He just nods and walks away. A few seconds later, he returns and puts little sandwich signs on the tables around us that havereservedprinted on both sides.
Wow. Even this place knows who we are, I guess.
Once he’s gone, she says with a smile, “Speak as freely as you like.”
I pause. Does she know about my situation? Doeseveryoneknow? I’ve been operating under the assumption that everyone is well aware of the arrangement. Regardless, if Anya isn’t clued in, she needs to be if I’m going to make her my ally.
“I hate this,” I tell her. “This… situation that I’m in. This is not how I planned on being married.”
She nods slowly. “You know, arranged marriages were common in my grandfather’s day, back when Russia was the Soviet Union. Poor fathers with pretty daughters were always auctioning them off to rich or powerful men. It was just something that was done.”
Ah. She does know.
“Of course, now, it’s rare, even in Russia,” she continues. “Individualism and all that. People want to be able to choose their mates, and rightfully so.”
“Are you married?”
She laughs. “No. I would never dream of doing such a thing. Marriage is fine for some, but for me. Not a chance.”
I start biting my lower lip. Butterflies flutter in my stomach. “So, if your father wanted you to be married?—”
“My father is dead,” she says. “Has been for many years. This is the sort of thing that happens betweenPakhanswhen their children are of age.” I tilt my head and she says, “I mean a boss. It’s the one thing you and Alexei have in common.”
“Valid,” I say. “I guess you don’t really have any point of reference for my situation.”
She just stares at me, her eyes softened with genuine kindness and maybe a little sympathy. “That doesn’t mean I can’t empathize to some extent. This last week must have been very difficult.”
“Yes. Being married to a man like Alexei, I don’t know. He’s not someone I ever would have dreamed of being with.”
She raises an eyebrow. “So, you’re not attracted to him?”
“No, it’s not that. I mean, he’s very handsome, it’s just that he’s so… I don’t know. Rough. Beastly, I guess, is a better word.”
She starts to speak, but we’re interrupted when the waiter brings us our food. The burger Anya has ordered is huge. She picks up a knife and fork and cuts into it.
“Has he hurt you? Physically, I mean?”
I shrug. “Not really. Not in an abusive way, I guess.”
She nods. “Good. Your being harmed would be very bad for both your fathers.”
I just look down at my salad.Good thing they didn’t marry him, I guess.
“Not that I had any real doubt,” said Anya. “Alexei isn’t really the abusive type. Actually, you’re lucky that it was him you married and not his brother, Pavel. That guy’s got a screw loose or something. Very quick to anger.”
“And Alexei isn’t?”
She pauses, then her face splits into a smile. “Listen, if you’ve managed to have an argument with him and you walked away from it, trust me, you got the better deal. Alexei has better control over himself than a lot of the men in this family.”
I tilt my head curiously. “That’s… I don’t really know how to take that.”
She’d cut her burger in quarters and was now taking a bite with her hands. “You probably have this preconceived notion of him. Maybe you’ve heard something about his father being an underground fighter or about some of the deeds that Alexei has carried out as his father’s right hand. But, I can tell you as his cousin, the big, scary, muscle man thing? It’s just an act to keep theboyeviksin line.”
I poke at the lettuce on my plate. “He’s making me stay in the penthouse. He says I can’t leave.”
She doesn’t debate with me. She simply nods and replies, “You can’t blame him for being cautious. He’s afraid you’ll run like your sister did. ”
“He locks me in the bedroom at night,” I tell her. “I mean, sure, I did try to leave a couple of times, but he doesn’t have to treat me like a child. Or a pet or something.”
