“I don’t know who you people are, but stay the fuck away from me!” Veronica screams, edging herself out of the bathroom with her back pressed flat against the wall. Mikhail’s eyebrows quirk up before he turns his questioning gaze over to me.What do you want to do with her?His expression seems to say.
“Do you need a ride to the hospital?” I ask my roommate with a sigh, the action causing the metallic scent of blood to seep into my nostrils.
“Leave me alone!” She shouts, running into her room. We all stay still, listening to her rummage wildly through her belongings. When she finally re-emerges, carrying a small bag clutched to her body, it suddenly clicks together in my head.
“Did you seriously steal drugs from those guys?” I accuse, squinting my eyes in shock.
But I don’t receive a response before she sprints past the large bodies decorating our disastrous living space and out the gaping hole where our door once stood.Huh. Guess she wasn’t too attached to the boyfriend, after all.
“Uh, boss… should I be retrieving her or something?” Ivan asks awkwardly, his eyes trailing the barefoot girl as she runs down the street.
Mikhail looks down at me, this time with an inquisitive gaze. His touch gently probes my hurt arm, and I tense against him to hide my wince.
“No, leave her be. I’m going to get Cass home to see Doc. You stay and handle the clean-up crew.”
Suddenly, I’m carefully lifted into the air, Mikhail’s arms securing me tightly against him. The comedown from all the adrenaline mixed with the calming presence of his body against my cheek lulls me into a sleepy state, and I can feel the soft sway of each step as he walks toward the door.
Looking behind me, I feel a crashing wave of sadness at seeing all of my belongings destroyed in the mess left behind. The dishes I carefully thrifted one by one lay in shattered pieces across the floor. The couch Sofia had passed down to me a year before lay torn and flipped. The sight tires me further, exhausting my soul in heavy anguish.
Cassandra
“Quit fussing! You heard the doctor; it’s just a bad bruise. Nothing’s actually broken.” I bat away Mikhail’s gentle touch and stretch out onto the comfy couch beneath me.
From the corner of my eye, I can see his hand reaching for the glass of water sitting on the nearby coffee table.
“Mikhail, I’m fine. I promise.”
“Just let me take care of you, Menace.” He says, lifting the glass to my lips.
I humor him, taking a small sip of the cool water. He nods his approval, setting the glass back down and settling onto the couch by my side. My legs are scooped into his lap in one smooth motion, his soothing touch brushing circles on my bare skin.
“You scared me tonight, sweetheart.” He says with a sigh, gaze focused on where his fingers trace my skin.
“I know. I’m sorry,” I whisper, covering his hand with mine.
“I’m just so glad you calledme.” He looks up at me.
“Me too.” I brush my thumb over his inked wrist, tracing the intricate lines. “What happened earlier with the explosion?”
He stretches his legs out, exhaling a tired sigh. “I received a text shortly after. Cassio wants me to step down and hand over my territory.”
“Cassio? He’s the one who told you I was the informant, right?”
“Mhm. My father fostered his hate for many years, up until the day Cassio ended him. Cassio thinks his revenge won’t be complete until he takes down the entire organization.”
I hate knowing he’s still suffering from his family situation, with those events constantly thrown back into his face. Part of me understands now why he was so quick to blame me for the information getting out. It must be hell, knowing someone close to you, someone you trust with your business and livelihood, is lurking in the dark corners of your organization, feeding information to your enemy.
Who wouldn’t struggle with trust after that?
I crawl over, sliding my thigh over his to perch in his lap. His hands immediately reach for my waist, settling me close.
“You’re going to find them, whoever it is,” I say. My knuckles lift, brushing against the stubble covering his cheeks. He leans into the touch, closing his eyes and pressing a soft kiss to my wrist.
“All I want is you, safe and close and happy. I’d deal with IEDs and threats every day if I could just have all of that.” He trails another kiss down my arm, his hands sliding down to my lower back. His teasing touch tingles down my spine.
The ring of truth in his sweet words settles somewhere raw and exposed. When his eyes flutter open to meet mine, I can’t stop myself from leaning forward, invading his space with shallow breaths. My nose brushes his, and the fading red scar I left across his cheeks is the last thing I see before my lashes shut, my lips pressing to his.
He immediately deepens our kiss, sliding his tongue across mine in a sweeping, hot motion that sends a wave of electricity down my stomach. Then his teeth latch onto my bottom lip, biting softly before sucking it between his own.
