“I know it was you who ate that last brownie!”
I rubbed my temples, a brutal headache well and truly taking root in my brain. For the past hour, all my children had done was argue. It was pretty much a guarantee that no matter what the circumstances were, my children would find a way to fight with each other, either physically or with their words.
It didn’t matter if we were at a family dinner, a black-tie event or a life and death situation, like the one we were all currently in. Aleksandr, Nikolai, Lukyan and Illayana would end up arguing about something.
They’d been doing it all their lives. It never bothered me because I knew when push came to shove, they would all move Heaven and Earth to protect each other.
Something I never had growing up.
It was very much a “I can pick on my sibling but you can’t” kind of scenario. God forbid anyone else try to yell at them like they yelled at each other. All hell would break fucking loose.
“You know what? I did!” Illayana yelled back at Lukyan about his brownie accusation. “And it was fucking delicious!” She whipped an accusatory finger up at Nikolai. “And you! Are there any other friends of mine you’d like to fuck?!”
Ahhh, so the cat is out of the bag. Sometime during my incarceration, Nikolai and Tatiana’s relationship had finally been revealed.
Interesting.
I’d found out a few years ago during one of the worst things any parent can endure… Their child’s heartbreak.
Nikolai had no idea I knew. About any of it. He was far too out of it, consumed by so much grief and pain to even know what was going on at the time. I’d always planned to talk to him about it, but I was waiting for him to be ready. To bring it up with me first.
That never happened, and now we might all die before I had the chance.
“What friends?” Nikolai bit back harshly. “You only have one because people can’t stand you.”
Illayana gasped in outrage. “You—” she turned to Aleksandr. “You just gonna stand there and let him talk to me like that?”
“This doesn’t involve me,” he grunted.
“Oh, don’t go running to Aleksandr to save you,” Nikolai scoffed. “Fight your own battles.”
“This is amazing,” Autumn whispered under her breath.
I opened my eyes to look at her. She sat cross-legged in front of the makeshift line I’d created, respecting the boundary it represented…for once.
Her entire attention was locked on the spectacle my children were making, watching it like it was the most entertaining, most riveting thing she’d ever witnessed before.
“Are they always like this?”
I wanted to say no. I really, really, did, but…
“Yes,” I groaned, going back to rubbing my temples.
“You wait until I get out of here!” Illayana growled. “I’m going to fuck you up.”
“Right. Because that worked out so well the last time, huh? Tell me, how’s your arm?”
Lukyan laughed, pointing at his sister. “Ha. Ha. He kicked your ass.”
“I’m gonna kick your ass!”
“TIKHIY!” QUIET! I roared. They all snapped their mouths shut instantly.
Silence followed. For a moment. Then Autumn coughed awkwardly. “Well—”
“Not one word out of you,” I warned, pointing a stern finger in her direction.
She threw her hands up in surrender. “Aye, aye, Mr Grouchy.” Then she whispered under her breath only loud enough for me to hear, “Or maybe I should call you Daddy Dimitri.”
I shot her an angry glare, but she just smirked. I looked back at my children. It was time to stop the squabbling and get fucking serious.
“Alright, now we need to come up with a plan—”
My whole body shot to alertness when the main door to our prison opened, revealing my brother.
Of course.
Of course that fucking asshole would be there. He wouldn’t want to miss a front-row seat to my demise.
Was he responsible for my children being there, too? I was inclined to think so, yes. Aleksandr, Nikolai, Lukyan and Illayana were smart, resourceful. Kidnapping just one of them was no easy feat, but kidnapping all of them at the same time?
Impossible to do without inside information. Information about us. About how we operated. Information Dominik would possess.
He strolled on in with a million-dollar smile on his face and an expensive Armani suit on his body. A suit he most likely purchased with the money he’d gotten from selling me.
“My family.” My idiot brother smiled, his gaze moving over each of us, one after the other. “It’s so nice to see you all again. It’s been so long since we’ve all been together like this.”
“You mean, since you blew up my wedding?” Illayana snarked.
Dominik brushed off that statement with a wave of his hand. “Oh, that little thing? That was just a little fun.”
Illayana smiled, all dark and evil and fucking crazy. “So was disemboweling your daughter.”
It was a good dig, but Dominik didn’t truly care about his daughter’s death. Not in the way a father should. He only cared about the fact that he lost someone willing to do his dirty work. To do anything for him. A lackey to use to help implement his plans.
“If she wasn’t such a fucking disappointment, I might actually care,” Dominik chuckled, confirming my thoughts. He walked down the row of cells, one at a time, his face absolutely alight with happiness. He stopped in front of Aleksandr first. “You remember our last conversation, don’t you?” He cocked his head. “I bet you’re wishing right now that you took my offer.”
Aleksandr said nothing. He leant forward menacingly, his eyes shrouded in darkness, face hard as stone, and a purely evil, violent aura vibrating from him. Dominik slanted back on auto-pilot, almost as if he feared Aleksandr would strangle him through the bars.
My son had that terrifying effect on people.
Dominik moved on quickly, stopping in front of Nikolai’s cell next. “Hi, nephew. Sorry about the dart.”
“No, you’re not,” Nikolai scoffed.
As they continued to talk, I stared at my brother, so many vivid images of decapitating his stupid head flying through my mind. He is responsible for this. For all of this. Guilt hit me hard. The second he’d tried to murder me in my sleep in Russia, I should have slit his throat. I should have killed him when I had the chance, but I’d been lenient in the hopes that one day, our relationship could be repaired. That things might change if we ever got out from underneath our father’s thumb. That maybe, one day, we could have a bond like the one my children shared.
What an idiot I’d been.
“I really am sorry.” Dominik sounded so sincere, I almost believed him. But I knew he was full of shit. He was incapable of feeling anything. “You’ve always been my favourite, you know. I would have liked to keep you out of this, but when I saw you here at the first round of the games, I knew I couldn’t.”
“You saw me?” Nikolai questioned, a frown on his face.
Dominik laughed humorlessly. “I’ve been waiting to witness Dimitri’s downfall since I was ten years old.” Of course he has. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be here to watch him die?” He shook his head. “I was up in one of the box seats watching the fights when I saw you as one of the security guards. Smart, sneaking in as one of the workers. Talon couldn’t believe it when I told him.”
That explained how Nikolai got caught, then. Illayana, Lukyan and Aleksandr had already explained what happened to them. Illayana was taken while out for a jog with Tatiana—something that had caused Nikolai to lose his mind, of course. And Lukyan had been…indisposed with a woman when he’d been shot with a dart.
“You waited until I watched Father fight before capturing me,” Nikolai stated.
A sly smile crossed Dominik’s face. “Talon and I thought it might be fun for you to watch your father in the games.”
Another sick form of torture from those two, no doubt.
With one last look of pure smugness, Dominik moved on, stopping in front of my cell. We stared at each other, years of pent up hatred and resentment rushing to the surface, drenching the air. If that cell wasn’t between us, I’d have wrapped my hands around his throat and squeezed the life out of him, like I should have done years ago. I’d do it slowly, so I could watch it. Enjoy every second of it.
“How does it feel, Dimitri? To finally be beaten by me?”
He couldn’t be serious.
I snorted. “You haven’t beaten me, Dominik, and you never will. If you thought you could beat me on your own, you would have challenged me. But instead, you hid behind Talon and resorted to subterfuge. That shows how weak you really are. No wonder Father never gave you a position worth any substance.”
Anger flared in my brother’s eyes, and I knew without him even saying a word that I’d hit a sore spot. During our teens, he’d begged Father repeatedly for an important position within the Bratva. I’d been one of Father’s enforcers, responsible for collecting unpaid debts since I was fourteen, while Dominik couldn’t even be trusted to do inventory without having someone check his work because he’d screwed it up so many times.
“There’s different forms of strength, baby brother. There’s the physical, and then there’s the mind.” He tapped his temple twice. “Who cares how I did it? I outsmarted you. And once you and your children die, the role of Pakhan will fall to me. Where it should have been all along.”
What frustrated me the most was that he was right. Partly, anyway. I’d underestimated how cunning he was, and it came back to bite me in the fucking ass.
When Talon walked in, flanked by half a dozen of his men, Dominik smiled, giving us all a pretentious wave. “I look forward to seeing you all very soon. For the last time.” And then he was gone.
My gaze locked on Talon as he came to a stop in the middle of the room. Anger bombarded me, so much so that my whole body shook. He looked at us one by one, like a king looking down at peasants in his kingdom, all haughty and smug.
“Hello, Volkovs.”
It was so quiet, you could hear fucking crickets. None of us said a damn word.
“Not a very chatty bunch, I see. Understandable, given your circumstances.” He strolled down the line of cells with his hands behind his back, slowly, casually, inspecting us like we were animals at the zoo. He stopped when he reached my cell. “Ah, Dimitri,” he exhaled. “Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri. You know, I didn’t want it to come to this. Truly, I didn’t.”
I had the overwhelming desire to roll my eyes. “Really?” I drawled, bored. I didn’t believe that for one fucking second. It was exactly what he wanted.
“I would have been happy with just you, but then you had to go and send your little herd after me,” Talon said, waving a hand towards my children. “Now, you all get to be a part of my games.”
My spine stiffened, panic worming its way deep into my heart. I curled my hands around the bars and leant forward. “You’re even more deluded than I thought if you think for one fucking second that I’m fighting my children.”
“Aw, come on, give me a little credit. Even I know what a pointless task that would be. After all, the love you have for your family is famous, Butcher.”
There was so much contempt in that last word that it made me think there was something else going on. Something lying deep beneath the surface he was trying to hide.
Then Nikolai, my smart little genius who had a real knack for reading between the lines, spoke, revealing what it was Talon was trying to mask.
“You don’t like the fact that the crowd cheered louder for my father than they did you, do you?”
Of course. It all makes so much sense now.
The first night when the games had begun, Talon gave a big, grandiose speech about himself and what he’d created—the island, the games, the entire fucking thing. The crowd had applauded, sure, but it was nothing compared to the roar of excitement they’d unleashed for me and Autumn when we stepped out into that arena.
“That’s what all this is about, isn’t it?” Nikolai continued. “You’re jealous of my father. And what better way to bring him down than to make him fight in your little games?”
Talon’s jaw clenched. “It’s ridiculous, you know? I’m the one who created all of this.” He spread his arms out wide, gesturing to everything around him. “I created the games. I made this island and the arena. I created a safe place for the rich and powerful to come and let loose all of those nasty, little demons they keep locked up in the real world. And yet, you’re the one they cheer for?” he sneered. “Why? Because you killed a bunch of people? What the fuck makes you so special, Dimitri?”
So much hatred and resentment. It basically poured off him. “Sounds like you’ve been projecting what happened all of those years ago into the present.” I smirked. “So, your father told you he wished I was his son. So what?”
Oh, if looks could kill.
“I brought you here so I could get a front-row seat to your death, and not only do I get to watch you die, but I get to watch your whole family die along with you,” he spat, an evil, diabolical smile gracing his lips. “What I have planned will make you beg for your life and the lives of your children.” He turned his attention to Autumn. This overwhelming, protective instinct reared up inside of me. I had to force myself not to move, not to place myself in front of her. “You, Miss DeValos, have a choice. You are not involved in this, so I will give you the opportunity to switch fighting partners. Jessica Clifford, the female winner from the first round has…unexpectedly passed away. Samuel is in need of a partner or he risks continuing on in the games alone. Because I am such a gracious host, I will allow you to untangle yourself from this situation and leave the Volkovs to suffer on their own.”
The world grinded to a halt. He was offering for her to be someone else’s partner? Why did that thought make me feel so…uneasy? I should be fucking ecstatic to finally be rid of her. To say goodbye and never have to see her again.
So, why was I feeling the exact opposite?
Her eyes connected with mine. We didn’t say a word to each other, and yet, so much was said through that one look alone.
Would she do it? It was her chance to finally get away from me like she’d been saying she wanted to do from the moment we met…would she take it?
I held my breath, waiting.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to have to pass.” Relief filled me, and I had to work hard to hide it. “I’ve seen what Samuel can do, and no offence, but I think I have better odds with this lot.”
Talon smiled evilly. “It’s your funeral.” He walked to Aleksandr’s cell, stopping in front of it. I squeezed the bars tightly in my hands out of frustration. I didn’t want him anywhere near my children.
“You killed three of my men, even after they darted you.”
My son just grunted, his usual form of communication.
“I assume I couldn’t convince you to fight for me in a different competition? Could make you a lot of money.”
That fucking bastard.
“I have a lot of money.”
“More money.”
“Not interested.”
Talon hummed. “Disappointing.” He moved away, making a beeline right for Illayana. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, a horrible feeling sinking right down into my bones. “You lot have proven to be very resourceful, so I think a few extra precautions are necessary to ensure you don’t try to pull off some sort of ridiculous escape plan.” He stepped back. “Open the cell,” he commanded the guards.
No. No, no, no.
The cell doors opened. Four guards strolled in and surrounded Illayana, two of them slapping a pair of thick, metal handcuffs on her wrists before escorting her to Talon’s side.
“You touch her, Talon, and I swear to God, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Talon smirked, victory shining in his eyes. He moved behind her, pressing his body up against hers and burying his face in her hair, smelling her.
I squeezed the bars even tighter, my teeth grinding.
She stayed completely still, head up, face strong, acting like what Talon was doing wasn’t affecting her.
My brave little girl, putting on a strong front. Not for herself, but for us. For me.
“There’s nothing you can do, Dimitri. I’m the one in control here. You can spend the next few days thinking about all the nasty ways I’m defiling your pretty little daughter here.”
NO!
I rammed my body into the cell bars over and over again. “Don’t you fucking touch her, Talon! Let her go!” I screamed, Aleksandr, Nikolai and Lukyan all doing the same, but Talon just smiled, like that was exactly what he wanted to happen.
“That’s it,” he encouraged, ecstatic about the reactions his words and actions brought forth. “Let that anger build! It will make for a more entertaining fight.” He ran his tongue up Illayana’s cheek, and she shivered in repulsion.
I roared, pounding against the bars with everything I had. I couldn’t let him do it. I couldn’t let him take her. Touch her. Not my daughter. Not my fucking daughter. I had to protect her.
“Ostanavilvat’sya,” Stop, Illayana whispered, tears in her eyes from watching us hurt ourselves trying to get to her. To stop Talon.
How could I stop? She was my little girl. It was my responsibility as her father to keep her safe. I beat my fists against the bars until they were red and bloody. I slammed my shoulders into the bars until they ached with pain. I refused to give in.
“Ostanavilvat’sya,” Stop, lllayana begged, pleaded.
I was never going to fucking stop. Never. I didn’t care if it killed me. I couldn’t let him leave with her, knowing what he would do to her.
One by one, her brothers listened to her pleas, but I couldn’t. I had to keep trying. I had to save her.
“Otes. Ostanavilvat’sya. Pozhaluysta.” Father. Stop. Please.
I punched. I kicked. I screamed. I tried to rip the bars off with my bare hands. Kick them down. I did everything I could, ignoring the pain in my body with each failed attempt, but it was no use. Nothing worked.
“Dimitri,” Autumn whispered, so softly that I could barely hear her.
Releasing a defeated sigh, my aching limbs fell to my side. Illayana gave me a small smile. It broke my heart.
“Vse normal’no.” It’s okay, she said, voice strong. “I’ll be okay.”
“Aww,” Talon cooed. “How sweet. You all should try and get some rest. Trust me when I say that you will need it.”
Agony gripped me hard, refusing to let me go as I watched Talon walk out of the room, dragging my only daughter behind him.
