Her decision to move away had come as a major shock to her parents and brothers, and she’d hated to hurt them that way. When her father had put down his foot and forbade her to do any such thing, it had been the last straw. Their relationship continued to be strained, but she hoped it would get better over time.
Until that happened, she would enjoy her motorcycle, her dog, her house, and most of all, her lover. There was no telling how things would play out for her and Mikhail, but she liked him, perhaps even loved him. Neither of them had said the L-word, but that didn’t make what she felt for him any less real. That there was even a possibility of such a relationship at all was a miracle that she would forever be grateful for—no matter how it turned out.
Even so, a woman deserved to savor a few dreams of a big family wedding and dancing with her very own handsome groom, didn’t she? Heck, yeah!
Her good spirits restored, she revved the bike’s engine and roared off down the street.
—
While she had been at the post office, the nursery truck had come and gone, leaving her driveway full of plants, bushes, and even a couple of small trees in plastic containers. They’d also stacked bags of fertilizer, mulch, and topsoil in front of her garage where both she and Mikhail could access them easily. The downside was that she couldn’t put her motorcycle away until she moved things around. She’d dumped her pack inside the house but left the keys in the bike’s ignition.
So far, she hadn’t heard a peep from the man himself, but how late he slept was determined by what kind of night he’d had at the fire station. If he’d been out on calls all night, it could be mid-afternoon before he poked his head out. Meanwhile, she would get started without him. Several of the bushes intended for her yard were a bit too heavy for her to handle by herself, so she’d need Mikhail’s help with those. At least she could transplant some of the perennials and smaller bushes.
After spreading out her hand-drawn plans on the front porch, she began distributing the plants she could carry, putting them in their designated spots in both yards. When she’d done that much, she walked out to the edge of the street to see how her designs were shaping up. She might eventually need a few more color spots scattered around the place, but the overall effect so far was promising.
With that much done, she started digging holes and adding in a few handfuls of fertilizer to give the plants a boost. She lugged another bag of the compost over to where she was working and set it down. A vehicle pulled up in front of her house as she bent down to slice the bag open.
At the sound of doors opening, she straightened up to see who had stopped by, thinking it might be one of Mikhail’s brothers, Ricky, or even Jay. But no, she couldn’t be that lucky. Instead, it was two of her own brothers, the oldest and the youngest. Her first instinct was to smile, because it had been so long since she’d seen either one of them. On the other hand, why had they come without calling first? What if she’d been gone? And why the grim expressions?
Before she could decide what to say about their unexpected arrival, her oldest brother set the tone for the visit. “Amy, what the fuck are you doing?”
The conversation went downhill from there.
—
Sarge snorted and woofed a few times, dragging Mikhail up out of a deep slumber. He cursed the dog for waking him up and stayed right where he was. The bulldog wasn’t having it and hit the side of the mattress hard, his fifty pounds of muscle and stubborn determination jarring the bed enough to make it clear how upset he was. Why? What the hell was going on?
Then Mikhail heard what had made Sarge so unhappy. There was a shouting match going on outside, in front of the house. From the tone in his voice, some guy was pissed as hell. When a familiar voice hollered something in response, Mikhail’s own temper exploded. No one talked to Amy in that tone. He jumped to his feet, yanked on his jeans, and grabbed a T-shirt out of the drawer on his way out of the room.
What the hell was going on out there? If the bastard kept talking to Amy like that, there would be hell to pay, consequences be damned. He shoved his feet in the shoes he wore when working in the yard and headed outside without bothering to tie them. Sarge was hot on his heels, barking like crazy.
“Shut up, dog. Let me handle this.”
Two men, both strangers to him, were standing in front of Amy. They stood too close, crowding her and clearly trying to intimidate her with their superior height. Yeah, well, they had nothing on Mikhail in either size or sheer cussedness. And if it became necessary, he’d also learned how to fight from the best.
Amy saw him coming and started to shake her head. Maybe she was trying to warn him off, but too damn bad. No one—NO ONE—talked to his friend…no, his woman like that and got away with it. So far, neither of the men had noticed him. Good. Surprise was a handy tool when it was time to confront the enemy.
He grabbed the bigger of the two by his shirt collar and sent him stumbling backward. The guy had barely caught his balance before Mikhail sent the second one bouncing into him, nearly taking them both to the ground. Then he planted himself right between them and Amy, his hands ready to clench into fists or to grapple with both men if they went on the attack themselves.
The taller one shouted, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
Mikhail snarled right back. “I’m the guy who’s going to lay you out flat if you so much as look at her wrong, asshole.”
In the meantime, Amy was tugging on the back of Mikhail’s shirt, clearly trying to catch his attention. “Please, Misha. They’re my brothers.”
He kept his eyes glued on the potential threat. “I don’t give a damn who they are. No one talks to you like that. And if they’re your brothers, they should know better.”
The younger of the two men stepped in front of his brother and held up his hands, playing peacemaker. Maybe it would work, but Mikhail doubted it. Anger was pumping too hard through his veins right now to want to accept any offer of a truce.
“I don’t know who you are, but like she said, we’re her brothers.” He ran his fingers through his hair in an obvious show of frustration. “Two of them, anyway. Our mom asked us to come by to check on her.”
He took a step to one side to get a clearer line of vision at his sister. “The family is worried about her.”
“For Pete’s sake, Chad. That’s ridiculous. Mom knows perfectly well that I’m doing fine. I told her that the last time we talked on the phone.”
Amy sounded completely exasperated with the entire situation as she moved up to stand next to Mikhail. It was hard not to smile when Sarge and Panda joined the lineup to lend their support in facing down Amy’s uninvited and clearly unwanted company.
The older brother had himself under better control by that point. That didn’t mean he wasn’t glaring at Mikhail for all he was worth. “You still haven’t said who you are.”
Then he shot a quick glance at Amy. “Actually, I don’t care. This has nothing to do with him, so tell this guy to leave. We don’t need some random stranger poking his nose in our family business.”
Oh, hell no, that wasn’t happening.
Mikhail crossed his arms over his chest and planted his feet wider, making it clear to her brothers that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “I’d be right here even if I didn’t know Amy at all. I don’t like seeing women being threatened. But for the record, I’m not just some random stranger.”
Amy butted back into the conversation to make the necessary introductions. “Will and Chad, this is Mikhail Wanjek. He lives next door.”
Will mirrored Mikhail’s stance with a nasty sneer plastered across his face. “Yeah, like being a nosy neighbor is any better.”
God knows Amy was going to kick Mikhail’s ass for what he was about to say, but he’d deal with that later. “Actually, I might live next door, but I’m also her boyfriend. In my book, that trumps the idiot big brother card every time. It also gives me every reason to stand here and make sure you treat your sister with the respec
t she deserves.”
By that point, Chad was staring at Amy as if she’d grown a second head. “Boyfriend? Since when? How come we haven’t heard about this? You know damn well that the folks would expect to be told about him and given the chance to meet the guy before things go too far.”
Amy was fuming. “Just like you and the twins parade your girlfriends through the living room to get Dad’s approval? Funny, but I don’t seem to remember that ever happening. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.”
If Mikhail hadn’t been so pissed off, he would’ve laughed at the I-just-sucked-a-lemon look on Chad’s face. If the guy had any brains at all, he’d start backpedaling like crazy right about now.
“Aw, come on, Amy. You know it’s different with you. It’s a big brother’s job to look out for his sister.”
He shuffled his feet and offered up what he must have thought was a charming “aw, shucks” smile. Amy didn’t buy it, not for a second.
“No, it’s not. I’m an adult and entitled to make my own decisions. The entire family’s failure to understand that is precisely why I left town in the first place. This idiocy only proves I made the right decision.”
Chad started to protest, but she cut him off. “You both need to leave right now and don’t come back until I say you can. All things considered, I wouldn’t expect that to be anytime soon.”
Will had been focusing all of his attention on Mikhail, but now he shifted his gaze back to his sister. “Don’t order us around, Sis. It won’t work. Tell blondie here to run along, and we’ll continue this discussion inside like reasonable adults.”
If the guy thought he’d just won any points with his sister by insulting Mikhail, he was an even bigger idiot than Chad. “I won’t be going anywhere, jackass. I’m not about to leave her alone with the two of you.”
Evidently Amy had her own ideas. “Fine. If you two won’t leave, I will. Misha, I’ll tell Tom hi for you.”
Then she bolted toward her motorcycle. Mikhail held back her brothers while she yanked on her helmet, started the bike, and tore off down the street. Actually, he didn’t have to work too hard to keep them from trying to stop her. Both of them stared after her as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
After a few seconds, Chad blinked and looked around the yard as if he thought Amy was hiding someplace, or maybe hoping it had been some other woman who had just driven off.
“What the hell?”
His brother looked just as bewildered. “She rides your motorcycle?”
Petty or not, Mikhail was enjoying their confusion. “No, she rides her own. Mine’s bigger.”
Panda growled when Will started toward the house. Mikhail understood just how the dog felt. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going inside to wait for her to calm down and come back.”
Mikhail shook his head. “You don’t know her very well if you think that’s going to happen anytime soon. That woman’s got a temper.”
Although he’d never really seen it in action until today. The only time he’d seen her emotions running that hot was when they were making love, not exactly something he wanted to share with her brothers. “And if you set one foot in her house without her express permission, I’ll call the cops and let them sort it out.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“The hell I wouldn’t. I’m sure I’m not the only neighbor who heard you threatening her. And I bet your dad would love driving a hundred miles just to bail your pathetic asses out of jail.”
Chad blocked his brother’s path toward the house. “She won’t forgive us for invading her space, Will. We’ve mishandled this whole situation, and you know it.”
He shot a look in Mikhail’s direction. “Except for the part about this being none of your business. You have no idea what’s really going on here. If you did, you would be siding with us.”
It would’ve been easy to tell the guy to fuck off, that there was no way he’d ever stand with them against Amy. But there was something in the other man’s expression that struck a familiar chord with him. They thought they were protecting Amy, not from Mikhail, but from herself. Like maybe they thought she was doing harm to herself somehow.
“Are you telling me this is more than just you two being overprotective of your very attractive younger sister?”
Will nodded. “She’ll probably kick my ass for telling you this, but what the hell. She’s already pissed at me. Our Amy was born with a screwed-up heart valve. They tried to fix it surgically years ago, but all that did was buy her some more time. A couple of years ago, they came up with a new procedure that made all the difference for her.”
His expression grew grim. “You can’t imagine what it’s like living with someone you love, always knowing that on any given day you could come home to find out she’d died. Waiting for that phone call every minute of every day.”
His words sucker punched Mikhail. Only sheer stubbornness kept him upright. They had no way of knowing that he knew exactly what they were talking about. He’d experienced it firsthand. Unlike theirs, his worst nightmare had come true. He had come home from school to find the one person in the world he cared about dead with a fucking needle shoved in her arm. It took every bit of control he had to force the memories back down to the dark corner of his soul where they’d lived since that day.
Images of Amy’s body flowed through his mind. “So that’s what the scars are from. She mentioned something about surgeries, but she let me think the procedures had been no big deal.”
Damn her, anyway.
“So you’re telling me she shouldn’t be riding a motorcycle.” He stared down at the holes she’d been digging. No doubt she’d also dragged that forty-pound bag of compost across the yard by herself. Well, shit.
Will looked more resigned than angry now. “Hell, I don’t know what she should or shouldn’t do. That’s the problem. The doctors tell us that the surgery fixed the problem. God knows she looks better and has a helluva lot more energy these days than she used to. I even get why she’s determined to live a normal life.” The man closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “It remains to be seen if she can. It’s like we’re all too scared to believe that a miracle really happened.”
Then his eyes, so like his sister’s, popped back open. “Wait a minute. When did you see her scars?”
Mikhail met his gaze head-on. “Do you really want me to spell it out for you?”
Not that he would. What happened between him and Amy was personal. Special, not to mention the best thing that had ever happened to him. A small voice in the back of his mind started yammering at him. Were those good times worth what it would cost him if Amy’s efforts to make up for lost time proved to be too much for her heart?
Chad and Will exchanged glances, clearly not happy to learn that their sister’s walk on the wild side had included more than a Harley and some do-it-herself landscaping.
“You hurt her, and you’ll answer to us.” Will’s smile looked a bit wolfish. “And there are four of us.”
Mikhail’s own expression turned predatory in return. “I only have two brothers, but one served in the Special Forces and the other was with the military police, while I spent ten years in the Marine Corps.”
Chad didn’t look all that impressed. “So?”
“So we all learned how to fight from the best.” Mikhail brushed an imaginary piece of lint off Chad’s shoulder. “I just thought you might want to bring a few friends to even up the odds.”
To his surprise, Chad laughed. “Damn it, if you weren’t…um, dating my sister, I might even like you.”
Will gave both of them a disgusted look as he knelt down to make friends with the bulldogs. Mikhail liked that both animals looked to him for permission. When he nodded, Sarge and Panda sniffed Will’s hand and let him pet their heads. Neither dog offered up their vulnerable bellies for a scratch, though. He wasn’t the only one not ready to trust the two men completely.
“Tell us where
she went.”
The brief truce was over. “Not happening. If she wanted to talk to you, she’d still be here.”
He played another card in the game. “She also left without her wallet, which means she doesn’t have her ID or phone with her. Leave, and I’ll go after her and make sure she gets home in one piece.”
“Fine, but only because I know Amy is too stubborn to come back until she knows we’re gone.” Will stared at Mikhail for a few seconds. “If I give you my number, will you at least text me to let me know she’s okay?”
“Yes.”
The two brothers walked away without another word. Mikhail also made sure they saw him stride into Amy’s house as if he belonged there. He took the dogs with him. Once inside, he made sure the back door was locked and gave the dogs each a treat.
“Good boys.”
He picked up Amy’s pack and shoved her cellphone in it. Was there anything else he needed to do before leaving? Not that he could think of other than giving the dogs fresh water and a little kibble. “Sarge, you stay here with Panda while I go after Amy. Not sure what I’ll say to her when I get there, but I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
The dogs sat side by side, their heads tilted at the exact same angle as they listened to him. Then he led them into the kitchen, where he tucked Panda in his crate while Sarge curled up on the blanket Amy kept there for him.
After letting himself out, Mikhail cut across the yard to his house. He’d take just enough time to finish getting dressed. There was no way he’d catch up with her before she reached the restaurant, but he didn’t want to leave her sitting there too long, especially considering it was unlikely that she had any money with her.
At least Tom would take care of her until Mikhail got there. He understood why she wanted to get away from her brothers, but he hated that she’d taken the motorcycle when she was so upset. He was even more worried about the return trip home. There were no guarantees that the discussion he planned to have with her would go any better. Rather than take his bike or even his SUV, he punched in Jack’s number and waited impatiently for his brother to pick up.
Love, Always and Forever Page 20