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"Yep, victims are on their way to the safe haven, clients are let go, and Bao and Nicole are setting up the mass media release for tonight. We also got lucky and scored a list of, what I think are, locations. I'll have Nicole and Bao look over it when I get back." He replied curtly, handing me the lighter once I was within arm's reach.
"Good." With one last look around the horrid brothel, I took one last inhale of the gasoline-filled air before backstepping outside to safety.
"One more off the list." I muttered to myself, flicking the lighter on and tossing it into the pile of gasoline containers in the corner, setting the place ablaze with the screaming man inside of it still. "I'm assuming the fire department and law enforcement know to delay their visit?" Our efforts would be for naught if they responded promptly.
"Yep, nothing some Benjamins won't fix." Lev chuckled, patting my back as we returned to the car.
His face took a serious, concerned turn the moment we reached the car, and he opened the door for me. "Go home and rest Hanna, and for fuck's sake eat an actual meal. You're starting to look like a stick and sick. We've basically got the whole city and the outlying ones on lockdown, so none of your targets or Lilian will escape without us knowing."
"I'm fine." Probably the lie of the century, I really did feel—and probably looked—like utter shit. I ate, slept, and cared for myself, but to the bare minimum. Most of my time was spent next to Stepan in his little hospital bed while doing research on my targets—the men on the list Stepan created—and Lilian. If I wasn't researching, then I was actively out seeking and hunting; I stuffed my face with small, fast food meals here and there, and a lot of packaged ramen, slept handfuls of hours here and there before insomnia or my nightmares would keep my eyes wide open.
Sighing with a shake of his head, Lev clicked his tongue at me, annoyed. "Hanna, even a blind man can see how you're spiraling. Everyone's worried about you, rightfully so, and we're all this," he held his thumb and index finger a mere millimeter apart, "Close to locking you inside the house and forcing you to do shit."
"Listen, I know you want to vent out your anger and frustration on those who wronged you, prove yourself to Stepan that you can handle yourself without him by going down that list of offenders, but if he saw you like this, he wouldn't be happy. He wouldn't want you slowly tearing yourself apart like this." Sometimes, I wish Lev could be an idiot all the time and not get soft and worrisome like this.
"I'll be fine." At this point, it seemed more like I tried to convince myself of this than the others. "I just want to go back to him right now. I'm tired." A nap with Stepan sounded lovely right now, after a shower of course.
Defeated, Lev sighed with another shake of his head before ushering me into the car and taking us back to the Volkov Estate, where Stepan still resided in one of the medical suites.
It'd been about three weeks, and Stepan still hadn't woke. Both Alexei and Angel reassured me, and so far, Stepan was by all means stable, but the longer he remained in his little coma, the more worried I grew.
I didn't want to lose him. Besides my only friends in life, he was the best thing to ever happen to me. I never knew the warmth of happiness nor love until him; I thought those warm fuzzies were gone forever with my father's last breath on his final day. Yet, Stepan brought everything back to life in me tenfold. "Styosha, come back to me, please. I know you're there, just please wake up, don't leave me. If you leave me then who am I supposed to chase through the forest? Who am I supposed to be a brat to? Who am I supposed to annoy the shit out of? Who's gonna discipline me and give me the best orgasms of my life? Who's gonna love me?"
Who am I gonna love?
The exhaustion forced my emotions to boil to the surface. Holding Stepan tightly, I bury myself against him, shoving my face into the crook of his neck to inhale his soothing scent. My shoulders shook with my sobs as the tears fell from my eyes uncontrollably.
Fuck I really am a mess, but I didn't know how even to begin fixing myself—if there's even any fixing.
"Don't leave me, Stepan." To have it all crash down after I've bled my heart to Stepan, I'd definitely break.
Everything faded fast as my lack of sleep caught up to me, pulling me down the dark pit of slumber.
Well, at least I didn't have a nightmare this time. At least, when one started, it quickly faded into a rather vivid dream of a different kind.
However, the pressure in my tightened stomach felt real enough, along with Stepan's fingers curling inside of me. Oh well, even if it's relief in a dream, I'd take it over nothing. "Styosha, yeshche pozhaluysta." I begged with a groggy croak, lazily bucking my hips out of instinct.
"Love it when you call me that, but try again, malenkaya." Oh God, his voice sounded so real, like the shivers raking my body.
"Pozhaluysta, papochka." Feeling my release so close, I reach a hand down to finish myself, only to startle fully awake when I grab onto a very solid and tangible object.
Blinking hard a few times, I broke into a wide smile and squealed as I hugged him tightly and threw my arms around Stepan's neck. "Daddy!" My happy laughter quickly turned into sobs of relief as I slumped fully into him. "I fucking hate you, you almost left me, you got hurt and almost left me."
Stepan said nothing in return as he held me tightly, whispering sweet nothings—I think—to me in Russian while petting my head.
The two of us remained like that for a long while until my cries subsided to little hiccups.
I can't wait, I have to tell him.
Pulling away, I looked at him in earnest.
"YA tebya lyublyu. I love you, Stepan. Marry me."
Chapter 46
Stepan
"I—wha?"
