I’m listening, but I’m somewhere else. Worried. Thinking about the future. Wondering how to keep her safe so that the life we are building together doesn’t get taken from us.
“Anton?”
She says my name with expectation and worry.
“Mm?” I mumble, snapping out of my daze.
“You’ve hardly been listening all night. Please tell me what’s wrong,” she says.
“I’m sorry. I’m so tired I feel like I’ve been hit by a train. I think I need to get an early night.”
“Well, we can go shower after dinner and crawl right into bed,” she smiles.
“Sounds perfect,” I say, setting my empty plate aside.
My phone rings from my back pocket, and I sigh, agitated.
“Just ignore it,” she suggests.
I pull the phone out to see who it is. My heart almost stops.
This must be Illyin.
His name is flashing across my screen.
“Uh. Sorry. I have to take this,” I mutter without looking away from the phone.
Sliding my finger across the screen, I answer the call and press the phone against my ear as I stand up, already walking out of the living room. This is not a call I want her to overhear.
“Yes?” I huff.
“Anton, I am presuming you know exactly who this is,” he snaps.
“So, what? You want to talk now, suddenly? Why couldn’t you manage a decent conversation this afternoon?”
“Talk?” he scoffs. “Let me fucking tell you something, Radev. And let me make this so fucking clear that nothing,nothinggets misunderstood. That girl is my life. She is my family. I have spent my whole fucking existence protecting her from monsters like you. Monsters that I have and will skin alive if that is what it takes to keep them away from her. She’s myfucking sister, you fucking piece of shit! And you thought you could just take her from me? You thought I’d let you get away with that?”he’s screaming into the phone, spiking my anger and adrenaline. My blood rushes through my ears, and my heart beats harder and faster.
“You have no idea what your own sister wants!” I snarl over his words. But he isn’t listening.
“I fucking know what she needs! And it isn’t you! It isn’t some second-rate piece of shit who never achieved fucking anything in his life. Always second best, hey, Anton. Never good enough. Never strong enough. Never smart enough. We all know Josiah won hands-down in every way. He made such a mockery of you that no one else even bothered to challenge you. You are a fucking embarrassment to the Bratva world, and now you think you deserve my sister? A weak, pathetic piece of shit like you deserves nothing!”
He won’t stop.
He’s going on and on. Tearing me down. Making me feel like shit. He’s striking me in all the ways he knows I’ve struggled with. He’s playing fucking dirty, and I won’t tolerate it!
“You are weak, pathetic, insignificant little…”
“We’ll see who is weak and pathetic when your entire world falls apart, when you realize you are never going to see her again! You don’t deserve her. She deserves someone who values who she is and doesn’t try to change her!” I snarl in arage. “You think I will ever let her near you? Fucking forget it, Illyin. She belongs to me now, and I’ll make the rest of your life a misery; you’ll suffer every moment of your existence, never knowing where she is or how she’s doing! You want to talk about weak and pathetic? We’ll see how your life becomes flooded with regret, Illyin. You will fall apart. I will make sure of it.”
I slam the phone down, my hand shaking from rage as I walk up and down the upstairs hallway, trying to catch my breath and stop the anger from exploding out of me.
I shouldn’t have said those things. I know I made it worse, but he pushed me. He pushed me too far.
“Fuck,” I grumble, pushing my fingers through my close-cropped hair. “Fuck,” I mutter again, filled with regret.
Chapter 22 - Izabel
Crouching low on the upper stairs, I keep my body huddled to the corner of the railing, staying out of sight and listening intently as Anton threatens my brother. My heart is breaking into pieces.
