Page 86 of Married to the Don (Kornilov Bratva Duet 1)

Molly

Ipoke my head into Theo’s nursery on my way downstairs. He is lying sideways in his bed, his legs tucked underneath him, butt high in the air. I smile and pull the door closed quietly.

Viktor keeps reminding me that the house is safe. Even though Fedor knows about Theo, and he has made his intentions regarding his son very clear, I don’t need to worry about Theo’s safety when he’s inside this house.

Yet, my personal guard hasn’t left the apartment in days.

I knew Viktor had someone keeping an eye on me even when he claimed he didn’t, and I was proven right when that man came rolling into the parking lot that night. Now, I know his name is George and he’s a surprisingly quiet and gentle man.

George is in the kitchen now with the newspaper and a steaming mug of coffee when I walk in. He tips his head to me and smiles, but doesn’t let his eyes linger. He is nervous around me, even though I feel like I should be the one nervous around him. He was the one watching me.

“Viktor insists he’s well enough to shower and work, but he can’t make his own sandwiches,” I tease as I pull out deli meat and cheese from the fridge. The chef made a week’s worth of meals like normal, but Viktor insists the food tastes better when I make it. As soon as he’s well again, I’ll stop indulging him. But until then, I spread mustard on the bread and stack it high with meat.

“Thank God he had on the bulletproof vest,” George says, folding his paper. “It could have been so much worse.”

Even with the vest on, the impact of the bullets at such close range shattered a few of his ribs. His entire midsection is covered in bright purple and green bruises. It will be a while before he’s at one hundred percent.

“Thank God you arrived when you did.” It’s the closest I’ve come to thanking George for what he did that day. I’ve been so busy tending to Viktor that I never found the time.

George shrugs. “He saved my life once.”

I drop the butter knife in the sink and turn to him.

A small smile pulls at George’s lips. “Like you, I was once a witness to Fedor’s crimes. Viktor was meant to kill me, but he spared me instead.”

My eyes widen in surprise.

“You thought you were his only exception?” George asks with a smile. “Believe me, I’m sure you’re his favorite, but Viktor has extended his mercy to more people than even the two of us know, I’m sure. He is a good man, and I’m glad to work for him.”

When I make it back upstairs with his sandwich, Viktor is out of bed and standing in front of the tall mirror in his closet, poking at his side.

“Sit your ass down!” I command, leaving no room for argument. “How are you supposed to heal if you keep poking at your wound like a child picking a scab?”

Viktor wrinkles his nose and then wags his brows at the large sandwich I’m carrying. “Is that for me?”

“Only if you promise to be good,” I say, narrowing my eyes.

His mouth pulls into a wicked smile. “Then I suppose I’ll starve.”

I roll my eyes and hand him the plate. He eats the entire thing in five bites, and I’m glad to see his appetite is back. When he was being looked at by the Bratva doctor, even as I was being assured his wounds would heal, I couldn’t stop imagining him dying. I couldn’t stop picturing what would happen if Viktor succumbed to his internal injuries and left me alone. Left Theo alone.

Fedor would come for us. He would kill me and take Theo and raise him to be a vicious, evil man.

And Viktor would be gone.

I watch him wipe his mouth and lay the plate on the bed next to him, shocked—not for the first time or the last—at the force of my feelings for him. Seeing him collapse in the parking lot has changed things for me in ways I am still grappling with.

I may have been forced into marrying Viktor, but I don’t wish to be separated from him. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“How is Fedor?” I ask, distracting myself from the flurry of new emotions swirling in my chest.

Viktor’s face falls, his eyes going dark. “Unconscious but guarded. If he wakes up, I’ll know.”

“What are your men going to do with him when he wakes up?” I ask.

Viktor is silent for a long time before he lies back on his pillows and sighs. “What needs to be done.”

While he was on higher doses of pain medication, Viktor opened up to me. He was honest about his feelings towards Fedor.

---