Page 112 of Unforgiving Sinner (Starukhin Bratva)

I don’t back down. “Liar,” I retort angrily.

Alexander opens his suit jacket, exposing his holster. “Fine, the truth. We had a hand in it, but it doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger, does it? The bitch is dead.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “So, you’re admitting it?”

“I told you not to worry about it,” Gunsyn says dismissively as he takes a seat, unbothered by the heat and lack of fresh air. “What’s dead is dead. And there’s not a damn thing you can do.”

I clench my fists under the table. “I want to know what happened,” I demand. “Ideserveto know who killed my mother.”

Alexander shrugs. “No, you don’t.”

Gunsyn nods in agreement. “Don’t waste your time on what you can’t change,” he says. “Focus on the future. Focus on your baby.”

I take a deep breath and swallow my anger. I want to scream, to hit these men, to make them tell me who. But I know it’s futile.They’ll never reveal the truth to me. I’ll never know who killed my mother.

“I hate you,” I whisper, my voice cold with fury. “I hate all of you.”

Gunsyn laughs softly. “You won’t always hate us,” he says. “Soon, you’ll understand what we’re doing is for your own good. We’re protecting you from people like your father. You’re lucky. You’re one of us.”

I stare at him, unable to speak. The emotions of hate running through me are too strong, intense, and overwhelming. I want to yell at this demon and curse him out. But I can’t because he wants it. I have to wait.

“My father is not a traitor.” My voice is too calm. “And if he was, you made him one. No man chooses to become a traitor. That’s cowardice.” I stare at them, and I no longer feel scared. “But you are cowards. The worst kind.”

Gunsyn raises his hand, but I stare at him, daring him to land a slap on my face. Alexander quickly grabs his arm and yanks him into a chair.

“Stop it,” Alexander hisses harshly. “Control yourself!” He turns to me. “Your father acted dishonorably,” he insists. “He was the Avtoritet, and he betrayed us. Don’t defend him until you know the entire story. It will only bring you more suffering to know it. Trust us.”

I stand up and challenge their bullshit. “I’m done with hearing about Dad being a traitor. My father is a good man, not a filthy scum of a criminal like all of you.”

“Your sniveling father,” Gunsyn slams his fist on the table. He snarls at me like a wild beast, “betrayed the Bratva when he fucked that Lanzzare cunt!”

I scoff, not holding anything back. “Is that his crime? He fell in love?”

Alexander sighs heavily. “He took an oath,” he says. “He vowed to care for no one but the Bratva, and to love none other than the Bratva. He broke that oath by loving another. Love is for the weak,” he sneers. “It clouds your judgment. It makes you vulnerable. It makes you a liability. Loyalty is all that matters, Eden. Loyalty. Obedience. And honor.”

I refuse to back down. “You speak of loyalty,” I insist. “Yet you act behind your pakhan’s back. You talk about obedience, and I see the way you defy him at every turn. You say you’re men of honor, but all I see are two giant piles of trash.”

A low growl rumbles inside Gunsyn’s throat, and this time, he slaps me hard across the face. Alexander grabs him and shoves him into a chair. I stare at him. Our gazes lock and I place my hand on my cheek, feeling the heat, and shake my head in disgust.

“Love didn’t save your mother,” Gunsyn replies coolly. “And it won’t save your father. And it won’t save you.”

I glare at these cowards, hating them for their cruelty and stupidity. And for their inability to see the truth. “Fuck you,” I spit out.

Alexander sighs as if he’s bored and checks his watch. “Enough,” he says, his tone firm. “This discussion is over.” He places his phone in the center of the table. “When the phone rings, it will be Ippolit calling to let us know that the traitor is dead.”

I fight my shock back. “It won’t happen. My father is too clever for you. And you underestimate him.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And you underestimate the Bratva, Eden. But I’ll let you in on another secret.” He leans in close and whispers in my ear. “Nikolai approved of the killing. He’s given Ippolit his personal blessings.”

Those words sap the strength from my body. I don’t want to believe them, but I do. Nikolai gave the order to kidnap me and use me against my father. Is it so hard to believe that he approved my father’s murder?

He doesn’t love me. He never loved me. I was nothing more than a pawn in a power game. A pawn who now bears the future of his Bratva.

And even then, the baby is another afterthought—another pawn to further his plans. He doesn’t care about me or the baby.

He only cares about revenge.

Revenge and power.

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