11. Tatiana

11

TATIANA

I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands clasped tightly in my lap.

God, why did the room feel so small with my brothers in here?

They stood a few feet in front of me, their expressions hard and unyielding. I took a deep breath because, dammit, I felt the weight of their concern and anger.

"Start from the beginning and tell us everything," Dmitry said, his voice low and controlled, although his rage was undeniable.

I nodded because, truthfully, I knew this time had been coming. Better to get it done and over with.

I recapped everything, telling them the same story I told Amara. It was all the truth… aside from the part where I withheld Gio's identity.

Nikolai's jaw was clenched as he listened silently. I noticed he kept his distance, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed and his head cast low.

I could only imagine what he was thinking about.

All the ways he'd retaliate.

When I paused, in the middle of the part where that fucker's hand wrapped around my throat, I felt the chill in the room intensify.

"And then?" Dmitry prompted, and I looked up as he took a step closer.

"I told him my brothers would kill him for touching me."

Nikolai growled like some kind of feral animal, and Dmitry cracked his knuckles and rolled his head around on his neck.

I told them what he said. Word for word, his voice was burned into my memory.

"He said he had no loyalties to the Petrovs. Said it was time for your fall." God, why was it getting harder to talk? "He said he'd start by unraveling the ‘Petrov princess' until I was bloody and broken."

And then there was a loud crash as Nikolai grabbed my dresser, lifted the entire thing off the ground, then slammed it down on its front side in a fit of rage. The solid cherry wood piece of furniture was now in shambles, my clothes everywhere, but all I could think was, At least I decided against the mirror option.

"For fuck's sake!" Dmitry shouted and started cursing in Russian. "Черт побери, контролируй себя, брат. Вести себя как псих тебе не помогает и сильно пугает женщин." Damn it, control yourself, brother. Acting like a psycho isn't helping you, and it's scaring the women.

I swallowed hard, my mind racing, and admitted the rest to them. I told them how I'd been choked and how Gio saved me. But I didn't give them his name.

Dmitry turned and faced me, his expression unreadable. And then he took another step forward, his presence overwhelming. "You don't know who the fighter was?"

I shook my head slowly. "I don't think he was a fighter. He was probably just a groupie." I shrugged, feeling like I sounded damned convincing, but my brothers were smart. They wouldn't have gotten where they were without knowing how to read people without them saying a fucking word.

I looked up at them after realizing I was staring blindly out the window again.

I knew they would never stop worrying about me or wanting to keep me safe and protected. But I couldn't drag Gio into this. I wouldn't.

"That's it. That's everything." I shrugged, keeping my hands flat on my lap, because twisting my shirt, showing my nervousness, would tell them I was keeping shit from them.

You know they are probably already aware you're hiding the real information.

Nikolai came to stand beside Dmitry, and they started whispering, too quiet for me to hear what they were saying. Dmitry placed a hand on Nikolai's shoulder, as if to calm him, when our brother started becoming even more tense.

I knew the two of them would tear the city apart to find out the identity of the man who hurt me. I just hoped they wouldn't find out about Gio in the process.

As they left my room, I felt a chill settle over me. I had bought some time… but for how long? The truth had a way of coming out. In my world, that was just unquestionable.

And when all the information was finally laid out, the fallout would be devastating. Because I knew my brothers would see hiding information from them as a betrayal.

I'd scrape by because I was their sister and they loved me. But Gio? Gio would be up against my sociopathic brothers, and as strong as I now knew he was… I didn't know if he was that strong.

But for right this moment, I had to keep Gio's involvement a secret, to protect him and myself.