Page 11 of Merciless Union
“What?” Alexei asks. “You’re fucking lying.”
I stand up, pushing my chair back so hard it falls to the floor. “I’m not. You know Father treated us like shit. He would have gladly let you rot in prison to teach you a lesson. The only reason you’re not is because of me. Because I actually give a flying fuck about you. I don’t want you to throw your life away on drink and a ‘fun time’.” I add in quotation marks. “I get it. Father is gone. And that means a lot of change for us. But I’m the new leader. You will respect me. You will no longer run off and cause chaos.”
“Fuck. I just went to a bar and got wasted.”
I raise my eyebrow.
Alexei shifts in his seat. “I’m telling the truth. I didn’t destroy anything.”
I catch his gaze and don’t let go. He needs to understand how serious I am.
Finally, Alexei drops his eyes to his lap and shrugs. “I’m sorry I’m such a fuck up.”
Kira reaches over and pats his arm. “We’re all just sad. It’s a sad day.”
“For some of you, maybe,” Elena says. “I, for one, am glad Father’s dead.”
“Will you just shut the fuck up?” Alexei shouts at her, making both her and Kira flinch. “I get it. You hated dad. But not all of us did.”
Elena’s face grows pinched as she stands and walks calmly from the room. Kira shakes her head at Alexei before following after our sister.
Mother, who silently watched the exchange, now speaks. “Alexei, your bother is your boss now. You need to listen to him. End of discussion.” She stands and squeezes my arm. “I’m happy you're finally getting married.” Alexei’s head shoots up at the words. “It’s about time. And if this strengthens are family, then even better.”
She leaves Alexei and me alone.
He scratches the back of his neck. “You’re getting married?”
“Yes. If you’d been here, rather than getting drunk, you would have already known that.”
His face glowers. “You could at least tell me who.”
“Arina Smirnoff.”
His face scrunches up. “Who?”
I sigh, looking toward the ceiling before focusing on him. “The daughter of George Smirnoff. It's a good political alliance that will benefit our family. You know, Alexei, I think of things like that—how to strengthen our family. You’d benefit from learning the same.”
“Hey, I do think about this family,” he says, pointing a finger at his chest. “I seem to be the only one upset that Father’s dead.”
“No, Kira is just as upset.”
“Well, Kira is annoying,” he mutters.
I walk over and smack him on the back of his head. “Be nice. The world doesn’t revolve around you. You’d be better off learning that now rather than later.” I give him a disgusted look. “Go clean yourself up.”
I storm off to Father’s office. Well, it’smyoffice now. I own my own apartment, but it would make more sense politically to stay here. Show our family is a united front. Though, I can’t imagine living here with my new wife surrounded by the drama of my family.
Inside, the office still smells like him—the pungent cologne he always wore. It’s decorated in dark wood, making it feel more like a cave than an office. It’s my father, all right—suffocating and overpowering.
The chair squeaks as I settle into it. This is mine now. This entire office. The entire Bratva. It’s all mine.
Which means more business.
I call Nik. “Have you heard anything yet?”
“Maybe. You know a lot of these bastards are aiming to kill you and take over.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Then we need to shut that down as fast as possible. I know it’s only been a few hours, but have you heard of anyone who might be causing trouble?”
