But what stays with me most is the night she held me. After all she endured, she still risked severe punishment to comfort me.
In my weakest moment, Nina was there for me.
Then I learned that she sacrificed it all to keep her daughter as safe as she could under dire circumstances.
This beautiful woman has survived horrors no one should endure. The thought of her being hurt again and that sweet little girl of hers falling into those same monsters’ hands makes me want to burn down the fucking world.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpers, taking a step away from me.
I realize the anger I feel from thinking about her fucked-up past must show on my face, and I quickly relax my features.
Somewhere in the chaos of my thoughts, a jarring truth takes hold. I’ve started thinking of Nina as mine to protect. The first time she tended to my wounds, the seed sprouted in my heart, and by the time Anton violated her in front of me, I already cared a hell of a lot about her.
I didn’t lie to her when I said men like me don’t give back what we’ve taken.
Lifting my hand, I move slowly so I don’t startle her. Nina keeps tensing more and more as I get closer to her, and by the time I brush my palm over the bruises Anton left on her cheek and jaw, her eyes are pinched shut. Bursts of air leave her parted lips.
“You’re under my protection now,” I say to give her some peace of mind.
Her eyes pop open again, disbelief rippling over her face. “But…why?”
“Because you went past duty, Nina. You took risks to help me, and after that fucker…” I can’t say the words out loud and skip over them. “After yesterday, I realized how much cruelty you’ve survived, and I’ll be damned if I leave you behind for sick fucks to prey on you ever again.”
Nina moves farther back, and I drop my hand to my side. Shaking her head, she gives me a guarded look. “I don’t believe you. You’re a capo. The enemy.” She glances at Simi, then shakes her head again. This time her voice quivers as she says, “It doesn’t matter what I say. You’ll do what you want.”
“You’ll see with time I’m a man of my word.”
There’s a single knock on the door before it opens, and Dad comes in. He gives me a questioning look. “Ready?”
While Nina and Simi were in the bathroom, I checked in with him and Raya and asked for a couple of hours alone with Nina so I could talk to her. They agreed reluctantly and held off on peppering me with questions, but I know once we’re on the flight, there won’t be any stopping them.
The two hours haven’t helped, though. I don’t think I made any progress with Nina.
“Yeah. We’re ready,” I mutter.
Santino comes in, and not waiting for a command, he picks up the three trash bags containing Nina and Simi’s entire life.
Nina hurries to the bed, and bending down, she carefully picks up Simi. When my shirt hangs down the side, I move closer and place it over the sleeping girl who’s still clutching the silk tightly in her tiny fist.
“Let’s go,” I say, my tone softer as I put my hand between Nina’s shoulder blades.
As we walk into the hallway, I hear men talking up ahead in the foyer, and my hand moves up to wrap around the back of Nina’s neck. Aware I’m being overly possessive of her, I lightly pull her closer to me.
Something happened between us while I was held captive. It’s a connection I’ve never shared with another person. Whether it’s obsession or trauma bonding, only time will tell.
It is what it is at this point.
Stepping into the large open space, my eyes lock on Raya, who is standing in the middle of the room. Atanas is staring at her while she’s oblivious, too busy reading something on her phone.
“Raya,” I say, my tone brisk.
My sister’s head snaps up, and she quickly walks to me, falling in on my left side. “How do you feel?”
“Better,” I answer, even though I feel worse than yesterday. My muscles are fucking stiff, and every raw wound burns.
I stop by Atanas and reluctantly let go of Nina so I can shake his hand.
Giving me an apologetic look, he says, “I’m sorry your visit to Bulgaria was so unpleasant. Hopefully, our next meeting turns out better.”