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Chuckling, I trap her chin between my fingers and lift my head to steal a kiss. “I never claimed to be smart.”
Shaking her head, Alina can’t seem to help but smile. Then she softly traces the planes of my face. “I still think it’s at least worth discussing with my father. Even if he gets pissed, he wouldn’t kill you because he knows I would never forgive him. Plus, this baby is kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card. Right? I mean, look at how well it worked out the first time. Not only did my father spare your life, but he’s also letting us get married.”
I stay silent for a long time, considering her logic. In truth, I trust Alina to understand her father better than I ever could. She saved my skin when I was confident my life was over. So, if she believes it will work, I’m willing to try it. I just hope I don’t end up regretting it. Because I’m really starting to get attached to the future that’s been laid out before me.
“Okay, if you think it’ll work, let’s talk to him,” I agree, and I press a kiss to her forehead.
“Come in,” Sergio calls through the thick wood of his office door.
Turning the handle, I let the door swing wide as I let Alina step inside first.
Sergio looks up from his formidable mahogany desk. The room screams masculine sophistication and wealth, and I take a moment to admire it, as usual, before settling into a chair beside Alina.
“Mishka and I were hoping to speak to you,” Alina says, taking charge from the get-go.
I stay silent, studying Sergio’s features as he quirks a thick eyebrow.
“About?”
Alina casts a glance in my direction. Then she squares her shoulders and looks her father boldly in the eye. “I understand now, why you’ve sheltered me from your business for so long.”
Sergio’s second eyebrow rises in surprise. That’s not where he thought his daughter would go at all. Alina tends to do that—catch a person out of left field and disarm them before she makes her argument. From experience, I’d say it’s pretty darn effective.
“It’s a cruel, brutal world, Papachka, full of pain and suffering. And while I appreciate all that you’ve provided for me—a wonderful, comfortable life where I never want for anything—I can’t sit by and pretend I’m okay with how you earn money.”
She’s not pulling any punches, and I watch closely for Sergio’s reaction because I’ve never heard anyone speak to him that way before. Even Rasputin treats the Pakhan with a healthy level of deference. But his face remains almost impassive aside from the slight twitch at the corners of his lips.
“I wish you would put aside your violent, destructive behavior,” Alina says gently, her tone shifting to pleading as she scoots forward in her chair. And when I cast my eyes at her, she looks almost hopeful that he might hear her out. “This family has more than enough money to live comfortably without harming others, Papachka.”
Her father seems almost amused at this concept, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair. But to my astonishment, he lets Alina continue, which she does after a heavy pause.
“I understand I can’t make the decision for you. All I can do is decide for myself and for my own child.” Alina’s chin tips up defiantly, her voice swelling with conviction. “So, as of today, Mishka and I would like to separate ourselves from the Family. Mishka will find work elsewhere, and I will graduate and become a vet so I can support myself without your help.”
Booming laughter echoes from Sergio, filling the room, but it’s entirely without humor.
Blyat. This could get ugly fast.
Subtly attempting to work the tension from my shoulders, I watch Sergio closely. But his eyes focus on his daughter, their steel gray color lit with sharp humor.
“And how do you intend to finish school without my support?” he chides, punching holes in her.
It makes me bristle to watch him bring her down. Even if his question is a legitimate one, I can see this is his tactic for keeping Alina under his thumb and close to home.
But she’s undeterred. She’s used to him discounting her ambitions, so she’s ready with an answer. “I’ll figure it out. I can get a job and apply for financial aid.” She says it with enough conviction that I believe her.
And from the way Sergio’s smile drops from his face, I would say he does too.
That’s when he brings down the hammer, turning his eyes on me with open hostility. “And you? You really thought I would just let you walk away?” he asks in disgust.
“No,” I state flatly, bracing for the sentence I hear ringing in the air.
“You know, it’s one thing to steal my daughter out from under my nose and knock her up. Even I have to admit, it was a clever move. You forced my hand into promoting you because I can’t have her slumming it with my soldiers. And no one else will want to marry her when she’s having another man’s child.”
I grind my teeth, struggling to bite my tongue at the way he talks about her. I can see where Viktor gets his outlook on his sister. They might both love Alina, but they don’t respect her like she deserves. And though I know it’s not uncommon in powerful Families like the Sakharovs, it still makes me want to take her far away from here.
“To be honest, Mishka, I hadn’t realized you were so ambitious,” Sergio observes dryly. “You always seemed a bit… simple to me, a good soldier capable of following orders and nothing more. Then again, you’ve proven quite adept at duplicitous tactics, haven’t you, boy?”
“Papachka,” Alina hisses, trying to regain his attention.
