Page 41 of Bratva Bastard

Sorokin only laughed, waving away the comment. “Well, for the sake of this conversation, may I refer to you with the Koslovs?” Without waiting for me to answer, he continued. “My only living child, Ana, is in need of a husband. And seeing as you’re unwed, and looking for a way to bring about peace, I could only see us making amends by solidifying the union. And if I dare say so, you murdered my son.Bothsons. If anything, you owe me.”

Not exactly in the spirit of forgiveness.

Just as his speech ended, a woman walked into the room. A woman I recognized from the photo I’d seen that day I shot Soyka.

“Ana, darling. Come sit with our guests. This is Maxim,” Sorokin said, gesturing to me. Did they have it planned for her to come in at just that moment? Did she already know he wanted us to be married?

She closed the door and walked over to my couch. Sharply dressed, Ana Sorokin had an eye for high fashion, and wore it in a seductive manner. Her shirt was a V-neck that dipped down low, her hair tousled and loose.

Maybe in another universe, one where I hadn’t met Crissy, or been possibly marrying Ana, I would’ve hit on her in a bar or something. But looking at her now, she did nothing for me. Nothing but give me a headache.

Given the gravity of the situation, there was no time for negotiation. She came in, sat down beside me on the couch, and Sorokin waited expectantly for my answer.

I glanced around, each guard holding a gun, ready to aim if I so much as tried anything. And there I was without a weapon. What other choice did I have? Denying his request was a sure way to kill not only myself, but my brothers, and possibly their families.

With hesitation, I agreed.

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

Ana leaned into me with a seductive grin, her arm slithered around my waist.

“On one condition,” I added, pushing her off me. Sorokin nodded, willing to listen to my request. “No one in my family will be hurt if I agree to marry your daughter.No one.”

Sorokin’s lips curled into a sly smirk, one I didn’t trust in the least, due to his devious and cunning nature. “Now, is that referring to theChernoffsor theKoslovs?” He chuckled, and Ana joined in, no idea what we were even talking about, but she cackled anyway. “I’m just teasing. I’ll agree to your condition. Now, let’s celebrate this union-to-be with a bottle of champagne, shall we?”

Another servant came over—or maybe it was the same one as before, I don’t know—and they filled a new glass with champagne, handing one to each of us while taking our old glasses. Though I hadn’t drank mine.

“Cheers!” Sorokin called out, and everyone in the room drank their champagne.

Misha and Dimitry had a look of uneasiness on their faces, but I ignored it, taking only a small sip of my champagne.

It was disgusting and left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

17

Crissy

Aweek had passed, and still no word from Maxim. He called me when he first arrived in Moscow, but since then,nothing.Not even a damn text.

Why?Why wouldn’t he call me back?

After we’d connected on so many levels… Maybe I was stupid to believe that he actually loved me. He never outright said it, but the look in his eyes gave it away. Or so I thought.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he didn’t feel for me what I’d felt for him. But then why would he ask me to come with him to Moscow? Why would he ask me to quit the bar and let him take care of me?

Why, goddamnit!Why?

It wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t late. I’d get over it and move on eventually, the pain and rejection from being ghosted a distant memory in the past. But knowing that I’d missed my period, panic had settled in.

What the hell would I do if I were pregnant? Abortion was out of the question, but the idea of being a single mother terrified me. I could barely support myself and my mother, how was I supposed to take care of someone else? Who would take care of the baby while I worked? How would I stay up all night feeding a baby when I had to get up early for work?

Calm down,I told myself.You don’t even know if you’re pregnant. Maybe the stress from everything is making your period late.

But no matter how much I tried to reassure myself, I couldn’t keep from worrying. No period. No word from Maxim. How could my life change so drastically in a matter of days?

Only one thing would put my mind at ease, and that was a pregnancy test. Whether it came out positive or negative…at least I’d know.

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