Page 34 of The Bratva Sinner

I look at Outlaw. She’s watching me with her ears forward, like she’s daring me to try.

“I’ll get to know her first,” I tell him. “If she’s not interested, I won’t pressure her.”

“Fair enough.” Gus picks up his pitchfork. “You’re welcome here anytime. These horses could use the company.”

I spend another hour in the stable, just being near them. Willow lets me brush her, standing patiently while I work the tangles from her mane. Midnight follows me around his stall like a puppy, nudging my pockets in search of treats I don’t have. Outlaw continues to be aloof, but I catch her watching me when she thinks I’m not looking.

She’s curious. That’s a start.

By the time I head back to the house, my stomach is reminding me that I skipped breakfast. For the first time since everything happened, I feel almost normal.

That feeling evaporates the moment I step through the kitchen door and hear shouting.

“Where the fuck is the doctor!?” Maksim’s voice is filled with anger. I hear the violence in that tone.

My heart kicks up. My survival instincts are telling me this is dangerous. He’s just like so many of the other men Mama brought home.

I move through the kitchen on instinct, following the sound of chaos. I walk toward the living room even though every instinct I have is screaming at me to run the other way.

The scene I walk into makes my stomach drop.

Maksim is in the center of the room, covered in blood. It’s all over his shirt, smeared across his forearms, and splattered on his face. His hair is disheveled, and his eyes are wild with panic and rage.

On the couch is a woman.

I can’t process what I’m seeing at first. She’s so still. Her face is a mess of purple and red, swollen beyond recognition. One of her arms hangs at an unnatural angle. What’s left of her dress is torn and stained dark with blood.

“Get me some fucking towels!” Maksim barks at one of the guards.

People rush in from all directions. Guards. Staff. I stand frozen in the doorway, trying to understand.

The woman on the couch makes a weak, wet gurgling sound that makes my skin crawl.

Mama.

For one terrible second, the room tilts, and I'm back in the trailer. Blood on linoleum. Her pink shirt. The same metallic smell that I will never forget. I slap my hand over my mouth to keep from puking.

“You’re okay. You’re okay.” Maksim’s voice drops, becoming almost gentle as he presses towels to her side. “You’re not alone. Stay with me.”

The door bursts open, and Cinder strides in. Unlike everyone else, she’s calm. Her eyes sweep the scene with the expression of someone who has seen this too many times.

“Get her to the med room.” Her voice cuts through the chaos. “Now.”

Maksim slides his arms under the woman, lifting her with a gentleness that contradicts the violence written all over her body. She whimpers.

“I know, baby. I know it hurts. But I’ve got you. You’re safe now. I’m here.” His voice is soft and soothing as he cradles her against his chest. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”

He carries her past me without even seeing me standing there. I catch a glimpse of her face as he passes. She’s young. Maybe my age. One eye is swollen shut, and the other is barely open.

I press myself against the wall, trying to make myself invisible as the procession moves past me toward the med room. Cinder. Damien. Two guards. All of them ignoring me.

The living room empties, leaving me alone with the blood-soaked couch and the metallic smell. The same smell from that day.

My mind is racing, trying to piece everything together. Maksim. Covered in blood. The woman. Beaten. Broken.

Did he do this?

I stumble backward, reaching for the wall to steady myself. That’s when I realize I’m shaking. Violently.