Tempted by Deception (Deception Trilogy #2) by Rina Kent

“I didn’t,” I lie. “We had a one-night stand.”

I can sense Lia peeking at me, but thankfully, she keeps her words to herself. Any misstep in front of these men and everything will be over. It doesn’t matter that I put a baby in her or married her. Any show of disrespect, and they will take that baby and kill Lia.

“How dare you?” Igor slams his glass of vodka on the coffee table.

“Kristina said it was fine if I had any mistresses at the time,” I say. “You can confirm that with her if you like.”

“So what, Volkov?” Sergei’s critical gaze slides to Lia, measuring her up like she’s a maid he doesn’t approve of. “You chose to marry your one-night stand instead of Igor’s daughter. Is this your explanation?”

I can tell when Sergei gets angry. He turns eerily calm, like right now. That’s the difference between him and Nikolai. The late Pakhan would go on a killing rampage, but his younger brother will kill you with silence.

His point is logical. Sergei is taking offense on behalf of Igor, whom he hasn’t only known for the past forty years, but is also the closest of friends with in the brotherhood.

“No,” I speak in my signature composed, even tone. “I married her because she’s expecting my heir.”

Both of their gazes flit to her stomach, as if they can see a child there and question him about his origins. The attention causes Lia to squirm, so I retrieve the envelope from my jacket and hand it to Sergei. The sooner we’re done with this, the faster I can get her out of here.

The Pakhan places his drink on the table and studies the sonogram and the doctor’s report, then sighs. “Is this truly yours?”

“Why would I even give her the time of day if it wasn’t?” Lia flinches as if I’ve slapped her across the face.

I struggle to keep my cool. I don’t want her to think she’s nothing to me, but if she believes it, so will they.

And I fucking need to get her off their radar. It won’t be easy, considering the position I hold in the brotherhood, but if they think she’s only here because of the child, they won’t have any expectations of her and I can keep her safe from this life. Even if it’s only partially.

“I didn’t want to disrespect Kristina by forcing her to raise a child that isn’t hers, Igor,” I tell him. “She deserves better than that.”

He takes a swig of his drink, refusing to answer me, but both he and Sergei know my views on raising a bastard child. I lived it and would never, under no fucking circumstances, put my son or daughter through that fate.

“At least Kristina is Russian.” Sergei doesn’t hide the disregard from his voice. “This one looks American.”

“Don’t worry, Pakhan. My child will be brought up the Russian way.”

“That goes without saying.” He studies her crutch. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I broke my leg,” she says with a clear voice.

I tighten my hold on her hand so she’ll stop talking. She really doesn’t want to attract their attention—at all.

Sergei raises a brow. “So you do have a voice. We went out of our way to speak English for you, and you’re only now delighting us with your words.”

“Adrian said it’s better not to speak, but I dislike being talked about as if I’m not in the room.”

Fuck me.

The strength that’s always lurking inside her bursts out, and even though her fingers are trembling in mine, betraying her fear of the two Bratva leaders, she still holds her spine upright and stares at them head-on.

I really need to keep her contact with the brotherhood to a minimum. I’ve seen that look before, the determination and stubbornness in a world filled with men.

My mother had it as soon as she got rid of Aunt Annika and married my father.

There was greed, too.

But her ambition was snuffed out before she could do anything. Anyone who challenges the Pakhan is sentenced to death, no matter who they are.

“I see Adrian has a lot to teach you,” Sergei says in a grim tone. “She’s better when mute.”

Lia opens her mouth, probably throw a retort, but I squeeze her fingers until she winces.

“Will do, Pakhan.”

He nods me away, and I nudge her so she hobbles in front of me as we leave the office.

Time to teach my bride her first lesson.





27





Lia





Murderous doesn’t even begin to explain the atmosphere as soon as we leave the Pakhan’s office.

Adrian doesn’t say a word during the entire ride, but he doesn’t have to. Not that it’s surprising. He’s the type who lets his anger build, the type who’d hand out pain to prove a point.

The type who makes you fall into his proximity and forces you into marriage, then tells his bosses that you mean nothing.

I don’t know which part sliced me open the most. His coercion or how he talked about me in front of his higher-ups.

The silence in the car is suffocating, feeding off my boiling rage and Adrian’s simmering ire.

Kolya and Yan are also quiet, not daring to look behind them.

It feels like forever until Adrian’s second-in-command slows to a halt outside of a large metal gate that opens with a loud creak. Soon after, we’re going down a long, endless driveway and then stop in front of a mansion.