“I…I…” Ember stuttered.
“Sweetheart, you know we can be good together. I can see it in your eyes, even through all that scared,” Cole murmured quietly.
I wanted to smack Grigori as he sat there, and it looked like Daniil and most of the occupants at the table did, too.
His eyes closed, head still turned toward the door, and he started whispering so quietly, “Come on, kitten. Come on. Say it. Say it, kitten.”
I glanced at Daniil worriedly. Had his oldest lost his marbles?
Daniil started rubbing his chest even as Grigori kept whispering toward the silent door.
And then we all heard it. Ember said clearly, “No. I love him. I can’t do that. Even if he doesn’t want children now, I’ll just have to deal with it somehow. He’s mine. My partner. My lover. My best friend. There’s no way in hell I would do that. I want him.”
Grigori’s eyes flashed open, and he jumped up from his chair, startling all of us. He stalked out of the room, stuffing his hurt hand in his pants pocket, stating coolly, “If the two of you are done propositioning her, you can get the fuck out my home…or I’ll help you out.” There was a pause, no one making a sound. And then, Grigori said cheerfully, “All right. I’ve been waiting patiently to do this for some time.”
And…we all heard the fight start.
“Shit,” Daniil grumbled quietly, everyone flying out of their seats. He pointed at me. “Stay back.”
I almost laughed. As if I was going to do that.
I followed discreetly as everyone rushed out of the room, and I slid up the stairs a few steps, getting a better view of it all. Ember was shouting, standing against a wall, yelling at all of them to stop, her face clearly showing she had been crying since she wasn’t one of those pretty tear shedders. No one was intervening yet, letting them duke it out, standing in a loose circle around them, standing far enough away just in case…well, like when…
Grigori was slammed against a wall, literally cracking it with his back from Brent’s forceful shove. Grigori ducked his punch and raised his massive, scary-ass boot with tiny silver spikes all over it, and nailed Cole in the chest as he came up, sending him flying back through the air, and tumbling on the ground, almost to where Eva and Chloe stood.
Brent took advantage of that and swiped Grigori’s feet out from underneath him, and he landed on his side but rolled right into Brent, taking him down. They both popped up to their feet quickly, but Grigori didn’t see Cole get up and come at him, taking an elbow hard to his shoulder muscle. Grigori grunted, spinning, and suddenly, it was kind of like watching one of those martial arts movies where they seem like they’re all moving in fast forward. Fists and legs flew from all of them, Brent and Cole working like a team just as well as Ember and Grigori had done in the sparring ring in Key West. Although Grigori held his own somehow, getting in just as many hits as they did on him.
They worked in a circle, staying contained in the area…and then, Brent and Cole charged him. Grigori ducked one fist but caught the other in the face—I wasn’t sure whose hand it was at this point—and his head shot back, his mouth bleeding. And…that’s when it appeared he stopped playing nice even though I hadn’t realized he had been. Every shot he landed on them had one of them groaning, and then they all started fighting just as dirty.
Cole almost landed a shot right at Grigori’s crotch, but Grigori caught it and grinned, shaking his head before twisting his foot, and Cole with it, down to the floor. But that little move cost Grigori’s kidneys when Brent got in a solid kick. Grigori gasped, spinning away, holding his back, and glaring at Brent.
And that’s when Ember jumped in the middle, right when they were all going back in at one another. She held her hands up, screaming, “Stop it! Now!”
They didn’t really listen so well, though. Dodging her, all three of them slammed into one another against another wall, making another crack in the foyer. Ember stalked up to them, and she yelled right next to their flying arms. “I swear to motherfucking God, Grigori, if you don’t stop this now, I’m going to a damn hotel. And staying there indefinitely.” She paused. “I said I wanted you. Isn’t that enough?”
The fight continued, and Grigori groaned out when he got punched in the stomach. “They asked you to fucking leave me. And have a baby with them. In my own damn house!”
He shoved Cole up against the wall by the throat, but Cole somehow slipped out of his hold at the same time Grigori kicked backward nailing Brent, who was sneaking up on him, right in the gut.
Ember screeched through clenched teeth her hands in fists at her sides, “Fine. I’m leaving.” She turned on her heel and started marching toward the front door.
Grigori sighed and spun, and suddenly, he had two guns in his hands, aimed at Brent and Cole’s heads.
Ember stopped in her tracks, hearing the fighting come to a dead stop as Brent and Cole stood frozen, glowering at Grigori. She glanced over her shoulder, taking in the scene. Slowly turning around, she crossed her arms, asking coolly, “Is that really necessary?”
Grigori grinned with blood trickling from his eyebrow and lip. “You were going to leave. It’s the quickest way to get them gone. Win-win.”
“Grigori…” Ember said in warning.
Grigori heaved in a breath and blew it out slowly, playing with his tongue ring and staring at Brent and Cole. “Just get the fuck out like I asked before. Nikki and Beth would miss you too much if you died again.” And…I think he was actually serious. Like the only thing keeping him from shooting them was the fact that their kids would miss them. He jerked his head at the door, stating calmly, “Now. Get the fuck out of my home. And the next time you come to pick up Nikki and Beth, stay outside. One of us will bring them to you.”
They stared right back at him for a few moments longer, and then both turned on their heel at the same time, walking toward the front door.
Ember stated to them as they passed her, “Just tell the girls you wrestled each other. They’ll think you both won.”
They didn’t say anything, both storming out of the front door, not bothering to shut it. Grigori put his guns away, holding the back of his hand to the corner of his mouth where he was bleeding, staring at Ember as Ruslan came inside, shutting the door behind him and standing there quietly. Ember glared at Grigori, not moving from her spot, arms still crossed.
Grigori glanced at the back of his hand and wiped his mouth again, his eyes back on Ember. “All I have to say is one word…” He paused, leaning forward and stating, “Blue.”
Ember’s lips pinched. “That was nothing like this. I only dyed their skin blue. Not try to beat them to death and wave my damn gun around like it’s a fucking measurement contest.”
Grigori grinned, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t need a measurement contest to know who’s bigger. Your eyes said it all the first time you saw me.”
“Not. The. Damn. Point,” Ember hissed. She glared, and then waved a hand. “Never mind. If you don’t get it, then you can sleep on the couch.”
She turned and started marching up the stairs.
Daniil glanced at his oldest with sympathy.
I moved out of her way, plastering myself against the wall. She was in some kind of mood right now.
Grigori hollered, “Oh, come on. I’m bleeding just as much as they are.”
I could hear Ember grumbling some pretty unflattering things about him under her breath as she kept moving up the stairs. I bit my cheek, trying not to laugh as Grigori watched her trek. He shouted, “Ember, honey. What would you have done?”
She stopped and glared at him over the railing, pointing at him. “That’s the point. What would I have done if the situations were reversed?”
Grigori’s eyebrows snapped together. “That doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense to my question. I’m a man. See exhibit A,” he pointed at his crotch, “I have a dick. Therefore, I can’t really think from a female’s viewpoint. That’s why I asked.” Daniil and my dad and Kiril
l all started chuckling softly and shaking their heads at him, but Grigori kept digging his hole deeper, stating, “See exhibit B,” he pointed lower on his crotch, “I have balls. Big ones. You told them you didn’t want them, and then I asked them to leave, but they didn’t. I didn’t have to grow a pair since I already have mine, so I helped them leave when they couldn’t find theirs.”
Ember gaped at him, her mouth slightly drooping, and she mumbled, “The couch, Grigori. In fact, make it in another room now.”
He threw his arms wide when she started moving up the stairs again. “You didn’t answer my damn question. What would you have done?”
“Figure it out yourself, Mr. Dick and Balls,” she griped loudly.
“Ember, honey,” Grigori stated loudly, his arms still wide. “You’re acting unreasonable.”
I shook my head at that, right along with Chloe and my mom.
“And you’re impossible,” she hissed over the balcony, now at the top. “Enjoy the damn couch.”
“Ember!” Grigori shouted when she moved back, going into the hallway, most likely out of his line of vision. He paused and shouted again, “Ember!” I could see that she kept on moving, not turning around or stopping. Grigori’s arms crossed for all of three seconds, scowling at where she had disappeared from his view before he mumbled, “Dammit,” and dropped his arms, racing up the stairs. I plastered myself against the wall again since he seemed to have a one-track mind right now—and I could hear him mumbling different reasons under his breath, apparently trying to figure the best explanation why she was so pissed.
My eyebrows flew up at one of the reasons I heard him mumble, and I started chuckling, throwing a hand over my mouth. The man seriously didn’t have a clue. Apparently, Daniil’s un-reasoning skills passed on to him when he thought he was right. Glancing at Daniil, who was watching me with raised eyebrows, I shook my head. Grigori was going to fuck it up even more.
Daniil scowled, and barked, “Grigori! Wait!”
Grigori didn’t seem to hear him at first, almost at the top of the stairs, so Daniil shouted louder. That time Grigori stopped in his tracks, peering over his shoulder, his eyebrows together, but he kept glancing back to the hallway. Daniil stated in a hurry, obviously seeing his son’s short attention span, “I need your help in my study.”
Grigori scowled at Daniil, and then glanced down the hallway again before looking at his dad. “Papa, can’t you ask someone else? I’m kinda busy.”
Daniil shook his head. “No. I need you there.”
I was confused, but Grigori sighed, glancing down the hallway one more time before nodding, and turning around. “All right. Let’s go interrogate the bastard.”
My jaw dropped, and I turned my attention to Daniil.
He shrugged when he saw my expression. “I wanted you to eat first before I told you he was here.”
“Lord have mercy,” my mom muttered, throwing her hands up in the air, and shaking her head as she started stomping out of the foyer, mumbling, “None of these men have a clue in this family.”
“Agreed,” I said dryly, scowling down at Daniil. He was holding someone—probably not nicely—in his study and had let us all eat dinner before going in to take care of business.
Daniil just shrugged, though. “You were hungry.” He motioned for Grigori to come down the stairs, but kept talking to me. “We’re going to question him first before you,” his nose crinkled, “tell me what you want done with him.”
I shook my head, hurrying to cut Grigori off and began racing down the stairs, taking them two at a time. “No. I want to be in there.” Who knew what his ‘questioning’ would entail.
“Slow down!” Daniil barked so loudly everyone in the room froze from the obvious command in his voice.
I was no exception.
I halted, but slowly started taking the rest of the stairs down as he started marching to me. “Calm down. I’m not going to fall.” Hell, his face was a mixture of furious energy and worry. “And quit snarling orders at me.” If it weren’t for the honest worry on his face, I would have finished running down them, but instead, I took them slow and steady, landing on the bottom step where he had stopped and stood glaring at me. Crinkled nose and all. My positioning put the top of my head at his nose level, so I didn’t have to reach up as far to smooth the creases on his nose. “And I’m going in with you.”
His teeth clenched. “You won’t be able to understand us. We’ll be speaking in Russian.”
I shrugged. “Have Trofim come in with me to translate.” Or not. Really, I didn’t care about hearing what they said. I was sure Daniil would truthfully give me the details. I just wanted the man breathing.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t want you seeing this. It’s no place for you.”
Exactly. Bluntly, I asked, “Do you plan to hurt him while you question him?”
His nostrils flared as he took a slow, deep breath in through his nose, eyes like granite. “Beth, I don’t want to say anything unkind or rude to you right now, so I’m going to walk away, and you’re going to go with your papa while Kirill, Grigori, and I go talk with this man.” He paused, leaning down to eye level with me. “This is one of those times you need to be quiet and just do as I ask.”
Time went hazy at the sound of his brutal, condescending tone.
Instant. Intense. Pissed. The. Fuck. Off. Fury. “I am not a fucking servant.” I slammed his chest with my palms, ignoring that it didn’t move him at all. “Or a goddamn child.” I slammed him again. “Or a little fucking barefoot wife.” Another slam. “I am a grown woman with her own damn mind and thoughts and ideas. I will do as I goddamn please without a fucking dictator ordering me around! This is fucking America if you’ve forgotten, and I have the fucking right to my free-fucking-will and free-fucking-dom. Do. You. Fucking. Get. Me?”
And…then…I burst into tears, which I really hoped it didn’t ruin the effect of what I had just said.
Daniil…just…stared at me, looking a little surprised. Well, more than a little surprised I guess since his eyes were huge and his jaw had dropped a little.
“Sweetie, I’m going to ignore how many time you just dropped the f-bomb in your patriotic speech,” Dad said quickly, walking up beside Daniil. He took my arm and pulling me down next to him, he wrapped his comforting arms around me as I continued to bawl. He whispered over my head, “I’m going to take her to her mom. She handles pregnant woman better than I do. And apparently, you, too.”
I pushed out of his hold furious and upset all at once, yelling, “I’m not acting this way because I’m pregnant! I just want to be there to keep that man alive!”
Dad blinked, and then glanced over my shoulder worriedly. “Maybe I should go get Frankie.”
Dad’s obvious worry, well, it made me blink. And the hazy furious venom rushed out of me. And my breath caught. Unconsciously, I placed a hand on my lower stomach. And started bawling even more, making both Daniil and my dad look almost freaked out. Quickly, I started mumbling, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Tonight, I’ve pulled a knife on you,” I stepped forward and started patting Daniil’s pecs were I had hit him, “and shoved you. I’m turning into a fucking crazy pregnant woman.” I cried harder. “Pregnancy doesn’t like me.” I sobbed. It hurt my heart that I was acting this way.
“Beth…” Daniil purred softly, coming out of his stupor, his hands rising to my hips.
But my dad pulled me back putting his arm around my shoulder and began leading me away. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go talk to your mother.” He pulled me in close, kissing the top of my head. “Daniil’s right. Let him take care of this right now. Besides, he said you would have the final say,” he glanced over our shoulders to where Daniil stood, “and I’m sure he will keep him alive so you can have it.”
I hiccupped and nodded. Daniil wouldn’t go back on his word. What was one punch or two to the man’s face? Hell, I wouldn’t mind doing that myself. “O-O-Okay.” The tears wouldn’t stop coming and Dad continued
hushing me as he took me in the direction my mom had gone. I didn’t even notice the others around us as. I knew they were there, but they were so silent, they didn’t even register on my radar.
Dad led me to the kitchen, and I smelled fresh bread being made and heard the clang of dishes being cleaned from our dinner. Mom was sitting at the island bar flipping through a cookbook and taking notes when we entered. She looked like home to me sitting there making out lists to give to Ms. York, a new single mom at Dad’s church who Mom was trying to teach to cook. For the past few months, Mom had been giving her simple recipes that would be cheap on the budget. It looked like she had raided their cooking books with at least six piled to the left of the one she was going through.
“Mom,” I blubbered, pushing out of Dad’s hold and rushing to her. Her head snapped up and she jumped from her chair, catching me against her. Motherly arms surrounded me, her hands immediately starting to rub my back soothingly. “I’m one of those scary pregnant freaks you see in the movies.” I hiccupped, burying my wet face in her neck. “Forget Jekyll and Hyde. They’ve got nothing on me.”
She crooned softly, hushing me, even as she managed to get the story from Dad of what happened in the short period of time since she had left. Petting my hair, she placed me on a bar stool when my sobs quieted. My damn contacts were horribly dry and scratchy now, and a little irritated. I took them out right then and there. I had worn them a week longer than I was supposed to anyway.
Staring down at the translucent spheres, watching them dry up on the counter, Mom ordered Dad to go find my glasses for me before sitting down next to me. She cleared her throat, and said, “When I was pregnant with you,” she cleared her throat again, “I not-so-accidently rammed my car into the car of the woman who had cut me off in the check-out line at Walmart.”
My head snapped up, and I gawked at my mom. My supposedly non-violent mom.
She grinned. And it looked satisfied. “I crunched her bumper good.”
“Mom!” I gasped, completely dumbfounded.
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