Page 101 of Bound Bride
Beatie's face crumples in on itself and her chest jolts. "It was awful as soon as you left," she whimpers. "Daniil was so angry all of the time and one day, he didn't come back and then Lev wasangry all of the time. He kept hurting Mom, and I kept trying to protect her, and then Dad left one day, and he didn't come back." Beatie clutches at my hand. "He didn't come back! He left us all alone. I thought I was going to die, Rose. All I wanted was for us to be a family again but…" She trails off and absently scratches at the needle marks on her arm. "Everyone left me. Everyone."
My heart twists in my chest and I reach for her hand. "I'm here now, Beatie. I'm so sorry I left you. I wouldn't if I'd had any sort of choice in the matter." There are too many questions to ask and not enough time. Did the brothers hurt her the same way they hurt me? What did she mean by Dad leaving? Is Mom okay?
Given the state of her, these questions won't do any good. Instead I tighten my grip on her hand. "Come on. Let's get you something to eat and drink, and then we can talk." I turn to Calvin. "Can we do that?"
"I'll check with the doctor," Calvin says and he slips out of the room to search for them.
"I am hungry," Beatie murmurs. She gives me the same look she used to give me when we were younger and she wanted the last of the exciting cereal, leaving me with whatever healthy wheatgrain was left.
"Okay. Come on. I'm sure it will be fine." Food can't do any harm, right? With Beatie's hand firmly in mine, I help her from the bed and we slip from the room, then I lead her through the manor and down to the kitchen where the remains of Kon's soup still rests on the stove.
"You live here?" Beatie asks softly.
"I do. This is Konstantin's home."
"It's beautiful." She hops up onto one of the stools. "So all of this time, you've been living here?"
"Mhm." Approaching the fridge, I haul open the door and study the contents for something soft and gentle.
"Konstantin lets you just walk around? You're not a prisoner?"
"I'm not. Like I said, he's much nicer than you would expect." Those words sting like a lie across my tongue, because Kon's actions yesterday and his absence today could mean anything. There's a heavy chance I'll never see him again after breaking his heart, but I can't put that on Beatie yet.
"It's so…" Beatie sighs. "It's so nice here. All this time."
Finding nothing in the fridge that feels suitable, I move to the stove and lift the lid on Kon's soup. Maybe a bowl of only broth will be gentle enough for Beatie?
"How about some soup? I had some last night and it was really…" My words trail off into nothing as I turn around and find Beatie standing a few feet away with a steak knife clutched between both her hands and tears shimmering in her red-rimmed eyes. "Beatie?"
"I'm s-sorry," Beatie gasps. "But the only way all of this will ever stop is if you die!"
33
KONSTANTIN
New York City burns.
I've spent all night tearing this fucking city apart searching for the Vasiliev brothers.
Out of everything Rose confessed to me, this is the only thing I can control.
Killing these bastards for even daring to fuck with my life and my business like this.
But it's not enough. As I sit in the car while Ethan races us toward the dry cleaners where Lev has supposedly barricaded himself in, I know it's not enough. For months, these bastards have been manipulating and toying with every aspect of my life, and I didn't see it.
How did I not see it?
Have I lost my edge?
Did coming to America soften me?
No, that's not it. When I arrived here, my reputation preceded me, and I made sure to write that shit into stone as soon as I could. Something else changed me.
Rose.
She softened my edges.
She brought light into my life.
