially now that she will gain everything when Ivan is dead. They need a successor.?

“Your family wants power. For that, they need connections. He could sign you away just to get a good deal. Arranged marriages happen all the time in my world. It’s a business transaction.” I need her to know exactly what could happen if she leaves without knowing. When she’s silent, I stroke her hair from her wet cheeks.

“I’ll never be safe from any of you, will I?” she mumbles, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean to say it out loud.

I deflate. I wanted her to feel safe with me, but I’m still that fuck-up.?

“You will never be off limits, not until you marry.”?

She sobs and pushes me away again, and this time I let her.?

“The worst part about all this is that I do love you. I want to forgive you, but I can’t.” She angrily wipes the tears from her cheeks with a sniff. Moving on from the crying, this I can deal with easier.?

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