Raya turns her body to face me, her hazel eyes filled with worry and questions.
“I should’ve taken Nina the instant we got home.” Shaking my head again, I step backward and lift my hand to the back of my neck, where tension is knotting all the muscles. “Fuck, it’s bad.”
I was standing outside the room with Simi while Dr. Milazzo and the nurse gave Nina a full check-up. She was last. I already had mine, and Dr. Milazzo cleared Simi.
What I overheard gave me chills.
Nina told them she’s had four miscarriages, and she thinks she might be infertile because, since then, she hasn’t fallen pregnant again.
The haunted tone of her voice will follow me into my nightmares.
Four miscarriages. No medical care.
She had to deal with it herself in that fucking room in the basement.
Nina has to see Dr. Milazzo again once all the results come back. Only then will we know the true extend of her physical state.
Her mental state? I’d like to think she’s doing better and that I’m helping her heal.
“Georgi?” Raya places her hand on my bicep, drawing me out of my thoughts.
It’s not my place to share any of Nina’s past, and as I lock eyes with my sister, I say, “I can’t tell you. I just needed to come here until I calm down. I don’t want to scare Nina. She’s….” The full force of how much I love her rocks the foundation beneath my feet, and I suck in a sharp breath while looking at the buildings across the street. “I love her.”
Raya’s eyes go wide as saucers. “Holy shit!” Utterly stunned, she says, “Wow. I…I…well, that’s a first for you…and me.”
“Yeah. It totally caught me off guard.” I walk to one of the outdoor sofas and take a seat. Once Raya sits down, I continue, “A lot of shit went down in the basement where I was held, and Nina was the only light in the darkness. She risked her life for me and… we bonded in a way I’ve never bonded with another soul.”
“Are you sure it’s love?” she asks, the worry back on her face.
I lock eyes with my sister and nod. “It’s love. The attraction was instant. The moment I laid eyes on her, I was mesmerized. Every other woman I’ve been with was a fleeting thought. An itch to scratch.” I tap my index finger against my temple. “I think about Nina constantly. Not once have I tried to fuck her. It’s so much more than that. I want to watch her all the time. I want to fix all her broken pieces. I want to make her smile and laugh. I need to make her feel safe.” Letting out a sigh, I lean back. “The list is endless. One second, I don’t have a care in the world, and the next, this tiny woman takes my life by storm.” I turn my eyes back to Raya. “I want to kiss her.”
My sister’s eyebrows practically fly into her hairline. “Wow, you’ve got it bad.” A smile threatens to form on her face, but she suppresses it. “Never thought my playboy brother would fall in love. The women of New York are going to go into mourning.”
I let out a chuckle before getting serious again. “I’m in awe of Nina. Fuck, Raya. She…she’s so fucking strong. The shit she survived for years…” I look down at my cuffs, and unbuttoning them, I begin to roll up the sleeves.
“Georgi!” Raya gasps, her tone horrified.
I haven’t been wearing bandages for the past three days, so all the healing wounds are visible.
“It doesn’t look so bad anymore,” I mutter.
She comes to sit beside me and gingerly takes hold of my left arm. Her chin begins to tremble as she inspects the scabs and scarring left behind from the shackles.
The stitches from the bullet wound will come out soon. Dr. Milazzo sang Nina’s praises, saying if she ever wants to work, he’d love to have her at the hospital.
Nina looked physically ill at the idea and couldn’t even respond.
I told Dr. Milazzo it would never happen.
“Jesus.” She sucks in a sharp breath. “What did those bastards do to you?”
I meet her horrified eyes, and pulling my arm free, I lift my hand to cup her cheek. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle. Just the usual beatings.” I pull her closer and press a kiss to her forehead.
I’m not lying. The beatings and even the drugging were regular shit I’ve already mentally recovered from.
What that fucker did to Nina in front of me was the worst torture I was forced to endure in that fucking basement.
That will stay with me for life.
