God of Pain (Legacy of Gods #2)(102)

That must be Annika Volkov.

The girl Eli was giving Creighton shit about when they talked to Elsa once.

My wife wouldn’t shut up about it that night, retelling me every word with her bright expression and smiley face. She was so happy that her youngest was finally finding love.

She’d assumed both our boys would die alone and she wouldn’t have any grandchildren but was happy to be proved wrong.

Annika is also apparently the girl who shot my son.

The one who stabbed him in the back when it mattered the most.

I approach her with powerful strides. She doesn’t sense me, seeming too focused on the other side to notice her surroundings.

When I stop behind her, I can hear what she’s whispering in a brittle voice.

“I’m sorry…so sorry… Please wake up… If you do…if you do, I don’t mind if you kill me. I’m so sorry, Creigh…so sorry.”

“Is that all you have to say after what you’ve done?”

She flinches, and slowly turns around to face me, her eyes wide, her cheeks tear-streaked, and I realize exactly what she is.

Annika Volkov is the missing piece that’s forbidding Creighton from waking up, and I’ll do anything to get my son back.





31





ANNIKA





I shouldn’t be here.

If Papa finds out I’ve come to the hospital, which I’m sure he will, considering the thousand and one guards he brought with him—Kolya included—I’m done for.

But I managed to sneak out in disguise while everyone was busy.

I had to see Creighton one final time before I’m dragged back to the US.

I had to hear the machines beeping, signaling that he’s alive.

But he’s not awake.

From what little info Remi fed me, his condition gets more complicated the longer he stays in a vegetative state.

Remi is the only one who talks to me, secretly, monotonically, even. Like everyone else, he hates me for putting his friend and cousin in this state, but he also said, “I understand that you did it to save your brother, but I still don’t like you right now.”

That’s okay.

As long as I’m updated about Creighton, I don’t care if I’m disliked, hated, or downright tortured for what I’ve done.

And I think that’s exactly what will happen as I stare into Aiden King’s soulless gray eyes. They’re so much like Eli’s, both in their terrifying edge and in color, that it’s absolutely horrifying.

Actually, no. Eli’s are probably tamer in comparison.

After all, Aiden is the father, and he seems to have seen the world with those merciless eyes.

“I asked you a question, Miss Volkov. Do you believe apologizing is what you’re supposed to be doing after you shot my son?”

My spine jerks upright, half due to the shock of hearing his ruthless, deep voice and half due to the information he just divulged.

He knows.

I thought Ava said they weren’t going to tell Creighton’s parents the truth. Or maybe they just meant his mom.

Not that I mind. If paying the price for what I’ve done will bring Creighton back, I’ll turn myself in. Hell, I’ll do it even if he doesn’t wake up.

I made a mistake and I’ll own up to it.

But my family, namely Papa and Jeremy, would never allow me to do that.

“I…” No other words come out. It’s as if my tongue is tied.

“You’re what?” Aiden closes in on me, and even though he doesn’t invade my personal space, my heart flounders to the ground under the force of his intimidation.

Now, I can see how Eli and Creighton became who they are. It’s a given with a father like this man.

He appears elegant and has the poshest British accent, but deep down, he’s cutthroat and utterly scary. A little like my father and all the other members of the Bratva.

Only, he isn’t a mafia man, which makes his personality downright scary.

“You have the nerve to show your face here after what you’ve done?”

I shake my head, try but fail to keep my posture upright. “He stabbed my brother and I thought he was going to kill him, so I…couldn’t… I just couldn’t watch without doing something.”

“All I hear are excuses.” He glares down his nose at me. “You could’ve done any number of things instead of shooting, such as physically stopping him or asking Landon and Remington, who were both present, to subdue him, but you chose to take away his life. You chose the easiest and bloodiest option.”

“No…” My lips tremble and moisture stings my eyes. “I didn’t have time. Jeremy could’ve died.”

“And what’s so important about your brother? Does his life have more value than my son’s?”

“I didn’t say that…”

“You obviously thought it when you pulled that trigger.” His voice becomes blank, so emotionless that I shudder. “Is it not enough that your parents traumatized him as a child? Are you picking up where they left off and ending the life he fought so hard for?”

“Please…stop…” My voice chokes. “Please…”

“Why should I? So you’ll feel better about what you’ve done? So you’ll get rid of the guilt and live your life as if my son never existed?”