Ruthless Mafia King: A Dark Bratva Arranged Marriage Romance
Ruthless Mafia King: Chapter 36

“Papa!” I exclaim as I approach his bed.

“Kata!” my mother cries and pulls me into her arms before I can reach my father. “Oh, Kata. We were so worried.”

“I’m alright,” I assure her, forcing myself to tear my eyes off my father and look at her. “He didn’t hurt me.”

This seems to satisfy her for now, and she allows me to move to the bed to look at Papa.

He lies against the pillow, his face pale and completely relaxed, his eyes closed. Lying like this, this man, who is sixty-five and built strong like an ox, suddenly appears smaller. It distresses me because I’ve never seen him this passive.

“Kata,” my mother says, and reaches for me, grasping my wrist with her claw-like hand. “Where is he? Did he come with you?”

I turn to her, my brows furrowing in confusion. “Who? Nikolai?” She nods. “He’s downstairs with the boys.”

“In that case, we have no time to waste,” my father announces, rising from the bed easily.

My eyes widen in disbelief, and I immediately stand, wondering if I’ve just imagined the last minute.

“What’s going on here?” I cry, my heart starting to beat faster, the fear spiking and crashing through me.

I start moving away from the bed as my father stands before me. He grabs my arm in a tight grip, but not so tight as to hurt me. He leans close and whispers into my ear.

“We had to devise a plan for him to bring you to us,” he tells me. “What better way than for you to come see your dying father?”

He takes a tissue from the nearby table and wipes his face to prove his point. I gasp when the paleness is replaced by a pink skin color, followed by faint freckles splattered across his cheeks.

“You must have manipulated him well if he fell for this,” my father spits, sounding amused. “It’ll all be over soon. You’re safe now.”

“What are you doing?” I demand, struggling to break free of his grip, though it only tightens. “You don’t understand anything.”

“No, Katarina, you don’t understand,” my father insists. “But that’s okay. You’re in shock.”

“You’ve probably gotten attached to him during your captivity. It’s not uncommon,” my mother offers.

“I don’t have Stockholm syndrome,” I protest, and yank my wrist out of my father’s grip.

I rub the sore spot, but I don’t give in. They have to understand that things are different now.

“Nikolai has changed,” I try to explain, but even I can hear it sounds like a weak excuse. “I’m not a captive anymore.”

“Okay, let’s say you’re right,” my father challenges, his deep blue eyes darkening. “Then why didn’t you come home?”

“Because it’s not safe,” I reply too quickly.

My father smirks. “It’s not safe,” he repeats in a mocking voice. “It sounds a lot like something a captor would say to the captive.”

“That’s not true,” I hiss through gritted teeth.

“Besides, if you haven’t forgotten, we nearly got killed because he kidnapped you. If he hadn’t taken you, our men would be at home, and your brother wouldn’t have gotten attacked in our front yard,” my mother snaps at me, appearing right behind my father’s back.

“Igor was attacked because he’s a stupid little shit,” I argue, refusing to let them put Igor’s mistakes on Nikolai. “It was his fault. If he hadn’t been fucking around, the Gargarins wouldn’t have tried to kill him.”

My father’s icy eyes darken in anger. “We’d be able to protect ourselves if Nikolai gave us guns as he promised he would,” he roars.

“And he did,” I insist, struggling to keep my voice level. The last thing I want is to yell at my parents. “It was you who backed out of the deal with him after he delivered the first shipment. He also mentioned you were behind the attack on him in Russia. For fuck’s sake, Father, stop pretending that he’s the only bad guy here. None of us are saints, and you know it!”

“Calm down, Kata,” my mother insists, forcing the corners of her mouth into a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “We’re only doing what’s best for you.”

“I was afraid of this,” my father says with a sad shake of his head. “He got to you. I can only hope we can reverse this brainwashing.”

I groan and wave my hands in the air in an exasperated gesture. “If you’d just listen to what I’ve been trying to say for the last five minutes, maybe we wouldn’t have to go in circles.”

“Tell us, daughter,” my father prompts, his expression patient, only adding to my stress. “Did you sleep with him?”

“That’s none of your business,” I shoot back in an annoyed tone. “I’m not a child. I can do whatever and whoever I want.”

“That would be a resounding yes then.” My father sighs. He glances at my mother. “It’s nothing we can’t fix.”

She nods. “What’s important is that we have her back. We’ll get her the best treatment the money can buy to break this man’s hold over her.”

“Stop talking as if I’m not here,” I hiss. “I can hear you, you know?”

But they no longer pay me any attention, wrapped in their own world.

“Maybe it would’ve been better if we had killed him after all,” my father mumbles. “He’s more cunning than even I gave him credit for.”

“Igor killed his mother and fiancée,” I snap. “What else do you want to take from him?”

My father’s head abruptly turns my way, his eyes locking on mine. “What did you just say?”

“What else do you want to take from him?” I repeat, my brows furrowing.

“No.” He shakes his head. “The first part.”

“That Igor killed Nikolai’s mother and fiancée?” I ask in confusion.

“Your brother killed Nikolai’s family?” my mother says in a surprised voice.

I nod. “In a drunken hit and run,” I explain, and glance at Father. “You helped him cover it up.”

“I had no idea they were Volkov’s family,” my father mutters under his breath, scratching the back of his neck.

“This doesn’t change anything,” my mother insists. “He took our child. He violated her. You must make him pay.”

I raise my hands, hoping to stop them. “Please don’t do this. He didn’t ‘violate’ me. I’m right here, and I’m okay. “

But neither one of them seems willing to listen to me. I’m back to being invisible as they circle each other, giving no signs of hearing me. It’s unnerving and confusing.

“Now’s the perfect moment,” my father says grimly. “We’ll never get a better chance.”

“Please don’t try to hurt him,” I repeat. “This isn’t a good plan. You’ll only risk getting yourselves killed.”

“Let’s end this nightmare,” my mother says to my father, ignoring me.

“Don’t worry, printsessa.” My father turns to me, his hands resting gently on my shoulders. “We’ll free you of him once and for all.”

His words seem to unleash something in my mother, and she nods furiously, pointing her finger at him.

“Yes! He can’t do this to us,” my mother snarls. “Not to you. Not to our family.”

My father nods and storms out of the room with my mother right on his heels.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt this helpless in my life. They’re like two maniacs, dead set on getting rid of the enemy I wish they could see as family. I run after them, hoping to stop them before they make a mistake. But it seems my pleas are falling on deaf ears. They don’t listen, and before I can do anything, they barge into the living room.

I come in just in time to see my brothers pull out their guns and aim them at Nik.

“No!” I scream, and throw myself at him, positioning us so the guns are aimed at me now.

“Serdtse,” Nikolai warns in a low voice, trying to grab my arms and put me behind him.

“No!” I cry again, refusing to budge. “No. No. NO!”

“Kata,” Igor hisses, and cocks his gun. “Step away from him.”

I don’t move.

Everything happens so fast.

A gun goes off.