Chapter 38
CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHT
LEO
They say the truth will set you free. I’m not so sure about that. Standing here with my confession echoing in the stark silence, I don’t find freedom, only a hollow numbness in my chest.
Yulian reacts first. With a muttered curse, he tears off his wig, flings it on the cellar floor, and stalks out.
I knew this would be hard for him to stomach, having worked closely with my father for years.
To learn that the man your father trusted, the man your father died for and that you were loyal to, would have your own blood killed. It’s devastating.
Aly calls after him, but she doesn’t move.
I can feel her gaze on me, but I can’t bring myself to look her in the eye, afraid of what I might find there: a mirror of my own shame, a sting of disappointment.
I wish I could have said all this to her privately, but Belov forced my hand, and now there’s no stuffing the genie back in the bottle.
Belov watches Yulian’s departure with a hint of amusement. The mudak is clearly pleased with the unfolding drama. He forced this confession from me to divide our family. If we’re at odds, Aly is easier to control. Well, that motherfucker can burn in hell, because I won’t let it come to that.
It’s Kira who closes the distance first, wrapping her arms around me. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. What your father did was—” She shakes her head. “There are no words.”
Before I can argue, before I can explain that I took the coward’s way out, Andrei wraps a hand around the back of my head and presses my forehead against his. “Why didn’t you tell us? This shouldn’t have been your burden to bear alone.”
A lump forms in my throat. “What purpose would it have served other than to start a civil war? Force people to take sides?”
“We would have had your back no matter what,” Daniil assures, his hand resting on my shoulder. “What you did wasn’t shameful, it was honorable.”
My gaze flicks between my brothers, both of them wearing solemn expressions. "Is that what you believe? What honor is there in destroying the person I loved the most?"
I can’t help it now, my eyes seek out Aly’s.
Tears glisten on her cheeks as she steps towards me, raising her hands to gently hold my face.
Her voice, full of emotion, ricochets off the stone walls.
“You did it to save me because it was the only way. That’s an act of courage, not an act of cowardice.
” Her words rock me to my core. I don’t know what kind of reaction I expected—revulsion, disappointment, disgust, maybe—but it wasn’t this.
This … understanding. “I just hate that you’ve kept this to yourself for so long. It must have eaten you up inside.”
“More than you’ll ever know,” I answer honestly. It nearly destroyed me.
Her face falls. “The truth is I’m horrified, yes, but I’m not shocked. Serge was a brutal man who lived in a brutal, ugly world.”
“I wish I had found another way to stand up to him,” I say, my hands clenched into fists as I admit my biggest regret. “I wish I didn’t have to hurt you like I did.”
“You made the only choice you could have at the time. You were young, he was your father, the pakhan.” Her arms drop around my waist, and she pulls me close, like we’re the only two people in the room.
“Your father manipulated you, whether he would have made good on the promise or not, he messed with your head.”
I have no doubt he would have, but it’s not a point worth making. Instead, I press a soft kiss to her lips and murmur a thank you, because her words crack me open, sparking something inside of me back to life.
Behind Aly, Belov shifts position, locking onto me with a heavy stare. “This doesn’t change anything,” he says tersely. “Alyona is still needed by my side.”
Anger threatens to burst from my chest, but Aly speaks up before I can reach for my gun. “I know this whole father-daughter relationship dynamic is new to you, but if you actually care, if you actually want to know me as a person beyond someone you can order about, don’t force this on me.”
He gives us a slow, calculating perusal—the sign of a man who makes all his decisions with his head, not his heart.
“It’s the way of the world, Alyona,” he adds with a heavy sigh.
“But I do have a counteroffer. If this is the man you want to be with, it will be on my terms.” He addresses me now. “Come and work for me.”
My eyes track to my brother, and Andrei gives me a small nod of approval before I continue. “No,” I say simply. “That’s not happening. I’m cutting ties with all organized crime. For Aly. For us to be together. You may not be bratva, but you play in the same underworld.”
“You seem to think it’s a choice,” he spits.
“It is a choice. Her choice,” I roar. "And I'll do whatever it takes to secure Aly's freedom. What I should have done from the start. But we won't be joining you, Belov. Kill me if you must to make your point, but it will only drive your daughter away and deepen her hatred for you."
Aly’s eyes are wide with alarm, but she needs to know I won’t back down. I wasn’t able to stand up to my father, but I sure as hell will stand up to hers. Even if right now he is bristling with the intensity of a bull in the ring ready to charge.
Andrei steps forward in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
“Let Aly go, and I can offer you a partnership, an alliance,” he says, his voice carrying through the silent room.
“Your power is concentrated in Europe, but we have the East Coast of North America—the most valuable American market—locked down. Working together will benefit you financially and in other ways.”
If there is a shred of humanity left in Belov, he has yet to show it. His laugh is chilling, as he starts a slow walk around the room. As if summoned, his men filter back into the space, making it feel all the more suffocating.
“More money, more power, that means nothing to me,” he says with a dismissive wave of his hand.
He comes to stop in front of Aly and me, his face hard as granite.
“While I applaud your loyalty to my daughter, I require an heir, a blood relation to lead by my side. And make no mistake”—his mouth settles into a hard line as he tilts his head towards Aly—“you may not want this, but you will learn to be a leader. As my daughter, it’s in your blood.
Are you willing to walk away from our agreement, Alyona? ”
There’s an underlying threat to his words, and the irony isn’t lost on me. My father would have killed her, and now Belov is threatening the same to me.
“Maxim, please,” Alyona begs, releasing a tight breath. “Don’t do this.” The anguish and despair in her voice is so palpable it tears at my soul. But I’ve had enough of this khuy and his veiled threats.
Despite the fact that we are surrounded by his men, I step forward, ready to fight, not with weapons, but man to man. The air thickens around us at my implied challenge.
“Stop, Leo.” Kira’s voice cuts through the air, halting my movement.
She strides past me and positions herself directly in front of Belov, who peers down at her with barely contained interest. “You want an heir, you want someone to rule by your side …” The room takes a collective breath.
“Then take me. I will marry you. I will become your wife and lead by your side but let Alyona go.”
My head shoots up, shock blasting through me.
“Kira, no!” Aly nearly jumps out of her skin, but Kira holds up her hand, continuing to face-off with Belov. I don’t like how he looks at my sister, his eyes roam over her body like a wolf eyes his next meal.
“Now, why would you want to do that?” he questions, the edges of his lips tipped up into a grin.
She holds her chin high. Even with her back to us, it’s clear she’s not intimidated—or if she is, she hides it well.
“Because I want to be in power. I was born to rule. Even if I despised my father, royalty is in my blood, it’s my fate.
This will be nothing more than a business arrangement.
No romantic entanglements, nothing that could get messy.
” She pauses for effect. “And I will give you heirs if that’s what you want. ”
Belov’s jaw is tight, his hands clenched by his side. Even holding stock-still, I can tell Kira’s offer piqued his interest. He’s considering it carefully.
Aly tenses, as if she’s about to jump into the fray, but I stop her with a hand on her forearm. Whatever is happening now needs to play itself out. And while I have no idea what Kira’s endgame is, I am sure she has one. Because one thing about my sister—she is crafty and cunning.
I expect Belov to dismiss her, but he doesn’t. Instead, his eyes seek out Alyona’s. “What do you have to say on the matter?”
A scowl etches across her face. “I’d like to speak to my friend alone. Without you and your guards breathing down our necks.”
“You have five minutes.” With a sweep of his arms, Belov and his men clear out of the room.
Kira turns around to face us—her three brothers and her best friend—looking every inch the bratva princess she claims to be.
“Are you crazy!? I won’t let you do this,” Alyona explodes, stomping her foot. “You can’t bear him a child, you’re twenty-three and hate him! I won’t allow you to sacrifice your happiness for mine.”
“You’re not allowing me to do anything,” Kira says gently, grabbing Aly’s hand. “It’s my choice.”
“Sestra, it means the world that you offer yourself like this,” I echo, emotion building in my chest for my sister’s selflessness, “but there is another way.”
“Leo is right,” Andrei says. “I can’t stand the thought of you tying yourself to that monster for the rest of your life. We’ll figure something out.”
“I don’t get it.” Alyona shakes her head. “You hate him. You hate him more than I do!”
“Oh, I hate him, alright.” Kira sighs. “But he’s a means to an end.”
“To what end?” I ask, genuinely confused. “Money and power we have … what could he possibly give you?”
She rubs her temples, her face a mask of weariness. “Trust that I have my reasons. I can’t tell you what those reasons are right now, but I’m going into this with my eyes wide open.”
“There is no ‘wide open’ with a snake like Belov,” Daniil says through clenched teeth. “At least take some time to consider. You can’t decide your entire future under pressure like this.”
“Aly and I can stay here while we try to work things out with Belov,” I offer. Not that I have high hopes we’ll come to an agreement with him, but no matter her reasons, she needs time to think. “I can’t allow you to throw away your future on a whim.”
Kira smiles sadly. “This isn’t a whim. And this is not a case of altruism, although, Aly, you know I would do anything for you.” A meaningful gaze passes between the two friends. “This is for me.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Aly shakes her head gently and bites her lip. “‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem sufficient.”
“Not ‘thank you.’” Kira embraces Aly. “How about ‘good luck.’”
Fuck, that’s ominous, but my sister is an adult, she’s brilliant and tough as nails. If she has her reasons, I won’t undermine her. There’s no chance to push the issue anyhow, because Belov and his henchmen reappear.
“So?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at Alyona.
Her tone is bitter when she replies, “What do you want me to say? You’ve left us with no choice.”
Belov approaches Kira, standing so close they are breathing the same air. One of his fingers tips her chin upwards, their eyes clashing like titans.
“Is this what you want, little dove?”
“Want is a strong word,” she fires back, eyes narrowed, “but I accept this arrangement.”
His shrewd eyes travel over her face, like she’s a code he’s trying to decipher.
“I look forward to learning exactly what it is you’re really after, Kira.
And make no mistake, I will find out.” His gaze sweeps the room, his smile wolfish.
“It’s settled, then. Kira and I will marry. And that makes us all family.”
Coming from his mouth, it sounds more like a threat than an invitation, but the deal is done. And now I have to call the man who was prepared to kill me less than an hour ago, both brother-in-law and father-in-law.
That is, if I can convince Aly to marry me.