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A moment of silence stretches between us, and I find myself studying her face. The color has returned to her cheeks despite the dried tears staining her face. Short of the bandage wrapped around her arm. She’s fine—physically, at least.
When she whispered that she was sorry during that attack, I thought that was the last time I would see her. I didn’t think about it as I ran in the middle of that rain of bullets just to get to her.
Due to my upbringing, I always had a plan A, B, C, and sometimes D before I took any action. Running toward Sasha was the first time I’ve acted without a plan.
And that’s fucking disturbing, to say the least. I could’ve gotten both of us killed without meaning to.
Sasha slowly removes my finger from her mouth. “I can’t promise that, because our definitions of a martyr are different. If I have to protect you, I won’t hesitate, even if you try to stop me.”
“Sasha—”
“You can’t change that. I’m afraid it’s final.”
This little fucking shit.
She holds my hand in both of hers. “In return, I promise to be more careful. I can’t exactly protect you if I’m dead. We’ll agree to disagree on the execution method.”
“No, we won’t. As I’m your boss, you’re under obligation to follow my orders.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“That’s exactly how it works. Have you seen any of my other men challenging my orders?”
“No, but they’re fake bodyguards sometimes. I can’t believe they don’t intervene whenever Yulia starts being a bitch and tries to slap you.”
“That’s because I ordered them not to. And did you just call my mother a bitch?”
“Well, she is.” She winces. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that in front of you. That was completely out of line.”
She sounds sincerely apologetic, and I can’t help the smile that lifts the corners of my lips.
Sasha taps my chest. “See? You also think of her as a bitch.”
“No, I don’t. That woman is everything nefarious and soulless. Calling her a bitch is putting it lightly.”
She inches closer so that her body warmth mixes with mine. “Have you…always had this strained relationship with her?”
“She’s hated me since the beginning. When I was an infant, she refused to take care of me and attempted to kill me a few times. The only reason she didn’t succeed is because she didn’t get the chance. My father shadowed her as if knowing her exact intentions. And I think he did. When he was mad at me once, he told me I should be thankful to him for keeping me alive. Apparently, he locked her away and tied her up during most of her pregnancy with me after she threw herself down the stairs and attempted to stab her belly—and me, in retrospect. After her continued efforts to kill me, even post-birth, my father entrusted me to a nanny and three bodyguards who were ordered not to allow Yulia and her murderous shit near me.”
She shivers, and fresh tears gather in her eyes. Why would she cry for me when I never cried for myself?
“No one should be treated like that by their mother. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I accepted the fact that she has some sort of vendetta against me.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeats. “I won’t pretend I know how you felt growing up without the affection of the woman who was supposed to love you unconditionally.”
“Does that mean you had an affectionate mother?”
She hesitates for a beat, then nods. “She was so kind and pure and always busy.”
“Now I know where you get that trait from.”
“I’m not always busy.”
“You definitely are. You’re also a nosy busybody who doesn’t follow orders.”
“I don’t respect irrational authority, okay? It’s what Mama taught me. She had time to tutor me and check on my educational progress while also taking care of the house. I swear she did more in a day than I do in a month. Despite having helpers, she couldn’t stay still.” A nostalgic smile covers her lips. “I used to drive her crazy with my antics. I would return to the main house with a dirty dress, hair, and shoes because I was playing football with my cousins, and she’d be like, ‘Malyshka! What did I say about dirtying your clothes? At this rate, you’ll never be a lady!’ If only she knew how right that statement was.”
Interesting. For many reasons.
One, she chose to talk about a part of her life I’m unfamiliar with without much pushing from me.
Two, not only was she a rich young lady, but apparently, she lived in a big family mansion, because she referred to her home as the main house and they had helpers.
Three, her mother is dead, because she talked about her in the past tense.
Actually, she’s never mentioned any family members until now. Are they in Russia? Why does she never call or visit?
