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Refocusing on Dez as he leans forward to kiss my neck under my jaw, I finally tell him, “My father and Yosyp,” knowing full well he will torture the two men slowly.
I thought I’d have some regret knowing the man who gave me life would die, but I don’t. I feel nothing but relief.
Slipping me out of his lap, Dez stands and searches for clothes. Helping me into a loose sleep shirt and a pair of sweatpants, he wraps a blanket around me and scoops me up into his arms. I nearly pass out from the pain and jostling but hold it together long enough for Vasyl to lead the way out of the house.
“Did anyone survive?” I ask after seeing three dead housekeepers.
“Should they have?” Vasyl asks me, spearing a momentary look at a scowling Dez.
It doesn’t take me long to find an answer. “No. They never cared about me enough to protest the treatment I endured.”
“Did they know the extent?” Vasyl wonders.
I know my answer will set Dez off. “They would often hold me down or tie me up for the beatings.” Lying my head on my husband’s shoulder, I close my eyes and attempt to relax in his comforting hold.
“I should have held out,” he mutters. “They deserved worse.”
Shock immobilizes me. “You did all that?” The bodies littering the floor were gruesome, and the amount of blood was disturbing.
“He sliced through every major artery on each one. It was a quick but terrifying death.” Vasyl grins, pride clear in his voice and with the way he looks at his adopted son.
I cry out when we exit the house. Shivering from the frigid temperature immediately makes my body feel like it’s exploding. “Sshhh,malen’ka ptshashka, relax, I’ve got you.” Tightening the blanket around my body, I try to do as he says, but the pain is just too much. My insides feel like they’re bleeding, and I’m slowly dying.
“Dez?” The little amount of energy I had is draining, and I feel sluggish. My brain becomes foggy, and my vision wavers as he looks down at me, concern etched into his austere expression.
“It’s okay, Liliya, sleep. I’ll take care of everything.” And so, I do. I allow the rough waters of unconsciousness to sweep me under.
* * *
Beeping awakens me, my eyes are heavy with exhaustion, and every cell of my body aches to the bone, but I’m alive. Dez came for me. I remember that. I’ve been holding onto that even in my slumber.
“Liliya? Don’t move. Just relax.” Nadia’s voice is soothing, as is her hand when she grips mine, rubbing soft circles on my wrist with her thumb.
But she’s not who I want. “Where’s Dez?” I croak, my throat dry.
Harsh light assaults my eyeballs as I struggle to open them. Thankfully, she shuts off whatever was on behind me. “He’ll be here soon. He had some things to take care of.”
Code for: He had people to kill or torment.
Nodding, a wave of nausea hits, and my body spasms.
“Oh boy, okay, here you go.” My eyes open a split second before vomit races up my throat, burning fire through my esophagus, to see the pan Nadia is holding for me. Gripping it with one hand, I wretch until I feel like I’m going to pass out again.
“I need Dez,” I wail into the pillow at my side, crying out when I turn and my ribs protest. I don’t care. Nothing matters until Dez is here.
“Oh, sweetheart, please, let me help.” Nadia fusses with the pillows, ensuring none of the cords attached to me get tangled before she runs a soothing hand over my hair. “Please calm down, Liliya. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Doesn’t she get it? I’m already hurting. I had Dez, and now he’s gone. It’s like a limb has been torn from my body, and there is no fixing that. Not until he returns to me.
“Please, I need Dez,” I beg again, ignoring every throbbing sting overwhelming me as I tense up and bury myself under the scratchy blanket covering me.
Nadia’s voice is soothing as she comforts me, but I don’t listen. I don’t want to, not really. I yearn for the only person ever to make me feel safe or like I mattered, and until he’s here, I won’t listen to reason, and I won’t calm down.
When another masculine voice reaches my ears, I ignore him too, and it’s not until I grow lightheaded and tired that I realize he must have been the doctor and given me something to sedate me because the next thing I know, my body relaxes, and I’m falling asleep again.
NINETEEN
DEZ
