Page 64 of Until Death or Defeat

She tilts her head and turns her body trying to face me.

“About?”

“I’m torn between being a good husband or being a good protector.”

“Protector? Who the hell do you think you are anyway? If you’re asking me to choose one, I’d say stop being a pussy and tell me whatever you’re hiding.”

I laugh and let my head lift from the headrest.

She was only halfway right about the nickname I gave her not suiting her.

She’s right; she isn’t sunshine and butterflies. But whatever she does is light. She can make me laugh when I can’t imagine laughing.

She ignited a light inside of me that day on the roof; a beacon that shone the way out of the darkness of my grief that had been consuming me. I never thought a day would come that I’d laugh again after what happened.

I never thought a stubborn girl would give me so much damn motivation to live and let me bask in her rays.

They burn sometimes, but she’s so warm.

“Let’s go home first,” I say as I finally drive.

“You’re being weird and I hate it.”

“Leo rubs me the wrong way, and it isn’t just because I think he’s scum of the earth.”

“I guess I wasn’t honest either. Something happened when I saw him the other day.” My head turns to her for a moment before I turn back to the road.

“I don’t know, I might be insane but I heard him on the phone mentioning you and saying something like ‘Artem isn’t stupid enough to let that happen’.”

“You’re sure?”

“Well, I guess I don’t know the context...but I know what I heard. But maybe I’m overreacting because I was feeling all weird about him at first? That’s what Caesar thinks.”

I scoff and she pinches my arm.

“Don’t do that. Caesar is on my side.”

“Your brother is on everyone’s side. That’s why he isn’t good at protecting you.”

“Oh here we go again, why don’t you give it a rest? I don’t need you or anyone protecting me. I’m a big girl.”

That’s the problem. Maybe her father didn’t realize that when she grew up, she needed to be treated like it. If she was, maybe she’d stop arguing about everything and understand me better.

When we get back to the house it’s quiet, and she follows me to the den.

“Seriously, tell me whatever it is that’s making you act weird.”

“It’s about your mother.”

Her expression drops as she walks closer.

“What do you mean, Artem?”

“I didn’t know that you had no idea what really happened until the night I dropped you off at the hotel,” I say first.

“Artem stop giving me the pre-talk and just fucking say it, you’re scaring me.”

“Roman is sure your mother didn’t die in a car crash.”