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“Is she here?” he asks, probably wanting to see Katarina coming out of the car rather than me.
“She is,” I inform him, and open the car door, offering her my hand.
Katarina’s fingers curl around mine as I help her out, and her eyes immediately snap to Igor.
“What happened?” she demands, no doubt taking in the many cuts and bruises on her brother’s face.
I move to take my place next to Katarina, shielding her, especially against her unpredictable brother. He’s a wild card if I ever saw one. His obsession with Gargarin’s daughter brought an entire army to Sokolov’s door, and it’s not something to be taken lightly.
“Glad you’re so worried about Father,” Igor comments dryly.
Katarina purses her lips. “Will you let me see him or not?”
Igor hesitates, his expression twisting as if he’s about to start an argument. Wisely, I step in.
“That’s why we’re here,” I interject. “We were invited, weren’t we?”
“He’s been asking for her,” Igor confirms with a nod, and addresses the both of us. “He’s in bed. Mother’s watching over him. Make it short because we don’t know how much longer he can hang in there.”
My expression remains blank and unyielding, and I hide the fury that’s coursing through my veins. I want nothing more than to put this punk in his place. But now’s not the time. I have to focus on Katarina. She needs this to go well.
“Let’s go,” I tell her, and place my hand on the small of her back.
“Not so fast,” Igor interjects, stepping in our way. “Father only wants to see her.”
“I’m not letting her go alone,” I say calmly, but with enough bite in my words for him to know I’m serious.
Katarina turns to me. She rests her hand on my chest, her green eyes pleading with mine. “We don’t have time for this, Nik. He’s not doing well. Your presence could make things even worse.”
“He can wait with Mikhail, Aleksander, and me,” Igor says. “We’ll be in the living room.”
“You promise that nothing will happen to him?” Katarina asks her brother, but her eyes are still on me. “You swear to me.”
“Nothing,” Igor hisses, and I appreciate the finality in his voice. “Now, can we please go inside? We don’t have all day.”
Katarina nods, and when I make a move to follow her inside, she stops me.
“It’s okay, Nik,” she whispers, and places a light kiss on my cheek. “They’ll keep their word. “
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I whisper back, and put a protective hand over her midsection.
“It’ll be okay,” she says, trying to reassure herself just as much as me.
Igor didn’t ask to take my guns away. If they try to pull something on me, I’ll be taking as many of them with me as I can.
“Call out if you need anything,” I instruct her in a strained voice. “I’ll be close by.”
She nods and walks up the stairs, leaving me alone with Igor.
“This way,” Igor tells me, once Katarina is out of view.
I follow him to the spacious living room. Aleksander and Mikhail stand up when I enter, surprise evident on both their faces. The boys are young, still in their early twenties, with so much ahead, they have to survive a war their brother brought on their family.
“Nikolai,” Mikhail greets me, catching me by surprise and extending his hand for me to shake. It looks like the youngest brother has the best manners.
“I wish the circumstances were different,” I tell him as I shake his hand. “I’m sorry about what you’re going through.”
Igor mutters something under his breath, but I decide not to pay him any heed. No need to poke the angry bear.
