Page 59 of Daddy's Reluctant Queen

This isn’t how I envisioned any of this in the beginning. I feel like everything has been turned upside down. Killing Adam Aristov was supposed to be a moment of triumph. Or at least something I could torture Sofia with before I killed her.

It was never supposed to be an act of pity. I stand at the closed door, listening to her sobs through the wood. She’s in more pain than I ever could have given her right now… and I wish like hell that I could take it away.

I walk away. She needs time to grieve. And I need time to think.

This entire thing has gone out of control significantly, and I’m not even very sure when the direction of the pendulum changed. It has, however. And now I have to figure out what comes next.

I go to my study and make myself a drink. Cyril witnessed the killing and, more importantly, me comforting Sofia. That is a problem. A big one. I know the message that was sent by his seeing that. It probably confirmed every rumor that’s been swimming around the brotherhood about me. The great Titus Malkin has gone soft.

Many a Pakhan have fallen for less. I pour a shot of vodka and drink it down, then pour another. I could spend time worrying about it, I suppose. I guess I will when it becomes necessary to.

For now, I need to take care of Sofia. The rest can wait in the meantime.

A week has passedand Sofia has had free reign over the house, not that she’s taken much advantage. When I do see her during the day, she seems like a ghost drifting through the halls. Her hair is slightly mussed and she’s usually in one of her nightgowns or her pajamas. She hasn’t spoken to me outside of requests for food. Well, once she asked to sit in the garden withLuka. Other than that, she’s been silently moving through the house as if she were walking around in another realm.

I’ve never had any siblings, but I know exactly where she is. I felt the same way when Angela died. I moved through my world on autopilot until Ignat shook me out of my daze by challenging me to a boxing match at the gym. Can’t really do that with Sofia. Or, I don’t know, maybe I can. I’m sure she would give me one hell of a fight.

I’m sitting in my living room, drinking a glass of whiskey, thinking about it all and silently worrying about what comes next. The rest of the brotherhood has been silent enough these past seven days, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t trouble brewing.

The doorbell rings and one of my staff answers it. A moment later, Ignat appears before me wearing a black trenchcoat over his suit. It has beads of water on the shoulders, telling of the rain that’s started a little while ago. He looks at me and his shoulders sink. “So, this is how I find you.”

I glance down at the glass of brown alcohol in my hands. The ice is melting a little too quickly for my tastes. “This is how you find me,” I repeat back to him.

“Well, you certainly don’t look like a man who’s conquered his enemy. Well… most of his enemies, anyway.”

I take a drink, then, “Is there something you want?”

“There is. I have some very important information for you. There are some things happening that you ought to know about.”

I sigh and sit up, setting the half filled glass of whiskey on my coffee table. “Let me guess. Cyril is riling up the troops against me.”

Ignat scoffs. “So you haven’t completely lost your mind, then.”

“Is that what they’re saying about me? That I’ve gone crazy?”

“Either that or you’ve gone soft.” Ignat takes off his coat and lays it over one of the chairs in the room before sitting down next to me. “Neither is good, Titus.”

“No, it isn’t.” I twist the glass around in a slow circle as we contemplate the problem in silence.

“May I ask you something? As a friend? Not a subordinate?”

I glance over at him to see he’s looking at me with a very serious expression. Much more serious than normal. “Sure,” I say. “Ask away.”

“Have you crossed the line with the Aristov woman?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “What I mean is… You said that you were just using her. Has that changed?”

It’s an interesting question. One I’ve been asking myself this whole time. I take a drink without answering.

“It’s just that… She is the daughter of your sworn enemy. We’ve been preparing for years to wipe out the Penzas and we’ve finally succeeded. Leaving Aristov’s daughter alive in order to use her for sexual pleasures… Well, that’s one thing. No one would argue that it’s your right to collect the spoils of war. But if what Cyril is saying is true?—”

“Her brother was begging for death,” I tell him. “He was begging her to shoot him. Now, I realize that we’re supposed to be cold-blooded killers, but even you would agree that being asked to kill your own brother isn’t a cakewalk. Especially if you actually love him and especially if you’ve never had to do it before.”

“Right.” He pauses, glancing at my glass of whiskey. “So you did it for her.”

“Yeah.” I finish the contents of my glass. We go silent for another few seconds as it sinks in with Ignat. “Want me to get you a drink?”

“Please,” he says.

I get up and walk over to the mini bar in the corner of the room, taking out another glass and looking for the whiskey. Probably shouldn’t bother with ice this time.