Page 31 of The Russian's Bought Bride

She scoffs, not giving me much credit for the simple explanation as she mutters, “I figured as much.”

“I lied because it was easier for you and for me,” I continue, trying to ignore how much I don’t want to reveal anything, given how long I’ve kept everything under wraps. “Liam is the alias I’ve been using to flush these people out, and it just made sense to continue using it.”

“That’s not a justification,” she shoots back. “And I don’t see why you needed to use it anyway…it’s not like there’s anyone else here.”

“No, it’s not,” I agree, catching her brief flicker of surprise. “I guess it’s just habit to make sure others involved in this situation know as little about me as possible.”

Dani gives me a scrutinizing look, silently thinking before she demands, “What else?”

Hesitating, the most crucial part is already on the end of my tongue, and I force myself to say it. “I’m part of an organization. That’s what my brother, Roman, was talking about.”

Her expression tightens immediately, almost bracing herself. “What kind of organization?”

There’s no easy way to say this, and no soft version that will soften the blow, so I don’t try.

“The Bratva.”

She blinks back at me, obviously confused and not in the know, as I anticipated. “What’s that?”

“It’s the Russian brotherhood,” I tell her, not mincing words.

“Brotherhood,” she echoes, brows furrowing as she takes me in. “As in…”

“Organized crime.”

After a beat, letting the words soak in, her face drains of what little color it had. “You’re serious.”

“Very.”

“You’re telling me you’re, what? A criminal?” she asks, her voice rising slightly like the reality of it is setting in more and more with every passing second.

“I’m telling you I operate within that structure,” I say evenly, despite knowing that fact doesn’t make it any more palatable.

“That’s not better!”

“I didn’t say it was.”

Dani lets out a disbelieving laugh that shakes at the edges. “You have to be kidding me right now. I’ve been stuck under the roof of someone who’s part of the Bratva, and you just expect me to be okay with that?”

“No, I don’t. I know how it sounds.”

She stares at me for a long moment, trying to reconcile this with everything she’s seen so far, and everything I’ve let her know. I’m the man who kept her here, who told her the truth about her father, and now the man who is a criminal in her eyes.

“I don’t understand,” she says, quieter now. “If you’re part of something like that, then why…”

She trails off, unable to finish forming the words, but I know what she’s asking.

Why help her? Why stop the clinic? Why any of this?

They’re all questions I’ve asked myself, and ones I still struggle to answer at times, but that doesn’t stop me from continuing.

“I told you,” I say. “I’m working on something. Something my brothers didn’t know about until tonight.”

Dani clenches her jaw as more irritation sparks in her eyes. “You’re still being vague.”

“I’ve already told you far more than I ever should’ve,” I reply, my tone sharpening slightly into something firmer.

I can’t give her everything, and maybe I never will be able to. Either way, she becomes an even bigger liability the more I tell her, and that isn’t something I can take lightly.