Chapter 30
30
Anya
I t’s midnight and I’m standing next to Leo in the middle of a brightly lit warehouse somewhere on the west side of the city. I’m surrounded by people who won’t hesitate to put a bullet in my head if I try to escape. As much as I tried, I couldn’t do anything at the house. Leo knew I’d attempt something, and he enlisted a dozen of his men to make sure I couldn’t.
“Keep calm and smile,” Leo tells me as we wait for the others to arrive. “It will all be over soon, and you’ll be able to carry your pregnancy to term undisturbed.”
“And what if I don’t keep calm and smile?”
“Then I will kill you slowly and painfully, and I’ll start with the little bastard.”
My blood runs cold. He is more than capable of such things.
“So what’s the plan, exactly? I say I’m cool with you killing my family and trying to kill me, too, and that I will gladly marry you?” I retort.
“In less abrasive language, yes. Remember, Anya. Your survival depends on this.”
Control. He thrives on it.
I almost buy into it, too, until I see the subtle change in his posture as the leaders of the other Bratva families start coming in, each accompanied by their most trusted lieutenants and several of their fiercest bodyguards.
Some I recognize from the past: enforcers, former FSB operatives, Moscow implants, who made a name for themselves all over the city. But I also remember how they all bowed before my family and me. The Asimov name meant something to these people. I find it hard to believe that Leo’s brutality has wiped out over a century of tradition.
“Leo,” Ivan Abramovic says as he reaches us. He’s a tall man with cool grey eyes that match his suit. He gives me a soft nod. “Anya, it’s so good to see you, child.”
“Mr. Abramovic,” Leo replies and shakes his hand. “Thank you for taking the time.”
“Ah, here comes Lev,” Ivan quips as the Fedorov representatives join us.
Slowly but surely, as pleasantries and suspicious glances are exchanged, the atmosphere in the warehouse shifts from quiet danger to potential obliteration. That’s the thing about summoning the big heads of the Bratva and cramming them all in the same room. It could go either way for the summoner.
“It is an honor to be in your presence tonight,” Leo says, raising his voice.
The leaders eye him intently, though I see them gazing my way, too, a little too often for my comfort. Yet as I stand here, trying so hard not to puke or bolt, I slowly realize that I am also one of them, if only by name. But I am one of them. Why am I letting Leo decide my fate? All I need to do is cast enough doubt to cripple his claim.
Tradition must still mean something to these people.
“The truth is, my ascension has been a bit rocky over the past few years,” Leo says. “But it’s been certain, nonetheless. I’m sure you can all agree that I now own a majority across several key industries in the city. I’ve got a firm hold over several essential transport routes reaching north into Canada and south into Mexico. My logistics network alone has generated several billion dollars in revenue over the last year.”
“We’re not doubting your skill or your capabilities,” Ivan Abramovic politely replies.
I look at Lev Fedorov. A muscle ticks angrily in his jaw. There it is, the doubt Ivan denied having. They most certainly do have doubts. But they’re also not willing to cross this bastard. Not when he’s amassed so much power.
“Then allow me to finally put the entire Dalton issue to rest tonight,” Leo says. “I know my actions were unbecoming, to say the least. But eggs had to be cracked for this exquisite omelet, and here I stand today, eager to present to you my future wife, Anya Asimova.”
Lev gives me a hard look. “The last of the Asimovs.”
“Mr. Fedorov,” I mumble, waiting for my moment, working up the courage, or the madness, whatever it takes, because if I let Leo go through with this, I will die. He won’t keep his word. He doesn’t need to. Not once he has the Bratva’s unwavering support.
“Anya has accepted my deepest apology for what happened at Dalton,” Leo says. “We talked it over, and we both agree the best thing for us to do is to move forward and get married, like her father intended. We’re to join our families and our territories, and peace will be upon us again.”
“Shall we say congratulations then?” Ivan Abramovic replies. He doesn’t sound convinced, and it seems to piss Leo off, but he keeps his cool.
Underneath, he’s seething, but I sense he’s also nervous. He knows it could go sideways at any time. No wonder he felt the need to threaten my baby and me in order to have his way. The more dangerous he comes across to the families, the higher the chances I can kick him in the shins, metaphorically speaking.
Here goes nothing.
“What do you expect to happen once you’re married?” Tatyana Mikhailova asks Leo.
“All of the Sokolov and Asimov assets will be moved under a single corporation,” he says. “Together, we’ll be covering about thirty-three percent of the Bratva’s current territory. It puts us in the majority, which means our vote will carry more weight in future decisions.”
“That’s a majority by a mere hair,” Ivan says, shaking his head.
Leo smiles coldly. “But a majority, nonetheless.” He shrugs for good measure. “What can I say, ladies and gentlemen? One does not stand in the way of true love.”
“True love?” I scoff.
That earns me a deadly glare from Leo. “What, my darling?”
“I’m sorry. I got tired of listening to all the bullshit coming out of your mouth,” I calmly reply.
It piques the interest and amusement of every Bratva head in the room. It also gets me a few scowls from the Sokolov-friendly parties, but they are clearly outnumbered, if the Asimovs rise.
“Did you actually think I’d let you go through with this?” I ask. “Did you think I’d let you murder my family in cold blood, and then marry you so you can kill me once you’ve gained control of my family’s legacy?”
Ivan scoffs. “Okay, what is going on here?”
“What is going on here is that Leo actually thought he could destroy an entire family to secure more power within the Bratva,” I say.
“Anya, darling, don’t be stupid,” Leo warns me.
“And it seems to me like many of you were too fucking scared of this sniveling piece of shit to actually do something about it,” I insist, raising my voice. If I reason with the Russians, perhaps being indignant will work.
“You let this snake from a lesser family muscle his way into my father’s territory. You sat back and let this peasant in a monkey suit claim a higher seat at y our table. Why? Because he’s got bigger guns than you?”
“Miss Asimova—” Lev tries to interrupt me, but I cut him off.
“Asimova. That’s right. That name used to mean something. In fact, I specifically remember my father summoning you, Mr. Fedorov, and you, Mrs. Mikhailova, into his office over two years ago. He told you what he was going to offer Leo in lieu of my hand in marriage, and you both agreed it would be a fair consolation prize and that Leo should take it.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Leo hisses.
Instinctively, I move away from him, but he grabs my arm and pulls me closer.
Ivan steps in. “Mr. Sokolov, this is neutral territory. No violence of any kind is allowed when we’re in attendance. Those are the rules.”
“The rules have been around since before you were born,” Tatyana cuts in. “You’d be wise to abide by them.”
“The truth is, Leo doesn’t have the juice he needs to claim a thirty-three percent hold over the Bratva territory. Not without the Asimov turfs in his possession. He was so eager to marry me when the deal was originally made between our fathers. It was always Leo’s plan to marry and then kill me and the rest of my family as soon as he had control.”
“That is a lie!” Leo exclaims. “A blatant lie!”
“You were counting on me dying at Dalton, too,” I reply. “But I didn’t. And you understood how shitty the optics would be if you killed me afterward. You’ve been playing the brokenhearted fiancé for awhile now. Aren’t you tired, Leo?”
He looks around. He’s uneasy, uncertain of how to proceed. He was so confident that he had me in the bag. That’s the trouble with raging narcissists. All it takes is one hit in a weak spot, and they crumble. They meltdown and ruin everything for themselves because their egos are simply too big, too easy to burn.
“Anya, for your sake—”
“I escaped from Dalton and hid at my grandmother’s house for two years,” I add, looking at the others. “My brother collected evidence against the Sokolovs over the years. He knew how dangerous and treacherous they were. He didn’t trust them with a majority stake within the organization, and he was determined to throw them to the federal wolves, if push came to shove. For our sake and for yours. As we speak, that evidence is being examined by law enforcement officials.”
It's more or less the truth, and it’s enough to make Ivan and Lev exchange worried glances. Enough to push Leo closer to the edge.
“Anya, I’m warning you.”
“I wanted to move on, to get away from it all. But Leo insisted on hunting me down and dragging me here under heinous threats. I’m pregnant. You have no idea what he said he’d do to my baby if I didn’t come to this meeting to confirm our intention to get married. His intention. I’d rather fucking die than ever marry the prick who destroyed my family,” I say, the rage making my sharp, cutting words tumble out of my mouth so fast I can hardly hold them back.
“Miss Asimova—” Tatyana tries to stop me, but I’m on a roll.
“You cannot give Leo this much power! He will come after you, too. And then the Abramovics and the Fedorovs. The man only wants power. He wants to be king. He will screw you over, and he will not stop until he is the last one standing!”
I take another deep breath. “His brother is dead. Max Sokolov had his ass handed to him in Montana after he tried to kill me. Twice. Leo wanted me alive, but Max didn’t have enough respect to obey his own brother’s command. Leo couldn’t get Max in line, and you want to give him one-third of your power? Is that what our ancestors came to this country for? To have the rug pulled out from under them by a raging narcissist?”
Finally, the seed of doubt has been planted. I can see it in their eyes. Tatyana Mikhailova. Lev Fedorov. Ivan Abramovic. Even the others are wavering, exchanging quick glances and subtle shakes of the head. And Leo can smell it. He senses the shift in real time as he turns to scowl at me.
“All you had to do was keep quiet, you fucking bitch,” he whispers.
His men stiffen behind us. They’re ready for the worst-case scenario, but I wonder if they understand the repercussions. I’ve come too far to back down now.
“I am Anya Asimova. My name still means something,” I say, never taking my eyes off Leo as I address the other Bratva heads. “As long as I am alive, so is the Asimov family. We signed treaties for circumstances such as this. I do not consent to marrying Leo Sokolov, and I certainly do not consent to passing any of our businesses and territories over to him. He forfeited that financial benefit in lieu of our marriage the minute he pointed his guns at my family.”
“I have something to say.” A woman’s voice cuts through the hall.
Everything comes to a standstill. The doors open on the east side of the building as my grandmother walks in— proud and elegant as ever—accompanied by familiar faces: my father’s old guards and a few fresh gentlemen, too.
“Is that…” Ivan’s voice trails off.
“Zoya Asimova,” Tatyana gasps.
Lev gives Leo a hard look. “Whatever you have in mind, you’d better not, boy. The terms of this conversation have just changed.” He pats the gun in his waist holster for good measure.
And his men move closer, too, just to get the message across.