Page 10 of Savage Bratva King

“What kind of man did you raise me to be?” I swallow at the look of disappointment that flashes into her eyes.

“A leader,” my father interjects before my mother can respond. “A fighter. A pakhan worthy of the family name. Not a lowlife who bargains with little girls.”

It’s a low blow, and Tamara instantly bristles. I can’t see her hands beneath the table, but I instinctively know that they are balled into fists. She and Ivana were little girls when I saved them from a way of life that would’ve seen them dead before they were thirty, and I would rather slit my own throat than barter with their lives.

I wipe my lips with a crisp white napkin. “Is that all, father?”

He motions for me to remain seated. “What do you intend to do with thisprintzessaonce you are finished with her?”

“I will return her to where she belongs, naturally. Once she has served her purpose.”

“This isn’t a game, Leonid.” He narrows his dark eyes at me. “I trust you have thought about the consequences of your actions.”

“No, this isn’t a game. This is war. Didn’t you teach me never to turn a blind eye to an angry poke? I know what I am doing, father. My eyes are wide open, and if the way to checkmate is by taking the opposition’s printzessa, then that’s what I intend to do.”

“Checkmate, printzessa, eyes wide open…” My father waves a finger in the air in a circular motion. “You say that it is war, and then you talk about games.” His accent is more prominent when he is angry. “You put all of us in danger to soothe your pride.”

“This is not about my pride. This is about putting Xander Amory in his place.”

He shakes his head. “In my day, this would have already been resolved. And do you know why?”

I can take a pretty good guess, but I keep quiet.

“Because I had a family to protect. Family comes first. Always.” He inhales deeply. “I have chosen a bride for you. Maybe once you have a family to protect, you will stop moving pawns around a chess board and start acting like the leader I thought you were.”

I refill my glass and swallow the icy liquid in one gulp. The burn doesn’t even touch the sides. “I will choose my own bride when the time is right.”

He dismisses my comment with a wave of his hand. “This is a suitable match. One that I should have considered long ago. The daughter of a powerful ally. It will strengthen our position, and then—” he makes an explosive gesture with his hands “—you will be ready to go to war.”

“I am already at war, father. An Ivanov does not turn his back on his enemy and depend on his wife’s family to back him up.”

“Please, Leonid.” My mother’s voice is little more than a whisper. “Listen to your father. In time, you may grow to love your wife.”

“Like you did with father?” The words slice through the air before I can think about what I’m saying. And right on cue, her face crumples.

Before I can apologize, my father’s fist thumps the table. “Your mother and I have always loved each other. It is a shame that you are too stubborn to see that.”

I glare at him. “Oh, I see it. Why do you think that I’m attacking Xander through his wife and her family? Melissa is his Achilles heel. His weakness. His blind spot. I prefer to remain stubborn and alive.”

I stand, my chair scraping across the polished wooden floor. Tamara stands too, shooting an apologetic glance in my mother’s direction.

“I wish that you would talk about Elena.” My mother has an almost angelic look about her, but she always knows how to stick the knife in and twist until it bleeds. And fuck that name still hurts.

“There is nothing to talk about.” I dig my nails into the palms of my hands. “It was over years ago.”

“But you still feel it in here.” My mother places a hand above her heart. “I worry about you, Leonid.”

I circle the table and lean over my mother to give her a hug. “You have nothing to worry about. I am fine.”

But she clings to my hand, forcing me to look her in the eye. “Never forget that love can also be a strength. It can give you something—or someone—worth fighting for.”

I have never yet met a woman worth fighting for. Not since Elena. And she proved herself unworthy of that honor.

“I will bear it in mind, mother, but I doubt that person will be the daughter of a powerful ally, and I can guarantee that I will win this war without her assistance.” I straighten and make for the door. “Goodnight, Papa.”

He doesn’t try to stop me.

Behind me, I hear Tamara saying goodbye. I imagine my mother embracing the younger woman and whispering in her ear to try talking some sense into me, knowing this is one that she will never win.

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