Chapter 17

“Why didn’t you tell me ~he~ was your father?” Anatoli growled at Violet.

“What are you talking about?”

Violet’s father let out a laugh.

“It looks like my daughter’s lover is the son of the couple I killed to further my business. A rival wanted them out of their way.

“Too bad you weren’t around. You would have been killed, too.”

Violet didn’t know what was going on, but she knew Anatoli was about to snap. She raised her gun at the guard.

“Let him go. You don’t want to hurt an innocent child. You may work for my father, but I know you’re not that horrible. Only monsters can kill children.”

She could tell the guard was hesitating, so she took the opportunity and pulled the trigger, hitting the guard in the shoulder.

It wasn’t where she wanted to hit him, but at least he no longer had River at gunpoint.

A few seconds after she pulled the trigger, she heard two more shots and twisted around to find her father slumped over his desk. The sight didn’t upset her.

It felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. At least now she knew he could never hurt her family again.

“You did…” She turned around to face Anatoli, seeing him kneeling on the floor.

“Toli? What’s wrong?”

Anatoli removed his hand from his stomach, revealing blood. The second shot had been her father’s shooting, and unfortunately the bullet had hit Anatoli.

Violet knelt down next to him.

“You’ll be ok. I promise.” She kissed him roughly before looking at River.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?” Simon asked.

“Where were you?” she snapped.

“I was helping Arlo. I saw some men roughing him up.”

The guard Violet had shot suddenly groaned, and Simon quickly put a bullet in his head.

“We need to get Anatoli to a doctor.”

“I’ll help you get him out of here.”

Violet and Simon pulled Anatoli up and quickly made their way out of the office, with River and Arlo following behind.

“Your men are taking care of everything else,” Simon told Violet.

“Good. I need to find Max and Dimitri.”

“Go. I’ll take him outside and meet you out there.”

“I’m coming with you,” Arlo said.

She let out a sigh and agreed. Now wasn’t the time for them to bicker about the fact he needed to be safe.

Violet quickly ran down the stairs and started searching the first floor.

She didn’t find anyone in the living room or kitchen, but when she stepped out of the kitchen, she heard a commotion in the back. She swung the back door open.

“Anatoli has been shot,” she yelled as she saw Dimitri and Max standing over some guards. “He needs a doctor.”

“Ryan, take Violet and get them out of here. Make sure the doctor is there waiting for you when you return to the house,” Max ordered.

***

Violet was on edge, and seeing the doctor waiting for them didn’t put her at ease. The only thing that would help was knowing Anatoli was going to live.

“Everything is going to be alright, Vi,” Simon stated as he sat next to her.

“Thank you for helping me get him out of there.”

“You really love him?”

“With everything I have. I can’t imagine my life without him.”

“I’m sorry I’m not that guy, but as long as he makes you happy and takes care of you, I can live with that.”

Violet smiled at him. It had been a while since she had enjoyed Simon’s friendship. Their relationship had been complicated.

They’d started out as friends, and then they started stealing kisses…and then he started working for her father, and she couldn’t trust him anymore.

“I’m sorry for everything I helped him put you through,” Simon said.

“I’ll forgive you if you stick around. I asked Max to make sure your family was safe, and he sent some men over to watch them.”

“Thank you.”

“Violet?” the doctor interrupted.

“Is he okay?”

“He isn’t out of the woods yet. He lost a lot of blood and part of his liver, but if there are no complications, he’ll recover.

“The next few hours are going to be important. I may have to take him to a hospital. I can only do so much here.”

Violet nodded. “Can I see him?”

“Yes, but he may not be awake long.”

Violet didn’t care. She just wanted to listen to him breathe and hold his hand.

***

Violet didn’t remember falling asleep. She suddenly woke up to someone smoothing her hair. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

“Toli, you’re awake!”

She gently climbed into the bed next to him.

“I love you. I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, and you got hurt,” she told him.

“It’s not your fault, love.”

Violet smiled. “You never call me ~love~ in English.”

“It’s time I say it to you more often. I love you, Violet, and when I can get up, I want to marry you, and I want to have children with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I thought I was going to die, and my biggest regret was not showing you how much I love you and not giving you the family that you want and we deserve.”

Violet buried her face in his neck and held him.

“I’d love to be your wife.”

Anatoli intertwined his hand with hers. “Good, because I don’t want anyone else but you.”

“Thank you for always being there for me. And thank you for taking care of my father.”

“He had caused me too much pain, and he deserved to die way before he killed my parents.”

He placed a finger on her lips, knowing she was about to apologize.

“Just kiss me,” he whispered to her. Violet smiled and leaned into him, relishing the feeling of kissing him.

He pulled her close, but Violet pulled back instead of continuing.

“You’re injured. You have to heal first.”

“I’m healed enough.”

Violet let out a laugh. You’re insatiable.”

“Only when I’m with you.”

***

Anatoli was moving around after a few days.

He seemed to be recovering fast, and Violet was happy with his progress, especially since he didn’t have to leave the house and spend time in a hospital.

“I don’t like the way Simon looks at you, or how close the two of you are,” he told her one day.

“You have nothing to worry about. He’s a person who is trying to right his wrongs. I told him you are the only one for me,” she said as she walked away.

Anatoli couldn’t recall the last time he was jealous, but now that was all he felt when he looked at Simon.

“We have to get rid of him. He can’t stay here,” Anatoli said to Max.

“Someone is jealous,” Max teased.

“No, I don’t trust him. There’s something off about him.”

“Admit it. You’re jealous.”

“Fine, I am. But there’s still something off about him. I don’t trust him.”

Max and Dimitri continued to tease Anatoli about being jealous. They were happy to finally see their friend in love and ready to settle down.