Chapter 15 - Arko
The morning after the night Beatrice made that irreversible decision to climb into my bed, I woke up to find empty, cold sheets. With eyes still closed, I reached for her across the bed, wondering if she’d drifted away in her sleep…but no.
She wasn’t there.
I hadn’t expected to feel the unnatural sense of longing that filled me then. The disappointment stayed with me when I stepped out of bed, showered, and went downstairs for breakfast, only to learn she’d already eaten.
I hadn’t thought much of it, then. I thought that maybe she just couldn’t sleep, maybe she needed time and space to think and recalibrate what happened. She did, after all, make me the first man she ever slept with.
Looking at our backstory, that shit was complicated enough.
But then I realized, over the course of two days, that she wasn’t avoiding me. If she’d held regrets or wanted to reverse that night, she would have kept me at arm’s length while she cleared her head.
Yet, she always stayed when I walked into a room, making absent-minded efforts at conversations and hardly hearing a word I said. I knew then that there was something on her mind and that it had very little to do with the night we had sex.
Later that evening, when we sat down for dinner, a quiet silence filled the room. All I could hear was the quiet scrape of fork against knife, and I decided that I had to know what was up with her.
”Beatrice?”
She looked up, her eyes refocusing like she’d drifted off again.
”Penny for your thoughts?”
She gave me a pained smile, then reluctantly shook her head. I hated that she felt she couldn’t tell me what bothered her so much.
”Come on,” I shrugged. “You haven’t been yourself lately. Let me see if I can help.”
She snorted and put down her fork. “I doubt that,” she said, but even then, I saw her look at me again with hope, as though she was praying for a miracle.
“I mean it.” I tilted my head. “Tell me what’s up?”
”Okay,” she said hesitantly, her eyes flickering to mine. “It’s just…I miss my brothers.”
I stilled, not knowing if I could hear more. I wanted her happy, but her brothers weren’t my favorite subjects.
”I’ve been here three months, Arko. I miss my family.”
”I’m sure you do.” I tried not to frown.
”Can I see them?” Her voice came out small, hopeful. I felt the world around me shift, my vision narrowing on her face. Of all the things I thought she’d have said, that wasn’t it.
”I don’t think so.” I tried to remain calm, firm.
”But why?” Her voice turned fierce and angry. “You’re the one who asked what’s bothering me, and when I tell you, it’s like you don’t even care.”
”It’s not like I can just send you to them and they’d let you come back!” I didn’t mean to, but I raised my voice. “You know your brothers, and I aren’t exactly friends.”
”Please, Arko,” she sighed, clutching the sides of the table. “I’m not asking to go alone. You can be there, your security can be there. I just need to see them.”
I looked up at her, at that pain on her face, and wanted nothing more than to give her what she wanted. Fuck. I was getting soft.
“It’s too dangerous,” I said, against my instincts to please her. “The last time we were in the same room, your brothers reached for their guns.”
“That’s because they thought I was in danger!” she protested. “Can you blame them? But if we set the terms right, show them that I’m safe and free to meet them, they might even learn to forgive you.”
“I don’t need their forgiveness,” I snarled.
“Are you even hearing what I’m saying?” she asked after a moment’s silence, her disappointment heavy in her voice.
I closed my eyes, thinking of what she’s asking and why I shouldn’t let her have it.
But on the other hand, didn’t I want to see her happy?
Meeting Caspian and the others wasn’t going to be a happy reunion, but we could set the terms up straight, and with Beatrice there, I knew both sides would comply.
“Fine,” I said finally. “But we do this my way, and on neutral ground, like you said.”
Her face lit up with a smile that hit me straight in the chest. “Thank you,” she said, smiling more than I’ve seen in two days.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I muttered. “It’s going to be a shit show.”
She just smiled.
***
We met two days later in the private den of The Tumbler, a bar frequented by mobsters in our circle. It was as neutral a territory as one could find, yet it provided us with the privacy we so desperately needed.
The hostess led Beatrice and me down the stairs of the speakeasy, past the boisterous crowd on the main floor, through the curtained entrance to the hallway out back.
“Are they here yet?” I asked.
“Yes, Mr. Pavlov,” the blonde nodded. “The Lebedevs are already waiting in the den.”
“Are they alone?” I growled, just to make sure.
“Yes, sir. And they deposited their weapons at the entrance.”
As did I. Our guards weren’t with us, for Caspian made it clear that around their sister, they didn’t want any violence, and we needed to trust one another.
I’d agreed without argument. But now, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. What if they snuck in a dagger? A knife? My fists would have to do, if things turned ugly.
Beside me, Beatrice picked up speed, nearly bouncing on her toes. I watched that glazed, giddy look on her face, and that old, familiar guilt came rushing back to me. I’d kept her from her family all this while and never thought of the effect it had on her.
For her sake, I decided to keep my mouth shut for the duration of the meeting to come, despite whatever may happen. I needed to keep a cool head so I could get her out safely.
The hostess led us to the end of the hallway, then paused outside the door, nodding to tell me we were here.
“Keep the staff away,” I told her, my hand hovering on the knob. “We need privacy.”
She barely turned around before I felt Beatrice’s hand on mine, turning the door to open. She walked in brazenly, brushing past me like nothing mattered but the people inside.
“Bea!” Caspian gushed, rushing toward her.
It felt like a stab in the heart when I watched her run toward her brothers, who rose from their places and ran toward her, encircling her like a pack of protective wolves as they each took their turn to hug her, to assess her, to see if she was unharmed.
I stood back, watching this reunion and suddenly feeling like an outsider. I didn’t like feeling like that around Beatrice, who, in some strange way, had become the main person in my life.
At last, Caspian turned to face me.
“Pavlov,” he hissed.
I nodded, closing the door behind us. “I asked the staff to stay away. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Why? You don’t want any more witnesses for crimes you might commit?” Giovanni, as expected, was the first to throw an insult my way.
“We are here on grounds of compassion, Giovanni,” I reminded him coolly. “I don’t plan to wreak havoc unless you do first.”
“You aren’t doing us a favor by letting us meet our sister,” Giovanni nearly roared, but Federico put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back from making a mistake.
A tense silence fell over the room, with Beatrice looking between us like she was terrified of one wrong move on either end.
“Should we…sit down?” she suggested, in a quiet voice like she was questioning even saying a word.
I was the first to move, and then, one by one, the couches and chairs filled up. There was already a bottle of scotch, with glasses and ice on the table before us. I reached out, pouring myself a drink, knowing I needed one bad.
“Please, help yourself on our dime. It’s not like you think twice before taking what’s ours,” Dante glared at me. I met his gaze and barely heard Beatrice admonish her brother, the anger rushing through me at the bait I saw he wanted me to take.
Instead, I gritted my teeth and held my tongue so damn hard my jaw hurt.
“You look thin,” I heard Giovanni tell Beatrice, and finally looked away from Dante. “Is he feeding you properly?”
Once again, I let the insult slide. What part of she’s my wife did these men not understand?
“I eat just fine,” Beatrice answered. “Marta is an excellent cook.”
“We’ve missed you at family dinners,” Federico shot me a distasteful look. “Sunday nights aren’t the same without you counting cards during poker.”
“I never counted cards,” she giggled, whacking him on the shoulder.
“You absolutely did,” Dante chimed in. “Remember that time Luca caught you on Christmas three years ago?”
“Oh. Shit.” Beatrice shrugged playfully, looking sorry only because she got caught.
“No wonder she won three grand from me last time we played.” Achille looked woeful as the brothers continued exchanging stories, making their sister feel special.
But I knew why they were reminiscing. They wanted to let me know I was the outsider, the unwanted one in Beatrice’s life. With each passing comment and conversation, they wanted to belittle me and make me feel small.
I knew today would be awkward, but not this goddamn hostile.
“We’re worried about you.” I came back from my thoughts to hear Achille say. “Are you truly okay?”
Beatrice nodded. “I am.”
“How can you be when he kidnapped you?” Luca scoffed.
I tensed, but kept my mouth shut as I’d promised.
“You married her against her will,” Caspian now addressed me. “What kind of man does that?”
“You can judge me all you want,” I replied calmly. “But the facts don’t change that we’re now family.”
A collective round of protests went across the room.
“We are going to have this marriage annulled!” Caspian roared.
“We’re taking her back today, you hear?” Federico said.
“You’re doing no such thing,” I said, each word a blade sharp enough to slice. “You knew the terms before we met. Beatrice and I walk out safe…and together.”
The table fell silent, the helplessness etched amongst the Lebedev men’s faces.
Caspian clenched his jaw. “A marriage obtained through coercion has no honor behind it.”
“That’s rich coming from the man who ordered the hit on my convoy just three months ago,” I scoffed.