Page 20 of Bratva Hostage

Before I can answer, one of Grigor’s men steps into the room. One look at him, and I’m instantly at attention. Something is wrong. “We have news from the estate. It seems Thorne’s men made a move just after Mr. Barkov left the mansion.”

My heart kicks up. “Cecily—?”

The guard holds up a hand. “She’s fine. They never got close. Our people intercepted them near the perimeter. Four men, heavily armed. We took them down, but one escaped. The rest are either dead or in custody.”

I let out a low breath, but Seraphina pales. I’m on my meet, already reaching for my phone. “I need to check in with Maksim or Aleksei. Do we know if Thorne was nearby?”

“Unclear,” the guard replies. “Could’ve been a test run, or they planned to create a diversion and grab Cecily in the confusion.”

Seraphina presses a hand to her chest. “He won’t stop until he has her back.”

Grigor moves to her side and places a reassuring palm on her shoulder. I’m already dialing Aleksei. It rings twice before he answers.

“I assume you heard,” he says in answer.

“I did. Cecily’s safe?”

“She’s safe,” he confirms. “Rattled, but she’s unharmed. We lost one guard to a bullet wound, but he’s stable for now. Somehow, they knew none of us were home. They wouldn’t have struck otherwise, I suspect. I came straight here after I heard.”

“Where is she?”

“In her room, under watch. She’s not happy about it, but I won’t risk her wandering off. Thorne’s men could have more allies nearby.”

I rake a hand through my hair. “I’ll head back immediately.”

“We need to make a decision, Dimitri. Thorne won’t give up. He’ll keep trying, and every attempt puts us all at risk.”

I close my eyes for a moment, bracing for what he’s about to say. “I know.”

Grigor goes stiff; he’s clearly following my side of the conversation. I hang up and turn to him. “They’re going to push for a more permanent solution.”

Seraphina’s gaze moves between us. “What does that mean?”

I swallow, then force the words out. “I think it’s time we discussed an arranged marriage for Cecily. If she’s a Barkov, Thorne can’t move against her without declaring open war. He’d be outmatched.”

Seraphina’s jaw drops, and she sucks in a gasp. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” I answer. “It may be the only way to ensure your father steps back.”

“That might work politically, but what makes you think my sister would go along with that?”

“We’re not talking about her feelings. We’re discussing strategy.”

“She’ll hate this. When Father bartered me away to Grigor, she was devastated. Now you’re asking me to get on board with putting her through the same thing?”

I can’t deny the parallels, so I don’t even try. “It’s not ideal, but it could save her life. Thorne uses fear as a weapon. If Cecily is under our name, he’ll have no choice but to stand down or face all of us.”

Seraphina crosses her arms. “You know how she’ll react. She’ll fight you every step of the way.”

“I’m aware.”

“And I suppose you’d be the blushing room in this arrangement?”

“You think I enjoy forcing this on her? I don’t. But we’re running out of options. She won’t stay put, and Thorne is escalating his attacks.”

Grigor steps between us. “Calm down, both of you. We need to figure out how to handle this without making Cecily feel like a pawn again.”

I release a frustrated breath. “I’ll talk to her. I’m not going to drag her to the altar at gunpoint. I’ll explain the situation, try to make her see there’s no better solution.”

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