Page 65 of Married to the Don (Kornilov Bratva Duet 1)

My heart is racing in my throat, but I still manage a choked laugh. “Because you know you should have killed me, but you can’t.”

His eyes widen with raw vulnerability, allowing me a momentary, crystal clear glimpse behind the curtain that separates Viktor the man from Viktor, the Bratva boss. It’s just a second, but it’s enough for me to know I’m right.

“You can’t do it,” I repeat. “Even now that it would make everything easier for you, you won’t do it. Instead of ending my life, now you want to ruin it.”

“Ruin it?” he asks, releasing my hands and stepping away. “Is that what I’d be doing? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like I’m saving your life.”

His jaw is clenched, and he reaches up and runs a hand through his dark waves. His hair has grown out since I first met him. The length on top is more unruly than normal. It makes him look younger.

“Fedor will kill you,” Viktor says, his eyes cast down at the floor. “He will kill you, Molly. And the only way I can think to stop that is to make you my wife. Family is everything to Fedor. If you’re my family, he won’t touch you. He won’t hurt you. If you take my last name, he will never know who you were before, and you and Theo will be safe.”

“You’ll take him from me.” I wrap my arms around my stomach, doing my best to hold myself together. I can handle angry Viktor. And drunk Viktor. And seductive Viktor.

I can’t handle honest Viktor.

“No, I won’t.” His eyes flare, and I feel myself drawn towards him like a stupid moth to a blisteringly hot and deadly flame. Even knowing everything I know, I want to trust him.

“Yes. Yes, you will.” I shake my head and turn sideways, my shoulder leaning against the wall. I’m still in front of Viktor, but the position allows me some fresh air. It allows me to look somewhere other than directly at his annoyingly perfect face. “You will adopt Theo and change his name, and you won’t need me. You’ll steal him from me.”

“Molly, I won’t do that.”

“You said you would!” I shout, pivoting towards him and rising on my toes. “You told me you’d have me declared an unfit mother. How do I know you won’t marry me and then have me shipped off to an insane asylum somewhere? I’ll probably be institutionalized, and Theo won’t even know he ever had a mother. Or you’ll finally get the balls to kill me like you promised.”

“If I was going to kill you, believe me, I would have.” Viktor’s nostrils flare. “You are more than annoying enough to give me all the motivation I need. And still, I’ve taken care of you. I’ve helped you.”

He has, but why?

If I’ve learned anything in my years fending for myself, it’s that everyone has a price. No one does anything for free. If Viktor wants to marry me, it’s because he will benefit somehow, and the only reason I can think of is that he would gain Theo.

And Theo would gain Viktor.

I drop down onto my flat feet and press my back against the wall. Suddenly, it feels like the wind has gone from my sails.

This isn’t just about me and Viktor.

This is about Theo.

I’ve been so consumed with my own point of view that I haven’t stopped to think about what would be best for Theo.

He would have a home. He would have clean clothes, home-cooked meals, and a cozy bed. The same bed every single night.

Me marrying Viktor would allow Theo to have everything I’ve ever wanted for him. And as much as I want to deny it, I would even be happy for Theo to have Viktor. To have a dad. A family.

I practically feel the color drain from my face. When I look up, Viktor’s brows are pulled together, his forehead wrinkled. He lifts his hand, fingers extended towards my face, and then at the last second, he seems to think better of it. He curls his hand in a fist.

“What are you thinking?” he asks.

I look down at myself. At my thin cotton T-shirt, faded jeans, and socked feet. “I never imagined I’d get married with no shoes on.”

Viktor takes a step back and places one hand on his hip. When he tilts his head to the side, I can’t help but look up at him. He looks like an angel. I simply have to decide whether he’s an angel of light or darkness.

“If I let you put shoes on, you’re more liable to run away.” Viktor turns to the side and extends his elbow to me. I know his other hand is resting on his gun. I know he could pull it out at any second and force me to walk over to the windows where the minister is waiting. And I know that there are two armed guards standing in the kitchen, listening in and witnessing the entire situation.

But none of those things are why I slide my arm through his and let him walk me down the proverbial aisle.

I do it because of Theo.

I picture Theo’s round cheeks and pointed chin and brown eyes. I am doing this for him, for his future. Not for mine.

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