Chapter 15 - Arko #2
“Your men were moving in on our territory,” Federico shot back. “You knew the risks.”
“You hadn’t staked your claim on it publicly.” I shook my head.
Beatrice, bless her heart, looked pale and terrified, as if she thought this might blow up in our faces soon.
“You want war, Arko? Is that what you want?” Caspian leaned forward. “Because let me tell you, after all the shit you’ve pulled, we’re getting our pieces in place.”
“Try all you want,” I shrugged. “But don’t for one moment think I won’t fight back.”
Beatrice placed her hand over mine and looked at her brothers. “Please, can we not do this today? I just wanted to see you all.”
“We’re just stating facts,” Achille said, his eyes narrowing on where she held my hand. “Pavlov knows what he’s done.”
“What have I done?” I couldn’t help but stand up for myself at the time. “Your family has been pushing into my territory for years. Taking my businesses, buying off my allies. You even tried to turn the new DA against me.”
“What have you done? You turned this personal when you took Bea. And now, if personal’s how you’re going to play it, then maybe you should think of your sisters. What were their names again? Alena and Anja?”
I felt Bea squeeze my hand just as the blood rushed to my head. “Are you threatening my sisters?” I asked, quiet as the dead of night.
“You’ll be surprised to know, one of our men learned where they live. Who their friends are. Their comings and goings. Wouldn’t want anything bad happening to them now, would you?” Dante added, with a smile so cruel and cold that I knew that if I had had my gun, I would have reached for it already.
“Oh, struck a nerve, did we?” Dante smirked at the look on my face. “Not nice when someone threatens your family, is it?”
Before I could threaten them back with my fists if needed, shatter and burn through whatever malicious ideas they had in mind for my sisters, I was stunned to see Beatrice stand with fury etched on her face.
“Enough!” she shouted, her voice cracking like a whip. “How dare you threaten them?”
Her brothers stared at her in shock, and everyone, including me, went silent.
“Alena and Anja are my friends. They’ve been nothing but kind to me.” She met each of her brothers’ gazes. “If any of you go near them, I’ll never forgive you.”
I slowly leaned back against the couch, stunned by her outburst.
“But Beatrice, he kidnapped you!” Caspian said, the look of shock evident on his face.
“Yes, he did when he shouldn’t have. But enough innocent people have suffered because of this stupid feud between you all. Whatever it is between you and Arko, leave his sisters out of it. I mean it.”
Luca looked genuinely taken aback. “You’re defending them after what he did to you?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “Because, unlike some people at this table, I don’t punish innocents for things they didn’t do.”
For some reason, that felt like a jab right at me. But despite that, despite the guilt swimming through me, I felt proud of her in that moment.
We stayed there a while longer, and the minutes couldn’t have crawled any slower. None of her brothers said another word to me, and when Beatrice bid her goodbyes, I saw the betrayal on their faces and the disappointment that she didn’t fight to stay longer. To leave with them.
I ushered her out of the private den, back down the hall, and up the stairs, breathing at ease only once she was safely tucked into our car.
The driver exited onto the highway, and that’s when I found the calm to sort through my thoughts. “Thank you for what you did in there by standing up for my sisters. I couldn’t believe them,” I said, still angry. “Threatening Alena and Anja like that to my face.”
To my surprise, she whirled on me, looking pissed. “Don’t act like you’re any better, Arko! My brothers have every right to hate you.”
The anger I’d been suppressing all day flared.
“I never claimed to be better,” I snapped. “But I also never threatened to hurt your family.”
“No, you just took me from them,” she shot back. “Don’t tell me you expected my family to be grateful to you for today.”
“Your brothers aren’t innocent victims here, Beatrice! They’ve been at war with my family for years,” I defended myself. “They started it, and they always take it further than it needs to go with their threats.”
“They didn’t mean what they said about your sisters,” she insisted. “They were just trying to hurt you.”
“How can you even defend them?” I scoffed. “You heard them. They meant every word until you called them out.”
“They didn’t mean it, okay? But you can’t be that daft to not see where they’re coming from! You took their sister, so they threatened to take yours. Could you say you’d have chosen another alternative if someone took Anja and Alena?”
Somewhere, in a small corner of my heart, I felt the rightness in what she said. But my anger was like a furnace, blocking out all rational thought. “I disagree.” I shook my head obstinately.
She shook her head, looking disappointed. “If that’s what you still think, then I guess there’s nothing I can say to change your mind.”