Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(51)

Petr kisses my temple and whispers something I don’t catch, because I’m too deep in the memories.

“Anyway, things got worse. One day, after he’d hurt me more than usual, I just left and went to the police. They took a report, told me I needed to get help – and spoke to him. That’s it. Told him I talked to them. That did not go over so well. I couldn’t walk for a couple of days after that round. I’d always had a love-hate relationship with my mom, but she knew something was up. She slipped me a note during one of my supervised visits where Jake was with us. The next time we met, I gave her a note telling her what was going on.

“Jake, of course, eventually found out, and I wasn’t allowed to see her anymore. He started picking up Todd from school and telling my mom if she did anything to help me, Todd wasn’t coming home one day. Four years ago, I just … snapped one day. He went to work. I took my car, my cash and what clothes I could carry, went to Todd’s school, and drove away as fast as I could. Called my mother a month later. She was certain we were dead. She gave me the number for an old attorney friend of my father’s, Simon.” I pause, regretting the whole mess and wishing I’d had a better plan or way out. I’d done what I knew to do, which was simply to get away.

“Is your mother okay?” Petr asks. There’s a note of controlled anger in his tone. He’s holding me gently, but he’s tense, too.

“Yeah. Jake … liked her. Or maybe he knew I’d always call her someday, and that’s how he could find me. He never hurt her, just threatened her against going to the police. He was involved with some really bad stuff, drug trafficking and such. I told Simon everything I had learned about his operations during the time I was with him. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to tip off the federal authorities that were missing pieces of the puzzle about who was doing it. Long story short, they started investigating.

“I imagine that’s another reason why Jake won’t just leave me alone. He figured out pretty fast I sold him out. He found us twice the first year and once the second, once the third … twice this year,” I drift off. My breathing is off, and I find myself reaching for my face and the bruises that were there five months ago, before desperation led me out of Jake’s comfort zone of the south and here to Massachusetts. “He just won’t stop.”

“These are defensive wounds,” Petr says, taking one wrist and rolling it to display the scars along my forearm.

“Yeah. He used a knife last time. He was trying to get Todd. I don’t even really know how we got away … I was in such bad shape.”

“You’ve been waiting all this time for the investigation to put him away.”

“Yeah. I called Simon yesterday, because I …” I drift off, a little embarrassed.

Petr kisses me on the cheek. “Why?”

“Because I’m tired of running. You make me want to take a chance and live, and I couldn’t do that until Jake was off the street,” I say in a trembling voice. “Because I really, really wanted to go to dinner with you.”

He’s quiet, holding me against his strong frame.

“Is that stupid? I wanted my nightmare to be over, so we could go to dinner?” I ask.

“No, Claudia.”

With effort, I steady my breathing and stop shaking. Petr is patient and quiet, allowing me time to recover.

“I’ve never been drawn to someone like I am you, Petr,” I say when I’m calm enough once more. “You’ve been so good to Todd, and you’ve been so patient with me.”

He chuckles. “You’re worth waiting for.”

I twist in his lap to see his face. A shadow hangs over his features, and there’s anger in his gaze. He manages to smile at me. I touch his scruffy cheek.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” I whisper, admiring his profile.

“Thank you for telling me.” He touches his forehead to mine. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“I want an us, too, Petr. This is the first step.”

“I’m sorry for your pain, Claudia. I won’t let anything happen to you again. Ever.”

I smile at him. I’m raw once more, in turmoil after reliving the nightmare of Jake and so filled with warm, joyous emotion towards Petr, I can’t process it. I don’t like feeling vulnerable or out of control, but with Petr, I feel safe.

Our relationship is beginning and already feels permanent and too natural not to last.

He holds me for a while longer. I can tell what I’ve revealed troubles him. I don’t know what to tell him to make it better when it disturbs me equally as much. The only victory I have is knowing The Monster will be in jail come Monday, and my life will Petr begins today.

“Can you ice skate?” Petr asks in a lighter tone.

“No.”

“I’ll teach you.”

I start to smile, giddy at the idea of spending the weekend with him.



An hour later, we’re out of bed and walking hand in hand through the mansion. He stops me to sneak kisses, and I hug him readily, unable to take my hands off him when we’re so close. Some of the houseguests are up while the majority are either still in bed on the snowy Christmas morning or congregating in the common rooms.

We head out back only to find another foot of snow blocking the ice rink. Petr pauses beside a blazing bonfire on the veranda, and we gaze out over the snow-covered backyard.