“Yes, all daddies who want their daughters to be happy force them into arranged marriages. You’re funny, Yulian,” Pyotr says, finally swallowing his food before speaking.
I bristle at Pyotr’s open arrogance and disrespect. Yulian may or may not be behind my ambush but my people, my family, have always handled things with a certain air of civility. At least in the talking stages.
“Don’t lecture me, brother,” Pyotr says as he catches my glare, then slaps Yulian on the back. He flinches. So does Viktor. But neither of them moves.
“He knows I’m just joking around. Right, Yulian?”
“Of course,” Yulian replies, keeping his eyes and hands on the counter.
“Edik, take Yulian and Viktor into the parlor, would you? If you all don’t mind, I want to have a word with my brother,” I say.
The three of them leave immediately, and as soon as I’m alone with Pyotr I’m walking around the marble island separating us.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing,” I growl as I reach for Pyotr, but he steps back before I can lay hands.
“Something is up with Yulian.”
Pyotr's usual sarcastic tone is gone, and he says it with such seriousness that I cease my chase of him.
“Explain,” I command.
Pyotr glances around, as if making sure we are alone, and then leans toward me.
“Look, I like Valya. She’s a cool chick. But her father? Something’s not right with him. I don’t know what it is yet but I can feel it. That’s why I’m not taking Valya out on dates. I want to be here. Keep an eye on him and Viktor.”
I study Pyotr’s face, looking for any shred of his usual carelessness, but all I see is blatant concentration. My brother and I may handle things differently, but we do get things handled. And even though I choose not to tell Pyotr what Edik and I discovered during our interrogation, I decide that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have eyes and ears in Yulian’s house.
“Fine,” I say at last. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Pyotr lets out a breath of apparent relief and gives me a surprisingly appreciative smile.
“Thanks, big brother. If something’s up with him. I’ll figure it out. I won’t let you down. And if there isn’t anything up with them, then I just get to spend more time with Valya. It’s a win-win.”
I huff out a laugh.
“Sounds like you might be in love with her,” I tease him, taking a step back.
Pyotr chuckles as he shakes his head.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replies.
“Keep me informed with how this all goes from now on,” I tell him, turning to take my leave.
“You got it, big brother,” Pyotr calls, and as he leaves to go back up the stairs, I go to the parlor, thank Yulian for his time, and Edik and I take our leave.
Chapter Twenty-One
Annika
“Is she always like that?”
I look up from the calendar Max brought to our meeting and glance from him to Yana. As usual, she’s right by my side. The days of space were short-lived, but I’ve gotten used to her quiet, intense presence. In fact, with the tension-filled air in the house, I’ve become quite fond of it. Something was wrong. I don’t know if it’s some new heightened pregnancy senses or what, but I can feel it in my bones.
Even if everyone around me refuses to talk about it.
“Leave her alone, Max. She’s doing exactly what she’s supposed to,” I reply.
This earns me a wink from Yana and I wink back. Yeah. We’ve gotten closer.
