Page 72 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“It’s about Leo Sokolov, about what started all of this,” I say.

“It was a territorial dispute,” Nico replies. “Aleks said that much.”

I sigh deeply. “Aleks didn’t tell you everything. I don’t know if he was just ashamed or what, but he didn’t tell you everything.”

Chance’s brow furrows. “Ashamed? Of what?”

“When I was ten, our father brokered a peace between our two families. I can’t remember much about that day, except when they came out of that meeting, my brother was furious when our father introduced me to Leo. I was supposed to marry him once I came of age.”

The blood drains from their faces. The shame I’m feeling isn’t really mine. I never had a say in any of this.

“What?” Chance exhales deeply.

“I was promised to Leo, a marriage that would unite the families and keep the peace,” I reply. “I couldn’t tell anyone about it.”

“Your father probably wanted to protect the engagement from some other interfering third party,” Nico grumbles. “And it sounds like Aleks hated the idea. The Bratva was pretty fractured and shaky at the time. Some of the smaller families were turning against one another. Two big ones, like the Sokolovs and the Asimovs, coming together in marriage would’ve caused some of the smaller sharks to make a violent play.”

“I remember Aleks telling me that,” I say. “I never wanted it. I became more and more miserable about the whole arrangement over the years as I approached adulthood, and their business relationship kept souring, anyway.”

Booker runs a hand through his dark wavy hair. “Then what led to Dalton? If you were Leo’s betrothed, why would he want you dead?”

“Aleks convinced our father to break off the engagement,” I say. “He offered Leo thirty percent of our business territory instead. And Leo said yes, though we should have known he’d betray us.”

“You never told us anything about this,” Nico says.

I can only shrug in response. “Honestly, I’m not sure why I kept quiet. Either Aleks made me promise, or I was just as embarrassed or afraid. Either way, I tried everything over the years to get out of it. Running away. Rebelling. That didn’t work. My mother once kept me locked in my room for weeks… you and Aleks were overseas. I think that’s why he got discharged and came back.” I tremble as I keep piecing my memories together, surprised by how smoothly they are coming now. “He was determined to get me out of that wretched deal, one way or another.”

“Your mother was always a rigid traditionalist,” Chance scoffs. “And your father… don’t even get me started.”

“They weren’t the best parents, I’ll admit.” I sigh deeply. “But they never would’ve married me off to the guy if they’d known what a fucking monster he really was. It wasn’t until Dalton that they all realized, and then it was too late.”

Flashbacks flood my brain, forcing me to clamp my eyes shut as I struggle to calibrate my breathing. My head hurts again, though I’m not forcing these memories to come back. They’re returning on their own, as violent as the moments I lived through.

The fear.

The horror.

The look of death in the eyes of those I loved most.

My mother, lifeless in a pool of her own blood. My father’s head. Barely anything left of it. My brother…

“Oh, God,” I burst into tears. “I’ve caused all this. I should’ve just married that bastard.”

“No!” Nico steps in and scoops me into his arms, then pulls me into his lap. I lay soft in his embrace, comforted by his body heat, while his brothers gently hold and caress me. I shudder and let it all out, sobbing relentlessly as they pull me close. “No, Anya, you deserved to make your own choice, and Aleks fought hard for your freedom. It came at a cost, but your brother died a hero.”

“You had no business marrying Leo Sokolov,” Chance adds. “He probably would’ve gotten rid of your family either way. By marrying you, he would’ve had easier access to your fortune—legally speaking. But Dalton worked just as well. It was messier, though he still got what he wanted.”

“Not really,” Booker chimes in.

I look up at him. “What do you mean?”

“From what we’ve learned, Leo doesn’t have complete and indisputable control over the Asimov territories and assets,” he says. “You’re still alive. Your grandmother is still alive.”

“My grandmother,” I mumble.

Instantly, I’m back in that dark room, being told to keep away from the windows or they might see us. The old woman with eyes like mine. She embodied safety and kindness, sturdiness, resilience, the kind of resilience I wasn’t sure I had myself.

“And possibly a few others,” Nico adds. “On top of that, Leo hasn’t been able to kill all of your father’s lieutenants and enforcers. Dozens are still hiding, very much alive, presumably waiting for someone to come back and take charge of the family.”

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