Page 53 of Born into Darkness

“Tikhiy D’yavol,” I say.

“She told you about him?”

“Yeah, she told me all about her family. We had a lot of time to talk,” I say with a slight grin. “Not much else to do while you’re chained up. She’s very close to her family. She told me that her family adopted Bran when they were both three. They’ve kind of been inseparable ever since.”

Niki hands me the towel as I stand up. “Well, don’t piss him off. He could literally shoot you from anywhere, I think.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell him, holding the towel around my waist as I step out of the tub.

“You need help with anything else?”

“I think I can manage the rest,” I tell him. “Thanks, Niki, for everything.”

He grins and nods his head. “You’re my brother, Max. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

“I do, and I’d do the same for you.” I give him another smile. “Don’t get kidnapped, though, because you know I’m shit with computers.”

He laughs, giving me another grin before leaving me alone in the bathroom. When I get my first real look at myself in the mirror, I’m stunned by what I see. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize it was quite this bad. I already knew about the bruising, but I hadn’t realized how much weight I’d lost until seeing myself in the full-length mirror. The unkempt, scruffy beard isn’t helping, and the embarrassment at having Talia see me like this is all too real.

With a frustrated groan, I push my worries away and manage to very clumsily pull on a pair of boxer briefs and sweats. I then spend the next several minutes brushing my teeth, nearly moaning in ecstasy at the sweet, clean taste I’m left with. Knowing there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to shave with my left hand, I decide to use an electric shaver and at least get down to a light stubble. That I can live with, but I can’t take another minute of the wild scruff I’m now sporting.

When I leave the bathroom, I feel like a new man. My family is waiting in the kitchen, and I’m not at all surprised to see my mom’s already prepared a huge plate of food for me.

“Thanks, Mom,” I tell her, sitting at the island, my mouth watering at the sight of the grilled chicken and vegetables she’s put before me. It might not be the greasy hamburger and fries I’ve been craving, but it’ll be a lot easier on my stomach after going so long without a proper meal.

“How are you feeling?” She pours me a glass of water and studies me while I take another bite. I know she sees more than just the bruises and cuts, and I know that’s not what she’s asking about.

“I’m fine,” I tell her once I’ve swallowed.

She doesn’t believe me, but she lets it go. My dad comes to stand next to her when she says, “I didn’t get a chance to meet Talia because we rushed you to the hospital, but we owe her a lot from what I’ve heard.”

“So do I. She saved my life. Where is she?”

“They were going to stay with your Uncle Roman,” my dad says, but then my mom quickly adds, “But we invited them to stay here instead.”

Whatever she sees on my face has her grinning. “We want to get to know them better, and we thought you might like it better if she were here.”

“I would, thanks.” I take another bite, resisting the urge to ask a million questions about when exactly they’ll be here and what Tony said after looking her over. When I’ve eaten all I can, my dad helps me into a T-shirt and the sling the doctor gave me to support my arm. He wants me to keep it as immobilized as possible, and I’m game for anything that’ll help protect it from getting hit or bumped into.

“Still completely numb?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I tell him, grateful for every second of it.

My dad puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it. “I heard how you saved her, how you chose to let them do this to you to spare her from being raped.” He lets out a breath, and I can hear the raw emotion in it. “I’m so fucking proud of you, son. I know what it cost you to do that.”

“It was never a choice, Dad. I would’ve done anything to protect her.”

He nods and cups the back of my head, pulling me in for a hug. “I felt the same way about your mom as soon as I saw her.” He gives a soft laugh and adds, “When you know, you know. We’ve never had to play nice with another Bratva. This should be interesting.”

“At least there’s the length of a country between us,” I say. “That’ll give you all a nice buffer.”

He laughs and pulls back. “We might need it. Not me, of course, but you know how my brothers are.” Before he turns away, he says, “Did you hear about Sasha’s dog?”

“Yeah, Niki told me. I can’t believe he did that,” I say with a laugh. “He killed a shit-ton of men that night, and apparently Mateo’s mom, but it’s the sound of a dog whining that makes him hesitate?”

“In his defense, he’s a really cute dog. Tony was able to remove the bullet and get him stitched up. Last I heard Sasha was spoiling him rotten while they waited for him to get another round of antibiotics. He’s no longer trying to bite Sasha, but everyone else seems to be fair game.”

I laugh at the image. “A match made in Heaven. It’s like he’s found his spirit animal.”

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