Page 23 of Savage Little Secret

“And for the shpion, the spy, I intend to keep her alive for now to use her against her father. We could put pressure on him, hold his daughter over his head and demand a ceasefire, compensation, and names,” I tell them.

“You could make things worse by antagonizing him. We don’t know what sensitive information she’s fed to her father,” one of the other men says.

“It wouldn’t be any worse than him finding out that we killed her,” I reply, fighting off the frustration that wants to seep into my voice.

“You will kill her,” Victor says. “Soon. No more mistakes, or you will be replaced.”

My eyes grow wide. “Replaced?” I repeat, and the room tilts.

“If you can’t do what needs to be done to support and protect your family, you do not need to lead them,” Victor tells me firmly. “Not only will your name come off the Pakhan list, but your seat will go to someone who can follow orders.”

If I’m replaced, I’ll have nothing. I could be exiled. If enough people vote against me, I could be killed to ensure that I don’t spill any family secrets, and that I don’t become a threat out on my own.

I’ll be nothing.

Nichego.

An empty pit fills my stomach as their voices blur. All I hear is: marry her and kill her.

They won’t change their decision. They want a marriage and a death, and both of those things will destroy me.

I leave the conference room and head back home in silence. There are dozens of emotions brewing inside of me that are intensifying with each minute that passes.

When I get to my place, I storm inside, going straight to the guest bedroom as my emotions start to boil over.

Cara shrinks against the headboard like she can disappear into it when I burst into the room with my rage and my pain and my hopelessness radiating off me.

“You ruined me,” I say, and it comes out raw. Her eyes widen as I swipe an accent sculpture off the dresser, making it clatter against the floor. “You’ve ruined everything! My life is a fucking mess!”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not! You did this! Yebat!” The word tastes like poison. “You pushed me into decisions I can’t take back!” I bite out as I stalk closer to the bed as she tries to shrink back away from me. “You manipulated me and tricked me, and I was a fool to let you get close to me.”

“I did what I was forced to do!” Cara insists. “If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t do any of it! Regardless of the consequences!”

Something stirs in my chest as I gaze at her, but my anger quickly takes back over. “The Council called me in today.” I laugh once with no humor in it. “They want me to marry Annika. And they want me to kill you.”

Her face pales. “Are you…are you going to do it?” Her voice fractures.

I scoff at her. “Do you not know how the Council works? I can’t ignore their demands! Not unless I want to be exiled or killed!”

“They’d kill you?” Cara asks as she shakes her head. “No. You’re too valuable to them.”

I bark out another cold laugh before kneeling on the bottom of the bed, making her tense up even more. “Not anymore. Now, I’m a liability,” I grit out. “Because I let you in.”

Cara’s breathing quickens as I crawl toward her. “I couldn’t help my feelings either, Dmitri. I withheld information from my father. I protected you when I could!”

“Protected me?” I scowl as I move over her, pinning her body down to the mattress, rage shaking in my hands. “You set me up!”

Cara winces as I grip her hair tightly and angle her head back to force her to look up at me.

“You’re going to get what you deserve one way or another. Just like I am,” I tell her in a threatening tone. “And if your father truly hates you like you claim, then you’re shit out of luck.”

“All I had was you,” Cara whispers as tears pool in her eyes.

Hearing those words and seeing the tears in her eyes hits me like a knife to my gut. My anger wavers, and I have to force myself off her before I make more stupid decisions.

Maybe I should just kill her. She’s my damn kryptonite so what’s the point in sparing her and jeopardizing my life when she’s the one at fault?