Chapter 12 – Danil
“Gather the others and meet me at the meeting hall in ten minutes,” I said to Feliks on a phone call.
“Okay,” he said, right before I ended the call.
Something didn’t feel right. Somehow, I felt left behind on everything after my night with Kat. I needed to stay updated with every piece of information I could gather, rather than being left in the dark. But while I walked to the meeting hall, the events of the previous night flashed before me.
I could still taste her. Her body pressed against mine like my head sinking into soft, feathery pillows. I could still smell her hair’s scent as she blossomed under my touch. I didn’t want it to happen, but I couldn’t resist. I tried to fight it, but I simply couldn’t.
Maybe I should’ve left Kat to be executed with her father.
But no. That would only make things worse, not to mention how it was to think such a thing against my wife.
Despite all the caution in the world, Katria had a strange effect on me, and I liked it.
Her tenacity and strong will, which didn’t match her gorgeous face, made me believe there was more to her than I realized.
Her mysterious stature wasn’t a problem for me.
My greatest fear right now was that she was becoming a part of my weakness, and the marriage had ensured that.
I arrived at the hall in no time, and they were already seated.
Feliks sat with his jaw tightened. Konstantin sat on the right side, wearing a black double-buttoned suit, as they faced each other.
Irene, on the other hand, sat with her arms folded.
She looked at me with a hint of a smile while she removed her dark shades, and Luka didn’t move an inch.
“Look who’s here,” she uttered in a light soprano. “The latest groom.”
I knew she’d be the first to speak, regardless. Despite being the daughter of Feliks, Irene never showed resentment toward me in any way, like the way she did with the rest of my brothers.
“I believe it’s more of a surprise to everyone that I called this meeting,” I remarked.
“Not really. I knew you’d call at any moment. All I had to do was wait,” Feliks said in a soft tone while he leaned on the table, clasping his hands together.
“By the way, Feliks, great party yesterday. I didn’t know you’d be so welcoming to Katria. I’m impressed.”
“Well, you know I’m always good with the parties,” Feliks said in what felt like a joke due to his mild smile. “But I’ll do anything for this family, Danil. You know that.”
“Of course I do,” I said. “And I hope you all do too, because I’m counting on everyone here to feed me with the necessary updates I need. So tell me, what’s happening?”
“I think everything is under control. I’ve talked to Eduard, Matvey, and the rest of the Yezhovs,” Konstantin disclosed with effortless fluency, his tone deep.
“And what’s the outcome?” I inquired.
“They’re holding up well on their end. Now that the news about your marriage to Katria is public, everything seems to simmer down. There’s no sign of possible tension yet.”
Silence ensued for a while after I heard him say “yet,” as if he were expectant of a possible outbreak of chaos.
Feliks reclined his back on the headrest of the wooden chair. Irene was rather too comfortable as she arranged the side of her jacket before my eyes settled back on Konstantin.
“And what do you mean by that?” I asked him, and he sat upright.
“For a start, a good number of people know your current relationship status with Katria, especially our opponents.”
“And what does that have to do with this?”
“Nothing. I’m just saying that all the eyes of your enemies are focused on you right now, as well as your Katria.
If they don’t try to attack now, they’ll want to buy themselves some time before they strike.
I’m glad that you’re married to her, Danil, but she’s in a much more vulnerable state right now than ever. ”
“No, Konstantin, you’re wrong. Kat is safest with me. I can protect her.”
“And I believe you without a trace of doubt. But time makes the difference. The possibilities aren’t slim of a near abduction, Danil, and abduction means loss.
All the assets would be gone because of our sheer act of carelessness.
If Katria is left alone anywhere in the world, she would be taken along with everything that comes with her,” he explained, as he snapped his fingers, emphasizing his words.
Although I read meaning into what he said, I didn’t buy into the idea of being incapable of taking good care of Katria.
I could take good care of her. But the sad truth was that I was not always going to be at the estate with her, and I let that sink in for a minute before Luka finally moved at the end of his chair.
“There has been an unbelievable increase in security since the breach. That counts for something at least, right?”
“We definitely need to straighten things out and let the waters settle. At this juncture, the last thing we need is war,” Feliks said.
I stood up from my chair and paced in thought.
They all made valid points. The last thing I needed was to lose Kat, because if we did, we’d all lose everything, alongside the assets that were rightfully hers.
And though I wouldn’t admit it in public, Kat brought out the parts of me I couldn’t imagine I’d unleash yet. Her piercing green eyes, which called to me, filled me with a wild enchantment.
I imagined my hand patting her auburn hair in light strokes, my lips on hers right before I go down on her and make her insides fill with wetness. I envisioned how she’d please me.
“We should still be cautious, though,” Irene revealed, and I halted mid-stride.
“Not all security can be trusted. We don’t know who’s who or what’s what.
Internal security and external security all seem the same to me.
Someone could sneak in, disguised as one of us, but in reality, it’s all part of the enemy’s plan for victory, which I see as our doom. ”
“Irene, you should know by now that it’s shameful for you to repeat my point just to have something to say,” Konstantin taunted.
I sighed at Konstantin’s remark before I sat down.
“Well, I guess you were a little too vague when you made your point,” Irene replied.
“Your utterances aren’t of any significance,” he argued.
“I know. Only those who resonate with my level of brilliance can understand what I just said,” she fired back.
“You’re a fraud, you know that?”
“You’re an idiot,” she said matter-of-factly. “You consider yourself smart, but you’re only fooling yourself.”
“I guess only a fool knows a fool,” Konstantin lashed out, his voice cool.
I’d had just enough of their crazy banter.
It wasn’t surprising to me. The two had always had bad blood since childhood. It was either that Konstantin was in heavy competition with Irene or vice versa. I always had to stand between their fights and arguments.
“I swear to God, if you were a man, I would’ve treated you the way you deserve,” Konstantin had said once in high school as we walked out after the final ring of the bell.
“Oh, please, spare me the nonsense of you claiming to be a real man,” she’d dismissed.
Konstantin hadn’t talked all through that day. I felt the slow burn as it showed on his face because she said it in public.
And even though I thought they had decided to move on, here they were in front of me like middle schoolers arguing over who gets to eat a chocolate bar.
“Enough with this bullshit already!” I thundered, and they both looked at each other, wearing large scowls of discontent.
“I sense a sexual tension,” Luka commented, almost silently.
“I swear I’ll fucking kill myself if I find out I let myself have sex with a coward and vagabond like Konstantin. His face is as ugly as his name,” Irene said.
“How dare you?” Konstantin snapped.
“No, how dare you speak with such audacity about my thoughts being insignificant?” Irene asked.
“Silence!” I said once more, and their attention was drawn to me. “I will not tolerate such childishness on my table. Whatever tension you both have, settle it somewhere else. As of now, Katria is the only important person, and we have to keep her safe at all costs.”
“I apologize for my misbehavior, brother. Irene gets on my nerves sometimes,” Konstantin remarked.
“More like every time,” Luka commented, my quick glare making him purse his lips.
“Good,” I said. “I’ve come to a decision, and I want you all to be focused. You’re my eyes and ears here. Anything that’s done in my absence without my prior approval will result in you all being summoned back here while you answer to me. Are we on the same page?”
“Yes, we are,” they chorused.
“Great! Now, back to the matter at hand. We need all hands on deck. I refuse to be silenced by any form of threats; therefore, any slight misrepresentation will lead to irreversible terminal consequences and execution.”
“How are you going to strengthen your forces now that our enemies are on the lookout for your wife?” Feliks questioned.
“We go all the way to protect her. Like I said, I’m willing to go all the way. Be it good, bad, or ugly. I don’t care if we need to carry out intensive operations in order to dismantle other Bratva factions just for both her and our safety.”
Their nods of understanding were all the agreement I needed.
“Meeting dismissed,” I notified.
Feliks was the first to stand and walk to his exit, followed by Luka. Konstantin stood, looked at me, gave a slight nod, and walked out. Irene was the only one remaining seated, and she looked at me with a wry smile that suggested she knew she was in trouble.