Page 44 of Used By the Merciless Bratva
“Look who’s here,” she uttered in a light soprano. “The latest groom.”
I knew she’d be the first to speak, regardless. Despite being the daughter of Feliks, Irene never showed resentment toward me in any way, like the way she did with the rest of my brothers.
“I believe it’s more of a surprise to everyone that I called this meeting,” I remarked.
“Not really. I knew you’d call at any moment. All I had to do was wait,” Feliks said in a soft tone while he leaned on the table, clasping his hands together.
“By the way, Feliks, great party yesterday. I didn’t know you’d be so welcoming to Katria. I’m impressed.”
“Well, you know I’m always good with the parties,” Feliks said in what felt like a joke due to his mild smile. “But I’ll do anything for this family, Danil. You know that.”
“Of course I do,” I said. “And I hope you all do too, because I’m counting on everyone here to feed me with the necessary updates I need. So tell me, what’s happening?”
“I think everything is under control. I’ve talked to Eduard, Matvey, and the rest of the Yezhovs,” Konstantin disclosed with effortless fluency, his tone deep.
“And what’s the outcome?” I inquired.
“They’re holding up well on their end. Now that the news about your marriage to Katria is public, everything seems to simmer down. There’s no sign of possible tension yet.”
Silence ensued for a while after I heard him say “yet,” as if he were expectant of a possible outbreak of chaos.
Feliks reclined his back on the headrest of the wooden chair. Irene was rather too comfortable as she arranged the side of her jacket before my eyes settled back on Konstantin.
“And what do you mean by that?” I asked him, and he sat upright.
“For a start, a good number of people know your current relationship status with Katria, especially our opponents.”
“And what does that have to do with this?”
“Nothing. I’m just saying that all the eyes of your enemies are focused on you right now, as well as your Katria. If they don’t try to attack now, they’ll want to buy themselves some time before they strike. I’m glad that you’re married to her, Danil, but she’s in a much more vulnerable state right now than ever.”
“No, Konstantin, you’re wrong. Kat is safest with me. I can protect her.”
“And I believe you without a trace of doubt. But time makes the difference. The possibilities aren’t slim of a near abduction, Danil, and abduction means loss. All the assets would be gone because of our sheer act of carelessness. If Katria is left alone anywhere in the world, she would be taken along with everything that comes with her,” he explained, as he snapped his fingers, emphasizing his words.
Although I read meaning into what he said, I didn’t buy into the idea of being incapable of taking good care of Katria. I could take good care of her. But the sad truth was that I was not always going to be at the estate with her, and I let that sink in for a minute before Luka finally moved at the end of his chair.
“There has been an unbelievable increase in security since the breach. That counts for something at least, right?”
“We definitely need to straighten things out and let the waters settle. At this juncture, the last thing we need is war,” Feliks said.
I stood up from my chair and paced in thought.
They all made valid points. The last thing I needed was to lose Kat, because if we did, we’d all lose everything, alongside the assets that were rightfully hers.
And though I wouldn’t admit it in public, Kat brought out the parts of me I couldn’t imagine I’d unleash yet. Her piercing green eyes, which called to me, filled me with a wild enchantment.
I imagined my hand patting her auburn hair in light strokes, my lips on hers right before I go down on her and make her insides fill with wetness. I envisioned how she’d please me.
“We should still be cautious, though,” Irene revealed, and I halted mid-stride. “Not all security can be trusted. We don’t know who’s who or what’s what. Internal security and external security all seem the same to me. Someone could sneak in, disguised as one of us, but in reality, it’s all part of the enemy’s plan for victory, which I see as our doom.”
“Irene, you should know by now that it’s shameful for you to repeat my point just to have something to say,” Konstantin taunted.
I sighed at Konstantin’s remark before I sat down.
“Well, I guess you were a little too vague when you made your point,” Irene replied.
“Your utterances aren’t of any significance,” he argued.
