Page 94 of Darkest Sin
Sasha, Irina, and Ana come into the dining room after a moment. Sasha and Ana both stumble to a halt when they see me.
“Natalya,” Ana exclaims, rushing to me. But before she can give me a hug, Denis steps into her path.
“Sit down,” he orders. Ana stares back at him with defiant eyes. “Do you need me to give you another reminder?” He raises his hand and she flinches. It’s enough to make her sit down. Irina takes the spot beside me while Sasha slowly sits down across from me, eying me with worry.
I know why. If I’m here, then I can’t save her from her impending marriage. I try to give her a smile but I can’t and she knows it. She ducks her face, her expression morphing into anger. Anger at the situation she’s in? Or anger at me for not being able to save her?
Denis claps his hands, drawing everyone’s attention to him. He stands at the front of the dining table, right behind Dad’s seat. Of course. “It’s nice to finally have a family meal for once.”
“We’ve had a lot of family meals together,” Mom snaps. “With my husband, Lev.”
Denis scowls. “Well, Natalya is here. She’s returned home. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
“Why?” Sasha asks. “What happened?”
“Natalya, care to explain?” Denis wants to shame me but I won’t let him.
“I wanted to come home. I missed it.”
Denis grips the back of his chair. “That’s not why you’re here. Tell her. Tell your sisters.”
“I’m good.”
“Tell them!” he shouts, slamming his hand onto the table.
“I said I’m good.”
He stalks around the table towards me and grabs the back of my hair, pulling my head back, exposing my neck.
“Don’t hurt her,” Mom warns.
“Or you’ll do… what, Tatiana? What can you do?” Denis slides his fingers along my throat. “I could easily kill you right now. I have your sisters. I don’t need you.”
“You could. But then we wouldn’t be the family you want,” I grit out.
He smirks down at me before he lets my hair go. I rub my scalp.
“Natalya has a point,” he comments, heading back to his seat. “I want us to be one happy family.”
“How can we be happy when you keep us locked up?” Sasha asks. “When you force us into marriages?”
“Have I forced you, Sasha? I don’t see you married right now.”
“You’re going to force me into one soon. You told me so yourself.”
He holds up a finger. “But you’re not married yet. So stop complaining. You girls should be grateful for the marriage matches I make you. You’ll be the most prominent Bratva women in the entire city, if not the entire world.”
“That’s not what we want,” Sasha grumbles.
“I don’t care. Now, let’s eat.”
It’s then that I notice there’s no silverware on the table. Our housekeeper brings in the food. Bowls of soup. No spoons. Nothing that can be used as a weapon against Denis.
My eyes land on the guard in the corner. His gun is clearly visible. Denis doesn’t have a gun on him. He’s not wearing a jacket and I didn’t see one in his pants. The only place where he could be hiding a gun is strapped to his ankle.
But I’m not worried about Denis shooting me. If he does have a gun strapped to his ankle, it will take longer to get to than the guard’s gun, which is clearly visible in his hands. I need to distract the guard and make a run for it. I grip the comb tighter in my hands. It’s prickly enough that I can use it to hurt him. I just have to wait for the right time.
I watch my sisters pick up their bowls and sip from them. “Have you been eating nothing but soup?”
