My position is officially fucked. Every cell in my body wants to fight, to stick a knife in this fucker’s eye socket right now andkill my way out of this building. But as many men as I could take down, they’d likely get me too, and I’m smart enough to live to fight another day. Time to put that urge in another neat box and smile.
“I’m surprised by the nomenclature on these contracts, Zakhar.”
“Why on earth would you be surprised, dear? If you thought you would keep your name on the outfit once you married Oleg, I’m not sure who ever gave you that idea.”
“You and I both know how our last conversation regarding the proposed marriage alliance went. I declined.”
“And now, I’ve given you no choice, you little bitch!” His men perk up as he finally snaps and raises his voice, but a flick of his wrist has them relaxing once more. “Your father fucking knew that a woman isn’t built for running an operation like ours, and he saved Thunder Bay from all this bullshit we’ve been dealing with. Ivan is a weakling, and the harpy he married has put all kinds of nonsense in his head about what women are capable of, too.”
“So you’re forcing my hand?”
“I’m preventing a war and the unnecessary loss of good Russian men. And I’m doing you a giant favor, dear. We can all see what a toll this is taking on you. I know you’d rather be baking cookies with the children, and this way, that’s all you’ll be required to do.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that it might not be possible for me to give your son children?”
He shrugs like he couldn’t care less. “We’ll find another dark-haired bitch, and he can knock her up instead. As long as you raise the kid and keep up appearances, it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone to look the other way. That might be the best-case scenario, anyway. Keep the weak Taranov blood out of my line. It takes generations to breed that out.”
I’m going to end your bloodline. Not today. But soon.
“Well, Zakhar, I don’t know what to say.”
“You can say ‘Thank you, Father-in-law, for solving all of my problems and allowing me to live a soft life befitting a woman.’”
“If you think—”
“Idothink, pussycat. Your claws are well noted, and your feisty spirit will serve you well in my son’s bedroom. Based on what I hear, you’ll need it. But for now, in this room, I think you’ll find that you’re going to do what I tell you to do and say what I tell you to say. And I want to hear you say it.”
My chest rises and falls calmly, and I refuse to let the red blush of anger rise from my chest to my neck. My heart is racing, though, and I force myself to take stock of the situation. Each of his men watches me closely, relaxed but ready to riddle me with bullets at one word from their boss. More than a few of them have smirks, enjoying seeing me so humbled. I box this feeling away for the next time I need to be my most ruthless.
“Thank you, Father-in-law, for solving all of my problems and allowing me to live a soft life befitting a woman.”
“See, gentlemen, you can teach an old dog new tricks.” A chorus of laughter fills the room, but I don’t hear it. It’s funneled straight into another box, only to be opened when needed. “This is a perfect example of why you aren’t fit to lead. No man would have sat there and taken this from me lying down. You’d probably get up on this table and spread your legs for us all if I told you to, wouldn’t you? Not like you’d have any choice…”
Please, no. No, no, no…
“But I don’t have time for that today. Maybe at the wedding reception. I don’t have any further need for you. Take that packet of information and expect a call to coordinate travel and all the logistics. The wedding will be in the Motherland, obviously, so start packing. Now get out of my sight, dear daughter-in-law.”
Gladly.With one last look around the room, I ensure I have every single smirking face burned into my memory. Zakhar’s right about purging weakness from bloodlines, and I’ll do my best to make sure every single one of these fucker’s ends.
Soon.
Chapter 34
As disappointed asI am that Mila couldn’t stay last night, nothing could bring me down from my high right now. Even though she ended up leaving, we still had an outstanding evening, filled with laughter and orgasms. The best way to spend any day, in my opinion. And after our heart-to-heart, things felt even more intense than usual. Maybe it’s the fact that I know deep down she cares about me, or maybe it’s just that I’ve finally realized my own feelings.Love. I’ve never felt romantic love. I always imagined it would feel like a shackle, locking you to someone, but it’s the opposite. Being tethered to Mila is a freedom I’ve never felt before.
I’m in love with Mila Taranova.
I smile at the thought of her as I walk into our practice facility. Just like everything else since my grand realization, thebuilding is somehow…better.The air feels fresher, the paint looks brighter, and I’m more excited than ever to put on my skates and play my beloved sport.
“Ayo, look who finally decided to show up today,” Bubba yells from the other end of the locker room as I walk in.
“It’s the ole loverboy himself.”
“Did your lady keep you up late last night?”
“She’s way out of your league, man.”
The guys mess with me as I make my way to my locker, but I don’t mind. I’ll take all their taunts. At least I finally have someone for them to talk about now.
