I hold a hand up, watching as it violently shakes as I say, “Matvei, please, you don’t have to—”
Click.
“Stop it!” I scream, my knees nearly collapsing. I’m going to be sick. I’m going to puke, right here and now. The world seems to spin around me, and I reach out for the wall, holding onto it as tears stream down Dad’s face.
Matvei is unbothered, his eyes trained on me as his trigger finger practically twitches in excitement.
“Time to see if today is your daddy’s lucky day.”
The world seems to still and everything goes quiet. I say my goodbyes in my head, because I know the moment he pulls the trigger again, Dad will be gone.
Click.
I hit the floor hard, my knees giving out. I place my palms flat on the chilly floor, trying to breathe. Reminding myself how to do it. In and out, slowly. I wipe my eyes and force myself to look back up at the two of them.
Matvei slides his gun back into his jacket and nods, taking a moment to adjust his cufflinks. His fist is lightning quick as he slams it into Dad’s eye.
Dad groans and slumps forward, more blood spilling down his face.
With his handkerchief, Matvei cleans his bloodied knuckles.
He slowly makes his way towards me, and like the first night in his office, he grips my hair in his fist, tugging my head back so that I’m looking up at him through tears.
“I’ve given you too many second chances, Victoria. There won’t be another one.”
I nod, over and over again. “I’m sorry,” I sob. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”
Almost tenderly, Matvei runs his hand over my face and wipes my tears. “I know you won’t, sweetheart. Clean yourself up, and when you’re ready, you can come back downstairs and finish eating with us.”
Matvei strides out of the room, and I crawl across the floor until I’m sitting at Dad’s feet. I wrap my arms around him and press my forehead to his knee.
The only thing I can do is cry.
14
Matvei
I haven’t felt this kind of resolve in weeks, and it’s all because of Victoria and her father. In some sick way, seeing the two of them at my mercy brought clarity to my world. For weeks now, I’ve let her make me weak, distracting me with her body. Tempting me with her very presence.
Now that I’ve reestablished control, I feel calm.
This is what I’ve needed. Since the minute she stepped into my home, I’ve let the woman knock me off my game, to the point where even my own men are mentioning it. They could see how feeble I’d become, Victoria occupying spaces in my mind that she had no business in. Everything is now back in its rightful place. Order has been restored.
I finish my work in my office and close my new laptop, glancing at the fried one in the corner. It was nothing to replace it and transfer over the files, but I’m still annoyed that I had to do so in the first place. The one good thing is that now Victoria knows not to touch what doesn’t belong to her.
What did she think she was going to do? Pull one over on me and turn me in? She can’t possibly think I would be so careless.
Still, I’ll have to be more careful. I doubt she’ll try anything as foolish again, but she’s one to keep my eye on. More security around the house. More cameras, always trained on her, always watching to see if she makes any more stupid decisions.
I close my office door and prepare to head downstairs when I hear two voices coming from Nikolas’ room. I take a step closer and listen.
“Will you read me a bedtime story, Victoria?” Nikolas asks.
“I …” She struggles to speak. “I can’t right now, Niko.” There’s a sorrow in her voice that I haven’t heard from her before.
“Please?”
“Niko, I can’t, okay? I can’t.” Her voice cracks, and it sounds like she’s choking back a sob. “I’ll read you two books tomorrow. Just not tonight. Please.”
“Okay…”
I feel something poke at the back of my mind, something close to guilt. She’s just barely holding it together, and it’s because of what I did to her. Forcing her to watch as I nearly killed the man she sacrificed herself for.
It shouldn’t make me feel bad. I’ve killed better men for much less. I’ve seen the worst