MASHA As I turned to walk away, Nik crouched beside Matt, his expression dark. “Consider this your only warning,” Nik said quietly, his voice laced with menace. “You show your face near Masha again, and it won’t be a baseball bat next time.” He punctuated his words with a final punch to Matt’s face, the impact sending his head snapping back. Ivan, who had been watching silently, finally spoke. “Enough.” He motioned toward the driveway, where headlights illuminated the arrival of the ambulance. Two medics rushed out with a stretcher, their faces pale as they took in Matt’s bloodied, broken form. “He deserves worse!” Nik growled but I held him back, “He’s a sick bastard who doesn’t deserve your time. Come on!” With that, I grabbed my brother’s arm and began pulling him back toward th

