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Dominika rolled her eyes.“And that's what you always say, isn't it? Ok then, do you have to discuss things with such malice in your eyes?” She moved into the room and plopped down on the leather couch.
“Ondrej was out with Sienna this morning,” Pavel said sharply.
Dominika narrowed her gaze at Ondrej. Her eyes flicked to Pavel and then back to Ondrej.
“What does he mean,out?”
Ondrej shrugged it off nonchalantly. Everyone was making an awfully big deal out of absolutely nothing. “Nothing. I just ran into her out and about this morning. We had—ok, we had run into each other at the pub last night too and—”
“What?” Pavel snapped.
Ondrej rolled his eyes. “Relax! I was out with a couple of friends, and she hung out with us for a little while.”
Pavel narrowed his eyes. “Failed to mention that tiny detail.”
“Because it’s relevant to absolutely nothing.”
“And what about this morning? Just another accidental run-in?” Pavel asked.
“Yes. Is that so weird?”
“A little, yes. It’s starting to feel like an odd coincidence.”
Ondrej turned toward his sister. “Can you please tell him he’s being ridiculous?”
Dominika laughed. “Pavel, you are entirely too paranoid. Will you relax? Coincidences do happen.”
“Rarely,” Pavel snapped. “You're getting too close for my comfort.”
“Since when do I care about your comfort? So what if I get to know her a bit? Understanding Sienna's intentions is strategic. I figured you would approve.”
“Do you think I’m that naïve?”
Ondrej smirked. “Do you really want me to answer that?“
“Will you two just stop?“ Dominika snapped.
“It’s not me!“ Ondrej said. “He’s the one being all dramatic and paranoid. Look, I didn’t set my sights on becoming her best friend. We happened to run into each other a couple of times, and I thought, hey, why not get to know her and figure out what makes her tick.”
“So you can sabotage the deal!” Pavel snapped.
Dominika’s hand slammed down on the table. “Enough! Both of you. You’re acting like a couple of toddlers in nursery. We all want what's best.” She turned toward Pavel. “And just because he doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean he’s out to sabotage you.” Her gimlet eyes rolled back to Ondrej. “He would never do that to family.”
Ondrej had a million retorts on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. As always, her voice was the thread sewing the frayed edges of their conflict.
“Of course not,” he said tightly.
Dominika breathed in and out a few times, also collecting herself. “Look, you guys. We’re all we have left in this world. And if we tear each other apart during this process, I don’t know if we’ll recover. We have to stay strong and stay together to see this thing through. Nothing has turned out the way we had hoped, but at least coming through it together would be what Mama and Papa would have wanted.”
Annoyance flashed in Pavel’s eyes, and Ondrej was fairly certain his brother had some choice words for their little sister. But when she was like this, it was hard to argue with her. Both of them had to admit she reminded them so much of their mother—not in looks so much as her mannerisms and demeanor. So much so that, oftentimes, Ondrej found it hard to even look at her.
“What we need is a drink. Come on,” Dominika said. She walked over to the side table where they kept a bottle of Fernet—her secret weapon in calming them all down. It was what Mama loved to end the day with. Dominika splashed some of the aromatic liquor into three glasses and brought them over. Pavel and Ondrej both reluctantly took theirs, avoiding eye contact.
“Na zdraví,” she said, rasing her glass.
“Na zdraví,” Pavel and Ondrej both muttered. They all three sipped then sank into chairs, the room a tableau of shared burdens.
ChapterEleven
