Page 4 of Born into Chaos

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“You’d already be fucking dead by now if he thought it was your fault,” Vitaly says with a laugh.

Matvey’s gravely voice fills the kitchen. “Did you know Andrik had turned on us?”

“No, I had no fucking clue that bastard had switched sides. After he stabbed me he said it wasn’t personal, just money.” The memory still pisses me off. I’d kill the bastard if the men around me hadn’t already done it.

“Sorry you couldn’t be there for his death,” Danil tells me.

Vitaly laughs again and grabs several shot glasses and a bottle of vodka. “You should’ve seen it, Vitya. Lev’s been bingingVikings, and he got it in his head that he wanted to try the blood eagle.” He smiles even bigger and pours the vodka while shaking his head. “That man did not die happy.”

“It was a fucking bloodbath,” Roman agrees while taking one of the shots.

“Hey,” Lev says and looks over at me. “It wasn’t that bad for a first attempt.” He stops to laugh. “Nah, they’re right. It was a fucking mess,” he admits, laughing even harder. “I didnotdo it correctly. I managed to break some ribs off, but he didn’t end up with a pair of wings.”

His brothers all share a laugh, five grown men giggling about the fucked-up blood eagle they’d attempted, and it’s a very good reminder to never fuck with these men.

“Well, I like to think the kids learned something,” Lev says with another grin. “I know Sasha enjoyed it at least.”

“Big surprise to no one,” Vitaly mutters, passing me a shot.

I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to drink with the medicine I’mstill on, but I toss it back anyway, grateful for anything that might dull the ache in my chest.

“We’re glad you made it through,” Roman says, lightly smacking my shoulder as he walks by. “I’ve got to go help Luka with something, but let me know if you need anything. Once you feel well enough to start work again, just give one of us a call.”

“I will. Thanks.” I watch him leave, and when the other brothers start to head out, I look over at Vitaly. “Can I talk to you about something?”

He nods and then says a quick bye to the others. Once the elevator doors close, he pours us both another shot and leans against the counter. “What’s on your mind?”

“Svetlana saved my life.”

At the mention of his daughter’s name, he tenses, not quite as laid-back as he was a few seconds ago, and his voice is cautious when he says, “She did.”

“I owe her my life, and I’d like to be assigned as her personal bodyguard.”

“I see,” he says before tossing back his drink, and the hard tone makes it clear he’s not thrilled with my plan. Meeting my eyes, he braces his hands on the counter and leans just a little bit closer. “Why do you want this assignment? Because she saved your life?”

“Yes,” I tell him. “I owe it to her.”

“So this is some kind of honor thing? You pledge your life to hers, or some shit like that?”

“I’m not pledging my life to hers,” I tell him, trying to keep my voice calm, because the last thing I want is a pissed-off Vitaly. They’re all paranoid about their daughters, and I know how carefully I need to tread right now. “I owe her my life,” I repeat, “and I will keep her safe.”

Vitaly’s eyes stay locked on mine, the same light shade of brown as his daughter’s. “She will remind you that she saved your life and use it against you. She’ll expect you to bend the rules for her. She’s stubborn.” A very small smile lifts the corner of his mouth when he adds, “Just like her mother.”

I don’t argue that her stubborn willfulness reminds me a lot of him. Instead, I hold his stare and say, “With all due respect, I won’t let her get away with shit. I’m not some kid she can bully into getting her way. I will keep her safe, and she will learn to listen to me.”

Vitaly straightens up and opens the drawer next to him. He digs around, and I hear the clatter of silverware before he pulls out a knife. It’s the kind that has the tiniest edge to it, the one that serves no other purpose in my own kitchen aside from buttering my damn toast. He rests it on the counter in between us. I eye it warily but don’t say a word. The last thing I want is another fucking knife in my chest.

“If you ever touch my daughter inappropriately or put any part of your body inside hers, I will use this very dull knife to cut your dick off. My brothers will hold you down, and I will see-saw that dull blade across your dick until the fucker falls off, and then I’ll do the same thing to your balls. Do you understand me, Vitya?”

I nod, refusing to think about how badly it would hurt to have my cock sawed off with a fucking butter knife, but I quickly reassure myself with the knowledge that it’ll never fucking happen, because Sveta and I will never be a thing. I will keep her ass safe, and she will let me. End of story.

“Understood,” I tell Vitaly. “I will be her bodyguard and nothing else, but I need to know that you won’t get upset if I have to get firm with her.”

He quirks a brow at me. “Meaning?”

“She’s strong-willed,” I say, trying to put it nicely instead of coming right out and saying she’s as stubborn as a mule. “In order for me to keep her safe, she’ll need to understand that she has to follow my rules. I won’t let her walk all over me, and if I decide a situation is unsafe, then I will be removing her from the situation, even if that means I’m hauling her over my shoulder to do it.”

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