Page 87 of Forcibly Sold to the Bratva
“You think we have something to prove to you?” Agafon roars in anger, and I feel Ilariy tense beside me. “You think I’m willing to shake hands with the men who ruined my brother's life? With the men who put a gun to my wife’s head? Tortured her?”
I feel my chest constrict, the panic now rising to blacken my vision. Beside me, Ilairy reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“We would never hurt a woman,” says Tikhon at last, his face ice-cold. “We never knew what Viktor did to your wife.”
My brother then turns to Lilibeth to address her directly. “I have a sister of my own. We may be many things, but there is a code of honor we respect. We can not apologize on behalf of Viktor, for he is gone, but please know we never supported his barbaric methods in how he dealt with women.”
“You didn’t stop him!” Agafon bellows.
“Because we weren’t there!” Andrei chimes in. “We helped plan the kidnapping, yes. But we were not in that warehouse.”
“That’s true, I don’t remember seeing you three,” Lilibeth says softly, and her eyes meet mine across the table, as though to say she understands how difficult this must be for me. I shoot her a grateful look. Beside her, Agafon is still simmering, but when faced with facts, he is forced to control his temper.
“And what about Nikandr?” asks Bogdan.
“Your brother is a grown man. He made his choices!” Tikhon clenches his fist and glowers at Nikandr now.
This meeting is not going anywhere, and I feel like my hopes, my declarations, all of it are for nothing. But then, Ilariy speaks, and once again, I’m reminded of how much I need him. Right now, I am drowning. He’s come to my rescue, yet enough.
“Enough, please,” Ilariy puts a stop to them. “Arina and I love each other. As long as our families can’t find a way to build trust, we can’t move forward. We will spend the rest of our lives wishing things were different. Can you not, somehow, find a way to make this work? For us?”
“How?” Agafon furrows his brows. “How do we know they won’t turn on us the second they get a chance?”
“Because we love our sister, God damn it! If she’s in your care, why the hell would we turn on you?” Andrei hisses, and Tikhon gives him a warning glare.
“Very well,” Agafon says after considering it for a moment. “But we need somethingmoreto tie us together.”
A strange tension fills the air, one where I can tell the tides are changing and strategies are being made.
“What are you suggesting?” Tikhon asks cautiously.
“Another alliance,” Agafon replies. “We have common enemies, and our resources go to waste fighting them on individual ends. Together, we can bring them down quicker.”
“We are a smaller family than yours, less powerful.” Tikhon shakes his head. “Why would we risk our resources when you have so many?”
“Unless…”Alexei’s eyes widen as he darts between his families. I sit up straighter, already knowing what he’s about to suggest.
“Unless what?” Ilariy asks.
“Unless we have a good enough reason to lose our men for. Maybe another marriage. One Letvin, one Sokolov. You have our sister, and maybe if we had yours…” his voice trails off.
I hold my breath as the idea sinks in. Instinctively, my eyes go to Katya and Tatiana, both of whom look pale.
“Who?” Andrei asks bluntly.
“We can discuss the details later,” Agafon says smoothly. “After giving it some thought. The point is, we need more than Ilariy and Arina’s union to build a lasting peace, that is, if you want them to be happy.” At this, Agafon gives my brothers a pointed look.
Tikhon studies Agafon for a long moment, then glances at me. I try to convey all my hope, all my pleading in that look.
“We’ll consider it,” he says finally.
It’s not a yes, but it’s not a no either. Relief washes through me, and under the table, I feel Ilariy’s foot nudge mine. When I look up, the corner of his mouth lifts in the smallest smile, just for me.
The rest of dinner passes in a strange manner. There are no warm embraces or sudden friendships, but by the time dessert arrives, the conversation has shifted to an actual discussion of mutual interests.
When Tikhon finally signals for the check, I gather my courage once more.
“I’m going home with Ilariy tonight,” I announce.
