Page 6 of Born into Sin

Before he can decide if he’s mad or not, our dad asks, “Why’d you do it?”

Sasha shrugs. “The guy was a jerk. Niki was focused on his phone, not paying any attention, and the guy tripped him. Niki wanted to fight him, but I held him back. He’s a good fighter, but this guy’s a senior and outweighed Niki by a good fifty pounds. I knew I could take him, so I did.”

Most dads would lecture about how fighting is wrong and how you should never do it unless it’s an absolute last resort, but most dad’s aren’t Bratva bosses either. Our dad squeezes Sasha’s shoulder and gives a soft laugh. Family is everything, and there’s no better reason to get your hands bloody than to do it protecting your younger cousin.

“Just be careful, son. You know that damn pretentious school doesn’t allow bodyguards on the property, but they’re always waiting close by, so you text them if you need them, and don’t ever underestimate anyone in a fight.”

“I know,” Sasha says. “I remember everything you taught me, Dad.”

Our dad can’t help but give a proud grin.

“Wow, can you girls still breathe with all the testosterone in the room?” our mom asks us, waving her hand in the air like she’s trying to clear a path for some fresh oxygen.

Our dad laughs and walks over to her, easily picking her up and making her laugh as she wraps her arms around his neck. He whispers something in her ear that I’m glad I can’t hear and then smacks her ass.

“Dad,” I groan, rolling my eyes and sharing a grimace with my siblings. Our parents are very affectionate, and I really love that they’re still so happily married, but that doesn’t mean I want a front-row seat to everything.

“I love your mom,” he tells us, “and I won’t ever be able to act like I don’t.”

That’s actually really damn sweet, and I can’t even muster up a fake eye roll for him. I’d love to have what they have one day, but so far I’ve had zero luck in that department. The boys I went to high school with never did anything for me, and the only other guys I see are those in the Bratva, and there’s just two problems with that—I don’t want any of them, and even if I did, none of them are stupid enough to go against my dad and uncles. Aside from Mia and me, there are two female cousins. Yelena is seventeen and Svetlana is eighteen, and every man in the Bratva is under strict orders to keep things professional and not lay a hand on any of us unless our lives are in danger. My dad and uncles are fair men, but everyone knows that doesn’t extend to where their daughters and nieces are concerned.

My dad kisses my mom again and then sets her down and looks over at us. “Let’s order pizza tonight. Tomorrow we’re going to the farmhouse for supper with everyone. Dominic’s just flown in from Italy, so he’ll be joining us.”

I started calling the house out in the country that Uncle Danil bought for all of us the farmhouse when I was little. I’d just read a book about a little girl on a farm, and every time we’d drive out to it to spend a weekend with our cousins and aunts and uncles, I thought of it as our farmhouse. There weren’t any chickens or pigs or horses, but there’s still acres of woods and a lake that’s hidden in them. With all the wildlife and space, it felt like a farm to my young mind, and so the nickname just kind of stuck.

“Dominic’s coming?” Sasha asks, already pulling out his phone to call his favorite pizza place for a delivery. “Is everything okay with his side of the city?”

“You’re only sixteen,” our mom reminds him. “Still way too young to be worried about business stuff.”

Sasha looks to our dad, trying to get some help. “It’s important I know these things.”

“It’s important you know some things,” our dad says, “and all you need to know right now is that everything is fine and running as it should be. We invited Dominic because we haven’t seen him in over a year, and we need to get caught up on a few things.”

I know that one day Sasha and all our male cousins will be taking over for our dads, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that. I don’t want my brother getting hurt, but I think I’m more afraid that stepping into this role is going to unleash a dark side of him that might be better off contained.

“It’s important I know these things, too,” Mia cuts in.

Our mom barks out a laugh before she can stop herself while my dad looks at his youngest like she’s lost her damn mind.

“And why is that?” he asks

“For when it’s my turn to join the family business.” She gives a small shrug like it’s a no-brainer while our dad softly shakes his head at her.

“Not going to happen, little witch. The Bratva is for men.”

Mia scoffs and tosses back another chip, the loud crunch making it clear she doesn’t give a damn about any past rules because they clearly don’t apply to her.

“Jesus,” our dad groans and then points at his full head of hair that’s only just recently started to show some grey. “You see these? I don’t want them to multiply, but I can tell you’re not going to be satisfied until it’s all white.”

He looks to our mom for help, but she just laughs. “I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about grey hair. I’m only thirty-nine.”

“Oh, you’re in for it now, malinkaya,” he says, picking her up again while she laughs. “I can’t believe you’re all ganging up on me.”

“We would never,” our mom says. “If Mia gives you a full head of grey hair, then you’ll just be one hell of a silver fox.”

Our dad laughs and smacks her butt again. “Sasha, order the pizza. Your mom needs to eat. She’s obviously in need of calories and not thinking clearly if she’s talking about me being a silver fox anytime soon.”

Sasha laughs and shakes his head before making the call, just another typical night for us. Most of my nights are spent with my family. The private high school I just graduated from is the same one my siblings and cousins go to. We’ve grown up together, and instead of fighting and hating one another, they’re my best friends and I can’t imagine not having them in my life.

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