Chapter 18 #2
“And then?”
“And then, six months ago, someone from Kolya’s crew recognized you at the Belvedere. It was an old lieutenant who swore you looked exactly like your mother. And you do.”
My heart tightens.
“Luckily, I have contacts in the Bratva who were able to keep me abreast of all of this. I was told that the lieutenant took you on as a personal project and started digging. He eventually discovered the truth. Once Kolya learned that you were alive, everything changed.”
The pieces click into place.
“He orchestrated the whole thing,” I say. “The drinks, the auction. He was going to buy me. And then what? Kill me?”
“Eventually. The auction would be the perfect opportunity. Once a woman is bought there, let’s just say that her fate isn’t a matter of public discussion.”
My skin crawls and my heart clenches as I think of Sylvie again.
“Once he bought you, he would’ve brought you to his home and kept you there until he could confirm your identity, that you’re really Lev’s daughter. And then, yes, he’d kill you. Because as long as you’re alive, you’re a threat to his legitimacy as the head of the Bratva that he took as his own.”
“So you bought me first.”
My thoughts flash back to that night. I think of the way Gabriel had all but rushed the stage with that incredible intensity in his eyes. I realize that it hadn’t been just about making me his, it’d been about keeping me alive.
“Yes. I learned when you’d be at the auction, and I made sure to attend. Luckily, Kolya is a little under the weather these days and wasn’t able to attend himself. That made matters easier. But all the same, I was willing to pay any price.”
“But then you kept me here. Kept me locked up. Lied to me about who I am.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” My voice breaks. “Why not just tell me the truth from the beginning?”
He meets my gaze, unflinching. “I didn’t know if you’d believe me, if you’d cooperate.
I worried that if I told you, you’d try to run—which you did anyway.
I worried that you might do something that would get you killed.
I needed time to gather proof, to build a case against Kolya.
And I needed to convince you that I was an ally.
Most importantly, I needed to keep you safe while I did it. ”
“So you kept me in the dark. And you watched me, controlled me. Made me—” I pause, my face burning. “Made me fall for you.”
His expression cracks, just a bit. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”
“Wasn’t it? Seems like you didn’t waste any time on that front.”
“No, it wasn’t.” He leans forward, framing my face with his hands. “Watching you, wanting you… that was never supposed to happen. You were supposed to be a debt paid, a promise kept. But then I saw you after all those years, really saw you, and I couldn’t look away.”
I glance down at the pattern of the Oriental rug under my feet.
“You are beautiful, Thea,” he says. “But I thought I could keep my desire for you in check. I was wrong.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I know.”
I pull away from his touch, wrapping my arms around myself.
“What happens now?” I ask quietly.
“Now, I finish what I started. The Bratva council meets in three weeks. If I can present a case for what he did, if I can prove that he orchestrated the Fetisov massacre, I can have him expelled and stripped of power. And I can use your existence as evidence that he’s been lying to the Bratva for decades. ”
“And if not?”
He takes a slow breath. “Kolya is sick. He has no children, so his successor will be hand-picked. And once the handover is complete, the new line of legitimacy will be created.”
“And I won’t be a part of it.”
He nods.
“So we present the case and kick Kolya out. Then what?”
“Then we see what the council wants to do other than remove him. He could be executed, depending on the council’s judgment.”
“Even if this works, I still wouldn’t be safe. There would be others, right? Other people who want to use my name, my bloodline. I’ll never be free, will I?”
He’s quiet for a long moment.
“No,” he finally says. “You won’t be, not completely. But I can protect you. I will protect you for the rest of your life, if that’s what it takes.”
“Why?”
“Because I owe your father. Because you deserve to live. And because—” He stops, swallows. “Because I can’t lose you.”
The words hang between us. I should be angry and rage at him for the lies and the manipulation.
But I don’t. I’m too tired and too terrified.
“Okay,” I whisper.
“Okay?”
“I’ll stay. I’ll help with whatever you need for the council. I’ll be Teodora Fetisov, or Thea, or whoever you need me to be. But I need you to promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“No more lies.” I meet his gaze. “No more secrets. If I’m going to do this—if I’m going to trust you with my life—I need the truth, all of it—even when it’s ugly, even when it hurts.”
He hesitates.
“Gabriel.”
“There are things,” he says slowly, “that if you don’t know about, you are safer. Details about the reality of what I do.”
“I don’t care about that. I care about my family, about doing right by them, making sure there’s justice for what happened.”
“Okay.”
I nod. “Okay. Good.”
The fire crackles as the rain pounds against the windows. I sit in this beautiful prison with a man who terrifies me, protects me, and arouses me in equal measure.
I’ve made my choice. Not for freedom, not in the way I’ve known it. But for a family I don’t remember, a family that was taken from me.
And I’ve chosen something else—whatever this is that’s growing between Gabriel and me. As much as I want to hate him for what he’s done, for keeping things from me, I can’t.
Because he’s the lesser of two evils. And in this world—my world now—that’s the best I can hope for.
“I’m tired,” I say quietly.
“I’ll take you upstairs.”
“Your room or mine?”
He looks at me, surprised.
“I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“Mine,” he says firmly. “You’re staying with me, where I can keep an eye on you.”
I should bristle at that, insist on my independence. But I don’t. Because right now, all I want is to feel safe. Even if the man making me feel safe is just as dangerous as the ones I’m hiding from.
Gabriel stands, offers me his hand.
I take it and let him lead me upstairs, to his room, to his bed, to his arms. Where I can pretend that the world outside of these walls doesn’t exist.
Where I can imagine I made the right choice.