Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Is she alive?”
“She’s alive,” Vincent tells him. “She’s also got a gun pointed at me.”
“What?” my mom shouts in the background.
“I’m fine,” I try to reassure them.
“Are you hurt?” Dad asks.
“Not really. I got a cut on my foot, but Sergei bandaged it.” The expression on my brothers’ faces is almost comical.
“What happened to him?” Leon nods to Sergei and his bruised nose.
“I headbutted him.”
“I taught her that.” Leon smirks.
“She’s a hellcat,” Sergei says, sounding proud.
“Can you put the gun down?” Vincent asks. I shake my head no. “Liv, put the damn gun down.”
“You’ll kill him.” My eyes fill with tears.
“Oh my God.” I hear my mom gasp. “Do something.” My mom’s voice turns stern, and we all know she’s talking to Dad.
“We won’t kill him.” My father gives. “For now.”
“Sergei?” I peek up at him.
“You have so much faith in your family. Let's see how real that truly is.” Sergei reaches in front of me and starts to pull the gun from my hand. “I love you, princess.” He tosses the gun onto the bed.
“I love you too,” I tell him, knowing my whole world is about to change.
19
SERGEI
“What?” Vincent yells, his eyes going wide.
“You don’t love him, Olivia.” Leon shakes his head. “He’s brainwashed you or something.”
“Don’t tell me what I feel,” she snaps.
The brothers exchange a look.
I may have tucked my gun away, but I can grab it easily if either of them make a move. There’s no way I’m letting them take her from me. I don’t want to do anything to hurt Olivia–like killing her brothers–but I’ll do what I have to to keep her safe and with me.
“What about Gina?” she asks. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. The baby is fine. They have a monitor thing on her.” Vincent glares at me. “She’s been on strict bedrest since some fucking lunatic crashed her baby shower, terrorized her, then kidnapped her sister.”
It’s not like I can deny any of it, so I don’t say anything.
“But the baby’s going to be okay?” Olivia presses.
“Yeah,” Leon says. “The monitor is for the baby’s heartbeat, and they have a blood pressure cuff on her that’s automatic.”
Olivia takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Thank God.”
I realize then that she’s been worried this entire time. I should’ve let her check on her sister. I’ve been so wrapped up in her, not to mention my father’s impending wrath, that I didn’t think about it. I should have.
“Sorry, princess.” I kiss her hair.
Vincent’s scowl deepens, and Leon looks utterly dumbfounded.
“This isn’t happening.” Leon shakes his head. “This is …”
“Let’s all go into the living room, okay?” She gestures down the hall. “Let’s lower the temperature.”
Leon jumps and raises his pistol as Trash trots from the bedroom.
“Don’t you dare!” Olivia scoops the cat up before I can stop her. “This is Trash. He’s the boss around here, and don’t you forget it.” She kisses the top of his head, then stomps past her brothers toward the living room.
Both of them give me looks that would kill an ordinary man. Leon turns and follows his sister, but Vincent keeps his eyes on me, his gun still in his hand. “You first.”
“As it should be.” I smirk as I stride past him. Maybe Olivia’s right, and we need to lower the temperature, but I’m still me. I’m still Sergei fucking Taletti. No one is going to come between me and my princess.
“We need to go.” Leon reaches for Olivia’s elbow.
Rage surges inside me, but it fades when she jerks away from him. “Don’t scare the cat!” she scolds.
“Liv, come on.” Vincent walks in behind me. “Are you scared of him? Is that it?” He raises his gun. “I can pop him right now—”
“No!” she yells. “Stop!”
Vincent groans with frustration and lowers the gun. “What the fuck?”
“Sit down!” she barks. “All of you!”
Leon and Vincent exchange another perplexed look, but they sit, each of them taking seats with their backs to the wall so they can watch me.
I pull Olivia into my lap and sit on the couch. Trash jumps onto the coffee table as if he’s playing mediator.
Leon grabs a stray cat hair from his pantleg and tosses it away.
“Listen, I need the two of you to understand that Sergei and I are together.”
Vincent scoffs. “Together?” His gaze slides to me, his jaw tightening. “You touched my sister? You rape—”
“No!” Olivia stands, but I pull her back into my lap. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?” Vincent’s voice is sharp like a razor’s edge.
“I love her.” I speak the truth. “She’s mine. I intend to marry her, to start a family with her, to be everything she ever needs.”
Olivia turns to me, her eyes going round. “What?”
“I mean every word, princess.”
“This isn’t happening.” Leon pinches the bridge of his nose.
“It is.” Olivia beams and kisses me, then turns back to them. “Sergei kidnapped me–that’s true. But he hasn’t hurt me. Not even a little bit. He’s really a sweetheart underneath all the scary, murdery darkness.” She cocks her head to the side. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I think he may only be a sweetheart for me.”