Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
She gave them everything, and they took it proudly, keeping their promise to the very end as they drenched her skin in sin and left her in a thousand pieces that needed to be collected and put together again.
Stone carried her to the shower, passing her gently into Hunter’s arms. “Rest now, precious Lisichka. Let us take care of you.”
The three of them washed her hair and gently bathed her body under the hot spray of water. They carried her back to bed in a thick towel, which was soon replaced with lavish furs they’d warmed by the fire. Hunter pulled her close, and Ash lay between her legs with his head upon her belly. Stone curled into her other side.
“Ya tebya lyublyu, Marigold—tonight, tomorrow, and every day after.”
As she drifted toward sleep, warm and sheltered in their strong arms, she savored the fact that she was finally safe, cherished, and gloriously free.
Chapter 22
Sacred Vows
One month after Jordan’s arrest, they finally got the news Marigold risked her life for. Hunter, Stone, and Ash waited for her in the library, after texting that the lawyer had called.
She found them sitting before the gaping fireplace in a circle of leather chairs, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken possibilities that hung like incense in a cathedral when lifetimes of worry were laid to rest. Outside, snow had begun to fall. Fat, lazy flakes transformed the world beyond the windows into a crystalline wonderland and reality softened at the edges. But inside, the air pulsed with tension.
“What is it? Is Katya okay?”
“She’s perfectly safe,” Stone assured. “As a matter of fact, she just posted pictured from Sardinia.” He flashed his phone screen where Katya posed in a white string bikini against the Mediterranean backdrop.
Hunter growled. “They don’t have dresses in Italy?”
Ash chuckled. “She looks good. Happy.”
Cole must be loving his time off if that was the dress code, Marigold thought.
Katya’s had escaped the winter to visit friends in The States then decided to extend her trip with a vacation off the coast of Italy. It was the first time she’d left since the assault, not counting her time at the clinic, and her brothers were glad to see her back to her former, cheerful self again.
“You said you heard from the lawyer?” More than anything, Marigold feared Jordan would get off on the charges and be set free. She wasn’t worried about him coming after her again. She had her three bears to protect her. But she feared what that might do to Katya’s piece of mind.
“Sit.” Stone ordered, then tacked on a kinder, “Please.”
She dropped into an empty leather chair. “I see your manners are improving as fast as my Russian.”
“Sorry.” He apologized. “That was rude.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re forgiven.”
“I better fucking be.”
She stuck out her tongue, and Stone arched a brow as if accepting her challenge.
“Jordan’s lawyer called this morning,” Ash said, breaking the tension.
“I’ll deal with your attitude later,” Stone promised.
“As I was saying,” Ash’s voice carried the satisfaction of a man who’d waited patiently for justice. “Formal charges have been filed. Between Katya’s testimony and yours, the prosecutors are confident of a conviction.”
The fire crackled in the enormous hearth, casting dancing shadows across faces that had become as familiar to her as her own reflection. They dominated the vaulting space with the casual authority of men who’d never doubted their right to command.
“How long?” Marigold asked, frustrated with the drawn-out sentencing process when Jordan had already pleaded guilty to several charges, but the attorney representing Katya said the case against him was still developing.
“Ten to fifteen years, if he’s extraordinarily lucky,” Hunter’s voice rumbled with deep satisfaction. “More likely twenty to life. Other women have come forward.”
Relief flooded through her like warm honey, but it carried complications in its wake. “When’s the trial?”
“They haven’t set the date.”
“Yet,” Stone said, easing her tension. “But we should have an answer by the end of the day.”
“There’s something we need to discuss,” Ash said gently. “It’s about your family.”
“You’re my family.”
Hunter took her hand. “Yes. But this is about your father,” he said, keeping his tone especially delicate.
Her pulse quickened like a hummingbird’s wings. “Is he sick?” She could tell by their expressions it was something else, so she braced for the worst. “Just tell me. I can take it.”
“He’s officially disowned you,” Hunter said with blunt honesty that could have shattered glass. “He released a statement yesterday calling you mentally unstable and severing all ties. You’re persona non grata in their world now.”
“Oh,” she stared down at her lap, supposing part of her had expected something like this happening. “I guess that’s better than health problems.”
“Fuck his health,” Stone said sharply. “Don’t waste your empathy on that piece of shit.”
The words should have devastated her, should have left her feeling hollow and abandoned, like an empty church on Monday morning. Instead, they felt like the final chains falling away from her ankles, the last prison door swinging open to reveal endless sky.