108. Hits

108. Hits
Nikolay

After leaving Margaret with my sister and Kate, I couldn't help but feel uneasy, like a strange premonition in my stomach.

I was sure it wasn't paranoia; it was a feeling I had often when danger was looming, and I hoped none of our enemies would dare to ruin my wife's vacation, because they would have to deal with me.

I was capable of pulling out someone's teeth one by one if they interfered.

I tried to relax and called Will; he could surely cover for me for a few days while I stayed close to Margaret, just in case.

I left the hotel where I was staying, wanting to clear my mind and wondering if it was Jennifer or that idiot Mike lurking around to continue messing with our lives.

I strolled leisurely, contemplating the scenery, but something interrupted my peaceful walk. Someone managed to block me and threw me to the ground roughly.

Seeing that it was Mike, I counted to ten. I had to avoid hurting him by all means, or Margaret would be angry. We hadn't talked about what we would do with him yet, and I didn't want to make a mistake.

"How dare you come back...!"

"Margaret is my wife," I said calmly, staring him down. He was red with anger.

"You left her alone for months, don't come here pretending to be a saint. You only came back when you found out she would have a baby, someone who could inherit all your crap," he spat angrily to the core.

"You're wrong. The love I feel for Margaret is sincere, and I want us to be together," I said convincingly.

"Everything was going smoothly... I was about to win her over, but you..."

"Win her over?" I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Margaret is my sister, but I'm in love with her," he said without blushing, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"That's sick..." I said disgustedly.

"What's sick is that she prefers to be with you," I saw his intentions and confronted him without intimidation.

"Look... I don't care if you're her brother or what you think about my relationship with her, but I won't allow you to disrespect my wife," I raised an eyebrow, staring at him defiantly.

"She'll never be your wife," he retorted.

"More likely she won't be yours, because even though it hurts you, she's my wife, so stay away from my family," I pointed a finger at him, threateningly.

Damn, I wanted to turn him into mush.

"They are also my family, and you're not going to keep me away from them, Russian dog," he looked at me with disdain.

I don't know when things got so complicated, but we started fighting.

I really didn't want to hurt him, but he fought tooth and nail, and so did I. It's true that I knew they were brothers, but I didn't know he loved her. Maybe Margaret would be safer with Mike than with me, but I wasn't going to be without her again.

In the end, I managed to knock Mike unconscious without hitting him too much, so it wouldn't be noticeable that we had fought.

Still, I couldn't leave him lying in the park, so I grabbed him and called the police, restraining the urge to finish him off once and for all.

I sent a message to Margaret, telling her what had happened with her brother. I just hoped she wouldn't hate me too much for this.

I sighed after they took him away and retraced my steps back to the hotel where Margaret was staying with Katia and Kate.

Margaret opened the door wearing a short white nightgown and a matching robe. Her hair was tousled, and she had a worried expression on her face.

She opened the door wider and let me in. Then she closed it behind me and stepped ahead to give me a tight hug, sobbing onto my shoulder.

"What happened?" she inquired.

"I ran into your brother. He came at me, accusing me of a thousand things, and…"

"Did you fight? Was he here because of me?" she asked, her eyes filled with terror.

"I'm sure he was, I'm sorry," I grimaced.

"Why are you apologizing? Mike deserved a good punch and more, so thank you," she sighed, sniffing.

"You won't be mad?" I looked at her curiously.

"No, not at all. I know he's my brother, but what he did to me…" she shook her head, avoiding talking about it.

"I can imagine. He's jealous of me because he says he loves you…"

"Yeah, I didn't tell you earlier because it didn't seem important," she played with the hem of her robe, nervous.

"Well… Now that I know all this, Mike poses a danger to both of us," I looked at her and saw a kind of panic in her eyes.

"I don't think he'll hurt us anymore…" she hesitated, unsure.

"Do you think he'd ever force you to do anything against your will?"

"Nikolay…"

"I just want you to be careful. In fact, I'd prefer if we went back to Moscow…"

"Nikolay, I…"

Margaret bit her lip, and I knew she had something to tell me that she didn't dare to. I figured it was something important that involved where she wanted to live.

We didn't talk about it that afternoon, and I didn't want to pressure her, but Mike still gave me a bad feeling.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" I stroked her arm.

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea to go back to Moscow."

"Why?"

"You have many enemies, and I know of other people who would want to harm us."

"I'll never let anything happen to you, to our baby."

"I know, but let me think about it."

"As you wish," I kissed her forehead.

Margaret smiled at me, seeming very relieved by my response, and I would indeed give her the time she needed.

I was sure that in time I could convince her, and she was right about many things, but I would take care of the matter. In fact, for the first time in my life, the idea of leaving the world of the mafia and drugs and living like a normal person crossed my mind.

Now I had a family to protect, and I wanted my baby, whether a boy or a girl, to have a long and peaceful life.