Sofia

Trigger

Mikhail:

I wake up with one of the worst fucking hangovers of my life.

My skull feels like someone is drilling through it.

I don't even remember how much I drank last night.

After I won the fight, Nikolai and I went out. I didn't stop. I didn't want to stop.

I needed to forget everything. 

Nikolai is passed out on my couch, one arm hanging off the side like a corpse.

Thankfully, Boris went to the library early this morning. He loves that place. Quiet. Different. Far from this shit.

He's getting tired of seeing us like this.

"Fuck," Nikolai groans, pressing a pillow over his face. "How much did we drink?"

"Good morning, sunshine," I mutter.

I drag myself to the kitchen and start the coffee machine. I feel like I need to inject it straight into my veins.

"Dmitri would kill you if he saw you like this," Nikolai says.

"I'm not working today," I answer. "Sofia's staying home to finish a project."

If I showed up at her house like this, Dmitri Sokolov would throw me out in under five seconds.

I toss a piece of bread at Nikolai.

"Eat."

He catches it badly and swears.

"Shit. You need to buy food."

"Yeah. Add it to the list of things I don't have time for."

I sit down across from him.

He watches me for a moment, more serious now.

"You're in deep shit, aren't you?" he says quietly. "With Victor. With all of it."

I don't answer.

"I've got some money saved," he continues. "If you need it—"

"No." The word comes out sharp. "You need that money to survive too."

"I'm tired of Viktor ordering us around like dogs."

"I'll figure it out," I say. "I always do."

A sad smile pulls at his mouth.

"Yeah," he says. "You always do."

My phone rings.

Unknown number.

I almost ignore it.

I shouldn't have.

"Mikhail..." a small, shaking voice whispers.

My body goes rigid.

"Anastasia?"

She's crying.

"Please... can you come get me?"

My heart drops.

"What happened?"

Silence.

Then a broken whisper.

"He hurt me again."

Something inside me snaps. 

I never really cared about anyone.

Not the men in the ring.

Not the assholes Viktor does business with.

The only people who ever mattered were my brother... and Nikolai.