Page 18 of Born into Darkness

“What’s a name sign?” he asks.

“It’s a special sign that’s given to you from someone in the Deaf community. It’s not something a hearing person gives to themselves. It goes beyond just fingerspelling someone’s name; it’s a sign that has meaning.”

“I had no idea. What’s yours?”

I smile and reach out until I find his hands and place them over mine so he can feel what I’m doing. I make the letter T with my hand and then bring it to my chest before pushing it out and slightly up. Max keeps his hands on mine, following the movement as I say, “It’s the letter T mixed in with the sign for brave. Bran said I was the fiercest kid on the playground.”

Max laughs softly and keeps his hands on mine, lightly stroking my skin while I say, “I’d do anything to protect my brothers.”

“Sounds like my family. My younger brother constantly has his mind on other things, and there were a few students who thought that made him an easy target. They found out very quickly how wrong they were about that. My cousins and I have always had each others’ backs. It helped that everyone was terrified of my cousin Sasha.”

“Why?”

He gives another soft laugh and says, “Because the guy is fucking insane.”

I smile, assuming he’s exaggerating, and say, “So you never had an interest in computers like your brother?”

“God, no. I’m terrible with them. My dad and Niki make it look so easy, but it’s just nonsense to me. If you need something Googled, I’m your man, but if you want to steal money or hack into a company, I’m useless.”

“Or if I want to hear a beautiful song, then you’re my man.” I’m sure he can hear the smile in my voice when I say it, because he gives a soft sigh and kisses my forehead again, letting his lips linger on my skin.

“Yes, I’m definitely your man.”

I smile even bigger, refusing to let anything else encroach on this moment. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow. Hell, we’re not guaranteed another fifteen minutes, so I’m not wasting a second of the time I have with him. Lorenzo said we have a week, and I have to hope that it’s enough time. I know my dad won’t leave me here. I know he’ll move heaven and earth to save me, and I know that the man who’s hugging me like I’m something precious will do everything he can to keep me safe.

“Try and get some sleep,” he whispers. “If they skip our next meal again, we can share the bottle of water.”

“So much better than a pizza.” My stomach ignores my sarcasm and gives a loud growl.

“They can’t starve us. They need us alive for at least another week.” He strokes my hair while my eyes drift closed. “I know it’s not much of a comfort, but I swear to you that I won’t let them hurt you. I’ll figure out a way to stop it, Talia. I promise.”

“I know you will,” I tell him, sinking down further so my head is resting on his thigh. He keeps stroking my hair, putting me to sleep with his soft, comforting touch.

“Get some sleep,svetik moy,” he whispers right before I drift off.

Chapter3

Maxim

The next five days pass by with little interference, and it leaves me edgy and more than a little worried. I’m painfully aware that every three meals means one more day has passed, one more day closer to the deadline Lorenzo has given before he makes good on his threat against Talia.

Every time I think about them abusing her, I feel like I’m going to be sick. This may not be how I imagined meeting the love of my life, but there’s no denying that I have. I remember my dad telling me that as soon as he’d seen my mom, he knew she was the one. He’d been trying to find the Bratva responsible for kidnapping my Aunt Alina, and it had led him and my uncles to an auction that was taking place. My dad had secured an invite, and my mom just happened to be one of the women for sale. She’d been abducted on a trip to Romania after her parents died, and my dad immediately knew he had to save her. He bought her, brought her to the penthouse he shared with my uncles, and then very quickly decided he couldn’t let her go.

I felt the same way when I got my first glimpse of Talia. It was like hearing the most beautiful nocturne. I’d been pulled from the concrete basement and transported somewhere else entirely, and for a few precious moments I’d forgotten about the pain I was in and the fear I had about Val being hurt. It’s the same feeling I get when I play the piano, like an out-of-body experience. She’s the only person to ever make me feel like that, and there’s no way I can allow anything to happen to her.

“You’re awfully quiet today.”

I smile and turn my head at the sound of her voice. We’re finishing up our lunch, and the light is still on, letting me see the face that brings me more comfort than she can possibly know. I know she worries that she’s filthy, but when I look at her, I don’t see a girl who hasn’t had a proper shower in over a month. I see her sweet smile, the cute button nose she has, the light dusting of freckles along her cheeks, and the most gorgeous dark eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re almond-shaped with long, dark lashes, and she somehow manages to express so much emotion in them. I learned at a young age to hide behind a mask. Joining our family’s Bratva at eighteen taught me many things, one of which is that anything you show on your face can be used against you. Give your enemy nothing, and they’ll have nothing to use against you.

That’s proving to be a lot harder for me to do since having met Talia. I don’t know what I’m going to do if they hurt her. It’ll kill me to see it happen, and I’ll never forgive myself for not being able to stop it.

“Sorry,” I finally say and then gently nudge her plate, reminding her to keep eating. Every time they bring our plates in, I make sure I’m the one who grabs them so I can sneak a few extra pieces onto her plate before I hand it to her.

“Try not to worry about it,” she tells me, and then raises a brow at the half-hearted laugh I give. “I’m being serious. No matter what happens, we’ll figure out a way to get through it.”

“Nothing is going to happen,” I say, hoping my conviction will help make it true. “Surely one of our families will be here to rescue us by then.” I give her a soft smile. “They sure are taking their sweet time about it, and I’ll be sure and tell them that as soon as they bust through that door.”

“They are,” she agrees with a smile pulling the corner of her mouth up. “I mean, it’s not like we’re hidden away somewhere in the deepest part of Colombia.”

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