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I’m a little bit shocked that Eset didn’t give Ruslan any sort of heads-up.
“Yeah, I’d say so.”
“All right, let’s get into the thick of it then. What’s going on?”
I take the red seat across from him and lean back into the chair. I’m trying to relax, but I don’t even know if it will be possible right now. “I’ve heard some rumors about our family, and I’d like you to tell me if there’s any truth to them.”
I know what Rolando said, so I know there is some truth. What will Ruslan say, though?
“What have you heard?”
Okay, so we’re going to start from scratch, I guess. “That our family is dangerous.”
“Hmm.” He furrows his brows, and I know what Ruslan is doing. He’s trying to figure out if he should be honest with me or keep doing what he has been doing.
“Please, whatever it is, just tell me the truth.”
Ruslan is quiet for a few moments. He clears his throat and finally begins speaking. “Remember when we told you that you were a child who was tucked away because our family is powerful?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“That’s true. You were tucked away in case the rest of us died because you would be able to run Grozny and the family business on your birthright alone.”
“Okay, what do you mean?”
“I’m getting to that… I’m just trying to figure out how to tell you.”
“How to tell me that you’ve been lying to me the last year, right?” I don’t know where this sudden anger is coming from on my part, but I’m pissed. I’m really fucking annoyed right now.
“I wouldn’t say I lied, Xava. I kept things from you, yes. Things that would have scared you when we first invited you out here. Things that could have made you leave us when all we wanted was to be a family. If I told you everything right out of the gate, you would have gone back to your old life in Prague, and I know it.”
I raise both my brows, completely blown away by how my brother is speaking to me right now. “I would have, huh? That’s shocking. I didn’t realize you were a psychic who could see the future, too.”
“Xava.” Ruslan knows he’s getting into a deeper hole the more he talks.
“No, keep going. I want to hear this. What have you been hiding from me, Ruslan?”
Ruslan grabs the bottle of water in front of him and takes a sip. “Our family has been here for many, many years. All of that is true, but what I didn’t tell you was what our family does. We’re arm’s dealers. We sell firearms, bombs, and other products to different clientele from across the world.”
I burst out laughing. There’s no way he’s being serious right now. This is just some big, twisted joke.
Though, Ruslan doesn’t look like he’s amused in the least bit. “Xava, I’m not playing around. I’m dead serious.”
I’m caught off guard. Surely, I thought he was joking with me. I thought there was no way he could have been serious at all. What are the other options that could make my family deemed as dangerous, if not what my brother has just told me?
“I don’t understand how…” I lose my train of thought out of nowhere.
“I know. It’s a lot to process. Our father was killed, Xava. He was killed by the man who wanted his power. Our family has been in this business for almost two hundred years. We’ve always had ties to the criminal world, and this is how we provide for ourselves. I don’t expect you to jump into the family business the way Eset has. We grew up knowing what the Umarova name was known for. You were only thrown into it a year ago. I’m not going to pressure you to join the family business. All I want is for you to be happy, go to school, and pursue whatever dream you have.”
I shake my head, absorbing everything he’s telling me. “I don’t even know what I want to do.”
“That’s all right. You don’t need to rush. What do you think about everything I’ve said to you?”
“I… I don’t know. I’m a bit shocked, if I’m being honest. I never thought that… I never thought our family could be capable of such things.”
“We’re not going around killing people, Xava. We run a business. Sure, sometimes people get hurt when they cross us, but I promise you if that happens, it is one thousand percent warranted.”
I see it now. I see how the rumors of my family being dangerous are true.
