Sasha slid my feet into a pair of white sandals and a red dress with white polka dots.
“You seriously have an obsession with red,” I muttered as I let him dress me.
“Red is the color of my heart,” he murmured. “And it beats only for you. When you wear red, I know you’re mine.”
I sat in the car, rain dripping down the car window, while I watched Sasha argue with his family. They all insisted on coming. Sasha refused to bring them along.
Once outside, we trekked to the car, avoiding the raindrops but not before we were cornered by the Nikolaev family.
“Yeah, you’re not leaving without us,” Tatiana announced. “You’re family and family sticks together.”
I smiled at her conviction. One should never have favorites, but Tatiana was my favorite member of the Nikolaev family. She reminded me a bit of Sasha, just a female version.
“My brother is family too,” I told her softly. “Everything will go fine. Just a small visit and then we’ll be back.”
The look she gave me told me she didn’t believe that.
Sasha helped me into the passenger seat, then shut the door, before turning back to his family. All of them stood in the rain, unconcerned with the weather while arguing. Their muffled voices could be heard through the rain hitting the roof of the car and the closed window.
“You are fucking crazy if you think I’m letting you go alone,” Vasili growled.
“We should all go,” Aurora insisted. “So they can see we are family.”
By the looks on the Nikolaevs’ faces the women and children could stay behind. I agreed. There was no sense in causing more havoc than necessary.
“If we all go, Alessio will take it as a sign of us against them,” Sasha grumbled. “I don’t need you all tagging along. This is not a duck formation.”
I shook my head at the funny comparison. Conflicting feelings battled in my chest. Excitement to see my brother, Autumn and my nephew, worry that shit would hit the fan and someone would get hurt and fear that Sasha would walk away from me, leaving me in the shadows again.
It made no sense but I couldn’t help the ridiculous notions.
“Alexei and I are coming,” Vasili said in his final tone. “Whether we drive together or not it’s up to you.”
Sasha must have caved in because he came to my door and opened it. “Kotyonok, let’s get in the back.”
I climbed out of the front passenger seat and got in the back, Sasha sliding in right behind me. Alexei and Vasili kissed their wives goodbye, checked their holsters and then got into the front seats. Alexei got behind the wheel and put the car into drive.
My hands clutched in my lap, watching the scenery pass by. With each mile behind us, my apprehension grew. I feared losing my brother. I feared losing Sasha even more.
Alessio will hear me out, I assured myself.
And still my blood grew colder. I trusted my brother with my life, just not Sasha’s or his brothers’. We drove for miles, the tension palpable. The brothers exchanged a few words, speaking in Russian. Of course, I understood none of it.
I imagined they were strategizing how to come to peaceful terms with my brother. A sardonic breath left me. It would be so much easier if Alessio and I didn’t love each other, but I did. He was everything to me – my mother, father, brother, sister. I didn’t want to give him up.
Taking a sharp turn, we came to a large empty parking lot. My eyes roamed over it and I spotted a black SUV parked on the far side of the area, right in front of what looked like an abandoned building.
Spotting us, the door to the SUV opened and Alessio stepped out of it. My heart drummed under my rib cage. My brother was here.
Sasha opened the door and stepped out, then held the door, gesturing for me to follow. I followed without saying a word. Vasili and Alexei were already out of the car, their weapons visible. The doors slammed shut behind me.
“Branka,” Alessio called out to me, worry etched on his face. His left hand extended my way, reaching for me. Conflict battled within me, pulling me in two different directions.
I took a step towards my brother, but my step faltered. An almost imperceptible tension radiated from Sasha and I turned to look at him. The pale blues of his orbs turned darker, full of things that had me glued to the spot. I drowned in his gaze, aware my brother waited.
I swallowed, then pulled my gaze to my brother. My hand reached for Sasha’s and our fingers interlocked.
“The heart beating inside my chest,” he said, his voice like gravel and full of emotions, “it’s yours. It’s been yours for a long time.”
Lowering my gaze, I watched his inked fingers against my pale skin and I knew, deep down, Sasha was my choice. He’d always be my choice. I raised my head and his eyes met mine, holding me steady.
“You’re all I want,” I choked out, emotions swelling in my chest, and the expression on his face told me it was the right choice. I loved my brother, but if it came down to Sasha or my brother, as much as I hated to choose, I’d always choose Sasha.
Hand in hand, we turned our attention back to my brother. One step. Two steps. Three steps. All the while Alessio watched us with a grim expression, but with every step we got closer to him, understanding entered his eyes.
Although he didn’t seem happy about his revelation.
We stopped ten feet from my brother, Sasha’s brothers right at our back.
“Jesus, Branka,” he muttered. “Of all the men, this one?”
Autumn climbed out of the SUV, shoving Alessio to the side so she could see me. “I told you,” she grumbled, holding on to her belly and wobbling to come stand next to him. “They have a thing going.”
A smile touched my lips when Alessio pushed his hand through his hair. At this rate, my poor brother would be gray in another few years.
“She has a thing going with Killian,” Alessio reasoned stubbornly.
“Obviously not,” Vasili deadpanned.
My brother’s eyes drifted to me. “What about Killian? He was your choice.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “He was the one I picked out of the presented choices,” I croaked out. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did.”
“Jesus, Branka. You were just a few steps away from the altar.”
Guilt swelled in my chest. “I’ll explain to Killian,” I told my brother. “It’s my fuck up and I’ll fix it.”
He shook his head. “The only way to fix it is to marry him, Sis.”
A low growl vibrated through the air. Sasha’s. “Her choice,” he growled. “You said it yourself. Are you going back on your word?”
Alessio let out a deep breath, his eyes on me and ignoring Sasha who remained close to me.
“Is he your choice, Branka?” Alessio’s question was low, his eyes dark stormy clouds.
“Yes, Brother,” I murmured. “He is.”
The rain dripped softly, soaking into the blacktop and leaving spots on my dress. The weather was gloomy but my heart danced, because the man I loved was right next to me.
“Why is nobody telling me shit?” Alessio grumbled, then narrowed his eyes on Sasha. “You’re not my choice for her.”
“But he’s mine,” I pointed out.
One moment tension danced through the air and the next a sound of a squeal broke through the air. Kol jumped out of the car and ran straight towards me. Letting go of Sasha’s hand, I lowered to my knees and opened my arms for him.
“Aunt Branka.” He threw himself into my arms and I caught him. “I missed you. I thought you left me for good.”
My throat squeezed. I knew firsthand the fear of being left behind, and I’d never wanted my nephew to feel like that.
“I’m never going to leave you,” I promised. “I might not see you every day, but I’ll always be here for you, buddy. For you and your baby sister.”
Kol rolled his eyes. “Grandma said babies cry a lot.” A chuckle sounded around us. “If she cries too much, can I just come live with you?”
“You’d leave your mom and me?” Alessio questioned. “That’s going to break our hearts.”
Kol immediately shook his head.
“Only for a little bit. Until the baby stops crying.” The rain paused and the first glimmer of sun flickered between the clouds. Kol ran over to hug his parents. “I still love you the most.”
Another round of chuckles sounded. It was that easy for a kid to break the tension.
I rose to my full height, Sasha hovering over me. Alessio’s shoulders were relaxed but he still glared at him.
“You’re too fucking crazy for my baby sister.”
Sasha chuckled. “And you’re too fucking boring.”
I stood with Sasha and the Nikolaev brothers, watching my own family. The people that meant the world to me and had always been there for me.
A flicker of light had me shifting my eyes away from my family to the roof of the old building. My heart froze in my chest. The silver glint of a rifle reflected against the rays of sun. It was pointed at Sasha.
I didn’t think. I reacted just as a pop sounded.
My body recoiled forward towards him. Pain exploded through me and my breathing was cut short. Screams and shouts filled the air, but they were all distant, the buzzing in my ears drowning it all.
My eyes found Sasha’s face and our gazes met. It was then that fear and terror which marred his expression crept into my soul. My body started falling. My bones trembled and began to shake my entire body. My vision blurred.
“Blyad, kotyonok,” he exhaled roughly as his inked hands caught my body. But I couldn’t feel his touch. “Why in the fuck did you do that?”
I wasn’t sure whether his voice shook or my body trembled so bad that it impacted my hearing.
Alessio, Vasili, and Alexei shouted in the background but I couldn’t distinguish a single word.
“Don’t you fucking leave me,” he demanded, his tone rough and shadows in his eyes dark. “Please hang on. For me,” he begged, desperately. Then he grabbed my face. “Keep your eyes open. Stay for me.”
Always.
Except, I wasn’t sure if I said those words. His lips still moved, but I couldn’t hear them.
The world stopped turning. The breeze stilled. Time froze.
Then everything went dark.
