She crosses her arms over her torso and shrugs. “Some lines shouldn’t be crossed, no matter what your handlers demand.”
Alexei studies her face like he’s trying to read her motivations. “And when you recovered your memories? You could havecontacted your FSB superiors, reported Dmitri’s location, and arranged extraction.”
“My FSB superiors tried to have me killed. They knew where I was for months, but instead of extracting me when I lost my memory, they left me in the situation, hoping I’d gather more evidence until I remembered who I am. Hard to maintain loyalty to people who abandon you when you’re vulnerable, then order your execution when you become inconvenient.”
“So, you chose my brother.”
“I chose survival. Your brother happened to be the person offering it.”
Sasha clears her throat. “Alexei, do you have questions about Dmitri’s methods, or are you satisfied that Katya isn’t the threat you thought she was?”
My brother winces as he adjusts his position. “Your methods worked, but they were risky as hell. Creating a fake marriage, manipulating someone’s memory loss. … If she’d recovered her memories differently, or if Viktor had moved faster, the whole plan could have backfired spectacularly.”
“I know. But at the time, keeping her confused and dependent seemed like the safest option.”
“It was the safest option for revenge. But it nearly got you both killed when Viktor decided elimination was easier than control.” Alexei looks at me for a long moment, and I can see him processing everything I’ve told him. “But you love her now.Reallylove her, not just the fake version you created.”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation.
“Even knowing she could have destroyed everything we’ve built?”
“She chose not to destroy it when she had the chance.”
“And you’re willing to go to war with our family to protect her?”
I glance at Katya, who’s watching this conversation like someone whose life depends on the outcome. “I was willing to shoot you to protect her. I think that answers your question.”
Alexei nods slowly. “It does.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“With a mess,” Alexei admits. “Half the men think you’ve lost it. The other half thinks I have. This civil war could’ve been avoided if you’d trusted family instead of keeping secrets.”
He’s right, and I know it.
I’ve been so focused on protecting Katya and managing my guilt that I forgot the first rule of family business: Trust your blood before you trust anyone else.
“You’re right,” I tell him. “I should have come to you the moment she recovered her memories. Should have explained about Viktor, about Pavel, about all of it.”
“Instead, you decided to handle it alone.”
“I decided that protecting her was more important than protecting the family.”
“And now?”
I think about the question while I study my brother’s face. The anger is still there, but underneath it, I can see something that looks like forgiveness trying to break through.
“Now, I’m hoping we can find a way to do both.”
Alexei turns to Sasha. “What’s your assessment?”
My sister blows out a breath of frustration. “My assessment is that you’re both idiots who nearly destroyed everything Father built over a situation that could have been resolved with one honest conversation. But you’re also right about different things. Dmitri was right to protect Katya once he understood the real situation. You were right to be concerned.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“Now, we fix the damage you’ve both caused. Dmitri, you need to address the leadership concerns within the organization. Too many of our men think you’ve gone soft. That needs to change.”
I nod. “Agreed.”
