26
IVAN
“Ivan?” My father’s voice echoes through the house, growing closer. “Ivan!”
Cora is staring back and forth between Anya and me. “What don’t I know?”
I hear his heavy footsteps on the tile and my chest clenches up with anger, same as it always does when the old bastard intrudes where he isn’t wanted.
Anya is the first one out of her seat. She meets him in the doorway, her arms around his middle. “Hi, Daddy.”
I bow slightly. “Hello, Fath—”
“What the fuck did I just hear about a shootout this morning?” he snaps. “You were in a shitty part of town taking down a mercenary?”
Anya pulls away from Otets and gawks at me. “You told me it was nothing!”
“I handled it. There was nothing to tell.”
“That’s not nothing, Ivan!” she gasps. “That’s a huge steaming pile of something!”
“This is why I didn’t tell you. I wasn’t almost killed. The sniper was going after Cora.”
If possible, Anya’s face pales even further. She turns to Cora. “You sat here and told me all about your meet-cute, but didn’t mention the assassination attempt you dodged this morning?”
I slip between the two of them, feeling oddly protective of my pretend future wife. Anya takes a step back, catching the hint.
My father isn’t so easily defeated.
He doesn’t even have to look at her to cut her down to size. “Why were you even there, Ivan? I don’t understand what in the hell an attempt on the life of a waitress has to do with you.”
“Daddy,” Anya whispers, “she is Ivan’s fiancée.”
Fucking hell. This is not how I wanted to announce any of this.
Without even glancing at me, he shakes his head and laughs. “No, she isn’t.” My father waves Anya out of the way and moves in on me. “I want to know what is going on, Ivan. I want to know right fucking now.”
I sigh. “Cora was attacked because someone believed she and I were going to get married. I decided the best way to smoke out who authorized the attack would be to continue the ruse.”
My sister drags herself back to the island and drops into a barstool. “So…you aren’t getting married?”
Cora hasn’t said a word since my father arrived, but she leans in close. “I’m sorry, Anya. For what it’s worth—”
I interrupt. “I thought the best way to ensure no one found out we’re pretending was to lie to everyone.”
“I’m not everyone,” Anya hisses. “I’m your sister. Just because I’m not in the inner circle doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to know what the fuck is—”
Otets slashes a hand through the air, silencing her instantly. “Enough, Anya! This is bigger than your hurt feelings.”
Anya opens and closes her mouth. Ultimately, she decides to stay quiet. She crosses her arms and leans against the island while my father changes course, closing in on Cora.
Cora looks to me. Every bit of the ingrained politeness I saw from before is gone. She could handle Anya, but she is way out of her depth with the man who birthed me. Her green eyes are wide, searching my face for a way out.
“Who are you?” he asks her.
Cora’s full lips part and close. She clears her throat and sits tall. “My name is Cora St. Clair.”
He frowns. “I don’t recognize it. Are you somebody?”
Cora doesn’t understand the question. Who would understand a question like that? Isn’t everybody somebody?
Not in our world.
I move to stand next to her. “She told you who she is.”
“I don’t know any St. Clairs.”
“Oh.” Cora looks down at her lap, her head shaking. “You wouldn’t. It’s my father’s name, but he…he left us. It was just me and my mom. She’s not—Well, I’m not really from—I came to the party with a friend last night.”
“Fucking hell. You really are just a waitress.” He spins on his heel, pacing back and forth. Then he stops in front of her again. “How much of this plan was your idea?”
“What?”
“You go from waiting tables to being waited on. It’s a nice deal for you,” he accuses. “Did you set this up with one of your friends to play rich and fuck my son?”
“Enough,” I growl.
He ignores me. “I bet the assassin was one of your friends. Maybe a brother? A boyfriend?”
Cora is too shocked to even speak.
“I killed the assassin,” I tell him.
“Wonderful.” He snorts. “So now, she’s a loose end with leverage. This just keeps getting better and better.”
“I’m not—” Cora lets loose a shaky breath and tries again. “I’m not going to tell anyone anything. Ivan saved me.”
“Yes, but why?” He leans in close, the word hissing between his teeth. “Why are you worth his time?”
“Daddy,” Anya tries to intervene.
He turns to her. “What? Am I supposed to believe both my children have a fetish for the lower classes?”
Anya’s face flames. I can see her clenching her teeth to keep quiet.
With her cowed, he turns back to me. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You love putting women on my payroll who do absolutely nothing to benefit the Family.”
Usually, I’d let my father run out of steam before stepping in to be the voice of reason. Stepping in now, however, keeps him from revealing to Cora far more than a civilian like her should know about who we are and what we do.
It also has the added benefit of deflecting the barbs he meant for my sister and Cora. He’s made it no secret that he thinks Anya and her husband are nothing but a drain on the family. They’ve argued about it until they’re both red in the face. It does no good. Anya doesn’t need to sit through that lecture again.
“I do what I have to do to fix the fucking messes you insist on creating for us,” I snarl.
“The only thing I did where Katerina was concerned is arrange a perfect match for you. You’re the one who threw it all away for—” He flings a disgusted hand in Cora’s direction. “This.”
“This isn’t about Katerina or Cora,” I say with preternatural calm. “This is about protecting our family from someone who wants to hurt it.”
Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have needed to explain this. But time and age has worn on my father’s abilities to see situations clearly. He is all instinct and rage now. Logic takes a backseat.
His flabby jaw works back and forth. “The girl is useless. She doesn’t have any connections. What good does she do for us?”
I want to point out that ninety-eight percent of the women my father hand-selected to be at my party last night are undeniably useless. They are little more than pretty lawn ornaments perched in front of their family estates. Look at where I come from. Stop and admire me.
Cora is nothing like that.
It doesn’t ultimately matter, though. Because I have a very good use for Cora. My father is just too blind to see it.
“Cora helps me draw out the identity of the person bold enough to attack our family.”
“We can do it without her. Without you taking yourself off the market and ruining the potential of a suitable match being made.”
“Cora is going to be a litmus test for who amongst our allies is trustworthy and who is trying to manipulate us. If you think that’s useless, perhaps it’s time for you to retire.”
He scowls. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
I give him a tight smile. “I only want what is best for the family.”
We stare at each other for a few seconds. He’s deciding whether to push. Whether to fight.
I don’t have to decide: I’ll die on this hill.
Finally, he takes a step back, nodding. “You think you are ready to lead? Fine. Prove it. Handle this before it becomes a problem I have to fix. I have a feeling you won’t like my solution.”
With one last scowl tossed in Cora’s direction, he turns and leaves.