Viktor

by Apryl Baker

  “Get a room.”

  Viktor jerked at the sound of Mason’s voice. It woke Delia up. She blinked sleepy eyes at them.

  “Thank God,” Viktor whispered, but he kept a grip on Sara’s hand. “How do you feel?”

  “Remember the time when I was nine and you all thought it was a good idea to jump me in the back yard?”

  “You needed toughening up,” Viktor said matter-of-factly.

  “Well, I feel as shitty now as I did after all of you beat on me. What the hell happened to me?”

  “Someone shot you full of ketamine. You hit your head when you fell down.”

  “What the fuck you say?” Mason sat up and then fell back. He held up a hand. “I know, no cussing, but this calls for it.”

  Sara suppressed a smile. She had been about to admonish him, but she supposed the situation did call for the language.

  Delia was squirming, and Viktor lifted her so she could reach Mason. The little girl hugged him tightly, and Mason stroked her hair. “Hey now, Princess Peach, what’s all this?”

  “You scared me,” she sniffled. “You wouldn’t wake up.”

  “I’m good as new, baby girl. It takes more than a little ketamine to keep me down.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.” He hauled her up and delivered flubber kisses all over her face which made her squeal with laughter.

  Sara looked away, tears in her eyes. These men. Dear God, these men were going to be the death of her heart. Viktor squeezed her hand, and she wiped at her eyes.

  “Viktor says Mommy and me belong to him.”

  “Does he, now?” Mason drawled.

  Delia nodded solemnly. “We just have to convince Mommy.”

  “You know what that means, Princess?” Mason’s voice bubbled with laughter.

  “What?”

  “It means you belong to me too.”

  “Really?” The hope in her daughter’s voice broke her. She’d gone so long starved for love from her father, and here were good men giving it to her in spades.

  “Yes, really.”

  “Does that mean you’ll help me with my tea parties and makeovers?”

  Mason groaned, but it was just for show. “Princess, you can dress Uncle Mason up any time you want.”

  “I love you,” Delia whispered and buried her face into Mason’s chest.

  “Aww, Princess, Uncle Mason loves you too.” He hugged Delia. Sara saw the truth in his eyes. He wasn’t just saying it to be nice. He loved her daughter. Not that she was surprised. It was hard not to love her poppet.

  Mason kept a tight hold on Delia and turned his attention to Viktor. “Tell me.”

  “Not much to tell. Delia found you passed out on the front porch. Looked like you were installing the motion sensors. We were hoping you could tell us what happened.”

  Mason frowned, thinking. “I don’t remember much. I was bent over the laptop, bringing everything back online. Then nothing. It’s just a blank.”

  “Do you remember something stabbing you, like a needle or a dart?”

  Mason shook his head. “No. Any ideas what fucker did this?”

  Sara sighed. “I thought you said you could control your mouth?”

  Mason turned sheepish. “Sorry, sestra. When I’m pissed, it gets harder to control my mouth.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Sister,” Viktor told her.

  “I’m not your sister.”

  “You belong to Viktor, and that makes you my sister.”

  “I don’t belong to him.”

  “Yes, you do,” Viktor and Mason said at the same time, causing them to chuckle. It flustered her.

  “See, Mommy? They want us. You should be happy.” Delia peeked up from Mason’s hospital-gowned chest, her eyes alive with laughter and happiness. How did you say no to that?

  “Shit…” Mason went from laughter to panic.

  “What?” Viktor leaned forward, concerned.

  “We need guns. Lots and lots of guns.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. They’d never had a sister to deal with. Now they had a niece. He almost felt sorry for Delia when she grew up a little more and started noticing boys. The little fuckers would be too afraid to get near her once they met all her uncles.

  “Guns?” Sara asked, confused. “Why do you need guns?”

  “To keep the little assholes away from this one.” Mason’s eyes hardened.

  “She’s only six.” Sara laughed at the look on Mason’s face.

  “It’s never too early to start stockpiling. Fuckers ain’t getting near my Princess.”

  “Conner’s collecting knives to keep the pecker-heads away from her.”

  “Damn straight.” Mason nodded.

  “You two are being ridiculous.”

  “No, we’re not.” Viktor squeezed her hand. “We’re just protective of the people who belong to us.”

  “What the hell happened to your face?” Mason sat up, just noticing Sara’s bruises. How it had escaped his notice until just now, Viktor had no idea.

  Viktor’s expression soured. “I’ll tell you later, brat.” He motioned to Delia, not wanting to bring any of it up in front of her. “Now that you’re awake, I’m going to send the girls home with Gabe. Delia refused to leave until you woke up.”

  “Is that so, Princess?”

  She nodded, her lip trembling. “I was scared.”

  Mason’s expression softened. “No crying, now. Uncle Mason’s fine. You go home and be good for your mama. She looks worn out. Can you do that?”

  “Uh huh. I won’t even try to sneak a cookie.”

  “Come on, my little Cookie Monster thief.” Viktor stood and picked her up. “Let’s go find Gabe and get you two home.”

  “Give me kisses!” Mason demanded, and Delia swung forward off Viktor’s forearm and placed a sloppy kiss on Mason’s cheek. “Love you, my little monkey Princess.”

  “Love you too!” She swung back up and wrapped her arms around Viktor’s neck. “Can I have a cookie before we get home?”

  Viktor roared with laughter. He loved this kid. So much.

  “How about I have Gabe swing by Subway and get you one? They’re your favorite.”

  “You remembered my favorite cookies?”

  “Of course, malyshka.”

  She studied him a long moment and then kissed him almost reverently on the cheek. “I love you too.”

  Viktor’s knees went a little weak, and he sat down, not trusting them. His heart spasmed and contracted painfully. He loved the kid, accepted it, but to hear her tell him those words made his heart swell with love. “I love you too, malyshka, so much.”

  She grinned. “Take me to the cookies!”

  He looked at his brother, who nodded, giving him his approval. The kid might be an ass, but he understood family. Not only did he accept that Viktor had found his, Mason welcomed them both wholeheartedly.

  “I’ll be back up as soon as I get them settled in the car.”

  “Pfft, I don’t need a babysitter. You need to go take care of your woman.” Mason gestured toward Sara. “She needs you more than I do.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone, brat. Not after what happened.”

  “Fine, let Gabe babysit me. Sara needs you tonight.”

  He glanced at her. She looked shell-shocked. It had to be a mixture of the attack and listening to Mason tell her she belonged to the Kincaids when she hadn’t come to accept it yet.

  They needed to talk, and she needed to be taken care of.

  And that was exactly what he was going to do.

  Viktor pulled into the farmhouse driveway and yawned. Sara was out of the car before he even put the Jeep in park. Not that he blamed her. She’d been subjected to a lot today. Delia was jumping up and down in the back, hopped up on cookies. He grabbed the bag from Subway and got out, waiting until Delia unstrapped herself and jumped out when he opened her door. She had chocolate smeared around her mouth and on her chin. Cute as a bu
tton.

  “You are a chocolaty mess.”

  “It was soooo yummmyyy!” She rubbed her belly, content.

  “Well, let’s hope you saved room for your sub. Your mother won’t speak to me for a week if all you eat is sugar.” He took her hand and walked with her up the front porch steps. Sara’s father was standing in the doorway watching him, a speculative look in his eye. He’d need to sit down and have a conversation with the man, but not tonight. He was wiped.

  “Roy, I hope you’re hungry. We brought subs for supper.”

  Roy moved out of the way and let them in the house. He could hear Sue Anne in the kitchen talking a mile a minute. She must be asking about Sara’s face. “Go on in the kitchen, malyshka. I’ll be right there.”

  When Delia ran off toward the kitchen, he turned to face Roy. “She was attacked at the hospital. Local police are looking into it, but we both think Roger was behind it. I have more men coming down to try to find proof.”

  “How did it happen?”

  “She wanted coffee, and Delia was asleep in my lap. I asked her not to go, but she promised not to go farther than the nurses’ station. I should have known better. Sara does what she wants. She decided to stroll up and down the hall. He grabbed her and pulled her into the stairwell. When she wasn’t back, I went looking for her. Guy ran off when he heard me.”

  “You didn’t follow him?” Roy’s tone came out hard and gruff.

  “I wanted to, but Sara came first. She needed medical attention.”

  “Good man.” Roy slapped him on the back. “Thanks for taking care of my girls.”

  Viktor nodded. “I plan on doing it for a long time to come, but that conversation can wait. I’m tired, starving, and I need to make sure Sara puts ice on her face.”

  Roy stared him down, but finally nodded. “I thought as much. Let’s go eat, son.”

  Sara was sitting at the breakfast table sipping coffee. Viktor made this clucking noise his mother used to make whenever they didn’t follow her directions. He went to the fridge and found a bag of frozen peas. He came over to the table and placed it against Sara’s lower face. “Hold that there for at least twenty minutes.”

  “You are not the boss of me,” she muttered, but reached for the bag.

  Viktor ignored Miss Surly as he set out subs and fetched one of Delia’s cartoon cups and filled it with milk. “Can I get anyone else a drink?”

  “A beer for me. Get one for yourself while you’re there.”

  “As much as I’d like one, I can’t. When I’m working, I don’t drink. Mrs. Grafton, you want something?”

  “A bottle of water.”

  He got out three bottles of water and Roy’s beer before sitting down. The scent of marinara hit his nose, and his stomach growled. Delia laughed at him while chewing her cheesy chicken. He wagged a finger at her. “Cookie Monster, don’t be laughing at my poor belly. It can’t help it that you gobbled up all the cookies without sharing.”

  Her bottom lip pushed out as she thought about what he said. “But I was hungry.”

  “Did Pawpawl’s girl eat all the cookies without saving one for me?”

  She nodded and held up her fingers. “There was only three.”

  Viktor watched Sara attempt to eat and finally give up. He stopped eating too when he saw that. It wasn’t lost on Roy that Viktor stopped eating when Sara did either. Viktor couldn’t stand the fact he was stuffing his face when his woman might be hungry. “You want some Motrin?”

  She nodded, not looking at him. He pursed his lips but let it slide. She was in pain, so he’d not push her. He went over and fished it out of the bag he’d set on the counter. She couldn’t remember if they had any in the house or not, so he’d stopped at the Dollar General and picked up a bottle.

  Handing her three of the small tablets, he sat back down beside her. “How’s your back?”

  She swallowed the pills and chased them with water. “Hurts like I fell down two flights of stairs.”

  “There’s no way you’re getting up those stairs tonight.” When she started to argue, he held up a hand. “I saw you go up the porch steps, Sara. You barely made it, and right now you’re in so much pain, you can’t sit still. The stairs are too much for you. You can sleep in the room Gabe and I have been sharing. I’ll change the sheets for you.”

  “He’s right, honey.” Sara shot her mother a glare. Viktor would be on the couch. She just knew it. Having him that close would be too much of a temptation. Sure, she was in pain. Didn’t mean everything he’d said to her today was lost on her. The man wanted her, and if she could get out of her own way, she might have something here worth fighting for. But she needed time to think, and him that close? Her mind would be gutter bound and not thinking clearly.

  “Mrs. Grafton, do you think you can take Delia upstairs and give her a bath? My mama always told me to take a shower if you were near the hospital because it’s the best place to pick up a bug.”

  “Lord-a-mercy, she was right. You can be healthy as a horse and then come home with the flu or whatever else is floating around. I’ll be happy to give Delia her bath and get her settled into bed.”

  “That’s going to be a feat, considering Viktor fed her three cookies and let her nap at the hospital.”

  “That’s okay. She can watch cartoons until she falls asleep.”

  “Speaking of baths…” Viktor stood and picked Sara up into his arms. She stiffened, but he didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go get you settled.”

  “You are not giving me a bath!” she screeched. They could hear her parents laughing.

  He walked down the hall toward the room he and Gabe shared. Sitting her on the bed, Viktor went into the bathroom to run her a hot bath. He dumped half a container of the body wash into the water and bent over, using his hands to swirl the water so it would start to sud up. An old girlfriend taught him that trick. Once that was done, he placed a towel and washcloth on the rim of the tub before going back into the bedroom.

  She stared at him wide-eyed. He pulled one of his t-shirts out of the dresser and gave it to her. “I’ll get your mama to find some clean underwear and your fuzzy pajama bottoms for you. Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you in the bath. Your body needs a good hot soak.” He scooped her up again and strode into the bathroom.

  “You’re not bathing me.”

  Her eyes were wild. He smirked at the desire all but buried behind her panic. “No, moye sokrovishche, I’m not bathing you. At least not tonight.”

  He held her close, enjoying the feel of her in his arms for a moment before he took her into the bathroom and set her ever so gently on the toilet. “What else do you need?”

  “Nothing.” Her voice squeaked in a very mousy way, and he bit back a grin. He made her nervous. That was a good thing. It meant he affected her as much as she did him.

  “Call when you’re done, and I’ll help you out.”

  Sara watched him lean over and turn the water off before leaving her alone. As soon as he closed the door, she slumped over. Her body hummed, and not from pain. Well, a little bit from pain, but it was Viktor who had her in knots. He was being so kind and gentle. Even when she got grumpy and snarky with him, he rebutted it with patience.

  Groaning, she stood and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face blanched when she got a good look. The dark purpling around the left side of her jaw only highlighted her split lip. She looked awful. Taking off her shirt and jeans, she turned and inspected what she could see of her back. Dark bruises ran along it from top to bottom, with a nasty reddish-purple bruise on one hip. No wonder she hurt so much. Bastard nearly made her body one big contusion.

  Sara finished stripping and stepped into the hot water. She gasped when she sat in the mountain of bubbles. It was the perfect temperature. Did he always do everything just right? It was a snide thought, but she wasn’t in a mood to deal with Mr. Bossy Perfect Man. He’d ruffled her feathers enough for one night with all his talk of her and Delia belonging to him. Then his damn broth
ers seemed to think it was written in stone just because he declared it so. Like she had no choice in the matter.

  Assholes.

  She leaned back, letting her body slip beneath the warm water. She ached everywhere. The Motrin barely took the edge off, but she’d refused any kind of stronger pain medication. She’d seen far too many people fall under their spell after only one or two doses. If she could manage with her Motrin, she would.

  A knock sounded at the door. “Sara, I have the rest of your things. I’m only going to open the door enough to set them on the sink. I promise not to cop a peek.”

  She smiled at the hesitation in his voice. She might be pissed, but she could admit and even appreciate everything he was doing for her. He even noticed her comfort PJs were her fuzzy ones.

  “Thank you.” She barely raised her voice, but he heard her. The door cracked open, and his hand shoved through, her clothes wadded in his grip. He groped around to find the sink then quickly shut the door.

  “Call me when you’re done, and I’ll help you.”

  She closed her eyes. There was that bossy tone again. He could be insufferable even when he was being super sweet. It was a contradiction.

  “Sara?”

  She laughed. He hated when she didn’t answer him. It irritated him as much his bossiness irritated her.

  “What?”

  “Call me when you’re ready to come out.”

  “I’m not an invalid, Viktor. I just have some bruising.”

  “And sore, stiff muscles,” he rebuked through the door. “If you don’t agree to call me, I’m just gonna have to come sit on the toilet and wait you out.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “Try me, woman.”

  He was dead serious. She heard it in his voice. Bossy bastard.

  “Fine, Mr. Bossy Pants, I’ll call for you.”

  She heard him laugh then walk away. He probably went no farther than the bed, waiting for her.

  Sara was damn tired, but her mind was awake, running at a thousand miles a minute. It kept bouncing back between the attack, Roger, Viktor, her fear of letting Viktor in, and every other emotion she’d not let herself feel over the last month.