Page 83 of Wicked Arrangement

Joviality isn’t my style and David knows it, he shoots me a strange sideward glance but doesn’t respond, simply shrugs and heads upstairs toward his room. I let out a sigh. Nothing I seem to do gets through to David these days. I know he blames me for Marta’s death, for making his fear of losing her as soon as he got her back become a reality. He also believes I haven’t been doing enough to find Kim. He’s remained staunchly on her side this whole time, refusing to believe she could betray us.

Perhaps news of her imminent arrival will cheer him up.

I follow him upstairs, finding him in his bedroom, sitting on the floor with his back to me. In front of him is a box he’s pulled out from under the bed.

“What have you got there?” I ask.

He jumps at the sound of my voice and immediately shoves the box away. “Nothing.”

“Well, if it’s nothing, then you won’t mind me taking a look then, will you,” I reply reasonably, crouching down on the floor beside him.

I can tell he wants to argue with me, but he reluctantly moves aside so I can see the contents of the box. It’s filled to the brim with Kim-related things—photos of her with him, a small clay pot, a figurine of a wolf, several drawings, done by both her and him, and an assortment of trash or other items I can’t place but that must have value or special meaning to him.

Deeper inside the box, there are also mementos of Marta and various other knickknacks from our childhood. School projects, childhood photos, and items that once belonged to our mother and father. David’s whole life and significant moments are all here inside this one, small box. My heart breaks for my poor damaged brother, for the boy he was and the man he could have been.

I’m all he has left now. Well, and Kim. It’s clear she means even more to him than I had realized. That only makes the situation more complicated. If she isn’t who she said she was and if she’s betrayed us and has been playing us this whole time, working with Sharkozi, it will destroy him. I think again of Roman Sharkozi, locked away being interrogated and tortured by my men but not giving away a thing. If only we could break him, he could clear up this whole mess and I’d know one way or another what Kim’s intentions are. I can’t bear to see David in any more pain, he’s already suffered so much.

“Thank you, for sharing this with me,” I say to him softly, knowing full well how hard it is to be vulnerable, even with those closest to us.

He nods but doesn’t say anything, he simply begins to repack the box, handling each item delicately.

“I miss them too, it’s hard to lose people we care about,” I say, trying to bring him out of his shell.

“They’re not lost. They’re dead. Except for Kim. And we’re doing nothing about it. She would never abandon us like this,” David replies, his voice getting more agitated as he speaks.

“Well, actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We’ve found Kim,” I reply, pleased to be the bearer of good news for a change.

His eyes light up and I see him smile for the first time since Marta died. “Really? Where is she? What are we waiting for? We have to go rescue her now!” he says, jumping to his feet.

“Calm down, she’s already been rescued. Artem and Vova are bringing her here as we speak. Kim is safe,” I assure him.

An expression of relief mingled with confusion flits across his face. “Why didn’t you go and get her?”

I shrug, searching for the words, how do I explain it to David when I’m not really sure of the answer myself?

“It’s complicated…” I say noncommittally.

David isn’t buying it. “No. it’s not. You love her. She loves you. You’re going to have a baby together. That’s all that matters,” he says plainly.

I’m thrown off guard. “How did you know Kim’s pregnant?” I hadn’t told him for fear of it causing him distress with her still missing.

He shrugs, “I overheard Uncle Innokentiy talking.”

I look at my brother closely. Often, David is ignored or overlooked due to his mental health issues. Sometimes, he needs to be kept out of the loop to ensure that he doesn’t accidentally let information slip to the wrong person. But just because he isn’t always privy to important information, doesn’t mean he’s stupid or that he doesn’t pick up on things. Innokentiy always treats David as though he’s simple-minded, not someone with a mental health issue that simply makes him erratic but doesn’t impact his cognitive functioning. I’m suddenly curious to know what Innokentiy has let slip around David.

“What did he say?”

Another shrug. “I didn’t hear much, he saw me listening and shut the door, telling me to piss off,” he says grumpily—there’s no love lost between my brother and our uncle—before continuing, “But he was on the phone with someone and mentioned that unless you and Kim get married, the baby won’t be legitimately more valid to inherit, than his kids,” he finishes.

Interesting.

Innokentiy has a point, certainly, the Bratva is backward in its thinking still and it is hard for children to be recognized as heirs without marriage—it’s also still unlikely that a daughter would be picked to lead over sons—but why wouldn’t Innokentiy raise his concerns with me? Perhaps it is still his distrust of Kim that holds him back. A niggling doubt springs to mind. I know how Innokentiy’s mind works. If he thinks Kim will be a problem for this family, he’ll have no issue taking care of her. I wouldn’t put it past him to force a wedding on her then if she proves to be an unworthy wife, he’d simply kill her once the child is born.

Undoubtedly, he’d have liked to do that to his wife and replace her with his mistress. Luckily for his wife and not so lucky for him, Innokentiy’s significant other is Zinaida Petrova. The Petrov family is one of the most powerful in Russia. They’re an arrogant, easily offended family led, somewhat unusually by the matriarch, Zinaida’s grandmother, Olga Petrova. Despite her advanced age and the fact she’s a woman, she’s a formidable and ruthless leader. Innokentiy wouldn’t dare cross her.

David pulls me from my musings. “Are you going to marry Kim?” he asks, looking at me hopefully. I know he’d love for Kim to be part of this family.

It’s a question I’m not ready to answer yet. Kim clouds my judgment and I can’t even consider marriage yet. Not while I still have so many unanswered questions about Kim.

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