Page 73 of Bound By Hate (Born in Blood)

“Come on. Let’s go.”

“No,” Aleksander says.

I stop. “What? We’re leaving.” I pull Mila in closer to me. “I have to keep my sister safe.”

“Mikhail and Sofiya invited us here to dine with them for the evening. We will do that. We will have a lovely meal, and then we’ll go home. Your sister won’t come with us. She will be safer here with Mikhail. He’s the leader of the Bratva. Gleb won’t try to come back again. He knows he’ll be killed.”

“Gleb sold me and then had the audacity to come here. He will try something again. Why are neither of you killing him?” I look between Aleksander and Mikhail. “You’re the men. But if you don’t kill him, I’ll do it myself. I already have blood on my hands. What’s a little more?”

“You are not going to do that,” Aleksander lectures.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re scared.”

I blink. “What?” I ask, but there’s no bravado in my voice. It only sounds small and tinny.

“You’re scared, Viktoriya.” He slowly approaches and unwraps my fingers from around Mila’s shoulders. “He hurt you. You’re scared of him. You’re acting out of fear. I will keep you safe. Mila will be safe. I need you to trust me.”

How can I?

“I don’t know how to trust any man anymore,” I admit. “I …”

“It’s ok,” he says in a softer voice. “You will be ok.”

Suddenly, I have the urge to just slump to the ground and never get back up again.

Aleksander must see the change in me because he smiles and says, “Let us eat.”

I do eat. And I enjoy every bite.

I can tell both Sofiya and Mila seem shocked to see me eat the way I am. Their looks bother me, giving me the urge to throw up again, but when I glance at Aleksander, his expression reminds me I’m all right.

That Gleb won’t steal me away in the night.

That I will be fine.

Once the meal is over, Mila and Sofiya pull me to the side to chat.

“Will you be ok?” I ask Mila.

“I’ll have to be. Thank you, Vik. For trying to protect me.”

“You know I always will.”

“We know,” Sofiya adds. The urge to throw up resides. Maybe my sisters and I will be ok.

“What’s going to happen between you and Mikhail?” I ask.

“We’ll have to be ok, too. But I’m not happy with how he handled the situation. I’m also not happy that he’s right. Gleb, within the rules of the Bratva, has a claim to you,” she says to Mila. “He has the right to take you.”

“We have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I add, giving Mila my most encouraging smile.

Mila looks between us, and I see the hope behind her eyes.

I also see doubt.

That hurts more than anything—that my baby sister doesn’t think she’ll be all right in this world.

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