My gaze narrows at him, but before I can say anything, Elena’s voice cuts through with a gentle firmness.
“Roman…not tonight.”
He glances at our sister briefly, softening a touch and seemingly considering her request as he often does. Then he looks at me again.
“I only mean it’s bold considering that we haven’t seen or heard from you in days after you compromised your assignment, and the first thing you share with us is how you’ve been enjoying yourself while the rest of us are cleaning up your mess?”
Mikhail sighs, rubbing at his nose. Ivan grins while he sips his drink.
I try not to tense. “I did my part.”
“Is this a game to you?” Roman asks, raising his voice slightly. “You pluck the daughter of a dead pakhan, the one you were meant to be monitoring from afar, and you keep her locked in your house like a little prize—”
“A prize?” Kat asks, cutting in without hesitation.
Everyone stops and turns to look in her direction.
But she only stares directly at Roman, completely unshaken and not caring about the attention on her.
“Did I miss the part where I became something to be owned?”
Nikolai nearly chokes on his whiskey while Ivan pats his back through his coughing fit, and everyone else stays dangerously quiet.
I can feel Elena and the other girls cringing.
Roman doesn’t blink. “You’re under his roof, aren’t you?”
“Against my will, yes. But you’re the one leading everyone, right? You’re the Lukov pakhan?” Kat brings up, unwavering, while she holds her ground.
Roman’s gaze narrows slightly, and he nods once. “I am.”
“And it’s no thanks to you that I’m still here, regardless of your authority.”
I glance at Kat, not entirely believing what I’m hearing, but I should. I know her well enough by now.
There’s venom in her voice, but there’s no regret in her eyes.
I should stop this. I should step in and bring her back down before she completely sets Roman off.
An unhappy pakhan makes for a tumultuous night for everyone else, but still, I can’t bring myself to speak up.
Instead, I sit back and watch it unfold with a strange, almost perverse pride. Nobody speaks so bluntly to Roman. Even I tread carefully.
But Kat…she’s doing it without hesitation.
After staring her down for a long moment, Roman exhales through his nose. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that.”
“I don’t need your approval,” she says, leaving no room for anyone to doubt just how headstrong she is.
God damn.
I can feel myself burning up as a result of her boldness, hearing the steady thrum of my pulse in my ears.
She’s incredible…maybe more so than she knows.
After another moment of silence, I can’t help but laugh.
The others glance at me, as if wondering how they’re supposed to handle this shaky situation. Then, Ivan breaks and does the same. Nikolai and Mikhail follow suit, and even Elena puts a hand over her mouth to hide her amusement.
