Page 171 of Bleed with Me

Itried to escape again. What did I have to lose? They clearly didn’t intend to kill me, so in my head, another attempt made perfect sense. But of course, Dino caught me halfway through climbing out of the basement window.

He didn’t say a word. Yet, instead of dragging me back to my room, he steered me toward Grandpa’s old office.

My throat tightened. I hadn’t stepped inside since the funeral.

The familiar scent of cigars, leather, and old books wrapped around me, dragging memories to the surface before I could stop them. My eyes burned, and I closed them for a second, forcing the emotions back where they belonged.

Later. I could mourn later.

“Hello, Nina,” Dad greeted coldly as the door clicked shut behind me.

I opened my eyes. He sat in Grandpa’s massive leather armchair, half-hidden in the shadow of the bookshelves, as though he’d already claimed everything the old man had left behind.

“Dad.” I straightened instinctively. “Why am I here?”

“You’re getting married today.” He stood and walked to the light, the sight of him knocking the air out of my lungs.

“What happened to you?” I yelled, words escaping me on instinct.

The swollen black eye, split lip, and thin, crimson marks resembling a garrote wire around his neck were enough to pull me out of my element. I quickly scanned him from head to toe, but the black slacks and blue cashmere sweater didn’t give away any more.

“That’s not important right now.” He waved my question off, but I noticed his bloody knuckles.

Fuck! My father never fought! He hated physical confrontations!

“Not important?” I crossed the room in two long strides, grabbing his wrist before he could pull away. “Dad…what the fuck is going on?”

He didn’t reply. His shoulders sagged slightly, and for the first time in my life, my father looked… defeated. As though he’d been losing a battle for far longer than I realized.

“I tried, sweetie,” he mumbled, barely audible, his hand gently cupping my chin. “I swear I tried. But…” He exhaled heavily. “You don’t have a choice.”

“Choice about what?” I asked, my fingers encircling his wrist. “I don’t understand.”

“Your grandfather—”

The explosion that made the windows shake resonated from the outside, cutting him off. In a split second, Dino and five of his men stormed inside the office, followed by another explosion.

“Why the fuck is the Zhumagulov army outside?” Dino yelled, glaring at my father. “You said—”

“I know what I said,” Dad barked, peeking from behind the heavy curtain. “I have no idea why they are here.”

A smile grazed my lips. Their confusion was adorable.

“Actually.” I folded my arms over my chest, all eyes in the room watching me. “I know exactly why they’re here.” Another explosion thundered through the mansion, and I looked straight at my father. “My husband came to take me home.”

-68-

Nina

Dad and Dino stared at me as if I had grown another head. But gunfire at the main entrance interrupted their surprise and confusion.

“Fuck!” Dino cursed. “We’re not ready for this.” He glared at my father as if he contemplated murdering him. “I came to help. This wasn’t part of the agreement.”

Dad opened his mouth to protest, but the loud banging and shooting cut him off. Dino used the disruption and turned to me.

“I’ll be around, piccola.”

A frown appeared on my forehead, but I couldn’t follow him. The last thing I wanted was to turn this situation into a bloodbath.