Malayna widened her eyes and whispered to Dusty. “She wants to work with Karlicov? Is he receptive to that?” she asked.
He raised one of his eyebrows up and shrugged his shoulders.
“Nalia has a lot to offer with her business skills and a natural talent for the family business.”
She could tell Dusty was concerned.
“And how do you and your team feel about all that?”
“We just want her to be safe. We’re ready to protect her at all times and of course train with her. She needs to feel independent and it’s one of many reasons why my brothers and I love her,” he said and Malayna smiled.
“Then you need to keep doing what you’re doing and supporting her. I promise to try and not let her push too much with her ankle.”
Dusty chuckled. “Good luck with that.”
She smiled, but then she glanced away and locked onto Star standing in the large open doorway with Nicolai. She caught Star’s eyes sweep over her body. Her father looked serious as he came into the large kitchen.
“I thought for sure you would be in the studio, Malayna,” Nicolai said to her as he walked toward the enticing spread of food along the island in the kitchen.
“I was earlier, Nicolai, but then decided to assist Nalia in leaving the dungeon,” she said. He snapped his head up to look at her as he fixed his plate.
“Dungeon?” he questioned and she smirked.
“That’s what she calls her room when her men tell her she needs to stay there until they come to get her and help her walk downstairs.”
“Well, she needs to listen to them. They’re responsible for her well-being, and they nearly lost her,” Star stated in a very forceful deep tone that caused Malayna to stiffen. She glanced at him as he started to make a plate. Every time she looked at the man she remembered when they first met. How he was dressed in black, holding a large gun, looking like some giant about to kill her. Yet he was so gentle with her as he carried her to safety and remained holding her until he passed her to Border to watch over on the ride to the plane. Then Krane and Lucca were there tending to her injuries and helping with Nalia’s along with Nalia’s men.
She swallowed hard and as he made his plate of food she saw his fingers, long, thick, and tan. She could even see the veins and muscles in his wrists that led under the dress shirt to his forearms. He looked like he was made of steel.
She was caught in thought as she stood in one place, only putting some salad on her dish and a few pieces of grilled chicken.
“You need to eat more than that. Your body needs nourishment,” he whispered from right behind her. She hadn’t even heard his approach, but now that he was this close she couldn’t help but shake. She moved to choose a dressing and knocked over two other bottles. She reached for them and so did Star, covering her hand with his.
“Easy, Malayna. You’re safe with me around,” he said to her, shocking her.
She turned to look up at him but he didn’t look at her. He fixed the dressings and she realized just how big he was and older. Much older than her. Perhaps he thought she was in need of being told what to eat like some child. Maybe he should figure out that she had been starved while in captivity and her stomach had shrunk and it was difficult to eat full meals. Instead she picked throughout the day, trying to gain a little weight slowly.
When she didn’t respond he seemed to be upset with her. He touched her hand and she jerked away from him, nearly dropping her plate.
“Excuse me,” she said and walked away. She was shocked at the instant desire she felt for the man, but she wasn’t stupid. As naive and inexperienced as she was with men, she could tell that Star saw her differently than other women. He thought she was childish, perhaps immature, and in need of looking after, but little did he know she was more mature and knowledgeable of life and the capabilities of men than she wanted to be. She was a victim, yes. A woman scarred for life by the haunting memories of three years imprisoned against her will, but she wasn’t fully broken. She had her virginity, the one precious part of her that no one had shattered and stolen from her. Cornikup and Vlladim may have taken her freedom, her independence, her ability to live her life freely, but they hadn’t broken her spirit.
“Malayna?” Nicolai said her name as she placed the plate down and walked out of the room toward the hallway. She turned to look at him. “Where are you going?”
“I’m sorry, Nicolai, I’m not feeling well.”
He walked closer to her.
“Don’t be afraid of Star. He has your best interests in mind and was so worried about you. He has called on a daily basis to check up on you. He’s right about you eating better. You have to build your strength,” Nicolai told her.
She was surprised that he had done that. He had called every day to check on her, but she also knew that he and his team had been the ones to search for her for the last several years. It was more out of personal respect to Nicolai that they continued to show care for her.
“That’s very noble of him but no longer necessary.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I know you don’t know the rules but as my daughter you will need to learn them. Your safety is priority. Star, Border, Krane, and Lucca come from a very prominent family. Border and Star’s father is a good friend of mine, a business associate and a trustworthy man. You need to show them respect, Malayna, despite the fears you may have with them being men of such larger caliber and personalities. I know they would protect you with their lives, as would any of the men here today enjoying lunch. So please hurry back. I need you to be strong, to learn confidence and accept your position in this family as my daughter.”
She swallowed hard. He was right. She was letting her fears, her attraction to an older man like Star, get in the way of who she was now. This was an opportunity to gain a newfound power in a way although that wasn’t really her thing. She had to show respect for her father and to make him proud.
“I’m sorry, Nicolai. It’s going to take time for me to not be scared or intimidated by certain people and certain things. I’ll work on it.”
He smiled softly then caressed her cheek.
“Come back outside and enjoy the company of friends.”
* * * *
Star watched Malayna walk outside with her plate and the same small amount of food she had earlier. He wondered what he had done to upset her. She was so beautiful and youthful looking. Her gorgeous brown hair was pulled back today in some fancy braided style that made her look young, yet sexy. Especially as she wore the pale pink button-down blouse and slim-fitting white dress pants. She looked classy, stylish, and professional. He knew she was only twenty-one but had a birthday coming up quickly. As he glanced around at the others he noticed Border, Krane, and Lucca watched her, too, and Krane actually pulled a seat out for her right next to him. He hadn’t stopped talking to her and she hadn’t stopped smiling.
He couldn’t understand the feelings he had at the moment. He had been uneasy lately and short-tempered. Even last night as they dealt with the guys that were sneaking drugs in and doing business without his permission he was extreme in his confrontation. Then when Nicolai called a meeting and he knew he was coming to the estate, all he kept thinking about was seeing Malayna. She had the face of a porcelain doll. Her bright blue eyes stood out against her light skin, her body petite, yet her breasts full and abundant. She was thin, but definitely looked much better than a few weeks back. Her coloring was good, especially in the kitchen as he pressed close to her and told her she needed to eat more.
She was shy, timid still, and he wondered how she was sleeping, and if she still suffered with nightmares the way Storm told him she did. She had been embarrassed by what he found out and asked to sleep in a room farthest from anyone else. It was there that Nicolai transformed a second room into an art studio for her and full access to the gardens.
He worried about her. At that moment Nicolai stood up and left the room, taking a phone call. One by one they were disappearing.
Nalia’s men were talking to her about resting upstairs for a while and she was arguing with them.
“I need to get going, too. I’m glad you’ll be around here now and helping with things. Remember, you’re always welcome at the estate in Salvation any time. We’ve got plenty of room,” Storm said to Star. Storm stood up and shook his hand.
“You forget, we have our real estate investments there, too.”
“That’s right. I guess the beauty of Salvation is no longer such a secret,” Storm said and smiled then shook the other guys’ hands before giving Malayna a kiss on her cheek good-bye.
Soon it was just Malayna, Border, Star, Lucca, and Krane. He watched her and could tell she was feeling uneasy being left there alone with them. How was she going to react if her father got the call to do business out of the country and would need to leave for a few weeks?
“I would love to see the studio and what you’ve been working on. That is, if you’re willing to give me a peek,” Krane said to Malayna.
“I’ve only just begun to paint, really,” she shyly replied, lowering her eyes and staring at her lap.
“Nalia was saying that you are very talented, a natural at both photography and painting. She described a piece you did of the gardens from your window.”
Her cheeks flushed and she tried blowing it off as no big deal.
“It was my first item in years painting.”
“Well, show us. We would love to see,” Lucca chimed in, too, now.
“Are you done, Miss?” one of the servants asked.
Malayna nodded and stood up. “I’ll help you. There’s no need to do it alone.”
“Oh no, Miss, it’s our pleasure to help you and our job,” the woman said to Malayna, and Star saw her expression sadden and she appeared embarrassed as she stepped away from the table.
“Thank you,” she added and then Krane placed his hand at her lower back and guided her along the patio and to the doors that led toward the studio.
He glanced at Border and Lucca, who stood up and followed them. Star followed close behind. When they got to the room, Star was immediately impressed with the space and with all the materials Malayna had access to, including state-of-the-art computers. He wondered what she might need them for.
“What are the computers for?” Lucca asked, moving toward them. Computers, surveillance, and technical operations of electronics were his specialty. Star smirked.
“Well, to be honest I really don’t know. I think Nicolai tried to think of everything I might need. I’m sure whatever expert he spoke with told him it was some modern necessary tool in design or something,” she said to them.
Lucca tapped on a few keys and started messing around with the computer. “Wow, this is cool stuff. You’ve got all the new software available to take anything you have and process it right here. You can take your photographs, even your artwork and copy them into this computer and do a whole bunch of things with them. The quality of the copies would be exceptional,” Lucca explained and she walked closer. When she placed her hand on the back of his seat and then leaned closer to see what he was talking about, Star watched Lucca’s expression change.
“My God, that is brilliant. So I can basically take anything I work on and make copies, post it to online sources—”
“And sell them, too. Damn, this is gorgeous, Malayna. My God,” Krane said as he stared at a painting that she had covered under a cloth.
“These, too, are magnificent. Did Nicolai see these?” Border asked.
Star looked at how his brothers reacted to her paintings and her photos and he walked closer. Lucca joined them.
“It’s not really that good. I’m rusty and the photography isn’t so hard. I just point and shoot,” she stated, sounding embarrassed by their compliments.
He stepped closer and placed a hand on her hip as he stood behind her to look at the paining.
She tightened up and he eased his palm along her waist, feeling how toned her abs were. He looked from the painting to the window capturing almost the exact same image on the oil painting she had created as well as the two men, security guards that were smoking cigarettes and talking.
Krane stepped closer and took her hand. She glanced up at him but Krane kept his eyes on the image.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, Malayna. It’s stunning. You’re so talented,” Krane whispered.
“You think so? I mean the colors aren’t identical and you can see here where I made a mistake,” she said and reached out to point to where she thought the mistake could be seen.
“Spoken like a true artist,” Border said to her, staring at her with one of those intense expressions of his.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked Border.
“You’ll find fault even in a perfect work of art. All artists do that,” he said to her and stared up into her eyes.
“I’m not an artist, Border.”
Krane reached up and cupped her cheek. Star released his hold on her.
“You sure are. It’s perfect, just like you,” he said.
She was embarrassed as she stepped away from them and Krane squinted as if he were disappointed for her moving away. Star could see his men’s interest in Malayna. Now what were they going to do about this?
“If you need help with the computers, let me know. I love that stuff,” Lucca told her.
“You would? Seriously? I mean you have time for that?” she asked.
“They’ll have plenty of time to help you because they’ll be staying here as your guards,” Nicolai stated, joining them in the room. He was very serious as he spoke and then his eyes landed on the painting.
“Malayna, you painted this?” he asked.
She nodded her head as Nicolai approached.
“Incredible.” Then he turned to look at Star.
“Star, if you and your men would follow me into my office. We have some things to discuss and arrangements to make. Could you get your things over here by tonight?” he asked.
“Yes, sir, that’s not a problem,” he replied and then glanced at Malayna before he walked out of the room with Nicolai.
Chapter 3
Malayna awoke in a sweat, sheets twisted and gasping to catch her breath. She was crying and suddenly angry. Night after night she awoke like this. These episodes should have lessened. She was safe here with guards patrolling the estate, Nalia, Cosivan, and his men on the other wing of the house and now Star, Border, Krane, and Lucca in rooms right down the same hallway as her bedroom. She wasn’t feeling safe, she was feeling controlled. By the memories of the torture she felt and the way she lost three years of her life. Eighteen and she had no one when she was pulled from the only home she ever knew. Where she watched her mother being killed before she ran, only to be caught, beaten, and treated like some animal.
She slid off the bed and took a sip of water. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was four o’clock in the morning. She couldn’t go back to sleep. Now she was restless, antsy, and determined to rid herself of this routine.
She wiped her eyes but the tears continued to fall. She had even taken a bath before bed, hoping it would relax her and calm her. No such luck.
She got dressed as her mind fought for some feelings of control. She shivered and then grabbed the hooded sweatshirt and pulled it on over the shorts. She realized when she went into the bathroom that she chose the hooded sweatshirt that had become her go-to garment when she painted. Painting? That seemed to calm her. She thought back to the articles she had been reading using the computer that Nicolai had given her. They explained a little bit about counseling and about therapy. There were so many different aspects of it and ways to help people heal and she just needed to find her way.
One particular article caught her attention about children and art. How through painting or drawing they could express the fears they couldn’t actually speak about but instead could draw or paint in order to release them from their mind and lessen the burden of the memory. Although she wasn’t a child,
when she was victimized. She swallowed hard. She couldn’t seem to get the visions out of her head tonight.
She opened her bedroom door and quietly made her way down the hallway and to the gardens. It was at the last door, the room belonging to Star, that she noticed the door was ajar. She paused a moment and glanced into the darkness. It was eerily quiet, and she felt her heart clench with fear just thinking about what Star would do to a person who snuck into his room and watched him sleep.
She quickly stepped away and walked right across the hallway to the studio, opened the door, and then closed it. When she was inside she leaned back against the door and sighed. How bad was it that she had the urge to go to Star for help? She would go to any of the four men to help her feel safe and secure. Many times she thought about how they took care of her when they first rescued her. Each of the men was incredibly handsome and had special characteristics about them that she found to be attractive.
Krane was the most outgoing and the friendliest. He was as tall as Star but leaner, like a martial arts fighter. He had almost strawberry-blond hair and bright blue eyes. He squinted a lot, like he was analyzing a person or untrusting. There was Lucca, who was tan, fit with lots of muscles, and a little over six feet tall. His dark hair, dark eyes, and handsome face made her imagine him in uniform as an American soldier. That was something else she overanalyzed. Their capabilities as servicemen. The way they all came into Cornikup’s estate and infiltrated it, taking out the guards and ending her nightmare, was like something out of a movie.
Then there was Border. He had some facial hair, not too thick. His hair was slicked back except for a thicker piece that hung slightly over his eyes in some fashionable playboy style. He was quiet and firm, intense in appearance and personality. He didn’t say much but when he spoke it was short and direct.
She pushed off the door and looked out at the darkness through the large sections of windows. It gave her an uneasy feeling. She didn’t like how the nightmares left her so fragile and needy. She wanted to fight them best she could but they kept repeating over and over again. She walked to the easel and grabbed a new canvas. In her head she had flashbacks of her prison, the home where she was forced to obey or be beaten. She closed her eyes and whispered. “No. No more.”
The American Soldier Collection 15: Their Battle for Love (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3