Chapter 4 - Benedikt
All three of the other Pakhans, including myself, have moved into Joseph’s mansion.
After a vote, we decided on both the practicality and placement of his place.
It’s got incredible beach views, a lot more privacy than the other available residences, and it will be the easiest to keep secure while our new wife is adjusting to her role.
Maria is making a point of letting us know how much she disapproves of all of this. It’s a bit late now. She should learn to embrace what is going on and make the best of her situation.
I’m sure that in time she will come around.
Some of us are not as patient as I am, though.
“Where is she?” Artur snaps, sitting down at the dinner table.
“I’m not sure,” I reply, taking my seat as well.
“She hasn’t been to the last two dinners.
Why would you expect to find her at this one?
” Joseph growls at Artur. The two of them have been at each other’s throats at every possible moment.
It’s starting to drive me crazy, but for now, I’m trying to give them the space to work it out between themselves.
If it carries on like this, though, I’ll have no choice but to intervene.
For now, my main concern is the girl. She is the one I’m most worried about.
Especially with how aggressive Artur is when he speaks to her. He treats her like he hates her. I wonder if there is something in their past.
“She has to attend dinners. I’ve already told her that! I made myself clear!” Artur snaps.
Kazimir huffs, “Leave the girl alone. She’ll come to dinner when she wants to come to dinner.” He’s so easygoing and uncaring, I swear I could drive over his foot with my car, and he’d be unfazed.
“I will not leave her alone. I’ve told her…” Artur stands up, shoving his chair back, and instantly, I see trouble brewing.
“I’ll get her,” I say quickly. “You sit, start eating. I’ll go call her. She probably didn’t realize what the time was, that’s all.”
I’d rather have her face me than him. That guy has mood swings that put most women I’ve dated to shame.
Artur shoots me a disapproving glare but sits down. “Fine, you deal with her attitude,” he huffs.
Heading upstairs to her room, I think about Maria. Her cute, plump little cheeks. Her rosy pink lips and strawberry-blonde hair that waves down her back and looks like silk. I think about how bright her hazel eyes are, piercing and captivating.
She has been quiet over the past three days and mostly avoiding us, but on the brief occasions I have been able to speak to her, I’ve seen a sharp wit and fierce resilience.
She hasn’t said as much, but I can tell she is no stranger to the Bratva world.
“Maria,” I call her name softly as I tap my knuckle against her door and push it open. The light is on near her bedside table, but her room is empty. Just to be sure, I check the adjoining private bathroom, but that is empty, too.
Avoiding the dining room and Artur, I go through the back door out into the garden. For the past couple of days, I’ve noticed her spending a lot of ttime here.
And my intuition was correct.
I find Maria sitting on the grass beneath the lush green ferns and broad leaves of the palm trees in the corner of the garden facing the lake.
“Hi, you,” I say, friendly and smiling.
The little jump and tension that shoots through her tells me I caught her off guard and gave her a fright. Maria looks nervous, as though she’s trying to work out if she should jump up and run away or stand her ground. She reminds me of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
“What are you up to?” I ask, trying to make small talk.
She glances at me and scrunches her nose before looking away without responding.
“It’s hot out here. Were you thinking of swimming?” I ask, shoving my hands into my pockets to let her know I intend her no harm.
She scowls at me, narrowing her eyes.
She looks sweet in her pink summer dress with her bikini on underneath it. The straps are showing over her shoulders.
“Why? Is the whole happy gang inside going to come join me if I do?” she snaps.
I chuckle, one corner of my mouth curling up into a half smile. “Taking a page from Artur’s book with a splendidly sarcastic response?” I ask, trying to keep it lighthearted.
“I am nothing like Artur,” she quips back instantly.
“Don’t worry, I know, I was only joking.
He needs an intense meditation session, or some therapy, or something.
That guy has a stick so far up his ass I’m surprised he can sit down,” I muse, trying to give her something to latch on to.
A reason to relate to me. She needs one friend in this place.
I’m determined to be that friend for her.
When she steals a quick look at me this time, I see a glimmer of amusement in her beautiful eyes, and for some reason, it makes my heart leap in excitement. It’s working, I’m getting through to her. A streak of triumph broadens my smile.
“I reckon I’ll jump in the pool after dinner. I love swimming just as the sun is setting. And it’s so fucking hot these past few days, my brain stops working,” I smile.
“Me too. I love summer, but the heat can get unbearable,” she says quietly, fiddling with a leaf she’s picked up from somewhere in the garden.
“It’s polka dot begonia,” I tell her.
“What?” she asks, confused.
“The leaf. It’s from a begonia plant. The white dots on the green leaf…and the bright red underside,” I explain.
“It’s pretty,” she murmurs. “There is a massive plant against the wall on the other side of the house.”
“It’s one of my favorite plants,” I say.
“You like gardening?” she asks, surprised.
I snort. “No, not so much the gardening part. I love plants. I have a greenhouse in my mansion. I import rare and exotic plants. Tropical, mostly.”
“It sounds beautiful,” she sighs.
“You’re welcome to come and see it one day,” I tell her, sitting down next to her on the lush green grass.
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Sure, let’s go now. How about a stop at the mall and a walk on the beach, too, while we’re at it. We both know that’s not going to happen,” she huffs.
“Maybe not today, but I don’t see why I can’t show you my greenhouse soon. You’re not a prisoner here, Maria. You’re just being kept inside for your safety, for the time being.”
She scoffs. “Is that what he told you?”
“He hasn’t said much. This whole thing is really important for us. It’s important for this city,” I try to explain.
“Marrying me is important for the city?” she asks, confused.
“Yes, to keep it safe. As a unified force, the four Pakhans are stronger than ever. You are the one who unifies us.”
She slips into thoughtful silence as her beautiful hazel eyes study my face, trying to read the secrets behind my stare.
“Why are you doing this?” she asks quietly.
“I guess we each have our own reasons, but for me…I’m doing it for my sister. She’s around your age. I want to be able to protect her through this alliance.”
“My brother would do stupid stuff like that too,” she sighs, “he would do anything to protect me.”
I slip my arm around her and pull her into a gentle side hug. “Well, how about for the time being, I protect you. If you need anything at all, you just let me know, okay?” I tell her.
She sits awkwardly tense with my arm around her, but she nods. “Alright,” she agrees.
“Now, will you come and join us for dinner? It smells incredible. Roast lamb with some kind of mint sauce and all sorts of roasted vegetables,” I say.
She nods, and I stand up, offering my hand to help her up, too. She takes it, and I push her ahead of me with my hand on her lower back, guiding her to the dining room.
My eyes trace over her back, her curvy figure, and her silly hair. She is a beautiful woman. Definitely my type. There is a gentleness about her that has me intrigued. A quietness that tells me she has a kind heart.
Before we enter the dining room, I can already hear the two of them going at each other, and I groan deeply.
“You fucking think that because this is your place you get to dictate what I can and can’t say?” Artur snarls, heated and angry.
“I expect you to show some basic respect for everyone around you because the world doesn’t fucking revolve around you!” Joseph growls back at him.
Joseph is so levelheaded and calm with everyone else. It’s wild how much he lets Artur antagonize him.
“Joe,” I say gently.
“I can’t do this,” he mutters under his breath, standing up and pressing his knuckles against the table.
“Joe, sit down. Maria is joining us for dinner,” I say, pointedly tilting my head toward her.
How swallows hard and stands up straighter. “Maria, I’m sorry about that,” he mutters, realizing how loud they were being. “Please, sit. I’ll dish up some food for you.”
Joseph grabs an empty plate and starts adding meat and vegetables to it. “Do you eat everything? Is there anything you don’t like?”
“I don’t like carrots very much,” Maria says, eyeing the food.
“Luckily, there are no carrots tonight. I’ll have the chef remove all of them from the house at once,” Joseph jokes.
No one smiles except Kazimir.
“Tough crowd, man,” Kazimir chuckles.
“Indeed,” Joseph sighs, walking around the table to place the plate of food in front of Maria, who has chosen to sit in the open space between Kazimir and me.
Kazimir lets his eyes wander over her blatantly.
“Pink always looks beautiful on a lady,” he says.
I withhold the unimpressed huff. Can he leave the girl alone? She already didn’t want to be here, and now he’s pawing at her with his eyes, and the compliment is so fucking generic it’s atrocious. Nothing personal about it. He just made it clear he likes all girls in pink. Well done, moron.
“Can I pour you a glass of wine, Maria?” I ask, cutting Kazimir off before he can add any more stupidity to his comment.
“Yes, please,” she says softly.
I set a glass of red wine in front of her.
Dinner is a tense, silent process of knives and forks clattering against crockery.
Artur is silent, but the heavy glances he shoots at Joseph are cold and flooded with unspoken words.
Kazimir is quiet, but his eyes are constantly exploring Maria, clearly making her uncomfortable.
Half of me wants to grab the edge of her chair and pull her closer to me to save her from him. But I can’t provoke anything in the already tense atmosphere.
When Maria does look around the table and happens to catch Artur’s eyes, she sneers at him with hatred. She doesn’t even try to hide it.
The animosity in this room is palpable.
It’s almost a relief when the chef clears the plates away and lets us know he will be bringing dessert out in a moment.
Maria stands. “Thank you for dinner. I’m very tired, so I’m going to bed now,” she explains. I glance out the patio doors. The sun has hardly even set yet.
“Go ahead, I hope you get some good rest,” I say quickly before Artur can snap something nasty or Kazimir can make some obscene remark about keeping her company in bed.
All in all, dinner was an awkward mess. A disaster. But at least she came. I’ll try and get her to join us again tomorrow. Small steps. I’ll win her over and help her feel more comfortable here in no time.