Page 42 of Cruel Russian Monster
“I know I do.” I laughed. “In terms of temperament? Jaroslav is child’s play compared to Artyom.”
Katya’s tone turned serious. “When does Jaroslav plan to break the news to Lev? Hearing about the marriage from someone else won’t end well.”
“He said soon, but he hasn’t given a date.”
“He should,” Katya nodded firmly. “It’s not fair to keep you away from your family. At least when Lev took me, no one was looking for me…because I didn’t think I had any family left.”
I froze.
“Shit,” I whispered.
Katya sat up straighter. “Vera, what is it?”
“I hadn’t even thought about that.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I told you Pyotr and the others were here a few days ago…”
She nodded.
“And I said the reason my brothers hadn’t come banging on the door yet was because Pyotr and the others must’ve kept quiet. But how the hell could I not think about the possibility of my siblings searching for me when they can't reach me?”
I jumped to my feet and started pacing. “If they can’t get through, they’ll assume something is wrong and head to Vegas looking for me!”
My chest rose and fell quickly. “This is not good. This is not good.”
“And if they can’t find you,” Katya said slowly, “they’ll automatically assume Lev and the others are behind it.”
“Exactly!”
“So…” she paused, thinking. “We’ll convince Jaroslav to tell Lev. Today. Then you set up a meeting with Artyom. Because if Artyom finds out what Jaroslav did from someone else…”
Her voice trailed off, and I saw the worry flash in her eyes.
“No need to convince me,” Jaroslav said, stepping into the room.
We both turned, startled.
“We’ll go visit Lev now,” he continued. “He’s on his way home, and Avit and the others are already heading there, too.”
But something other than relief must have crossed my face since Katya walked over and squeezed my hand. “It’ll be okay. I promise. We’ll work this out as a family.”
I nodded slowly. “Let me go change. Then we can leave.”
As I stepped out of the lounge, the pit in my stomach only deepened.
I couldn't help but think that everything would absolutely not be okay.
Forty-five minutes later, I sat beside Jaroslav, his siblings scattered throughout Lev’s lounge. Katya was next to Lev, gently rocking Alexi in her arms.
Lev’s black eyes had lost all warmth. The longer he stared at Jaroslav, the darker they burned.
“Repeat what you just said,” he said coldly. “Because I think I misheard you.”
My gaze darted around the room. Everyone was tense. No one moved. Every set of eyes bounced between the two brothers.
Jaroslav sat straighter. “I said that Vera and I are married.”
“Jaroslav, are you insane?” Lev exploded, bolting to his feet.
Alexi startled and began to cry. Katya hushed him gently, rocking him tighter.
