37. Chapter 37

37

I smile against my whiskey glass as I hear Blake moan in the back room. I'm not sure if she spoke to him or if this was her way of showing Ryker she fully trusted him. But either way, I could bet whatever Blake did to Ryker convinced him enough that he won't be going anywhere.

Which is one reason I can beat the shit out of him. Thinking he would just leave once we got her back to her parents' house. And if he thought I would just let him walk away, reason two I'm going to beat the fucker.

One of the pilots steps out of the cockpit, glancing around.

"Uh, we'll be landing in the next twenty minutes. Seat belts…please," he announces before backing up and sliding the door closed.

Finishing my whiskey, I set the glass on the mini bar before knocking on the door. I hear Ryker mumble something before I hear movement. Finally, he opens the door, trying to peek around me.

"There's no one out here." I chuckle.

Ryker smirks, stepping back from the door. Rolling my eyes, I step inside, and immediately, my eyes drop to Blake lying there naked. I suck in a breath, my cock hardening in my pants. Fuck .

"I hate to break this up, but they just said twenty minutes until we land." I sigh.

Blake bites down on her lip before sliding off the bed. Realizing she doesn't have that bandage on her thigh anymore I shoot a glare at Ryker.

"Where's the medical kit?" I ask angrily.

Blake points to the side table beside the bed. Grabbing it from the drawer, I lay the kit out on the bed.

"Sit down," I order.

Blake pulls her shirt over her head, sitting down on the corner of the bed. Pulling out antiseptic wipes, I gently clean around the stitches, the small trickle of blood.

"Couldn't have been careful?" I bark at Ryker.

"I was," he snaps back.

Rolling my eyes, I pull out the gauze and tape, carefully bandaging her back up. Once it's done, I help Blake step into her underwear and leggings before pulling them up and over her thigh.

"Come on, let's get seated."

The three of us head back out, buckling up. Taking a much-needed breath, I don't think I realized how unsettling it was going to be seeing Dimitri again. The first time we met, I hadn't been in love with his daughter. And now that I am, he's surely going to kill me.

Two hours later, the car Dimitri sent for us parks in front of their house. Two guards step outside the door, watching the SUV.

"You ready for this?" I ask, glancing over at Blake.

She swallows hard, slowly nodding. I don't call her out on lying. I knew she didn't want to come back. But I'm tired of her running. Dimitri needs to figure out what he's going to do, and it needs to be fast. As long as it doesn't involve her marrying that stupid fuck, Antonio. I won't let that happen.

The guards appear outside the window, opening the door. Climbing out, I race around the SUV, nearly knocking the guard out when he reaches inside for her.

"Touch her and I'll chop your hand off," I growl.

The guard barely notices me before slowly backing away.

I reach inside and Blake takes my hand, pulling Ryker out behind her. Neither of us say anything as the guards show us inside.

"Pakhan is waiting for you inside his office," one of them says.

Blake takes the lead, heading to her father's office. Dropping our hands, she pushes the door open. Ryker and I follow her inside, my eyes falling on Dimitri sitting behind his desk. He doesn't look up until Ryker slams the door.

"Good to see you again," he says to me.

Blake sits down while Ryker and I stand behind her, as her own personal bodyguards. I smirk at the idea, liking the sound of it.

"How was the plane?"

Blake moves her hand, beginning to sign. I pick up on a few words, but there are some I don't quite catch.

"Blake, knock that shit off, you know I don't understand what you're saying." Dimitri waves a hand dismissing her.

"You can't understand your daughter?" Ryker asks.

"And you are?" Dimitri glances over.

"Someone who can understand and talk to your daughter. Who are you?"

Biting my lip, I resist the urge to tell Ryker to knock it off. He knows exactly who he is, so why he's playing around is beyond me.

"I'm not sure what you're doing here, since it was Jace we hired to protect Blake. So, you might not know who I am—"

"I know exactly who you are. You're the Russian Mafia leader, who can't take an hour out of his day to learn sign language so he can communicate with his daughter after his enemies tortured her."

My mouth nearly falls open at his words. Blake looks up at Ryker as if he hung the moon for her, and Dimitri's jaw ticks.

"Your mother will be here any minute now." Dimitri turns towards Blake. "Go freshen up and we'll discuss this later."

Blake doesn't say anything as she gets to her feet, bypassing Ryker and walking out the door. Both of us follow hot on her heels, as she climbs the stairs and leads us to her room. Opening the door, I'm met with the same angry room that was here before. Only now everything makes sense. She was angry and fighting for her life in this room.

Blake drags herself to the tiny bed against the wall before dropping down. Ryker looks around, meeting my eyes before he shakes his head. I know what he's feeling because I felt the same thing when I first stepped in here. None of her family understands the pain she holds inside and none of them, except Gabriel, took the time to learn how to talk to her.

Closing the door, I attempt to switch the lock when I realize it's broken. I look over my shoulder, and Blake gives me a sad smile.

"Oh, Sunshine," I mumble. Ryker kicks his shoes off before he slides in the bed behind her while I kick mine off, lying down in front. "Big spoon or little?" I ask, knowing her answer before she does. Rolling over, Blake wraps her arm around my waist.

"Was it always like this growing up?" Ryker whispers.

Blake shrugs.

"Not always, but the older I got the more I was left alone," she mumbles into my back.

"I'm sorry." Holding her palm against my chest, I can't imagine what it was like growing up like she had. I know I had my own shitty parents, but at least I got out and went to school. I had other foster kids that I was around. Blake has a brother, but he's five years older and in charge of the American side of the Russian Mafia. I know next to nothing about her mother, Mila. And Dimitri is a piece of shit. He might think he's protecting his daughter, but you can't trade one cage for another.

"He just never listened when I told him about Henry," she whispers lower than before, as if she thinks someone will hear her. "He was my bodyguard from the time I was six months until….well until he helped kidnap me with the cartel." My blood boils as she talks for the first time about her past. "I—I, he raped me. They tortured me, and all because they wanted to know where my brother was and where Dad's shipments were. But Dad didn't care… because he sold me to Antonio after."