Page 56 of Paved in Hate

“We just ate.”

I look over at her. “No, we just sat down for lunch, but you didn’t eat hardly anything.”

She looks in the bag. “I can’t eat all this, Vitaly. I ate almost half my plate at my brothers’.” She digs around and pulls out two cheeseburgers. “Seriously?”

I laugh. “I have complete faith in you, baby.”

She hands me a cheeseburger. “You eat one and I’ll eat one and then we can split the large fry you ordered.” Grabbing the vanilla shake, she takes a big drink. “I’m probably going to keep this for myself, though.”

“My wife is so fucking bossy,” I mutter with a laugh before taking a bite of the cheeseburger.

“My husband is so fucking stubborn,” she counters. “And oh my god, I almost smacked you in there when you were all likemy wife can’t walk because I fucked her so hard with my giant wiener. Oh and by the way, wives are awesome because they pick up my mess and spread their legs. Win-win, I love being married.”

I’m laughing so hard I almost choke on my cheeseburger, and when we get to a red light, I look over and say, “Please don’t ever refer to my cock as a wiener again.”

She smiles and shrugs. “It is a really big wiener.”

“Jesus Christ,” I groan. “Keep calling it a wiener and it’ll never get big again.”

“I might have to test that theory.”

“Please don’t.”

She gives another shrug and drinks her shake, and she’s so fucking cute it makes me smile every damn time I look at her. We’ve just finished sharing the fries when I pull into the underground parking garage.

“So all secrets are about to be revealed?” she asks.

Turning the car off, I look over at her. “If you’re sure you’re fine cutting ties with your brothers, then yes.”

“I’m more than sure. I never want to step foot in that fucking house or be near them again.” She hesitates for a few seconds before asking, “You promise you don’t traffic women or keep pets?”

I brush back a strand of her hair and cup her face. “I promise, baby. We don’t do that.”

In a voice that’s so quiet I have to strain to hear her, she says, “I was twelve when I first realized what my brothers were involved in. I walked into the dining room and found a naked woman chained to the table. She looked so hungry and the plate of food was just out of reach, so I gave her the food and tried to free her, but I couldn’t, so I ran to get Konstantin.”

I have to force myself to remain relaxed because I know exactly where this story is headed, and my heart fucking breaks at the idea of Katya being so young and having to learn about how ugly the world can be.

“He followed me to the dining room and then made me watch as he beat her. He told me it was my fault because I’d tried to help her.”

When the tears fall, she makes no move to brush them away. She’s too lost in the memory to even notice them.

“He made me sit with her until she died, and then he told me that the next time I tried to help one of his pets, he’d force me to kill them, even if that meant just holding my hand against the handle of the knife as he stabbed them himself.”

“Jesus Christ,” I groan, pulling her against me as she starts to sob.

“I always just ignore them now. I’m such a fucking coward.”

“No, baby.” I kiss her head and run my fingers through her hair, holding her shaking body tightly against mine. “You’re so goddamn brave. I don’t know how in the hell you’ve even managed to survive being around them, and you’ve not only survived, but you’ve managed to grow into the sweetest, most talented, and beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” I kiss the shell of her ear. “You’re a goddamn miracle,ptichka,and I want to fucking kill your brothers for what they’ve put you through.”

“I’m okay now,” she whispers against my neck, clinging to me as if her life depends on it, and I hold her tighter, letting her know that I’ll happily be her lifeline. She will never have to worry about anything ever again, because I’m taking care of her now. If her brothers want to try and hurt her, then they’re going to have to go through me and all my brothers. We’re a family now, and we fucking protect what’s ours.

“I want you to come inside and hear the truth of what my family is up to, but I need to ask you something first.”

“What?”

I rub her back at the sound of her shaky voice and kiss her again. “Please don’t mention what happened when you were twelve. Please don’t tell them any details about how you’ve seen pets get treated.”

The very thought of Matvey hearing those details makes my goddamn chest hurt. It will kill him. I know she’s confused, so I say, “I promise you’ll understand why I’m asking once you hear everything. I have my reasons, baby. I just need you to trust me.”

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