Page 78 of Cruel Russian King
I froze, heart hammering. And then my gaze fell to the outfit he had picked. I’d chosen a dress, but when Artyom saw it, he carried it to the closet, and returned with fitted jeans and a cashmere long-sleeved turtleneck.
Vera had warned me he’d been telling my brothers I was being mistreated. Was this his way of messing with their minds? They knew I hated long sleeves and turtlenecks, and alarm bells would ring in their heads. They’d wonder what scars I was hiding beneath my clothing.
Dressing me like this was a power move, which meant that Artyom’s mind was still on revenge. He probably just wanted to remind my brothers that they no longer controlled me, and every step I took was now under his watchful eye.
I sighed heavily just before Artyom opened the door for me and took my hand. As I stepped out of the car, Ruslan and the two guards hopped out of the SUV that had trailed us, and joined a group of Rykov men patrolling the grounds.
Quietly, we made our way to the front door, my pulse quickening with every step. Once inside, we made our way to the lounge. The hallway was silent. Neither laughter nor voices bounced from the lounge into the small space as it used to. An uneasy shiver slithered down my spine as all eyes turned toward us, when we stood at the entrance of the lounge.
My brothers and sister stood on one side, while Yegor, Zahkar, and Kira lined the other. Katya and Vera lingered in the middle, holding Evie and Alexi. As the women rose and moved toward me, Artyom squeezed my hand once before letting go, striding to the bar, and my stomach twisted.
Mariya was the first to pull me into a hug. “Nins! I missed you!”
“I missed you too!” I whispered, holding her tight.
She stepped back, letting me embrace the others and kiss Alexi and Evie. As they moved away, I watched Vera and Katya walk across the room and hand the kids over to Yegor and Zahkar, whose stern faces broke into broad grins.
My eyes drifted to Jaroslav who stood at the back of the room. His eyes darkened as shoved his hands into his pockets, his legs crossed at the ankle. Lev, Marten, Pyotr, and Avit approached next, each enveloping me in warm hugs.
Lev was the last to pull away, his hands lingering on my shoulders.
“Fuck, Ninel, it’s good to see you. You good? Did he hurt you?” Lev asked, his voice strained. His eyes searched my face for any sign of a lie.
Without meaning to, my eyes darted to Artyom. He was nursing a drink, eyes locked on mine, and my chest tightened. I looked back at Lev, whose eyes had now narrowed, forcing a small smile.
“I’m good. Thank you guys for coming today.”
“Trust me,” Marten grunted, as he glared at Artyom. “Nothing would’ve made us miss this little soirée.”
“And why the hell are you wearing that?” Pyotr’s mouth was pressed in a thin line as he nodded to my top.
“Because I wanted to?”
Why the hell was I so nervous! These were my brothers for Christ’s sake!
“Or because you're hiding bruises? Because if you are…” Marten's unspoken threat made the air crackle between us.
I huffed out a breath of air and placed my hands on my hips. “I said I'm fine. Have I ever lied to you guys when it comes to the important stuff?”
They shook their heads.
“And I wouldn't start now…”
I met their eyes and they nodded, an unease settling between us despite my reassurances.
“So, Nins, are you burning up Artyom’s credit cards like you did Lev’s?” Mariya teased.
I laughed, grateful for the brief shift in mood.
“If you must know, I am.”
That was a lie, but I knew if I had said anything else my siblings would've questioned me.
“I'm just glad I don't have to do ‘Shopping with Ninel' duty any more.” Avit’s mouth curved into a slight grin.
“Those were the best days of your life!” I teased.
“No, the hell they were not!”
