Page 69 of Forcibly Sold to the Bratva
“So why would you say that?” I ask him, before turning to meet the room.
No one speaks until, at last, Nikandr chimes in. “Brother…perhaps it would be wise to let them have Arina back.”
“What?” My voice comes out ice-cold.
“You took their sister. It’s a matter of time before they come for you,” Agafon tries to reason with me.
I feel a flare of defensiveness, not just for myself but also for Arina, who hasn’t once mentioned her brothers. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to see them.
“Arina ischoosingto stay with me! The fact is, she doesn’t want to go back.”
“Really?” Lion asks, his tone skeptical. “Have you even asked her that?”
I think of the day she overheard my call with Tikhon and reiterate my point. “She could have gone back to her brothers at any point. She didn’t.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know it’s an option, Ilariy,” Faddey points out.
“She’s not going back!” I say, without even listening. The blood rushes to my ears. Don’t they understand?
There are several voices speaking around me; everyone has a thought, an opinion. But all I can think of is a future without Arina in it, and I realize I can’t imagine it.
Because such a future doesn’t exist.
It’s only when Sergey Orlov suggests using Arina as bait to draw out her brothers that I raise my voice.
“Absolutely not,” I nearly shout. “I am not using Arina for our agenda. She’s innocent, and I made a mistake, but I will not let her pay for it.”
“But you already have her,” Samuil Orlov points out. “If you aren’t going to return her, what’s the plan?”
“What’s the plan?” I hiss. “She’s my wife. There is no plan! She’s under my protection and she’s NOT to be involved in any of this.”
The anger within me reaches a breaking point, and before anyone can say another word, I stand to leave. “You’re all acting in the dark. When you find proof of who actually attacked our warehouse,thenwe can talk. Until then, stop wasting my time with your stupid little suggestions.”
With that, I walk out. I hear Agafon call after me, but I slam the door shut behind me. Let them have their meetings. Let them talk all they want.
I won’t use Arina. Nor will I send her back.She’s mine.
I get into my car, and the first thing I do is call Arina. I don’t know why, but just the thought of losing her scares me. I need to hear her voice; I need to feel her soothe my nerves.
“Hey,” she says, her voice warm. “How was the meeting?”
“Tedious,” I reply, settling into my seat. “How are you?”
“Missing you,” she admits, and the simple honesty of it makes my heart clench. “When will you be home?”
Home. The word settles in my chest, warm and right. “Soon,” I promise. “Save dinner for me?”
“I’ll even cook,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Wow, I must be special,” I tease.
“You are. I’ll see you soon,” she says warmly.
I hang up with a stupid smile on my face. I think about the meeting, about the moment I declared Arina off-limits.
The truth is, I’m not ready to give her up. Not now, maybe not ever.
Chapter 20 - Arina
