Page 51 of Enemy of the Heart

“I doubt whatever they’re saying is going to get you the version of sex you’re interested in having.”

“You’re right. I should probably start with memorizing how to say, ‘Will you scream and bleed for me?’ in Russian.” He adopts a shitty excuse for an Eastern European accent and waggles his eyebrows.

I throw my head back and laugh. “Do you think we were both born this fucked in the head?”

“Odd time for a nature versus nurture conversation, Digs.”

I clasp his shoulder. “I hear you on that. Let’s try to finish cleaning up before Lou gets home. Then we can figure out what’s going on with the dead man walking upstairs and get some much-needed rest.”

Louhi

Two hours later, I’m finally pulling up to the dacha again. The sun is low on the horizon when I swing open the car door. I hated leaving my brother now that we’re together again, but he’s in no state to travel. Mercer is in bad shape, and I didn’t want to mention it at the time, but the real reason for my supply run was to get more first aid items. I’m going to need to try to tend to the gaping wound in the side of his head where his ear once was.

Beneath the top layer of concern is a rush of relief and joy. He’s alive, he’s safe, we’re together. Answers can come later, when my brother is ready. All that matters right now is that he’s okay and we’ve been reunited.

I was going to come for you is all Mercer could say in our native tongue as we held each other. Even when I asked what happened, I only got those seven words in response. I suspect that he was experiencing the same mental unshackling from the fear and uneasiness that’s plagued me for months.

Discovering my brother at the safe house was so unexpected that tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Thank fuck I was able to blink them back.

As soon as I open the boot, I find Sean and Jace standing on the small porch. “Does anyone have any new injuries?”

I was only comfortable leaving Mercer because I trust Sean and Jace. While the three of them didn’t experience love at first sight, I knew the three of them would still be alive when I returned. I hoped so, anyway.

Sean rolls his eyes as he starts down the steps toward me. Behind him, Jace gives me two thumbs-ups and a blinding smile before catching up to his friend. It’s utterly ridiculous, yet I find my own lips hitching.

“We found your basement,” Jace announces. “That is one sexy room.”

“Why is that the adjective you chose?” Sean glances at him as they descend the steps.

Jace shrugs. “Why can’t a room be sexy? Shit, those guns certainly are, and the fancy dumbbells fit that description, too.”

I giggle. “It’s the only one I really got around to renovating, but I figured it was the most important room. How did you get on otherwise?”

Sean steps next to me, his hand pressing the small of my back through my coat. This close, I can see the stress lines bracketing his eyes, and I lean into his touch. I’d never admit this, but it’s…nice to have someone worry for me, even if it’s unwarranted.

The biggest threat in town was the cashier at the supermarket whose gaze lingered a touch too long on my chest.

“Jace and I dusted a little, put the sheets in the wash, then divided up the rooms and assembled all the bedframes. He did the one in our bedroom, though, so we should be careful later.”

“Hey,” Jace protests and gives Sean a little shove. “I’ve never heard a single complaint about my construction skills.”

“I’d like to know who you’ve consulted,” Sean shoots back with a smirk. They both chuckle, and the anxiety coiled around my ribcage loosens a little.

My gaze drifts to the window to the right of the door, and I find my brother standing there. When I first saw him on the couch, I thought for sure he was deceased. The sharp panic and despair coursing through me were akin to being pinned beneath concrete rubble. But the pulse of his heartbeat felt like I’d been freed from the wreckage.

It’s clear he’s still recovering from whatever horror he endured. Especially when he didn’t hear us enter the dacha. Now that I’m with him, he can get all the rest he needs. I’ll keep him safe.

I smile softly at my brother before Honey Eyes grabs my attention, and I twist my neck in his direction. “Lou, how do you say, ‘Will you scream and bleed for me’ in Russian?”

Sean’s palm collides with the back of his head, but Jace laughs even as he stumbles forward.

“U menya prezhdevremennaya eyakulyatsiya.”

He attempts to repeat after me, and I force my face to remain neutral. He struggles through the translation, and I break it down for him. After tweaking his accent, he repeats the phrase over and over, retreating indoors.

Sean snakes his arms around my waist. “Tell me, Lou, what’s the literal translation of that phrase?”

I feign shock, gasping dramatically. “Sean, I can’t believe you’d think I’d teach him to say anything other than what he requested.”