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“No, he probably doesn’t.”
“Probably doesn’t or doesn’t?” Danil asks as he takes out his gun and checks it’s loaded.
“Please don’t kill anyone,” I say seriously. “That’s my family I’m leading you to.”
“As long as they haven’t killed or hurt Arseny, and they let him go to us, then this will all be over,” Kervyn explains.
I look back at Luka, who smiles reassuringly. “I’m sure he’s giving them hell.”
We drive for half an hour. Half an hour of fretting about whether Arseny is alive or dead. Whether he’s being tortured or just being held hostage. I wonder what my father will do. Will he be proud of Darius? Will he commend him? Or will he be disappointed for doing something that wasn’t on his orders? I’d like to think it was the last one.
“There up ahead. That’s my father's car. That’s them standing outside.” I point. “Please don’t just start shooting people.”
“We don’t just shoot people,” Kervyn says tersely.
His tires squeal when he suddenly breaks. My family turns around to look at them. They draw their guns while Kervyn and his two brothers get out of the car and draw their weapons, too.
I climb out of the car, and my father’s jaw drops. “Elena, what are you doing with these Milov men? Have you betrayed your family?”
“It’s not me who betrayed our family, but Darius has, Father,” I say, walking toward him, away from the car. “Darius has been ordering hits using your name and causing tension and war between the families.”
Darius looks at me. “Shut up, you blood traitor.”
“You will not speak to my daughter like that,” my father snaps. “What do you mean, ordering hits?”
“Uncle Emery, she’s been sleeping with this Milov for weeks now. You can’t trust anything that comes out of her mouth.” Darius takes a step toward me, pulling out his gun. “She will say anything to save him.”
“I want to save him, yes. But I want to save him without betraying my family.”
“Let my brother go, Sokolov. We can sort this out man to man,” Kervyn calls.
“Lower your guns first, Milov,” my father demands.
I can see Arseny wriggling behind my cousin. He has a dark bruise on his face, and his mouth is bloody. “Give it up, Darius, you’re busted. You bought the butchers under my father's name to do a power play against the Milovs. You’re the one who started all this.”
“I have done nothing but what is best for this family my entire life, you little wench. What do you know about it?” He raises his gun to me. “Now, are you going to stand there and be a blood traitor, or will you choose your family's side?”
“I choose my side,” I shout. “Arseny and I are in love and want to be together. I know that’s not what everyone wants to hear, but that’s what’s gonna happen.”
Darius cocks his gun. “Then die a traitor.”
Suddenly, Arseny frees his arms and lunges forward to tackle Darius as he fires off a shot at me. I actually feel it whizz by, and my heart races.
Arseny is restricted by the chair still attached to his legs as Darius pushes him off and gets up, pointing the gun at me again. I see my father move his weapon to aim at Darius. “No one shoots at Elena.”
He pulls the trigger, and Darius goes down. My father looks at the scene sadly while I go to Arseny. I whip the knife out from under my skirt, still covered in Darius’ blood. I cut through the cable ties, holding his legs to the chair, and help him stand so I can hug him.
“You’re an idiot for coming,” he says, kissing my forehead.
“You’re an idiot for thinking my father would meet with you after you kidnapped me,” I shoot back.
Kervyn clears his throat, and we look at them. They’ve lowered their guns, and my family has lowered theirs. I can see the sadness etched in Sevan’s face as he looks at his dead brother. He shouldn’t have had to see this.
But this is what the family is about, and you cannot escape it.
I turn to my father. “What now?” I ask.
“Now your little boyfriend better make a real appointment to come give me his proposal to see you.” He looks at Kervyn. “I assume you are happy with that.”
