Page 49 of Twins for the Bratva

As he breathed out the last word, I noticed his mood, his attitude, and his whole manner change. He seemed to go from cuddly, caring brother to monster brother in seconds as rage shot through him.

Getting up, he slammed his fist on the table. “If it wasn’t for that…, that horrible family! You would still be safe and innocent!” Aleksandr was practically screaming out of anger.

He started pacing back and forth while I sat watching. I didn’t know what to say or do. Glancing at the two maids, they stood frozen like statues. I wondered if he had regular anger tantrums like these.

After a minute or two, he appeared to calm down. He sat back down and stared at me. “Dahlia, I’m so sorry you got pulled into this life. I wish I did a better job protecting you. Of keeping you clear from the Bratva life.” He took my hands and squeezed them lightly. “But now that you know everything, you can come live with me. I will teach you all I know. We would make a great team. That way, I can keep you safe, and no one will ever harm you. What do you say?”

I sat back, staring at him in disbelief. I was unable to form any words, and even if I could, I didn’t know what to say. After a moment, I realized he didn’t know I was pregnant. I wasn’t really showing even though I was more than halfway and carrying twins.

Aleksandr had not seen me in years. I supposed he thought I had only picked up weight. I was pulled from my thoughts as he spoke again. “I know this is a lot to take in. Think about it, and we can discuss it later, okay?’

I nodded as he got up and headed to the door. Stopping, he turned and smiled back at me. “One last thing,” he said. “Our siblings are coming over later to meet you. They are all looking forward to getting to know you.

Breathing out hard, I sat back and watched him exit the room. I felt a little dizzy and sick suddenly. Pushing my hands through my hair, I wondered how I was going to tell him about the pregnancy.

He made it very clear that he had no love for the Smirnov family. How was he going to react when I told him I was having Konstantin Smirnov’s baby? This could prove to be a bigger issue than I had thought. Rubbing my tummy, I felt a pain in my chest. I missed Konstantin.

Getting up, I felt weak. I knew the stress wasn’t good for me or the pregnancy. Walking over to the maids, I asked them to bring me some plain yogurt to my room. I knew the yogurt usually soothed nausea. Heading to my room, I decided to take a shower as well. I hoped to feel better by the time the others arrived.

After eating and showering, I felt better. I spent the morning exploring the gardens to pass the time. Just before lunch, Aleksandr called for me. I followed the guard back to thehouse. I saw Aleksandr talking to someone in the entrance room. He saw me and signaled me to come closer.

The man nodded and left through the front door as I got to them. “Alright,” Aleksandr said, squeezing my arm. They are all waiting to meet you.”

I breathed out heavily. My heart was suddenly racing a hundred miles an hour.

“It’ll all be fine; just relax,” Aleksandr said as he led me to the meeting room.

This room also had a reasonably large table in the middle with chairs right around. A couple of couches and a bar were on one side of the room. My new family were all huddled around the bar and seated on the couches. They were talking and laughing.

As we neared them, an eerie silence filled the room. They all turned and looked at me. Never in my life had I ever felt so uneasy. “Family,” Aleksandr thundered. “This is Dahlia, our half-sister I told you about. Please make her feel at home.”

They all smiled lightly and nodded. “Let’s sit at the table as lunch is about to be served,” Aleksandr added.

Everyone jumped up and took their place at the table. I waited on one side for them to take their places so I could see where I was supposed to sit. But then Aleksandr raised his voice. “Move to the back chair. Dhalia will be sitting here for today.”

We had barely taken out places when the maids brought out the food. Aleksandr waited for them to leave the room before he spoke again. “Dahlia, as you know me, I will start. I’m the oldest of us all.”

Aleksandr was interrupted as a younger sibling spoke up. “Yes, old man. Time to step down and let one of us take over.”Looking in the direction of the deep voice, our eyes met. For a moment, we just stared.

Then Aleksandr continued. “Dahlia, let me introduce you to the others. He got up and moved around the table as he spoke. He stood behind each one as he told me their names. Aleksandr started at the end of the table with the rude one.

“The rude one is called Anton,” he said. Anton glanced up and smiled.

“Here we have Abram; next to him is Tasha, and next to you is Akim.” He said as he sat back down. Each nodded and greeted me as they were named. “Is there anything you would like to ask?” he added.

Before I could put a stop to my mouth, my words spilled out. “What does each of you do?”

Tasha grinned and was quick to answer me. “I’m the hacker of the gang!” She was proud of what she did, and it showed in her attitude. Smiling, I nodded.

Before anyone else could continue, Anton interrupted again. “Wait, wait, wait a minute.” He huffed. “We aren’t a gang, and don’t tell strangers what we do. What’s wrong with you?”

Tasha turned her head to the side and shrugged. “We barely know you,” Anton added as he sat back, folding his arms across his chest.

Abram said something I could not make out under his breath, and then Akim. Before I knew what was happening, the whole bunch was arguing.

Aleksandr tapped his fork against his glass, silencing the room. “Can we all please stop this. Dahlia is new and doesn’t know our way. Please be patient with her.”

Abram cleared his throat before speaking next. “Please understand that we don’t know you. Once we do, we’ll open up gladly. We prefer to keep our identities a secret from most people. It’s safe for business.”

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