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“It’s okay, serdtse,” I tell Katarina, whose face is white with shock. I’m not an idiot. I need to give my men time to take their places while also protecting her and the baby.
“Step away. You have to stay safe. “
She shakes her head, tightening her grip on my hand. She’s not budging, even as her parents are ordering her to move aside.
“Move away,” I tell her as well.
Even though she’s not aware of my backup plan, her resistance buys me time. One of my top rules is to never leave the house without protection. It’s true that this visit happened faster than I would’ve liked, but sometimes, I’m forced to take risks.
“Kata, do as we say,” her mother barks.
“Listen to your mother, Katarina,” her father orders, his voice carrying the authority of a pakhan.
“You,” Katarina hisses, fire burning in her green eyes. Her beautiful face is now distorted by anger, and with her blonde hair flowing around her, she looks like a modern-day Valkyrie, ready to prevent the injustice she’s seeing. “How can you be so fucking blind to the truth? You call yourselves my parents, but if you truly loved me, you’d listen to what I’m trying to tell you. I’m safe because of Nik. Yakov Gargarin drugged me and tried to kidnap me. He told me all the horrible things he’d do to me. But he didn’t get a chance, because Nikolai Volkov stopped him. He kept me locked away, yes, but he made me comfortable and was gentle with me. And he’s now trying to keep you and the Gargarins from blowing up the whole city. He’s not the bad guy here. He’s the goddamn hero, and you just refuse to acknowledge it!”
For the shortest of seconds, I lose control over my neutral expression. My mouth falls open in surprise. I had no idea she saw me that way.
Katarina lowers her hand to her belly, protectively covering it. “He’s going to be my husband and the father of my child. If you hurt him, I swear to God I’ll never forgive you. I’ll make it my life’s mission to destroy you. All of you!”
At the same time, her mother utters a sharp, “No!”
Katarina glances at her annoyedly. “Yes,” she hisses. “I’m pregnant, and I’m staying with him.”
Her mother’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. When the words finally come to her, she says, “Think about your reputation.”
“My reputation?” Katarina shoots back. “I’ve been paraded around like a prize for the last few years, dangled in front of Father’s business partners on more than one occasion. Who do you think cares about my ruined reputation?”
With every spoken word, Dimitri seems to deflate. His anger is overshadowed by Katarina’s icy cold accusations and her scathing tone. She does know how to dole out grievances.
Dimitri’s shoulders sink. He glances at his sons.
“Lower your guns,” he orders.
I carefully look around the room at the weapons pointed at me. They all obey, except for Igor. That’s fine. I can easily fight him off before my men get here. He’s only one person, after all, and it wouldn’t be the first time I kicked his ass.
“But, Papa . . . Are you sure?” he asks, his finger itching to pull the trigger. “We finally have him.”
Dimitri looks at his oldest son. “It was different when they were just engaged,” he tells him. “Katarina’s carrying his baby. He’s the father of your niece or nephew, of my grandchild. He’s family now. No one is to touch him. Is that clear?”
“But the baby isn’t born yet,” Igor insists. “We can still fix this.”
As quick as the lightning, Dimitri lunges at his son, yanking the gun out of his hand, turning it around, and smacking him on the head with its butt. I can’t help but admire the older man’s agility. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling. That asshole deserved it.
“Ow!” Igor cries, tentatively touching the bleeding spot. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t you dare ever suggest that again,” Dimitri hisses. “Katarina clearly wants her baby. They are our family, whether they are born yet or not.”
With this new development, I allow myself to take a small, steadying breath. A smirk spreads across my lips. It’s amusing, seeing this new side of Dimitri. He seems as much a predator in business as a protector of his family.
Katarina steps up to me and puts her arms around my neck. I pull her close, grateful that we managed to avoid a scene where she could’ve gotten hurt. At least one part of this nightmare is over.
However, this still doesn’t change the fact that they pulled guns on me. I’m not ready to forget that they intended to kill me or that they put Katarina in danger.
Katarina pulls away but stays glued to my hip. When Dimitri comes up to me, she tries to position herself between me and her father. But I don’t let her. Not again.
“I guess sometimes, love comes at the most unexpected of times,” Dimitri says. “A new baby is a gift. Now more than ever, we should stand together. What do you say, Nikolai? Are you ready to bury the hatchet and bring our two families together once and for all?”
I narrow my eyes at his extended hand.
