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Catherine finished the last of her croissant and dusted herself off. “I wish you didn’t have to see him so angry before. He was always so gentle and caring growing up, but something seemed to change in him when he got his new job. Things would’ve been much smoother if you could’ve met his softer side first.”
“I think I did initially, that night in Europe. But the mafia world will do that to a person. When the stress gets layered on and lives are on the line, it’s hard to stay soft,” I returned quietly, remembering how stressed my brothers often were, no matter how well business was going. “Being kind gets you killed.”
She wore a grave expression. “I worry about him often. Before he told me what his job was, I never knew where he was going or why he was starting to change. But now that I know, I can’t help but assume the worst when he doesn’t answer my calls. And now, I’m afraid he’s digging himself a hole he won’t be able to get out of.”
“Nik certainly isn’t making friends by keeping me here,” I said, aware of our conflicting interests. “I keep trying to tell him that my brothers will act, and it won’t end well if he isn’t careful, but he won’t listen to me.”
“You think they’d…hurt him?” Catherine asked with a fearful gleam in her eyes.
I could already see her pain at the thought of losing her brother, and while the reality of it would be much darker, I didn’t want to put worse thoughts in her head. I felt bad for even bringing it up.
“If he were to oppose them, then they wouldn’t be afraid to use force to get me back,” I began, quick to use a reassuring tone, “But we’re married now, and I could have some influence over them—I could get them to cut him some slack.”
That seemed to immediately defuse her, and Cat was able to relax again. But as she assumed it would work without a hitch, I was left to wonder how much I meant it.
It was true I wanted my freedom back, but would I be willing to sell him out like that? Would I be able to walk away with a clear conscience knowing my brothers would probably kill him, leaving his sister all alone?
Plus, a part of me didn’t like the thought of anything happening to Nik. Even if I was forced to see the worst side of him, I knew that wasn’t his entire self. He had operated out of desperation, and now he was left to face the consequences.
Even if he was pretending to be unaffected by my warning, surely he had already been thinking about it.
“That would mean the world to me,” she sighed, running a hand through her dark hair. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
Guilt clutched my heart like a vice, and I had no idea what I’d do if the opportunity presented itself to me.
Catherine stayed with me for an hour or so before she had to leave, and when she was gone, I was left feeling refreshed from the visit. It was nice to talk to her after being stuck in the house alone.
I did some more studying before Nik came home, and the moment I looked at him, I couldn’t hear anything other than Cat’s voice in my mind, sounding beyond concerned for her brother.
He was playing a dangerous game with my family, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d be leaving a broken sister behind.
Before I could say anything to him, Nik came into the kitchen and pulled his gloves off, placing them on the countertop.
“You’ll be able to see your brothers soon so that they know where you are, and that you’re safe.”
The words made me hesitate immediately as I blinked back at him, wondering if he was either lying to me or hoping to pull some kind of trick. I didn’t fully trust him yet, and even if things weren’t horrible between us, I still needed to stay alert.
“What’s the catch?”
Nik sighed. “This can happen as long as you promise to be loyal to me. If not, it’ll risk you going down with me.”
I was glad for the opportunity to see Yaro and Vik again since I had missed them terribly. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like it was blackmail. Like I needed to be coerced into telling them that everything was perfectly fine.
His eyes reflected the emphasis on how important it was for me to go along with it. "If you say anything negative to them, they will come down on me, and if that happens, an all-out war will happen between the Levovs and Caprises," Nik said.
"And why shouldn't I be completely honest with them? If you were so sure about us getting married, then why would it matter?" I questioned him, throwing it back in his face.
"Because what I did crossed the line and I know that. If your brothers take me out, then I'll never get the chance to prove myself to you," Nik returned, sounding defeated by the thought alone. "I wouldn't be able to protect you, and there'd be no guarantee of the damage on either side. I'm not foolish enough to think Erasmo would avenge me, but I know he'd use it as an excuse to propel his plans."
As much as I didn't want to concede anything, I knew he was right about the potential casualties on both sides. If I ratted on Nik, there was a chance I'd be inadvertently responsible for one of my family members getting hurt.
I didn't like the idea of anyone dying over a feud I never wanted to be in. Plus, I didn't want Nik's blood on my hands, either. Not when his sister had been a good friend to me, and she'd be completely devastated if something happened to him.
I didn't want to be under Nik's control, and I missed my full autonomy. Yet, too many lives could be taken away if I decided to work against him.
Regardless of how he had treated me, I couldn't completely ignore the part of me that had feelings for him. Having something happen to him didn't sit right with me, and while he didn't have my complete loyalty yet, it wouldn't kill me to help him out.
Letting go of a deep breath, I leaned against the countertop and shrugged. "Alright. Let's see my brothers then."
