Page 55 of Forcibly Sold to the Bratva
“That’s impossible,” Alexey says.
“Why?” I reply coolly. “Think you’re the only ones with power around here?”
“Arina,” Tikhon says, ignoring me now and focusing entirely on his sister. “Come with us. We’re leaving now. Whatever is going on between you it doesn’t count. He forced you, didn’t he? Come here.” He extends his hand toward me, but I step forward and smack it away.
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” I hiss.
“I’m not,” Arina’s voice, strong and firm, reconfirms what I just said.
Tikhon’s eyes blast open with panic. “Arina, whatever he’s told you about us—”
“He didn’t have to tell me anything,” she interrupts, and I turn to see tears falling down her face. “I just heard it from your own mouth. God, I was such a fool to believe you ranrestaurants,” she says with venom.
Tikhon’s expression softens with guilt. “Arina, please. You’re my sister. Let me explain.”
“I don’t want explanations,” she says, backing away until she’s standing right behind me, not wanting to see their faces.
Tikhon then turns to face me, his skin red with rage. “She’s coming home with us. Now.”
“No,” I say simply. “She’s not.”
Andrei steps forward. “She’s our sister.”
“And she’s my wife,” I counter. “Legally. Officially. And she’s staying with me.”
“Why?” Alexei chokes. “Why her?”
“Because of what you did to Nikandr. To Lilibeth,” I hiss.
Behind me, I feel Arina stiffen. Of course. She still doesn’t know. While she might have heard what she did, there are still details, gory and dark, that I’ve tried to keep her from.
Her heart is broken enough today. I don’t want to cause more misery.
I look at each brother as I speak. “I have two dozen men parked outside. If you try to take her or harm us, you won’t havea way out. Today, assholes, you aren’t walking away with what you want.”
With that, I turn and take Arina’s hands. She’s so shocked that she feels like a puppet. Blindly, she follows as I lead her out of the restaurant, leaving her brothers helpless and furious in the face of my threats.
Outside, Arina is silent beside me as we walk to my car. I open the door for her, and she slides in without a word.
I get in beside her and take a look at her face. I expected to feel differently, but the satisfaction I dreamt of feeling when the truth about her brothers aired dulls and dies in my chest.
I don’t feel satisfaction.
Her expression is empty, hollowed out, like someone has reached inside and scooped away any and all love she ever felt for her family.
And instead of feeling triumphant, I feel guilty and shattered at being the one to have delivered this pain to her.
Chapter 16 - Arina
We drive back home in silence. The world around me sounds muffled, like I’m not really in it. Ilariy tries to say something, but I barely register a word he says.
I’m staring out of the window. I feel a softness around my hand. Ilariy’s against mine. He caresses my wrist, softly brushes my fingers.
I turn to him and see him look at me with such pity, such sadness, that I have to look away.
I stare out of the window, still wondering who those people I overheard are. They certainlycan’tbe my brothers. I ran a stop sign once, when I’d just started driving, and I remember how furious Tikhon had been.
I thought my brothers were upstanding citizens. And now, it’s like I’m in a horror movie and they’re the starring characters.
