novelxo Ruthless Mafia King: Chapter 42
“Do you think he’s okay?” I ask Olga.
The housekeeper has been keeping me company ever since I returned home. It’s funny. I don’t even know when I started to think about Nikolai’s house as home, and yet, here I am. I’m more at ease here than with my own family.
“Mr. Volkov always comes back whole,” she assures me in her heavy Russian accent. “He’ll do the same tonight.” She glances at my belly and smiles. “Especially since you’ve given him so many reasons to.”
I return her smile. “Will you tell me about him?”
“Let me get us tea first. It’ll help you relax while we wait.”
She comes back with chamomile tea and sugar cookies. As we’re enjoying the treat, she tells me stories about Nikolai’s childhood. She talks about his boyish pranks with Ivan and their wild teenage phase of experimenting with alcohol and chasing after girls. It’s when she mentions Vasily that my ears prick up.
“Who’s that?” I ask her, raising my brow in question as I take another bite of cookie.
“Mr. Volkov’s older brother,” Olga replies, her own brows furrowing in confusion. “Did he not tell you about his family?”
“Only bits and pieces,” I admit, realizing how little I know about Nikolai. “I know he has a sister.”
“Katya,” Olga confirms with a fond smile. “She’s a lawyer in Moscow. Last I heard, she set her eyes on being a judge and was working her way up the ladder.”
“What about Vasily?” I inquire, still surprised that Nikolai has an older brother.
“He also lives in Moscow,” Olga tells me. “His work is of a confidential nature. All I know is that he’s a high-ranking member of Russia’s secret service.”
I snort, making an unladylike sound. Olga’s lips twitch in amusement. She’s also aware of the irony behind the careers the three siblings have chosen. Vasily has legal permission to kill, while Katya’s work is about putting criminals behind bars. Nikolai, on the other hand, has no permission to kill, but still does it. He makes his own laws, which I imagine his sister isn’t too happy about.
“They don’t get along?” I ask.
“Ah, it’s that obvious?” Olga smiles. “Nikolai and Vasily rarely see eye to eye. I’ve not seen them talk to each other in the last ten years. But it looks like things have changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“The men that have arrived,” she says, talking about the group that escorted Nikolai. “They’ve been sent by Vasily.”
As I’m racking my brain for explanations, we are interrupted by the front door opening. It’s not a pleasant sound. Instead, it resonates as if the building itself doesn’t like the intrusion. Footsteps come toward us, and soon, we’re joined by a blood-covered Nikolai.
I jerk to my feet, tears pooling in my eyes. The sight of him brings forth every terrible scenario that’s been going through my head since he left. His hair’s sticking out in all directions, there’s dried blood on his cheeks, a large gash on his forehead.
“Olga, go and prepare a bath for Nikolai,” I tell her as gently as I can, knowing she’ll linger if I don’t send her out. She nods, and before leaving, glances at Nikolai again as if to confirm he’s okay.
Once we’re left alone, I run toward him, not caring whether he’s dirty or not.
“It’s not my blood, serdtse,” he assures me softly. I press my ear against his broad chest to hear the soft drumming of his heart. Finally, I’m able to calm my rapid breathing and frantic pulse.
“What happened?” I demand.
“The Olenkos went after the Gargarins,” he says, his gray eyes nearly black with anger. “They wanted to get back in your father’s good graces.”
“Fedot?” I breathe, recognizing the angry undertone in his words. “It was him, wasn’t it?”
He nods. “He had some sick idea in his head that if he killed me, you’d be his.”
I gulp, fear gripping me tight. He could’ve easily lost tonight. By the look of how battered and bruised he is, he didn’t have an easy time fighting Fedot.
“Did you . . .” I trail off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
“Yes,” Nikolai confirms cooly. “I killed him.”
There’s a small part of me that feels guilty about being relieved that Nik prevailed, especially since, once upon a time, Fedot and I were friends. But it’s a tiny, minuscule part of me. I don’t care about any of the others who were involved tonight. I’m just glad Nikolai came back to me.
“How bad was it?” I ask.
“We had casualties,” he replies in the same detached voice. “I’m not sure about your brother yet.”
At the mention of Igor, I press a hand against my mouth. No matter what state our relationship is right now, he’s my brother. I need to know whether he’s okay.
“Tell me,” I demand.
Nikolai squeezes his eyes shut. He’s tired and sore, but he grants me my wish.
Before he gets into the story, I follow him to the bathroom, where Olga ran a bath. My eyes don’t leave his body as he peels off his clothes, watching for the marks the battle left behind. There’s a nasty, dark-purple bruise on his ribs, and there’s a white layer of plaster on his left hand. With every piece of clothing that comes off, my heart breaks more.
I sit on a stool next to the tub to assist Nikolai while he bathes. As I grab the sponge and wash the blood off his body, he begins speaking. His voice is still detached and emotionless as he tells me about the sniper. My heart stops when he describes Igor’s injury. He dives into the car chase and then moves on to the fight that had ensued.
By the time he’s done, the urge to cry is unbearable, but I swallow the pain and shake my head. I take a deep breath, willing myself to stay strong, at least until I’m alone.
“Serdtse,” Nikolai says, getting my attention. “If Igor were dead, we’d already know.”
I nod, having a hard time maintaining eye contact with him. The father of my unborn child nearly died tonight. I shudder, thinking about how badly tonight could’ve ended.
Finished with his bath, Nikolai dries himself but makes no move to get dressed. We make our way to the bedroom wordlessly, our shoulders touching to reassure ourselves that the other is okay.
“Stay here,” Nikolai tells me when he’s in bed. He can probably read the questions in my eyes because he explains himself. “It’s not safe to leave the house yet.”
“The Gargarins are still out there,” I conclude.
He shrugs. “Right now, I’ve no idea what happened to them. We were caught completely by surprise. None of us expected Fedot to grow a pair and plan something of this sort.”
“It’s a good thing you came back alive,” I whisper, snuggling closer to him. “You can sleep. I’ll get some water, and then I’ll join you.”
“I’ll call your father to check on Igor,” he replies, and I give him a grateful smile. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to make the call myself.
Once I return to the room, he’s already done with the call. He scoots over to the middle of the bed and extends his arm to me in a silent invitation. Inhaling deeply, I swallow the last of my fears and lie by his side, my cheek pressed against his bare chest.
“How is he?” I ask quietly.
“He was shot in the head, but the bullet just grazed his skull,” Nikolai tells me. “He’ll live, but it’ll take him a while to heal. Your father wants us to come over for a meeting in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Nikolai inhales deeply. “Tell me you’re not scared of me.”
I glance up at him and quickly realize what he’s worried about.
“Of course not, Nik,” I assure him, and when his eyes flicker down to meet mine, I continue, “I never feared you. I always knew there is more to you than meets the eye.”
“This life isn’t suited for you, serdtse,” he says in a whisper. “The very nature of what I am puts you in danger when you’re around me.”
“You’re forgetting that I was born into this life,” I remind him. “Bratva’s in my blood whether I want it or not. At least your business doesn’t bring you into the heart of it.”
“Sometimes, it does,” he counters.
“True,” I allow. “But most of your dealings are legal, aren’t they?”
“Yes and no,” he replies. “Most of the oil rigs follow the law, but the way I smuggle weapons into the country is illegal.”
“Well, I guess I can’t have it all.” I sigh. “At least you’re hot.”
He chuckles and then grimaces, tentatively touching his bruised ribs. “Don’t make me laugh, woman. It hurts.”
“I’m just stating a fact,” I retort.
He smiles and kisses the top of my head. “Sleep, moye serdtse. I’ve got you.”
“Promise you won’t disappear if I close my eyes?”
“Cross my heart,” Nikolai murmurs, and kisses me on the forehead. “I’ll be right here.”
With that reassurance, I shut my eyes. Surprisingly, despite the events of the night, it doesn’t take long before my brain deems it safe and allows me the rest I need. In a few minutes, I’m fast asleep in the arms of the man I love.