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Sergey doesn’t reply. Instead, he takes the empty seat across the table. Since there are only two chairs—occupied by him and me—Yakov has no other choice but to stand behind his father. I don’t bother acknowledging the asshole, knowing the subtle insult will piss him off even more.
“You got my message,” Sergey says, referring to the threats to Katarina and our baby.
I decide it’s best to ignore this for now and try to strike a semblance of a conversation. “It wasn’t us who burned your bar down,” I state directly. “But we did kill the men who did it.”
There’s a surprised expression on Sergey’s face, which he quickly conceals.
“So, what are you suggesting, Mr. Volkov?” he demands, his nostrils flaring. “Do you want us to pretend that the last few months didn’t happen? Igor didn’t violate my daughter, you didn’t ally yourself with the Sokolovs, you didn’t nearly kill my son, and you didn’t plan on attacking my bar only to realize someone beat you to it. Is that it?”
“No,” I reply, narrowing my eyes at him. “All those things happened. However, I believe you jumped the gun a little. Igor simply slept with Anastasiya. He didn’t rape her, and it’s the two of them who should settle things, not you.”
“Is that what you think?” Sergey demands. “My daughter’s carrying the devil’s spawn, and he refuses to take responsibility for his actions.”
My brows fly high up into my hairline. No matter how hard I try, I can’t hide the surprise on my face. “Anastasiya’s pregnant?” I ask, as if I need any more clarification.
He nods solemnly. “She is.”
“Then I’ll personally make sure that Igor grows a pair and does his duty,” I reply. “What should we do about your son drugging my fiancée?”
“He was just having some fun with the girl. It’s hardly worth discussing it again. Besides, you’ve already beaten his sorry ass,” Sergey replies smoothly, but his tense neck betrays him. “However, I’m not happy about the alliance between you and the Sokolovs.”
“With your daughter pregnant, you’ll enter into the same agreement with them as I have,” I tell him. “Dimitri and I are far from friends, but as you well know, Katarina’s pregnant. When I marry her, the Sokolovs will become my family. I assume Igor and Anastasiya will follow the same path.”
“My daughter deserves a man better than Sokolov’s heir,” Sergey counters, his eyes narrowed.
I smirk at him. “She’s pregnant. There’s no way out. She should’ve thought about her honor before she opened her legs for him.”
Unable to control himself, Yakov Gargarin loses his cool.
“You dare to insult my sister!” he seethes. He clenches his hands into fists, his entire body trembling with anger.
I shrug. “I didn’t insult her. I simply pointed out that she knew the consequences of her actions and still decided to sleep with Igor. Besides,” I lean forward, my lips curling up into a smirk I know will infuriate them both, “how can you even be sure the baby is Igor’s?”
Just like I predicted, Yakov loses his temper again. Without looking back, he charges at me like a raging bull. I get up so fast that my chair tips backward. Yakov’s momentum is too strong for him to stop as he flies past his father and over the table at me. I easily side-step him, reaching out my hand in time to grab his neck and slam him against the ground.
Before Sergey or any of his men can react, my men have their guns pointed at the Gargarins. I could have them all killed right here and now. I could end this once and for all. There’s a certain kind of beauty in the power I wield, but there’s also an opportunity to make them indebted to me by sparing their lives.
“This is a setup,” Sergey hisses.
“It is,” I confirm. “You’re lucky it’s my setup because if it was anyone else’s, you’d be dead by now. But since it’s mine, I’m going to give you a fair chance to get your ass out of here in one piece. All of you.”
Sergey narrows his green eyes at me. “What’s the catch?”
The corners of my mouth lift in a wicked smile. “Since your son here wants to punch me so badly, I’m challenging him to fight for his life. One on one. The last man standing wins.”
“And if I say no?” Sergey asks.
I don’t need to reply. The sound the gun makes when Roman cocks it is answer enough. I meet Sergey’s gaze and lift my brows in question. “Your choice, Gargarin.”
He glares at me for several moments until he nods. His choice has already been made. His son’s a dead man either way, but at least now, Gargarin and his men have a chance of getting out of here alive. Or so they believe. While information is a powerful currency, hope is a tool I’m more than willing to use to get my way.
Right now, Sergey gave me the green light to kill his son without worrying about the consequences. It was Yakov who attacked me first, after all. I have the right to kill them all, and yet, I’m showing him mercy and putting them in my debt by only taking one life. It’s what I wanted in the first place.
Death’s the only fitting punishment for going after my girl. The time for Yakov’s sentencing has come.
FORTY-FIVE
NIKOLAI
