Page 164 of Betrayal and Vows

My heart leaps at the mention of his name.

At least we won't face this alone. "Is he okay?"

"Dmitri is always okay," Anton says dryly, though I can hear the relief in his voice too. "Like a fucking cockroach. Impossible to kill."

My mother stands and moves to the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of vodka and three glasses.

Everything about her screams exhaustion, but there's a steel beneath it that I've never seen before.

"I've been in hiding since yesterday," she says, pouring generous shots. "Your father came home in a rage. Screaming about betrayal, about his whore wife and her dead friend's bastard son.”

Boom. Boom. Boom.

My mother freezes.

It’s not Dmitri. I don’t know the man well, but even I know he would never be so damn noisy.

Anton’s gun is out before the sound finishes echoing.

The door swings open.

And my father walks in.

"Lena," he says. "My darling girl."

I take a step back. Anton stands in front of me.

"Don’t. You. Fucking. Move."

My father lifts both hands in mock surrender. "I came to talk. Just talk."

Elena moves to my side. "You shouldn’t be here. How did you find us?"

"And yet here I am. Because I have no choice."

He looks at me with desperation in his eyes.

"They’ll kill me, Lena. Vadim is done with me. Unless I give him something. Unless I make a deal."

I narrow my eyes. "You mean me."

He doesn’t deny it.

"If you marry Mikhail, it’ll buy me time. Buy us time. We can protect each other. We can make this right."

Anton barks a bitter laugh. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

"You’ll be safe," Lenoid pleads. "Married to Mikhail, no one will touch you. He’s ambitious, yes, but he won’t harm you."

"No," I say, voice like steel. "I’d rather be dead."

He glances at Elena. "Then marry someone else. The Popov heir is willing to negotiate for your hand. They’ll protect you. And me. Please, Lena. You’re my daughter."

"No," Anton says. "She’s mine. You will not bargain with her life. We’re getting married."

He looks at me, eyes blazing. "If you’ll have me."

I stare at him, heart thudding.