The Life (23 page)

“What’s that, Boss?”

By the slight slur in Rory’s words, it was obvious he likely was concussed.

Anton set Viviana to the ground. She shook her head frantically, trying to keep her grip on his shirt, but something stopped her and she let out an awful howl of pain. Instantly, Anton was checking over his wife to find what the problem was. Pushing down the mink fur over her right shoulder, he found it.

“Shit.” Anton breathed heavily at the sight of Viviana’s shoulder, bruised, swollen, and out of place. His fingers ghosted along the joint. “Okay, it’s not too bad.”

Yeah, that was a lie. It was going to hurt like hell.

“Ow.” Viviana whined with wetness in her eyes. “That doesn’t look good.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. Probably hurts a lot. Just popped out, that’s nothing severe that I can’t fix. Did you hit it?”

“Twice,” Viviana said with a wince.

“This is going to hurt, but it’ll be quick. On three, take a breath. When it hurts, let it out. Okay?”

Viviana nodded, but Anton could see her fear. Holding her left side to his chest, Anton wrapped his left arm around her shaking frame, then used his right to gram firmly to her arm just above her elbow. Keeping her steady so she couldn’t squirm, he counted back quickly and when her sharp inhale echoed, he clenched his eyes shut and slipped her shoulder back into joint.

Nothing could have muffled the agonizing scream she let loose.

Nothing.

Over and over, Anton apologized. Clasping her face between his palms, he kissed away the fresh round of tears.

Viviana’s shout must have been enough to wake Rory from his stupor because the young man was stumbling over. Just coming up behind Anton’s wife, the bull spared a glance at his former counterpart still choking on blood three feet away.

“Damn, you get him?” Rory asked.

Anton shook his head over Viviana’s shoulder but said nothing else. It was enough. Rory seemed to get the point, clearing his throat and leaving the rest of the words unsaid. There was no need to remind Viviana, and she still hadn’t tried to look again so she must not have wanted to know, either.

“Here, Boss, I’ll take her.” Rory held his arms out before jerking his chin up at the embankment. “It’s not too high. How far is the car?”

“Three minute run behind Joe’s SUV. Get her settled and come back with the gas can in the back of my car.”

Rory didn’t argue and neither did Viviana.

Anton waited until they were rounding the top of the embankment before he moved over to Joe. He kneeled down beside the man’s head, ignoring the blood that soaked through his pants. Joe was still clutching for dead life at the bullet wound in his throat. Blood pumped out around his fingers with every beat of his heart. A bluish tint had started to color Joe’s skin and lips. Blood vessels were beginning to burst in his eyes while capillaries had expanded and bulged in his face.

It was hard fucking work to suffocate while you bled out,
then choke on the same blood you were losing.

Yes, hard work indeed.

Anton felt nothing while Joe struggled for life and breath.

If anything, Anton was enjoying it.

With wide eyes filled with horror, Joe watched as his boss said nothing.

More than anything, Anton wanted to chuckle at the bull’s plight.

No amount of pressure on the injury would save him. No medical intervention would help him, now. No, Joe was too far gone and there was no doubt in Anton’s mind that the man on the ground knew it, too.

“Viviana did this to you. Can you believe that? Hell, I bet you didn’t expect this, Joe. Did you think I wouldn’t protect my wife every way that I could?” Anton asked darkly. “Of course I would, Joe. Of course she would carry a weapon. Of course I would take that risk. She’s my wife, and unlike you, I love her.”

Anton reached out with both hands, forcing the bull to remove his hands from the gunshot wound at his throat. The gurgling and choking became louder instantly and blood spurted. Anton refused Joe access to put pressure back on his injury.

In a flash, Anton squeezed Joe’s throat with one hand, letting go of the hands he’d been holding down at the same time. With his other hand, Anton pinched Joe’s nose so he couldn’t receive air for his airways through there, either. Blood spit out from Joe’s mouth while he scratched, clawed, and fought weakly against Anton’s hold.

“I’m going to watch you die,” Anton said with a smile. “Poetic justice, in my opinion. Your betrayal very well could have cost me my best friend, my wife, and my son. I don’t appreciate that. When you’re dead, I’ll put you in that SUV you caused to wreck, and light your ass on fire. It’ll probably be blamed on one of my enemies when they do manage to find you. Who knows how long that will take? I don’t care so long as you are dead.”

Joe suffocated a little more, his eyes widening as the bluish hue to his lips spread outwards along his mouth. The life was starting to blink from Joe’s eyes. There was no more air for him to breathe with the blood filling his air passages.

He was drowning in his own blood.

No, Anton didn’t care a bit.

Chapter Eighteen

Viviana listened as the beautiful music of her baby boy’s heartbeat filled the master bathroom. Coming out of a handheld fetal heart rate monitor, the noise was similar to the clatter of hooves on the ground. Resting her head back against the vanity’s mirror, she sighed.

“His heart rate is normal. Everything sounds fine,” Sasha said, watching the heart rate number light up on the Doppler. “You’re not contracting at any real length or severity, so I don’t think you have to worry about him coming for at least another couple of days. Some women have this for several days before active labor starts. I’d say this is early, if at all.
Very, very early. You can still do whatever you normally would and have no worries so long as you’re comfortable.”

When Sasha moved to take the Doppler away, Viviana shook her head, feeling her own heart speed up at the prospect of losing that sound. “Please don’t. Not yet.”

Sasha offered her an understanding smile. “Okay. We can do that. It’s not like it’s going to hurt him.”

There
was definitely some benefits to having a nurse as your mother-in-law. Viviana hadn’t wanted to drag Sasha from Daniil’s side when they finally returned home, but she knew they didn’t have much of a choice. Taking Rory into an Emergency Room wouldn’t be a smart option if they wanted to keep a low profile about the accident, and Viviana had only suffered a few minor bruises and scrapes.

What she had been more concerned about was the baby.

Now, she was worrying about Anton.

Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, her husband was stoic and silent with his arms crossed over his chest. Blood had stained his clothes and skin, but Anton hadn’t made a move to clean it off yet. In fact, he hadn’t done a whole hell of a lot but stick close to her since they returned home.

Viviana understood his need to be close, but Anton wasn’t speaking much, either.

It probably didn’t help that there seemed to be an underlying tension rolling thick between Sasha and Anton. They barely looked at one another, which wasn’t something Viviana was used to. In fact, Sasha hadn’t even said hello to her son when she arrived.

“Is that good?” Sasha asked, bringing Viviana from her thoughts.

“Huh?” Glancing down at the Doppler, Viviana smiled. “Yeah, that’s great. Thanks for coming to help.”

“I think I’ll stay for a little while longer and keep an eye on Rory downstairs.” Sasha shrugged as she wiped the gel from her daughter-in-law’s stomach before helping her to fix her dress. “But, say nothing about it … literally.”

Anton coughed. “You know we wouldn’t, Mom.”

Those were the first words he had spoken in an hour. Viviana was surprised he spoke at all, really. Clearly Anton was struggling with something, but he was battling it alone. She wished he wouldn’t.

Sasha sighed heavily, packing up the kit she’d brought along. “Keep your arm in that sling,” she told Viviana. “Keep pressure off of it.”

Viviana’s shoulder was still aching something awful, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. While she knew popping it back into place would hurt, she hadn’t expected it to hurt quite that much. It was almost like bone smashing into bone. There was nothing to soften the blow and she wished she could just forget about it.

“Other than that …” Sasha continued, plucking up some gauze and peroxide, “let’s get to work on cleaning some of these scrapes and getting the rest of this glass out of your hair, huh?”

“I’ll do it.” Anton took a step into the bathroom, his gaze flashing to his wife and then his mother. “It’s fine.”

“Anton, I’m not going to hurt her.”

“I didn’t—” Furrowing his brow and clenching his fists at his sides, Anton released a shaky breath before shaking his head. “I can do it. She’ll need to get out of those clothes, take a shower, and whatever else. I’d be more comfortable taking care of it myself.”

“And what about Viviana, son?
I don’t know what happened tonight, but perhaps she might need some time to adjust and absorb it all before …” Sasha trailed off, glancing away with a guilty expression when Anton scowled. “I’m sorry,” she added quickly.

“I didn’t intend for her to be hurt!”

“I’m not,” Viviana said, wanting to reassure Sasha’s fear.

Sasha acted as if her daughter-in-law hadn’t said a thing. “I don’t mean her physical state. Emotionally she might need a minute alone. You could give it to her, that’s all I meant.”

“And what about
me
, Mom?” Anton asked. “Do you think it was easy for me to be there, to feel it, or to see it? Why are you angry with me right now?”

Sasha dropped the first aid kit to the counter, sadness clouding her features. “Did I say I was angry with you, Anton?”

“Then why argue with me?”

Viviana begged her mind to catch up to speed and figure out something to say or do to stop her husband and his mother from snapping at one another like they were. It wasn’t often, if at all, that it happened. Anton had a great deal of respect for his parents. Whatever this was seemed to be laced with something else Viviana couldn’t possibly understand.

“I’m sorry I screwed up,” Anton told Sasha. “God, Ma, I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t know, okay?”

“You think playing with guns and being what you are makes you so infallible. Like nothing’s ever going to hurt you, Anton. You’re not even in the same world anymore. I can’t count the times I said this to your father and asked him to stop. Don’t bring this home to me, don’t hurt me with it. You’re doing the same damned things he did! Did nothing I ever tell you reach your ears? Open your eyes.”

“They are!” he shouted. “Do you think I wanted this, really?”

“It’s all you’ve ever—”

“I didn’t want this, Ma,” Anton interrupted, shoving his clenched fist into his chest.

“You’ve been pulling these stunts since you were fourteen-years-old. Your father’s been doing it for a lot longer. Every time one of you does something like this, it kills me. I’ve been cleaning this crap up for years; I’m sick of it. And you have the nerve to say you didn’t want this? Don’t start that with me, Anton. Get out and let me clean up another mess for the
Bratva. God knows I’m used to it by now.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?” Sasha asked, her eyes snapping back to her son’s.

“I said no. I didn’t want this, Ma,” he repeated, voice thick. “I was young and stupid. I didn’t see it the same way then that I do now, but it was already too late. And when I did see …” Anton tossed his wife a glance, blinking away the water in his eyes before looking back to his mother. “When I did see what else I wanted, there was nothing I could do about. I was already in the brotherhood and you
know they weren’t going to let me have what I wanted if I wasn’t
this
.”

Viviana felt the wetness of her tears slide over her bruised cheek and she made quick work of wiping it away. While Anton’s angry confession was confusing at best, she’d gotten the gist of what he meant. His initiation into the
Bratva might have been a mistake brought on by bad choices, but his decision to go further in the mafia lifestyle was firmly connected to his wife and the desire he had to have her.

“And I’m good at doing it,” Anton said with a shrug. “But like it always has, things happen that I can’t control, and I have to make the best of it. I’m sorry I didn’t do what you wanted me to do growing up, but this is my life now. I’m perfectly fine with it. I don’t regret it, none of it. I didn’t realize you were so disappointed in me.”

Sasha drummed her fingers on the counter, avoiding eye contact. “I never said that.”

“Right now, you don’t have to.”

Viviana bit her lip, watching the war battle between Anton and his mother. Reaching out, she laid her hand to her mother-in-law’s arm reassuringly. “It is okay, Sasha. We just … It’s been a rough night. Just give us a few minutes. If I need anything, I’ll get Anton to ask you back up.”

“If you’re sure?”

Viviana nodded. “I’m sure.”

Grabbing the clean pile of facecloths she’d placed to the counter, Sasha made her move to leave the bathroom but stopped at her son’s side. “Not disappointed, just afraid. You, like your father used to do, frighten me with this. I told you not to be the same and you’re not listening.”

“And she’s not you, Ma,” Anton said. “So it’s not the same.”

When Sasha was gone, Anton stared at the closed door in silence.

“What was that?” Viviana asked. Somehow she felt as if she’d been privy to a moment she shouldn’t have been.

“Something she’s
been needing to say for years, I imagine. I’m sure she’s told Daniil a few times, but never me. Until tonight. I guess you could say this isn’t a first for Sasha, and it bothers her to be reminded.”

“A different time might have been better,” Viviana said.

Anton turned around to face her, his expression pensive. “When I was seventeen, she had to reset my nose, splint my wrist, and dig a bullet out of my shoulder. Daniil might have gotten away with saying it was just a normal fight if it weren’t for the bullet. I caused an issue with a bull, and nearly got myself killed over it. They couldn’t take me into the hospital because of the bullet wound. The doctor they used to use was on call and Daniil was worried about infection.”

“So Sasha did it?”

Anton hummed indifferently, but a darkness clouded his eyes. “Cried the whole time. Wouldn’t look me in the face. Screamed at Daniil for hours after. I’d never seen her like that. I don’t know, maybe that was the first time she couldn’t pretend I wasn’t going to be just like them.”

There was a sadness coating his words and hanging heavily around the edges of the room. Viviana didn’t know what, if anything, she could say to help her husband or make him feel better. Some things
has to work out on their own, after all.

“She is proud of you,” Viviana said after a brief moment. “She told me.”

“Not right now,” Anton murmured.

“Hey, come here.”

She didn’t have to tell him a second time. Viviana found herself wrapped in her husband’s warm, safe embrace. A puff of air blew over her hair, the action filled with frustration and exhaustion. Being mindful of her shoulder, Anton held her tighter, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m sorry, Vine.
So sorry. I can’t even give you a minute alone because I can’t be away from you. I’m fucking horrible right now, I know.”

“No, never.
Not horrible, just mine.”

Viviana felt his mouth curve with a smile against her hairline.
“Yeah, that, too.”

Her cheek ached from the bruise when she smiled, too. The little scrapes dotting her face and hands were beginning to sting as well. Fatigue was starting to set into her body and mind. More than anything, Viviana wanted to rest. She wanted to relax with Anton close, as he was the only person who could give her the best sense of protection, love, and comfort.

Anton’s hand shadowed along the side of her stomach. “When the SUV dropped off—”

“Don’t,” she interjected, shivering. “Please don’t.”

Nodding to her request, Anton reached over and turned on the tap for the sink. “Let’s get you cleaned up. I think I promised my wife something, so I better get on that, huh?”

Viviana struggled to remember what it was he had promised. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“A hot bath, bed, and me,” he said with a smirk. “Unless you’re interested in something different …”

Viviana laughed. She wasn’t going to dwell on the night they had, just move forward. Or at least try.

“Never,” she replied. “You’re perfect.”

It wasn’t a lie.

*

Anton rested his hip against the counter, willing his thoughts and emotions to take a back seat for a damned minute so he could think. Viviana had long since fallen asleep, but he just couldn’t do the same. His insides were torn up in a multitude of ways he couldn’t begin to explain, starting with his mother who still hadn’t left, yet.

Apparently she didn’t trust him to wake Rory up every hour on the hour to make sure the bull was okay.

Sasha moved effortlessly through his kitchen, grabbing the honey for her tea and a teaspoon to stir it with.
“Something on your mind, Anton?”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said a little stiffly.

“Oh, it’s not Ma, now? You know, you only call me that when you’re pissed off about something. I’d love to know who you picked that up from. I’d smack them one, I swear it.” Anton pretended to ignore her quiet rant. He’d called her that for years, but she was right, only when he was in a mood. Her gaze flicked in his direction but it was back to her cup just as quickly. “Sorry for what?”

Shame was a horrible emotion to experience and Anton was feeling it tenfold. The lift of his mother’s brow as she stared up over the rip of her cup had him feeling like he was sixteen and stupid all over again. Sasha always did know how to make him feel reprimanded without ever saying a word.

“For cussing at you, yelling like I did, and whatever. I had a hard night and let it spill over onto you. I didn’t mean anything by it. I know it worries and bothers you to think about somebody getting hurt. I shouldn’t have called you here tonight like I did, but Vine was—”