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“I find that hard to believe.”
“Think what you want, but I have a good life. As the third child, not much is expected of me, and I like it like that.” He finishes the drink just as my bedroom door opens and Siena walks down the hall.
She pauses as she looks at Jasha. He turns and blinks a few times, frowning at her.
Siena looks incredible. Her hair’s pulled back and twisted into a perfect messy bun, and she washed her face and reapplied her makeup, making her look much more understated and natural. Her top is slightly too tight—Emiliya’s still only sixteen and something of a twig—and it accentuates her full breasts. The jeans fit, but they cling to her hips. It takes my fucking breath away. I almost forgot how beautiful she was in the short time she left my sight. How did that happen? How could I forget something like this?
Jasha stands. “You must be Siena,” he says, walking over. He shakes her hand and she gives me a bewildered look.
“This is my youngest brother, Jasha,” I say.
“Nice to meet you.” She smiles at him. “Will you be at dinner?”
His grin gets huge. “Darling, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s going to be extremely fun.”
Siena frowns at me and I only sigh, shaking my head.
My goddamn family is going to kill me.
Dinner is fucking painful.
An extra setting is prepared for Siena without my having told anyone, which drives me insane but is also a relief. She sits at my side next to Galina, and the two of them talk quietly about something I can’t hear—probably Galina telling Siena every terrible thing about me she can think of. Father is silent the whole time, glaring at me and at Siena, and Mother seems supremely uncomfortable.
Midway through the salad, Feliks makes his move.
“So, Maxim, where’d you find this one?” He gestures at Siena with his fork. She turns red and glances at me in a panic.
“Don’t be a dick, Feliks,” Galina says, glaring at him. “She’s a lot nicer than that girl you brought home. What was her name again?”
“Melinda,” Jasha says with a scowl. “And that wouldn’t be so hard. That girl had the personality of a pissed-off and starving Rottweiler, and the face to match.”
Emiliya cackles and throws a roll at him. “Don’t be a dick. She was plenty pretty.”
Jasha catches the roll and rips it in half with his teeth. “She was a bloodhound, that one.”
“Siena is Don Bastone’s daughter,” I say, interrupting Jasha before he can make things worse. I glance at my father as my stomach does a sharp twist. His face doesn’t change. That’s good. He already knew. “I met her while doing business with her father.”
“Don Bastone? Isn’t he that Italian asshole who runs all the whorehouses?” Feliks’s face lights up as he turns to Siena. “You’re the daughter of a pimp. What’s that make you?”
“Feliks!” Mother looks aghast. “Don’t be so rude.”
“Only speaking the truth,” Feliks says with a shrug.
I lean forward, hands shaking. I can barely control the sudden flood of rage. “You should be more careful what you say, brother. Siena is my guest, and you know how Russian hospitality works.”
“I’d love for a lesson, brother.” Feliks grins.
“I’ll teach you, though I suspect you wouldn’t enjoy the lesson.”
“By all means, stand up and come around this table.”
“Oh, fun,” Jasha says with a yawn. “They’re measuring their dicks at the table.”
Mother kicks him in the shin and he barks a groan, which makes Emiliya laugh, and Galina laughs, and everyone’s smiling—except for Feliks. He stares at me with a neutral expression, all rage and death in his eyes.
He’s going to make a move. It’s only a matter of time, and when he does it, I’d better be ready.
“I do hope your father approved your staying with us,” Father says quietly, and Siena quickly nods.
“Yes, sir,” she says. “He’s aware that I’m here.”
“And there will not be any problems with our business arrangement?”
“No, Father,” I say. “None at all.”
Father grunts and nods.
“I think that’s about as much approval as you’re going to get,” Galina whispers just loud enough for me to hear.
I roll my eyes and get back to eating.
Dinner drifts past. Feliks doesn’t cause anymore outbursts. Jasha keeps up a steady stream of teasing jokes about Melinda though, and eventually Feliks gets pissed off—and drunk enough—to storm off. Father frowns his disapproval, but soon the meal is over and Galina’s dragging Siena off along with Emiliya. “We’re giving her a tour!” Galina says, and before I can argue, they’re gone.
“Don’t worry,” Mother says, smiling kindly. She put a hand on my shoulder. “They’re good girls.”
“Allegedly,” I say, shaking my head.
Jasha leaves with a wink and a raised glass.
I’m alone with Father. He looks at me carefully and I finish my vodka. The silence is so heavy, it’s like a weight directly on my chest. The staff is smart enough to keep out while we’re alone.
