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“Because I love Mishka,” I state, then I rest my palm over my stomach. “And he’s the father of my child.”
30
MISHKA
If I thought my life was over before, I’m confident it’s going to end painfully now.
And while it fills my heart with love and pride to see Alina standing so boldly before her father, it also creates a deep anxiety in me because she’s risking her safety—and that of our unborn child—to defend me.
I doubt Sergio would do anything to hurt his daughter physically, but I feel so damn helpless right now, hands tied behind my back, on my knees, with guns aimed at me from every angle. If Sergio does decide to lay a hand on her, I won’t likely live long enough to protect her.
And I can’t imagine Alina will get away without punishment when she’s confessed to getting pregnant out of wedlock with a man of such inferior birth as me. No doubt, I’m the last man her father would want her to be with, let alone have a child with, when I’ve made no commitment to her as far as he knows.
And from the look on his face, I’d say I’ve hit the nail on the head. Sergio looks like he’s on the verge of an aneurysm at Alina’s confession. His face nearing purple, it’s surpassed the crimson shade of his dark beard.
“What did you just say?” he demands, his voice slow and shaking with barely contained rage.
“I’m in love with him, Papachka,” she repeats passionately. “I’m having his child, and we want to get married. I would love your blessing, though I don’t need it. But you can’t kill him, please.”
Sergio sputters, the vein in his forehead throbbing dangerously. “You will not marry a traitor,” he snarls. “How can you even suggest it when he’s been collaborating with the men who have threatened you and your family on more than one occasion? He could have been a part of the plan that got you kidnapped in the first place!”
Nothing could be further from the truth, and at the same time, I’m no better than the men beside me. Because I did intend to hurt her family, and I hate that Alina’s trying to protect me when she knows that.
“Oh, please!” she huffs. “If Mishka were truly a spy for them, why would one of the other prisoners rat him out? Think about it. No one suspected Mishka of treachery before the enemy claimed he was one of them. And now you’re going to believe a man who held me hostage over the word of a man who has saved my life more than once since he started working for you? He’s the one who found me.” She turns to Viktor, glaring at him defiantly. “And how many times has he had your back in some stupid fight?”
Viktor’s scowl deepens. “That’s different. And entirely beside the point.”
“Is it? What has Mishka ever done to make you question his loyalty and devotion to this family?”
Heart hammering against my bruised and aching ribs, I watch in wonder as Alina goes to bat for me. She knows the truth. She knows I was a traitor, and yet she’s willing to defend me against two of the most powerful men in Boston.
How did I ever get so lucky to have a woman like her fall for me? She’s bold and brave and outspoken. I’ve never seen anything so sexy.
“He knocked up my sister after I warned him to stay away from you,” Viktor growls, cutting her argument short with a trump card.
The blond beside me snorts, casting a sidelong glance at me. “Priceless,” he mutters.
I snarl, my hatred for him boiling over, even though I have no way of acting on it. The butt of Lenka’s rifle is buried in his teeth a second later, blood spewing from his mouth. The sight of it brings me immense satisfaction.
“Mishka tried to stay away,” Alina says, ignoring the skirmish behind her as she returns her focus to her father. “Really, he did. But I couldn’t… Please, Papachka, you have to see how much he means to me.”
“That doesn’t make him trustworthy,” Sergio states. “Like I said before, Alina. You have a soft heart, and it’s compromised your ability to see things clearly.”
“No, you’re the one who can’t see things clearly,” Alina insists. “Just because Viktor’s pissed Mishka wouldn’t stay away from me! But think about it, if he were a spy, Mishka would be an invaluable asset whose cover these men would give their lives to protect—especially now, if what they want is vengeance. They’ve been caught, so if he’s one of them, he would be their best chance. They wouldn’t give him up.”
The fury in Sergio’s eyes shifts to contemplation, and he looks at me with a penetrating gaze.
Then the blond prisoner kneeling beside me spits at Alina, coating the floor in blood. “Stupid whore, why don’t you listen to Daddy and shut the hell up?”
Blinding rage turns my vision red, and though I’m bound and restrained by Viktor’s men, I lunge for the bastard, intent on inflicting as much pain on him as I can. I want him dead for speaking to Alina that way.
But Malik has too firm a grip on my arms, and Lenka’s on top of the blond before I can get to him. Kicking and bludgeoning the prisoner with his gun, he beats the blond until he’s curled in a bloody heap on the floor. I could almost wonder if he’s dead, except for the low groans that issue from between his shattered teeth.
And if I didn’t hate him with every fiber of my being, I could almost feel his pain. After all, I was in just about the same spot less than an hour ago. But he’s also the bastard who got my ass kicked and thrown in chains. So, if this guy doesn’t die tonight, I’m ready to hunt him down and kill him myself. If I live that long. Thankfully, based on the shape he’s in, it doesn’t look like he has that much time left on this earth.
Sergio sighs with the weight of inexhaustible patience, and everyone’s attention shifts back to him.
“Bring Mishka to me,” he says evenly, gesturing to Malik.
