Page 56 of Brutal Secrets

I squeeze my eyes shut against the harsh truth. “So he’s a gangster.”

Nona takes my hands into hers, rubbing the tips of my icy fingers. “He’s a good man, in a way. He saved me. Saved Antonov’s children. Without Vadim, none of us would be alive and I wouldn’t be working for you.”

With that, she stands and strokes my hair before walking to the kettle and leaving me to run my fingers along the table’s knotted wood as I try to figure out what I’ve done, who I’ve invited into my life, and how to untangle the mess of relationships around my daughter.

Aside from the clink of teacups, the room is quiet. We’re so shielded from the outside world that Vadim could be murdering Dex or setting the house on fire, and I wouldn’t know until it was too late.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Icharge into the kitchen and peer through the window. Three figures advance toward us through the trees. “Do we have enough to hold them off?”

Dex doesn’t answer as he walks out of the storage closet in the kitchen, carrying two semi-automatic rifles and a grenade.

“Thank fuck. I thought we were outgunned as well as outmanned.” I grab the guns from him.

“Give me a minute,” he says, walking past me with the grenade in his hand. As he reaches the front door, he pulls out the pin with his teeth and hurls the grenade past the cars to the point where the gravel meets the tree line. A wall of fire knocks one of the gunmen off his feet and back into the woods where the dancing flames lick the trees.

My gaze bounces between the eerie red glow engulfing the birch forest and the three remaining gunmen advancing on the house. Gripping both guns, I rush to meet Dex in the doorway as he returns. He snatches a rifle from my hand and rushes toward the cars.

“Follow me,” he says over his shoulder. “Draw them away from the house.”

I don’t need to be told twice.

Andrei walks at my heels, but one eye has swollen shut after the pounding I gave him.

I turn to him. “Stay here. Defend the doors to the basement. We don’t want anyone getting to the women.”

Andrei walks to the basement doors, wobbling on unsteady legs. I’m not sure how much use he’ll be, but my options are limited.

After running to the SUV, I crouch behind Dex as the three men fan out across the yard. The man on his back still hasn’t gotten up, so I think it’s three against two-and-a-half men, given the beating Andrei has just had. I would feel bad, but the fucker brought this hellfire to my door.

Dex lines up his shot and releases a hail of gunfire on the nearest of the three men. I crouch behind the engine block, pointing my weapon at the doorway. I don’t think anyone will come from the other side of the house, so my main goal is to make sure no one gets near my daughter.

“Wake up,” Dex says. “Threat at six o’clock.”

I swivel to fire over my right shoulder, but the man in black moves faster. I duck behind the car as a wave of bullets pings off the hood, but not before a lone projectile grazes my arm.

“Fuck,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Can you still shoot?”

“Yeah, it’s a surface wound.”

At least, I think it is, but I don’t have time to feel the pain as a mounting sense of horror engulfs me when Andrei emerges from the house. What’s he doing? He’s supposed to be the last line of defense in case they get to us first.

I’m tempted to shoot him myself, but a gunshot rings out and his legs crumple beneath him. I need to get to the house, but I can’t do that without running across open ground.

“Dex. Can you cover me? If I run to the house, will I make it?”

“No,” he snaps. “Stay the fuck put. If we can hold them off, help might be on its way.” He fires another salvo across the driveway at the remaining two men, but they’re out of range.

“I’m going to risk it.” I can’t take the chance that the family I’ve only just met dies because I wasn’t there to defend them.

Keeping my head low, I crawl along the ground. The blood dripping from my shoulder leaves a red trail in my wake for anyone to follow. Another burst of gunfire erupts as I reach the doorway, praying I’m not too fucking late.

The kitchen is eerily quiet. A stack of pancakes under plastic film lies on the counter as the red light of sunset illuminates the empty room. Now it’s silent outside as well. That could mean they’ve killed Dex and I’m waiting like a sitting duck for two gunmen to come through the front door.

Blood drips from my arm as I crawl along the corridor to guard the door where I last had Kesera in my arms. The scent of jasmine and roses lingers in the air where she’s been, reminding me of the way she feels when I touch her.