10. Tatiana

10

TATIANA

I t had been a full week since the assault and waking up in Gio's apartment. My bruises were fading, and my eyes and face were pretty much healed from the broken blood vessels and swelling.

And the entire time, I hadn't stopped thinking about that big, tattooed Italian mafia Capo who saved my life.

For the first couple of days, Dmitry and Nikolai had barely left me alone. They'd given me my one day of peace, quiet, and solitude I needed, but after that, they'd been persistent in wanting to know everything. What happened, who hurt me, and where the fuck had I been until I strolled through my front door that first day back ?

There had been plenty of demands from my brothers and a hell of a lot of screaming by me through my bedroom door as I told them to leave me the hell alone.

I knew they were just trying to help, but they were used to getting what they wanted, and no one ever denied them. So me all but saying "go the fuck away" pissed them off and made the situation even worse.

They should have taken notes from Amara because my sister-in-law had given me space and not pressed. But I knew eventually—probably sooner rather than later—I wouldn't be able to keep my silence.

I sat alone in my room, the dim light casting long shadows on the pastel-colored walls. My room was a sanctuary of sorts, one of the only places I'd truly ever felt safe since being an adult. Growing up, I was filled with a lot of fear of the unknown because of my father.

I sat on the plush settee by the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city, a thick blanket wrapped around me as I stared at the hustle and bustle below.

My mind replayed the traumatic events from last week. I heard every sound from that dilapidated slaughterhouse basement. I remembered and felt every touch from that bastard. God… I'd felt so helpless.

If I didn't find my center, I knew this entire event would be etched into my memory like a scar.

I closed my eyes and controlled my breathing, feeling myself calm and my memories fade to the back, when a loud knock on my bedroom door caused me to jump.

The knock was followed by Dmitry's hard and deep, unmistakable voice. And it was filled with obvious irritation. "Tatiana."

I could envision Dmitry saying my name through clenched teeth. I didn't answer right away, and he pounded again.

"Open the door. We're going to talk about this. Now," he demanded, his voice heavy with fury and… clear concern.

I knew my brothers loved me, but God, they could be so dominating and irritating .

I looked toward the door, the reality of the situation crashing down on me, because I knew my time was up.

I wasn't trying to protect the fucker who hurt me.

I'm protecting Gio.

There were hushed whispers on the other side, and I knew Amara, Nikolai's wife, was trying to talk her behemoth of a brother-in-law down from the damn ledge he was on right now.

Nikolai would only pour gasoline on that inferno.

Before I could respond, the door swung open, slamming against the wall, revealing Dmitry and Nikolai on the other side, and Amara looking frustrated as she stood right behind them.

My brothers' expressions were hard, their blue eyes blazing with intensity, and I felt a charge in the air.

I was going to suffocate. Again.

"Right here. Right now, Tatiana. You're going to tell us what happened," Dmitry growled, stepping into the room with Nikolai close behind him.

I looked out the window, holding in angry tears.

"Tati, we need to know."

I felt a sudden surge of tension and anxiety as I faced my brothers. Amara came into the room, her expression now worried and unsure.

I took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back now, and there was no stopping this derailed train .

"Guys, maybe we should just take a breath and calm down," Amara inserted softly, trying to diffuse the tension.

" Kukolka," Nikolai said to his wife but still had his focus on me, "this has gone on long enough. Longer than we'd allow anyone else to withhold information from us."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not just anyone, brother ," I spat that last word out. "This is my problem and mine alone."

A low rumble left both Dmitry and Nikolai. I knew my words were a lie. We were a family. My problem was theirs and vice versa.

"I think we can all agree Tatiana has been through enough. Maybe we should just take a step back and reevaluate the situa?—"

Dmitry cut Amara's words off with a grunt, and Nikolai gave him a warning glare. Dmitry looked at him and exhaled, muttering, "Извини." Sorry . He tipped his head in respect to Amara. "Retaliation has to be met."

"You're our sister," Nikolai addressed me, his voice sharp. "We have a right to know who hurt you."

I met my brothers' harsh gazes, seeing anguish and protectiveness reflected back.

I knew they wouldn't stoptrying to find out the truth. They had their own dark code to abide by, and when someone hurt who they loved… death followed.

Gio may have saved me, but he also hadn't come to my brothers. He hadn't told them what happened, and with each passing day, my brothers would see that as a betrayal… among other things.

Gio was, after all, family.

"Just go," Amara said with a hell of a lot of strength in her voice. "Give us a moment, okay?" She stared at her husband, giving him a look I was pretty sure no one else had ever dared to. "Boys, please." Her voice sounded soft but held a note of pleading in her tone. "Just a few minutes, all right? Pretty sure you two acting like barbarians isn't helping or going to get you any answers."

Dmitry and Nikolai stared at each other, their jaws clenched, their fists curling and relaxing. Finally, they huffed out a breath and left, shutting my bedroom door behind them louder than needed.

I held in my eyeroll as I stared at my sister-in-law, then looked back out the window.

My mind and body felt so raw and used from the emotional intensity of fighting with my brothers, dealing with the assault, and waging war with my thoughts concerning Gio.

Amara stayed quiet for long seconds, but I sensed her come closer. I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself as the weight of the silence in the room grew and pressed down on me.

"Look at me," she said softly.

I did as the woman requested and saw she had an expression on her face that was like a knife to my gut. I didn't want nor need anyone to feel sorry for me.

Amara had such a soft and sweet demeanor. I could see why Nikolai loved her so much. I hoped Dmitry would find that someday soon.

Nikolai was a wild card. A stick of dynamite with barely a fuse. He was certifiably insane. A sociopath. But somehow, this woman had made him… love.

"How are you doing, Tatiana?" Amara asked gently, her voice a soothing balm that helped smooth out the frayed emotions coursing through me.

She moved to sit on the edge of my bed and watched me silently.

I managed a weak smile, actually grateful for her presence, because I felt her calmness wash over me. "I'm fine… despite my appearance and the fact that I'm crying like I can't control myself." I brushed away the wetness on my cheeks. "My brothers make me so angry. They are so?—"

"Demanding and hardheaded," Amara inserted with a small smile of her own. She snorted. "To say the least."

I chuckled softly.

And then we sobered as I felt the conversation shift to what she really wanted to talk about.

"We've been so worried about you," she confessed, her tone filled with empathy. "When we heard what happened…." She glanced down at her hands, which she had twined together in her lap.

I too looked down at my hands, unable to meet her eye as I thought about last week. The memories were raw and scary and painful.

"It's okay," she added softly. "You don't have to say anything until you're ready. I just wanted to be here with you and to let you know you're not alone." She glanced at the door. "And to get the source of your current irritation away for a moment to give you breathing room."

I exhaled and said, "I'm sure they are right outside the door, huffing and puffing like a couple of penned-up bulls. "

Both of us started chuckling.

"How is Luca?" I asked Amara. I missed my nephew, but I was glad she'd kept him away. The last thing I'd ever want was for that adorable little boy to be in the middle of this family warzone. The negative energy would have been too dark for his sweet, innocent soul.

Amara's smile lit up as she thought about her precious son. "He's wonderful. Rowdy and already causing issues?—"

"Just like his father," I cut in this time, and we laughed.

I knew I couldn't stall any longer in talking about my issues, so I decided to just get this shit over with. I took a deep breath, the knot in my chest loosening just a fraction. I knew they meant well, that they were here out of love and concern.

But the words, the act of recounting the nightmare out loud, felt like I would be reliving it. And I hadn't realized until that moment that… thinking about it scared the fuck out of me more than anything else.

"We want to help," Amara whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "But we need to know what happened, so we can figure out how."

I nodded slowly, lifting my gaze to my sister-in-law. I swallowed hard, preparing myself to do this.

Amara placed her hand on mine. Her support moved through me.

The room suddenly felt charged with a tense anticipation of the words about to spew from my mouth.

"I was stupid as hell." I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. "I went to one of those underground fights at the old slaughterhouse." The silence felt even thicker, and I dropped my hands to look at her and see the judgment in her eyes.

But there was none.

So I took a big breath and just exposed my truth and bared my heart.

I talked about watching the fight, seeing a tattooed fighter destroy his opponent. I told her about the asshole who grabbed me, how I tried to leave, but then found myself assaulted in the empty storage room before I could.

And then I explained in grisly details about being choked, knowing that I was about to die, and wishing I made better decisions and listened to my brothers.

Because they never wanted me there. They only wanted to protect me .

Amara said nothing as I confessed it all and felt vulnerable doing so. She listened intently, her gaze never leaving my face.

"And then someone came and saved me. He… he killed the man who hurt me." My voice faltered as I felt tears stream down my face before I knew I was even crying.

She pulled me into a gentle embrace, holding me close as she ran her hand up and down my back. I was sobbing now, these uncontrollable sobs that came out of nowhere and ones I couldn't stop.

I couldn't hear what she said, but I knew she murmured words of comfort until I calmed.

"It's okay, Tatiana," Amara whispered. "You're safe now. He can't hurt you anymore." She sounded choked up.

I thought of this woman as my sister, bound by blood and not just by marriage.

After a few moments, I pulled back, wiping my tears with the sleeve of my sweater, and gave her a sloppy smile.

"Do you know the man who helped you?"

I looked away, hoping she couldn't tell I was lying like my brothers always did. "No. It was dark, and he wore a mask. I passed out, and when I woke up, I was alone. That's when I came back home. "

Amara stared at me, and I could practically hear her thoughts. She knew I was lying. But, thank God, she didn't press me for where I was after the assault… as in the apartment inside the warehouse-looking place my brothers had been en route to right before I hauled ass out of there.

It was clear Gio's name wasn't associated with that building because, if so, my brothers would have known already. My brothers had access to any information they wanted, so them not finding out about Gio's involvement meant the Italian mafia boss had covered his tracks.

"Your brothers need to hear all of this," Amara finally said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." I swallowed. "I know."

The men were fiercely protective, and this news would undoubtedly ignite their anger and desire for retaliation for someone hurting me and going against the Petrovs.

Amara pulled her shoulders back and tipped her chin up. "I'll be with you." Her voice was firm. "When you're ready to tell them, I'll be right there by your side."

"Yeah," I whispered again. I knew this was just the beginning of an endless road, one that I was sure would be messy as hell.

"Now, I guess it's time I tell Dmitry and Nikolai."

That should have been the only thing I was worried about—thinking about—but the thoughts and images in the forefront of my mind had to do with one thing only.

When I'd see Gio again.