Page 9 of Bluff

She pulls me back into her arms, and I gasp.

“Brett wasn’t really my brother. It’s okay. I know why you did it. You were tired of those men neglecting their own children. I want to hurt them too. But that’s not how this world works. Let our men make them regret it. Our men are here to protect and empower us. You’ll learn.”

I pull away from her and raise an eyebrow. “How can you be so forgiving? So nice? You could have been killed, or even worse, because of me.”

“There’s worse than death?” she says with a soft chuckle.

I shake my head at her.

“Rape.”

“Ah yes, there’s that. I’ve been attacked, and Brett threatened to rape me. That’s when I killed him.”

“Ptitsa,” a gruff voice says in Russian.

I look over her shoulder and see the boss standing there.

“She has a right to know,” Sparrow says without turning to face him. “Her actions didn’t cause his death. His did.”

“I agree, but she’s not aligned with us right now. Your safety is everything. I told you to stay home.”

“Ainsley is confused.” She turns toward him. “She doesn’t know how you and your brats are. Give her time to learn before you judge her.”

My eyes dart between them. She doesn’t back down. Sparrow stands her ground with him.

“My queen, you are not only sexy but also incredibly smart.” He gives her a warm smile, and she moves to stand next to him.

“Is Mikhail…?” I’m not ready to acknowledge my feelings for him, but I need to know if he’s alive.

“He’ll live,” Andrei says. “He’s still unconscious. The bullet almost punctured his lung. He lost a lot of blood and is stubborn. He’ll be sore, but he’ll make it.”

I watch as Dmitri comes down the stairs. He says something to Andrei in Russian, then looks at me before walking out the door.

“What is my penance?” I ask. I got his soldier and best friend injured. Isn’t that how this world works? I have to pay my dues for taking something from him.

“You don’t owe me penance. You owe him.” Andrei points upstairs. “It’s not money he wants either. He wants someone to fight, to live for him.” He gives me a piece of advice I’ll hold onto.

“He said he had to pay penance for me to you.”

He shakes his head.

“Aren’t you the Pakhan?” I ask, using the term Mikhail used in the car.

“No, that’s my father. I’m his underboss here.”

Confused, I shake my head repeatedly. “He paid your father to protect me. I don’t understand.”

“We all pay our own penance to have you women, except for me. I didn’t have to pay for Sparrow. I just had to show my father she was worth it. Lennon, Lyric, and you tried to ruin the Cardroom and the Lucky Dice. Your damages to the other families were also taken into account. We had to keep the peace, or war would have ensued. It’s not always a monetary payment. Dmitri got into the ring for one more fight. Aleksei gave Pakhan some of his expertise.” He stops, not telling me what Mikhail sacrificed.

“Please tell me,” I beg. I need to know.

“He gave up something very important to him.” Andrei doesn’t offer more.

He guides Sparrow toward the front door, and they walk out, leaving me here to think over what Mikhail could have given up for me.

I move upstairs, where the doctor is finishing up. Mikhail’s eyes flutter open, and he bolts upright. The doctor and I dive for him.

“You’re safe.” Mikhail’s voice is quiet and deep as he pulls me down onto the bed beside him. I try to pull away, but he won’t let me go. “Don’t move, it hurts,” he says gruffly, and I stop moving.

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