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Another set of hands grips my arms and helps Malik haul me to my feet. Then they shove me forward to stand in front of Sergio. Though the Pakhan’s gun rests casually at his side now, Alina stays close to me, seeming intent on being my shield.
And while I wish she would remove her body from the room full of armed and murderous men, it feels insanely good to know she’s so close, to smell her jasmine and vanilla scent and have her standing determinedly beside me, lending me her strength, willing me to keep fighting.
“Tell me the truth,” Sergio commands, his eyes like steel as they scrutinize me. “All of it. And don’t try to lie. Believe me, I’ll know, and if you do, I don’t care what you mean to my daughter. I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Licking my dry lips and tasting blood when my tongue brushes across the split where Viktor clocked me, I hold Sergio’s gaze. “I was a member of the Nezhit Bratva, the same one these men are fighting to avenge.”
Alina gasps beside me, her head snapping in my direction. I can almost hear her pleading for me to stop talking, but I can’t. The truth is the only thing that can set me free now. I just have to hope that Sergio loves his daughter enough to keep me alive long enough to confess everything.
“I knew it,” Viktor mutters somewhere behind me, but Sergio casts him a warning glance, and the room falls silent once more.
Then Sergio’s gaze shifts back to me.
“You killed my brother the day you annihilated my clan. And when I joined the Sakharovs, my intention was to betray you. I wanted you dead. I was ready to give my life to avenge my brother. But I was never a part of any greater plan. I thought I was the only survivor until Alina was kidnapped. And I swear to you, I would never have let that happen if I knew. I would sooner die than let any harm come to your daughter. Ever. She changed everything for me—my life, my purpose, my reason for being.”
I pause, watching Sergio closely as his expression flickers between fury and suspicion, doubt and confusion. But he holds his peace, waiting for the whole story.
“Sir, after spending time with Alina, trekking through the woods with her when we survived the ambush, I lost my conviction to seek revenge.”
Sergio cocks his eyebrow, his expression skeptical, like he couldn’t possibly see how his daughter could hold such sway over me. But he must. As her father, he has to see the spell she puts people under. She’s enchanting, bewitching, impossible to ignore.
“Yes, Viktor warned me to stay away from her,” I continue. “Believe what you will, but I tried. Hell, I’ve never tried so hard to stay away from a girl in my life because I knew how easy it would be to care about her. And I knew what it would do to her if I killed you. I never intended to stick around long enough to watch her pain.”
Tension ripples through the room as Sergio’s men bristle, ready to put a bullet in me just for saying the treasonous words. The hair raises on the back of my neck, but I refuse to break eye contact with Sergio.
“So, I tried to keep Alina at arm’s length, but I’ve never met a woman like her. She’s everything to me. Against my better judgment and any common sense, I fell in love with her. I know I don’t deserve her, sir. Let’s be honest, no man ever will. But if you’ll let me, I intend to spend the rest of my life trying to earn that honor.”
The room falls painfully silent as everyone waits for Sergio’s decision. I hold my breath, willing him to consider what I’ve said despite the very ugly truth of my past. I gave him honesty. All of it, just as he asked.
Can he respect that enough to give me a second chance?
I can only hope I made the right choice.
If not, I’m dead.
31
ALINA
It’s agony waiting for my father to make his decision.
And all the while, Mishka’s life hangs in the balance.
I’m terrified he said too much.
When my father asked for the truth, I didn’t expect Mishka to announce he was a part of the same clan as the men who kidnapped me. How and when he found that out, I don’t know. But now seems like the worst possible time to admit it. Because anything he says could be the thing that tips the scale and ends his life.
At the same time, if my father has any love for me, I don’t know how he could kill Mishka after what Mishka just said. His beautiful confession put a lump in my throat and brought tears to my eyes all over again.
What I wouldn’t give right now to throw my arms around him, to kiss him passionately and show him just how much his words mean to me. The fact that he would say them to my father fills me with overwhelming warmth. The conviction with which he said it has my heart racing and my mouth dry.
And despite all the bruises and his swollen lip, I can see the calm determination in the set of his strong jaw, the way he holds his head. He put everything on the line to be with me, and it makes my chest ache to know that’s how much he loves me. How I got so lucky, I don’t know.
When I finally tear my eyes from Mishka’s face and return them to my father, he meets my eyes with an inscrutable gaze. After what feels like an eternity, he finally seems to come to a decision.
“Why do you enjoy confounding me so much?” he asks me, his booming voice aggravated. But his expression morphs into one of indulgent affection.
I smile apologetically, a soft giggle rushing between my lips as relief floods my body. The worst of the danger has passed. I know because my father’s shaking his head in that way that tells me he’s going to give me what I want despite his convictions.
