Page 79 of Cruel Russian King
My siblings laughed.
I glanced around the room, my eyes falling on Vera and Jaroslav. She stood before him, hands on his chest, but he remained stoic, his eyes never leaving Evie.
“Give me a minute. I want to say hi to Yegor and Zahkar,” I murmured and stepped away.
“Hey, Ninel,” Zahkar greeted me as I approached, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. Yegor did the same, balancing Evie in his arms.
“Do you mind if I hold her?” I asked Yegor, keeping my voice steady despite the tightness in my chest.
Yegor handed her over. “Hey, Evie, look how big you’ve gotten. Auntie Ninel hasn’t bought new things for you in a while, has she? I’ll have to fix that soon.”
I cooed at her, and smiled before subtly looking in Jaroslav's direction. He gave a slight nod, which I took as a quiet thank you, before wrapping his arms around Vera and focusing on her.
Just then, Katya walked up to me with her phone.
“Say cheese!” she grinned.
Yegor placed his hands on my shoulders and Zahkar closed in with Alexi.
“Cheese!” we said in unison.
Katya then moved over to Jaroslav and Vera, snapping a quick selfie with them. She wandered through the room, taking pictures, laughing and chatting with everyone, shifting the uneasy energy hovering in the space. Mariya took the cue and walked over to Artyom, and began chatting with him.
A few minutes later, Vera gently took Evie from my arms. She and Katya made sure the children got a picture with everyone in the room. It was amazing how much having children around could dissolve the stiffness between two families. Slowly, the ice began to crack.
Taking their cue, Kira pulled out a deck of cards and called over her brother. “Yegor, wanna choose a Safin for your losing team to play Spades? I’ve got dibs on Marten!”
Yegor laughed. “You seem to have forgotten who taught you to play, sis.”
“And you seem to have forgotten that the tiny grasshopper one day becomes the master.”
“Today won’t be that day,” he replied, turning to Avit. “You play Spades?”
“I can beat my siblings with my eyes closed,” Avit snickered, moving to the table. “I’m a way better partner than Marten.”
I stifled a chuckle. Marten hated nothing more than being called out on something he couldn’t do well.
“We’ll see about that,” Marten said, his blue eyes shooting daggers at Avit, who only laughed.
Soon, a competitive game of Spades broke out between the four of them, laughter and teasing filling the air. But my gazedrifted back to Artyom, Lev, and Jaroslav. They still held their silent standoff, body tense, blank expressions on their faces.
The animosity between my husband and brothers made my stomach twist as a wave of nausea washed over me.
I felt like I had to choose a side, but whose side should I pick? When it came down to it, Vera and Katya had chosen their husbands. But, what will standing with Artyom cost me?
Mariya pulled me into one of the sofas and handed me a glass of non alcoholic wine. And Pyotr joined us. We caught up with each other while Pyotr also trash talked both teams playing at the table.
Thirty minutes later, Yegor and Avit beat Kira and Marten.
Mariya leaned toward Pyotr and whispered, “Ask Artyom to be your partner. It'll help break the damn tension in here.”
Pyotr nodded and stood. “Hey Artyom, wanna beat Avit and Yegor in a game of Spades?”
Artyom drained the last of his drink. “Sure, why not.”
He winked at me before sliding into the chair that Marten had occupied. Kira joined Mariya and me while Marten went with Zahkar to the bar. Vera, Katya, Lev, and Jaroslav sat at another table feeding the children.
Twenty minutes later, after plenty of playful taunts and jeering, Artyom and Pyotr emerged the winners. They slapped a high five, then turned their grins on Lev and Zahkar, challenging them to play next.
