PURPLE HEART - Soliders Of Fortune [BOOK TWO]

Chapter FOURTEEN

Maksimillian 'Max' Angeloff

I can barely swallow my intense anger while Viktor holds the front door and we cross the apartment threshold.. Sunday shivers intermittently in my arms, her knuckles pale white where she clings to the lapel of my jacket.. It had taken everything in me not to shove my Sig Sauer down Javier's throat to blow his brains out through his asshole..

But my restraint was not a mercy to the man..

It's was for her... Sunday..

As infuriating as it is, I know that she holds loyalty to the man, though whether it is born out of some kind of affection or more if it is more like Stockholm Syndrome, I honestly couldn't guess..

All I know is the thought of causing even an ounce of pain to Sunny is a crippling agony in and of itself, that I couldn't bring myself to do..

I've never seen such a scared creature, so fragile and caught in the snare of shock.. Her bruises have already begun to blacken and her cheeks burn a flushed pink from over-exposure to the frosty bite of the winter night air..

Verity follows closely behind me as I carry Sunday upstairs to her room where the lamplight from the side table glows a dusty orange.. When I set the damaged doll carefully on the edge of the bed, she wobbles wearily, stabilising herself on flattened palms and in an instant Verity moves to her side..

My sister, in an uncharacteristically gentle manner, purs as she pets Sunday's hand in hers.. "C'mon, Sunny, let's get you cleaned up.." Verity speaks with soft encouragement, much to Viktor's and my own surprise.. I have never seen her show even an ounce of affection to anybody really.. Well, anybody besides myself.. Not to our brother or father, to her supposed 'friends', not even to her past boyfriends..
I had always known the tender heart she would hide deep down, still it is an odd sight, and to see it emerge renders me near speechless.. Now, she is soft as silk in her coddling presence, standing vigilant at Sunday's side..

"A little privacy, Maksim?" She snaps up at me expectantly and I shake my head to lose a storm of stirring thoughts before I take an obliging step away to remove myself.. The last thing I want is to be an imposing, unwelcome presence in the wake of everything that Sunday has suffered tonight..

"No.." Sunny gasps, her hand flying out to snatch at my sleeve to twiddle anxiously at golden monogrammed cufflinks.. "Don't go, Max.. Please-"

"Alright-" I take her delicate hand between mine and squeeze it gently before reaching into my pocket for my phone.. "But I'm gonna call the doctor.."

Sunday shakes her head.. "I don't need a doctor-"

"You have to get checked out, Zayka.." I affirm flatly, growing frustrated by this sweet woman and her total lack of self preservation..

Why won't she allow me to take care of her?

"Just give her some time, Max.." Verity advises as she helps Sunday to her feet.. Supported, she manages to stumble her way across the bedroom to the ensuite door.. As the two slip though the bleached oak frame and I am locked on the other side, my head falls into my hands..