Chapter Eighteen

Seated directly before us, is Sasha. The room quickly becomes saturated with the overwhelming smell of charred flesh. The chair in which Ivan took his last breath now holds Sasha captive. Finally, Ilya joined Oleg and I, and he's loving every moment. With his expertise in torture, he knows precisely how to extract information from individuals. Sasha is leaning forward, blood oozing from his mouth. I move forward and grab a fistful of hair, " Vy gotovy pogovorit' seychas? (Are you ready to talk now?)" Sasha opens his one non-swollen eye. "I suggest you comply, otherwise I will have no choice but to order Ilya to remove your fingernails."

Upon dropping Sasha's head, he emits a groan of displeasure. He stays silent. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. This will take all night. "Brat (Brother)," Ilya says, "I could take an eye?" I shrug my shoulders and nod my head. We need to get the location of my father as soon as possible. Tomorrow is Lina's birthday and while she hasn't mentioned it once, I have a few things planned.

"Sdelay eto. (Do it)" I say.

"Net! Zhdat'. YA pogovoryu. (No! Wait. I'll talk.)" Sasha interjects.

I breathe a sigh of relief. This doesn't mean he won't die. He most definitely will die. He tried to kill Lina and my syn. There is no redemption for that. "Speak and be sure you are telling the truth. Igor can't protect you now, so just make this easy on yourself."

"San Francisco," Sasha groans.

"No way," Oleg exclaims. "That's why no one has seen him."

With my blade in my firm grasp, I crouch down to his level. Pressing the tip to his carotid, I ask him a question.

"Not a lie?"

I dig the tip in enough to get my point across.

"He's at your dyadi(Uncle's) dock warehouse in San Francisco. He had him smuggled in via shipping cargo."

"Ah, how could I forget Dyadya Ryurik, (Uncle Ryurik)" I say, feeling every bit of stupid as my father must see me. Ryurik is the only person he could run to. Ryurik hasn't spoken to us in years after my father married off his only daughter, without even consulting him. I figured they would never speak again, but I suppose blood runs deeper than I expected. As I look towards Oleg, he responds with a nod. "I'm on it, Brat (Brother). I need a couple of hours." Oleg makes his way out of the room and back up the stairs to the main floor. Ilya looks at me, disappointed.

"Should I hold off on killing him for now?" The disappointment obvious in his tone. I can't hide the smirk spreading across my face. "Sorry Brat (Brother), maybe in the morning." I turn to head up the stairs, checking the time on my watch. It's nearing dinner, and I promised Lina we'd finish what we started this morning. Ilya follows me after making some comments to Sasha about how he will enjoy killing him tomorrow.

"Have you always been a sadistic mudak(asshole)?" I asked him, chuckling as we ascend the stairs.

Ilya laughed along with me. "Pretty much. I'm pretty sure my otets(father) beat the ‘normal' out of me."

Back up at the house, showered and starving, I watch my zhena(wife) and her sister make dinner. Dmitriy has set the table and is getting drinks put out. This is everything I envisioned when I thought of a family. Now Raisa is my sister-in-law, but still. Our malysh's (baby"s) arrival will bring even more love into the house soon. I stare at Lina, and I'm enraptured by her graceful movements. Even though she is so near to giving birth, she insists on doing everything herself. My headstrong zhena.

Raisa and Dmitriy clean up after dinner, and I scoop Lina up and take her to our room. "You've been on your feet all day, moy krasivyy tsvetok (my beautiful flower). A relaxing bath will benefit you." Lina's hands caress the back of my head as we enter the bedroom.

"Moy lev (My lion), your hair is getting long," she says, giving it a gentle tug at the nape. "Keep it long for a while." I set Lina down and start the bath, adding to the water Epsom salts. I turn back to her, my hands finding the tie for the wrap of her dress.

With a soft splash, I lower her into the calm water. Showering alone now feels like a missed opportunity for connection and shared intimacy. We'll have fewer moments of just us once malysh (baby) is here. Seated on the floor next to the tub, I reach for the soap and wash her back. "Will you hand me the hair clip off the counter? I don't want to wash my hair tonight," she asks, her voice filled with exhaustion.

"I'll wash it for you, lyubov (love)." I take my watch off, setting it on the bench. After wetting her hair, I take her shampoo from the shower and kneel back down. My fingers massage against her scalp, making sure it isn't too much pressure. Lina groans as I make my way down her shoulders, massaging them as well. She leans back and I rinse her hair, then wrap it in an old shirt. Lina dries herself and does her body care routine. I head back into our room.

"Moy lev (My lion), did you purposefully not get anything for me to wear?" She appears in the bathroom doorway, naked. I sit on the edge of the bed, facing the door, waiting for her. I stand and make my way towards her. She sits where I had just been sitting, and parts her knees, exposing her pussy to me. This woman doesn't know the power she holds over me. That one movement of her thighs spreading has me on my knees in front of her.

"Net (No), moy lev (my lion)." She says, her hands gripping the hair on top of my head as she draws my eyes up to hers. "I want you to fuck me."

She doesn't have to tell me twice. I pull the sweats I am wearing down, my cock springing free. "Onto your knees, malyshka (baby)." I give her ass a playful smack as she does. Lina lets out a sharp yelp, followed by a low moan. I make sure she has plenty of pillows under her for support. My hands run down the sides of her hips, pulling her closer to me. With one hand on her hip and the other guiding my cock to her entrance, I thrust. Nothing feels better than being buried deep inside Lina's pussy.

"Harder," Lina whimpers as she grips the pillow underneath her.

"Tsvetok (Flower), I don't want to hurt you," I say, trying to keep a grip on the power of my thrusting.

"Vy ne budete. YA ne steklyannyy Lenya. YA ne slomayus'. (You won't. I'm not glass Lenya. I won't break.)"She says, her moans growing deeper as her soft pants of pleasure and the feel of her pussy tightening around my cock send me spiraling into a primal frenzy. "Lenya," she whimpers, as I drive into her. I reach around, circling her clit and all it takes is a few strokes, and she comes apart. I continue thrusting, feeling my orgasm seconds behind. With a hard thrust, I empty myself inside her, feeling all the pent-up emotions of today leave me. While still inside her, I lean over and kiss down her spine.

I gently remove myself, and our shared climax drips down her trembling thighs. I decide to get a wet cloth from the bathroom to clean her. After cleaning up and dressing, we pull back the comforter to the bed. While helping Lina back into bed, my phone alerts me that something is moving around outside. Lina gives me a concerned look, as we both look at my phone on the table.

I pick it up, opening the security app that Oleg downloaded for me.

I spring into action, grabbing my gun from the bedside drawer. Lina hisses my name as I walk to the door in only my sweats. I look down at the phone and notice that it has the movement detected at the nursery room window. With our door open, I stop and listen. I feel Lina's hands on my back. "Vernites' v komnatu! (Get back in the room!)" Her hand grips my shirt tighter.

The alarm on my phone pings again.

We inch closer to the nursery door in the hallway. I look back at Lina, confusion on both of our faces. We move to the door and hear two different voices. My hand reaches for the doorknob, turning and pushing it open, quietly. The sound is now unmistakable.

"What the hell are you doing outside my window, mudak (asshole)?" Raisa shouts, loud enough to wake the dead.

"Making sure nobody is lurking around," Ilya says condescendingly. "Ow."

The sound of my sister-in-law slapping him echoes in the room. "You are lurking."

Lina pushes past me and heads over to her sister. She reaches her hand outside the window and slaps Ilya again.

"Moy lev (My lion), lights."

I flick the room lights on. Moya zhena (My wife) and her sister stand at the wide open window next to the bed, and my best friend stands there, getting slapped by both of them. I can't help but laugh at the situation.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? You have ten seconds to explain what the fuck you are doing outside my sister-in-laws window." I say, keeping my gun pointed at him.

Ilya looks at me. "I'm going to need more than ten seconds."

Ilya climbs through the window and gives Lina a smirk. "Sorry for waking you. If you were sleeping." He winks at me.

"Not a time for jokes," I say in a serious tone. While I find this all very amusing, Lina and Raisa don't seem to. So I try to keep as serious as possible.

Raisa steps in front of him. "Don't shoot him."

"Aw look at you, caring about if I get shot. I'm fine. He won't shoot me." Ilya looks down at Raisa.

"What makes you think I won't?" I close the distance and bring my gun in front of him. "You are skulking around outside."

"Because I feel like she means something to me, and I want her to be safe. I have faith that you, out of all people, would comprehend even a hint of my devotion." Ilya's eyes plead with mine. Fuck, Ilya has never lied to me. I lower my gun and let go of his neck, shoving him away. Raisa turns to him and gives him a puzzled look.

"You feel like I mean something? What the hell does that even mean?" Raisa asks, stepping back from him so she can look him in the eye. "I thought I was a spoiled brat?"

"You are. Moya izbalovannyy mal'chishka. (My spoiled brat)"" Ilya looks at her as if it is just them in this room. This can't be good.

Lina is going to kill him.

A small smile pulls at the corner of Ilya's mouth. Fuck, he isn't lying. Ilya doesn't smile unless he's killing someone or joking around with me or Oleg.

"This is real? Bez baldy?(No Bullshit)" I narrow my eyes at him. I grab him by his arm and pull him away from Lina and Raisa so that it is just us talking.

"Nikakoy yerundy, brat. S togo momenta, kak ya uvidel yeye. Kogda, my zabrali ikh v tot den' i izbili yeye ottsa. Kogda tvoy otets ugrozhal iznasilovat' yeye, ya by nikogda etogo ne dopustil. Dazhe togda eto bylo real'no. (No bullshit, brother. The moment I saw her. When we took them that day and beat up her father. When your father threatened to have her raped, I would never let it happen. Even then, it was real.)"

Ilya's eyes wander back over to her. "I went to that school the night after cleaning up at their parents' house. I found her room and checked on her safety. She had never seen me. I stayed there all night and left before anyone woke."

Lina and her sister are exchanging whispers on the bed. After a few moments, Lina looks up at me and I already know. This is going to be trouble. I look over at Ilya. I put the safety on my gun and tuck in the waistband of my sweats.

"She is only sixteen." I extend my hand out to him. He takes it and I pull him into a hug, whispering in his ear. "Your dick will not touch her until she is eighteen. Am I understood? I don't care if she says it's okay with her." I say, loud enough for Raisa to hear. "Primary school rules, brat (brother)."

"What if I was fucking in primary school?" Ilya jokes.

"I have been your best friend since we were toddlers. I know you weren't." I growl, smacking him upside the head.

Lina steps between us. "Khorosho(Okay), how about we just have a few simple rules?" She looks back at her sister. "You like him?" Raisa groans and gives a half-assed nod. Ilya chuckles.

"Can"t resist my charms, princess?" Ilya teases.

"More like you annoy me so much, I find it kind of endearing." I catch the playful smile she gives him. "Stop calling me princess."

"Whatever you say, moya serdste (my heart)," Ilya says as he walks towards the door, before Lina catches up to him.

She shoves her finger into Ilya's chest. "You better take the rules seriously."

"A year and a month. I hear you loud and clear." His gaze turns back to Raisa. "One year and a month, moya serdste (my heart)."

Ilya and I make eye contact and smirk at each other. "Use the fucking door next time, mudak (asshole)."

"No promises." Ilya smirks, walking through the door.

I hold Lina's arm firmly and guide her back to our room. "Everything is going to be okay. If not, you can kill him."