Page 116 of Born into Madness
My dad shrugs. “I killed Jolene’s brother.”
My Uncle Vitaly shakes his head at us. “The two of you wouldn’t know a moral line if it were lit up in neon.”
“We killed Katya’s brothers,” my Uncle Matvey reminds him.
My Uncle Vitaly’s face softens at the reminder of what Katya’s family did to ours. “That was different.”
“Her stepdad was an abusive drunk. My job is to protect Cyn, so that’s what I did,” I say.
My dad squeezes my shoulder. “You did the right thing, son.”
“Just don’t kill her mom,” my Uncle Vitaly warns. “The stepdad, all right, I get it, but don’t kill her mom, Sasha. She’ll never forgive you for that one.”
“I won’t if she doesn’t hurt Cyn, and I don’t plan on ever telling her I killed her stepdad. I took care of it. He started drinking again, and they both think he just split. Niki helped me plant a few debit card purchases that make it seem like he left town.”
“That’s good,” Mia says, “but be careful about secrets, Sasha.”
“It’s the only thing I plan on keeping from her, and it’s only to protect her. It will weigh on her, but his death will never bother me. It just makes sense for me to carry it instead of her.”
“I never thought I’d ever hear you say anything romantic,” my Uncle Vitaly says while the others laugh.
“Yeah, yeah, have your fun,” I tell them.
“Oh we definitely will,” my Uncle Vitaly says. “Get the Scoop is making your wedding cake, by the way.”
“That should be interesting,” I tell him. “Just remember that my future wife is going to want an actual cake and not a gag gift.”
My Uncle Vitaly tries to look offended, but he’s also trying not to laugh. “As if, Sasha. Adele is a very skilled cake decorator. I’ll do you proud. You have my word.”
“I can’t wait to see this,” Val says from behind me.
“Me, too,” Damien says with a grin. “I’ll be sure and let Niki know about it when I see him tonight.”
“Lyra’s a cutie, isn’t she?” my Uncle Roman says, smiling at the thought of our newest little Melnikov.
While everyone agrees, my dad leans in and says to me, “No pressure, but your mom and I want about five more grandkids. Nat says it’s your turn since she’s already two ahead of you.”
I grin at the thought, never once thinking I’d be sitting here smiling with my dad while thinking about my future kids. My mood turns sour when I think about everything Tom just said.
“Cyn wasn’t the one Ben was after,” I tell him. “You heard Christine. Cupid was after Savanna.”
My dad nods, knowing she’s Cyn’s best friend. He says, “We’ll put someone on her.”
I agree, knowing Cyn would want us to protect her friend, and I have a feeling Niki will insist on being in charge of her surveillance.
Wanting to get back home, I say a quick bye and then head outside. I notice the blood spatter on my clothes when I start my bike and grin behind my helmet. This won’t be the last time I come home like this, but my Cyn already knows that about me. It’s a relief to not have to hide who I really am, to know she’ll never judge me for it. She’s not going to look at me with disgust when she sees me like this. In fact, I have a feeling her reactionwill be very different. I can already picture her sexy grin, the hunger in her pretty green eyes, and the soft gasp she’ll make before she turns and runs, knowing damn well I’ll be chasing her.
Epilogue
Cynthia
“Ipromised myself I wouldn’t cry before the wedding, but I think we all knew that was a lost cause,” Jolene says as she grabs a tissue and dabs at her eyes while she looks at me.
Sasha’s family has taken me in and made me feel like one of them. His mom insisted on taking me dress shopping, and she and Lev have taken care of every bill before I’ve even had a chance to look at it and have a mini heart attack. I’m not used to being rich. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it, but Sasha assures me that I am, and when he handed me my new debit and credit cards, all he said was, “Go have fun,krovinka,” and gave me a wink.
I can’t bring myself to go crazy, but I did buy some new clothes and books, and I made an anonymous donation to the animal shelter, ensuring the animals all have plenty of food and treats and some new toys. When I gave Maude her stuffed duck, she’d bounded onto it and given the cutest little woof. It had killed me to walk away from her at the end of my shift. I’m goingto talk to Sasha about adopting her soon. Surely between the two of us we can teach Chort to welcome her into the family.
Not wanting to think a single sad thought on this day, I put my focus back on the image of myself in the full-length mirror. I seriously doubted I’d ever get married, and even when I did think about meeting someone, I never imagined my future husband would be someone like Sasha. He’s perfect, beyond what I could’ve ever dreamt up for myself. Like Jolene, I feel my eyes start to water, and I look to her for help.
