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I said nothing, but as the door closed behind her, I reached out and took hold of the photo that she left for me. Matthew was a happy boy, and as I looked into his face, I smiled.
“What are you going to do?” Leo asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Do you really think that I would tell my father that Maddy is alive? I’m not a monster.”
“I know that,” Leo said.
I grabbed the picture and stood up from the table. “Then, why even ask?” There were times when I felt that Leo knew me better than anyone else ever had, but that he would ask me such a question made my stomach turn. It was a reminder of the world that we lived in where people betrayed each other for money, power, and sometimes just because of some age-old vendetta that had nothing to do with them.
“I’m just trying to figure out where your head is at in all of this.”
The phone rang, and I jumped slightly.
“I’ll be right back.”
I nodded, not really interested in continuing this conversation anyway. As he walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts I looked at the photo Maddy left me once more. She was smiling with her son, and the photo looked so normal that it made my chest hurt.
My children would never have this. They would be groomed to take over, or to support the Bratva in some other way. Though I had not ever thought about having children, I felt disappointment as I looked at Matthew’s sweet face, I understood Maddy’s desperation.
“Kat?”
I turned, and instantly, knew that something was not right. “What is it?” My mouth went dry as I thought about what could have caused the look on his face.
“Your father just called me. He wants the two of us to come to the house tonight.”
I snorted. “For what?”
“He wants us to announce our engagement tonight.”
My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? Why?”
Leo ran a hand through his hair, and I could sense the unease on him, which made me even more nervous than I was when he told me that my father called. After all, last night’s dinner had been one of the more horrible ones that we ever experienced, and it was unlike my father to tuck tail this early.
“I don’t know.”
“We aren’t even engaged!”
There was a shrillness to my voice that betrayed my feelings. Panic was setting into my chest. I had come to care for Leo, but there was still a part of me that felt as though he were taking something away from me.
Leo kneeled in front of me and took my hands. “We are going to get through this,” he said. “I know that you do not want to get married yet. That’s alright.”
“Is it?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Once more, Leo surprised me. He was normally so controlling. I thought that he would force the issue here, but instead, he wasn’t. It was actually…nice.
“What are we going to do?” I asked. “We can’t refuse him. At the very least, he’ll just pass you over and find someone else. He’s desperate.” That was becoming more and more obvious.
“We play along,” Leo said. “At least, for now. We can figure it out from there. I’ve been working to garner support.”
“Support? I thought that you did not want to become Pakhan.” I felt anger rising though me, though I did not want to snap at him.
Leo gave me a soft smile. “You,” he said. “Not me. I’ve been trying to figure out how many of the families would support you.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“You deserve to be Pakhan.”
