Page 66 of Mafia King’s Dangerous Vow

Across the room, Aleksander looks up. He doesn’t smile. He only holds me there for one second too long before Sofiya, Igor and Katya’s daughter, appears beside him, tugging insistently at his sleeve.

The severity in his expression softens.

I blink.

The little girl launches into an animated explanation involving her tablet and what appears to be a horse wearing sunglasses. Aleksander crouches beside her without hesitation, listening with absolute seriousness while she gestures dramatically at the screen.

“Yeah,” Galina, Vasiliy’s wife, comments dryly beside me. “That part gets people.”

I tear my eyes away from Aleksander with effort. “What part?”

“The terrifying men being unexpectedly gentle with children thing.” She takes a sip of wine. “Very manipulative of them, honestly.”

I laugh before I can stop it.

Galina is beautiful in a cool, understated way. Auburn hair twisted into a low knot, black silk dress, sharp green eyes that look like they miss very little.

Katya follows my gaze toward the living room. “You know what’s strange?” she says thoughtfully. “Aleks almost never watches people.”

“What does that mean?”

“He watches rooms,” Katya clarifies. “Entrances. Exits. Problems.”

I think about the way he scanned the market this afternoon, the way his attention moves through any space before it settles.

“Tonight he’s been watching you,” Katya finishes, her mouth curving faintly.

As if summoned by the observation, Aleksander glances up again from Sofiya’s tablet. Right at me.

Warmth crawls slowly up my throat. “I’m beginning to understand why none of you are normal,” I mutter into my glass.

Katarina laughs. “Normal is overrated.”

“That feels like something people say before ending up on Dateline.” A strange sense of familiarity relaxes me by a fraction. “Were all of you dragged into this world?”

The women exchange a look that answers me before anyone speaks.

“Some more willingly than others,” Galina says finally.

Katya leans lightly against the kitchen island. “The beginning wasn’t easy for any of us.”

“That’s putting it diplomatically,” Galina murmurs.

“But,” Katarina’s expression softens as her attention settles on Nikolai across the room, “people can surprise you too.”

The quiet certainty in her voice catches me off guard.

“Besides,” Katya adds dryly, “Aleksander is probably the least alarming option in this entire room.”

Before I can ask what that means, Aleksander straightens from beside Sofiya and starts walking toward us. His attention lands on me, steady and focused. Suddenly I’m far too aware of the emerald silk against my skin.

“Ladies,” he says. His hand finds the small of my back. Katya notices everything, obviously.

“So,” she says innocently, “we were just discussing how terrifying all of you are.”

Aleksander’s hand shifts slightly against my spine. “And what conclusion did you reach?”

“That the women are significantly more frightening,” Galina answers before anyone else can speak.