“Alexei got you pregnant,” my father says slowly, each word precise and controlled. It’s the tone a man uses when he’s trying very hard not to lose his composure entirely. “Before he—before we thought he died.”
“Yes.” I force myself to keep going. “But it wasn’t an accident. He sabotaged the birth control and got me pregnant deliberately as part of their twisted and fucked up plan. The baby was always meant to be the leverage.”
Dimitri places a hand on my lower back in a silent way to tell mestop talking. Which is probably for the best as my father’s face goes through several expressions of shock, horror, and rage.
Shit, heactuallymight have a heart attack.
Then he turns that rage on Dimitri.
“Youknewabout this?” His voice is rising. “You knew that bastard?—”
“Vincent.” Dimitri’s voice is calm, but there’s iciness underneath. “I suggest you take a breath.”
Dad snarls at Dimitri. “Don’t you fucking tell me to take a breath!”
“Isaid…” Dimitri takes a step forward, and suddenly, the room feels ice cold. His voice doesn’t rise, but the authority in it makes everyone freeze. “Take a breath.”
They stare at each other. My father is trembling with rage while Dimitri is utterly calm but radiating the kind of danger that makes survival instincts scream.
“Your daughter,” Dimitri continues softly but no less lethally, “has been through hell. She’s been lied to, manipulated, violated, and nearly kidnapped. Twice. She fought back last night with a weapon she’d never held before and saved both our lives.” He moves closer to my father. “So if you have something to say, say it to me, not to her. Because if you make her feel worse about a situation that was forced on her, I don’t care that you’re her father. We’re going to have a fucking problem. Are we clear?”
The silence is deafening.
My father stares at Dimitri. Dimitri stares back unflinchingly.
Then my father’s shoulders sag. “You’re right. I…” He looks at me again, his face crumpling. “I’m sorry, Vera. I wasn’t angry at you. I was angry at?—”
“Alexei, I know,” I say wearily. “Get in line. There’s a waiting list for people who want to kill him.”
Uncle Marcus actually laughs. It’s nervous, shocked laughter, but it breaks the tension all the same.
“You’re still not using my daughter as bait,” my father says, but his voice is calmer now.
“Agreed,” Dimitri says immediately. Of course, that’s what they both agree on. “Under no circumstances?—”
“I’m not asking for permission,” I interrupt, rolling my eyes. “I’m telling you this is what we’re doing.”
Dimitri and my father look at me as if I’ve grown two heads. It emboldens me to continue.
“They want me and the baby, so we give them an opportunity they can’t resist.” I look between them. “A fake medicalappointment outside the city. We will make it look like security is stretched thin after last night’s attack. Leak the information through channels Konstantin monitors.”
“It’s too dangerous,” my father says, his nostrils flaring.
“It’s the only way.” I straighten my shoulders. “I’m tired of running and hiding. I’m tired of being scared. They tried to use me like I’m a thing to be owned. I want to fight back. I want to make them pay.”
Dimitri studies my face, and I can see him running through scenarios and calculating risks.
“If we do this,” he says finally, “you follow my orders exactly. No improvising. No heroics.”
“No shooting light fixtures,” I say, ignoring my father’s bewildered expression. “I know.”
Dimitri’s face tightens. “I’m serious, Vera.”
“So am I.” I meet his eyes. “This ends tomorrow, one way or another.”
He looks at my father, and some silent communication passes between them.
Then my father nods. “All right. We do this. But.” He looks at me sternly, and I suddenly feel five years old again. “You stay safe. Whatever it takes.”
