Page 3 of Born into Chaos

When she hesitates, I throw back the blanket that’s covering me and she lets out an exasperated sigh, letting me know that I’m the most difficult patient she’s ever encountered.

“Fine,” she mutters, fixing my blanket while giving me a stern look. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll bring it to you.”

“Thank you,” I tell her, because I’m not a complete ass.

I have a feeling she’s doing it because she thinks I’m religious, but she’s way off on that one. I don’t believe in anything, but the necklace was my brother’s, and I never take it off.

The nurse returns and even slips it over my head so I’m wearing it again.

“It’s good to have faith in something,” she tells me.

“I don’t have faith in shit,” I tell her, earning me another scowl, “but thank you for bringing it to me.”

The look on her face makes it clear she’s thinking about turning her back on whatever nursing oath she’s taken and giving me a good smack, but she resists and instead leaves the room before she can strangle me. I sometimes have that effect on women.

The doctor comes in a few minutes later, and I manage to make it through his explanation of my injuries and how damn lucky I am to be alive without falling asleep, but then I nod off during the police questioning. It’s only partly for show. I’m fucking exhausted, and their interrogation is boring as hell. They don’t believe me. They know I’m a criminal, but they also know they can’t prove anything. They tell me they’ll be watching me, which I don’t believe for a second, and then one of them sets a business card on the tray by my bed before letting me return to my nap.

When I open my eyes, I’m surprised to see Svetlana standing over my bed. She looks worried and paler than usual, but still so damn beautiful. Her eyes roam over me, making her brows furrow even more, and I want to tell her to stop worrying about me, that I’m not worth a single drop of her precious blood, but I don’t say anything. I know my place in this family, and it will never be at her side. She saved my life, and I can’t just walk away from that. I owe her now. I owe her everything, even if a part of me does still wish that she’d let me die, and even if it means I’m going to have to see way more of her than I want to.

Svetlana Melnikov is going to be my weakness. I can already feel ithappening, and when she leans closer, meeting my eyes and whispering, “I was so scared, Vitya,” all I can do is give a noncommittal grunt in response. Her eyes are a beautiful honey brown this close up, and I watch them fill with pain at my response. I want to tell her that I’m doing her a favor, that she needs to stop looking at me like I’m important to her, like Imeansomething to her, because I know that I never will.

Being around her constantly is going to be hard enough. If I don’t start putting up walls now, then I’ll never survive the position I’ll be asking her dad for as soon as I can get my ass out of this hospital.

When the softness in her eyes turns to anger, I know I’ve won.

Go ahead and hate me, beautiful. It’ll be easier this way.

I give another grunt just to really seal the deal and watch as her cheeks turn an angry shade of pink. She turns to look at Aleksandr, the bodyguard that she doesn’t realize I’ll soon be replacing. “Let’s go.” As she walks away, I hear her mutter, “I can’t believe I saved that jackass.”

You and me both, sweetheart.

I’m stuck in the hospital for another two weeks, and when I’m finally allowed to leave, I’m not at all surprised to find that my bills have already been paid. I’m guessing Danil hacked in and paid them shortly after my arrival. The man is a computer genius and the Melnikov brother responsible for my citizenship paperwork. Without him, I never would’ve been allowed to stay in this country, let alone enter it. The police in Moscow were already looking for me when I left, and without Danil’s help, the authorities would’ve sent my ass right back to them before I’d even gotten the chance to step foot on American soil.

I owe a lot to the Bratva I work for, and I’m not looking forward to facing them after fucking up so badly with Andrik. They knew I was being discharged today and told me to meet them at Vitaly’s apartment. It’s the first time I’ve been to his home, and I’m guessing it means they won’t be killing me today for my fuck-up.

A taxi drops me off outside his building, and by the time I get to the private elevator, I’m winded and in more pain than I want to admit. The doctor warned me to take it easy, but I need to get back on duty asquickly as possible. I don’t like being incapacitated. I need to be doing something. The last thing I want is to be left alone with my thoughts.

Vitaly must have a security camera pointed at me because the doors open on their own, beckoning me to step in. As soon as I’m inside, they shut and the elevator starts to move, not stopping until I’ve reached the penthouse.

All five brothers are waiting for me when the doors open directly onto Vitaly’s apartment. It’s far nicer than any place I’ve ever been in—floor-to-ceiling windows with the sprawling, lit-up city beneath us, expensive furniture, and a kitchen that would make any chef envious. It’s luxurious while also managing to look lived in. Nothing is dipped in gold, and I don’t feel like I’ve stepped into a museum. Family photos are hung on the walls, and everywhere I look I see Svetlana’s smiling face. I can’t seem to escape that woman, and it’s only going to get worse.

“Good to see you up and around,” Roman tells me, motioning for me to take a seat at the kitchen island. Even though it’s not his house, I’m not surprised that he’s taking the lead. He’s always been the unofficial head of the family.

I look over at where Danil is leaning against the counter. “Thanks for taking care of the bills.”

He smiles and nods. “They really make it too damn easy. After you checked out, I went in and erased every trace of evidence that you were ever there. I did the same at the police station.”

I can’t help but grin. Surprised, even though I shouldn’t be. Sitting down, I hide the grimace at the pain in my chest, but Lev notices and says, “That’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch for a while.”

Looking over at him, I watch as he scrubs a hand over his jaw, running his thumb over his lip ring before dropping his hand.

“I fucked up,” I say, figuring we might as well get it out in the open.

Matvey raises a brow at me. “How so?”

I wave a hand at my chest, pointing out the obvious. “I was supposed to be watching your family, and I let myself get stabbed and taken out. Natalya was taken because of me.”

Lev winces at my words, but when he looks at me, I don’t see therage I’m expecting. The Melnikov brothers are intimidating on a good day, but seeing them when they’re really pissed is not something I ever want to be on the receiving end of. He doesn’t look like he’s about to put all his years of underground fighting to use, though. He just shakes his head and sighs.

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