Watching him now, broken and hanging like a piece of meat, it still hurts.
Even though he deserves this, even though he betrayed me and tried to have my wife killed, it fucking hurts.
This man was like a younger brother to me. I condoned his antics, treated him like blood, gave him power and loyalty most men would kill for. And he threw it all away.
All through last night, I couldn’t believe it. The fact that he would have killed me if he’d gotten the chance… that betrayal cuts deeper than any knife.
I step closer, gun heavy in my hand. Dmitri lifts his head weakly, one eye swollen shut, blood dripping from his split lip.
“It’s unfortunate it has to end this way,” I say quietly.
He tries to speak, but only a gurgle comes out.
I raise the gun, take a deep breath and shoot him once in the head.
The sound echoes in the basement. His body jerks once, then goes limp.
That single shot ends more than just his life. It ends the little boy I befriended at the orphanage. The kid I protected. The brother I chose.
I turn and see Viktor standing in the corner, a sad, heavy look on his face.
“I’ll clean it up,” he says quietly.
I nod once, unable to speak, and walk away.
I should feel lighter now that it’s done. The traitor is gone. The immediate threat is eliminated. But there’s still this ache in my chest, a hollow, heavy pain that won’t leave.
I walk upstairs to our bedroom, and the moment I see her, it starts to melt.
Calina is curled up in our bed, sleeping peacefully, her hair spread across the pillow, one hand resting where I usually lie. The sight of her, safe, warm, mine, eases something deep inside me.
When I saw her last night at the orphanage, I think I lost half my life in that instant.
My blood pressure must have shot through the roof. I couldn’t believe her brothers would be so foolish as to bring her into that chaos.
For a split second, all I could think about was getting her safe. The fact that she’s back home, in our bed, is the only thing anchoring me right now.
I want to go to her, wrap my arms around her, breathe her in so she can calm the storm inside me. But I’m covered in blood, Dmitri’s blood, and I can’t bring myself to taint her with it.
I head to the bathroom, strip off my clothes, and step under the hot spray. The water turns pink as it washes away the evidence of what I did. I scrub my hair, trying to wash away the night.
Then I feel a pair of familiar, soft hands wrapping around me from behind. Calina presses her soft body against my back, her lips kissing the center of my spine.
I turn around slowly. She’s completely naked, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders, breasts pressing against my chest. I pull her into my arms and kiss her slowly, deeply, like I need her to remind me I’m still human.
“You should be in bed,” I murmur against her lips.
“I heard you come in,” she whispers. “Is he… gone?”
I nod. “Yes.”
She looks up at me with those beautiful eyes full of understanding. “I’m sorry. I know how important he was to you.”
“There’s no need to be sorry,” I say, my voice rough. “He had it coming the moment he chose to betray me.”
She doesn’t say anything else. She picks up my shower gel and starts washing me, her hands gentle as they glide over my chest, my arms, my bruised knuckles.
She cleans every trace of blood from my skin with careful, loving strokes. I close my eyes and let her take care of me. No words are needed. The silence between us is heavy but comforting.
