Page 108 of The Pakhans’ Curvy Prize

The room goes silent as my captain shoves the man forward onto his knees in the center of the hall. Every eye in the room locks onto the scene.

"We finally confirmed it," my captain says quietly. "He's been leaking information. He sold details to intermediaries connected to the mayor's son, hoping to profit from the tension between the families."

The temperature in the room drops twenty degrees. The bastard is shaking, blood dripping from his nose onto the concrete floor. He doesn't try to deny it. He just kneels there looking terrified.

My captain continues. "He's been providing information about your..." He pauses to look at me, Nick, and Russ. "Your female friend."

Nick steps forward, his voice calm and controlled. "Before we deal with this, everyone in this room needs to understand something. The woman's name is Marla. She's not a random civilian. She's not disposable. She's important to all three of us personally."

The declaration visibly shocks some of the older captains. A few exchange glances, clearly trying to process what Nick just admitted in front of the entire assembled leadership.

Russ moves beside Nick, his tone blunt and unapologetic. "Any threat against Marla will be treated as a direct threat against the united families. That's not negotiable. Anyone who has a problem with that can leave now."

No one moves. No one speaks. The message is clear.

I barely hear the fucking traitor start begging. My attention keeps drifting away from him, pulled toward the realization that's been quietly settling into place inside my own head for days now.

Somewhere between protecting Marla, sharing her with Nick and Russ, laughing with her in that cottage kitchen, and building futures around her without even realizing it, I fell in love with her.

Not the shallow attraction I've felt for other women. Not the temporary interest that fades after a few weeks. Real love. The kind that changes everything.

Worse, I know Russ and Nick did too. I've seen it in the way Russ watches her when he thinks no one is looking. I've heard it in Nick's voice when he talks about keeping her safe. We're all in this together, and none of us are walking away.

I look around the room filled with captains discussing future bloodlines, family alliances, and shared legacies. Every single one of them is imagining a future that includes stability, power, and protection for the people they care about.

None of us are imagining a future anymore that doesn't include Marla standing at the center of it.

The man's begging finally cuts through my thoughts, irritating me enough to pull my focus back to the present. He's sobbing now, pleading for another chance, swearing he'll do anything to make it right.

I walk forward slowly, my footsteps echoing across the concrete. He looks up at me with wide, terrified eyes. He opens his mouth to say something else.

I pull my gun from the holster beneath my jacket and pull the trigger.

45

MARLA

I freeze completely, my entire body going rigid as I realize what just happened. Ekaterina is standing in the doorway. She heard everything. She heard me admit I'm pregnant. She heard me say I don't know which of the three men is the father.

Sharon's face drains of all color beside me, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh God," she whispers.

Ekaterina steps fully into the kitchen carrying a ceramic mug of tea. Her blonde and gray hair is still pulled back in that neat bun despite the late hour, and she's wearing a soft gray cardigan over her nightgown. Her dark eyes study me carefully, but the expression on her face isn't anger or disgust like I expected. It's concern. Deep, maternal concern that makes my throat tighten.

Ekaterina settles across from me, setting her tea down carefully. The silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating. "Are you planning to keep the baby?" she asks finally, her voice calm and steady.

The question catches me off guard. I expected judgment, accusations, maybe even anger. Instead, she's asking me what I want. My hands twist together in my lap, and I force myself to meet her gaze.

"Yes," I say quietly. "I can't imagine ending it now that it's real."

Ekaterina nods slowly, like she expected that answer. “And you don’t know who the father is?"

The weight of that question settles over me like a physical thing, pressing down on my chest until I can barely breathe. I shake my head, unable to form words. Sharon shifts uncomfortably beside me, her hand finding mine under the table and squeezing tight.

"I've kept it secret because I'm terrified," I admit, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. "The baby could destroy everything. The dynamic between all four of us, whatever this is we've built, it'll all fall apart the second they find out. They'll start competing again, or worse, they'll decide I'm not worth the complication."

Ekaterina's expression softens, and she reaches across the table to cover my free hand with hers. Her skin is warm and weathered, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Marla," she says gently. "Those three men are already behaving possessively and protectively without knowing about the pregnancy. They've moved you into secured territory, stationed guards around the property, and are coordinating their entire lives around keeping you safe. The pregnancy won't push them away. It will make them worse."