“My son wasn’t ready,” she seethed, dropping her hand, something ugly crossing her face. “I had to keep him alive, to keep my girls from being sold for their innocence.” She turned to me. “So, I sold myself to my husband’s scheming brigadiers to keep my children alive, taking the brunt of what needed to be done. When the time was right, I killed the men who defiled my body. And I took delight in making them hurt.”
I drew in a sharp breath as her words slid over me. It wasn’t too far off from what I had endured, and suddenly I realized that I was in the presence of a very dangerous woman.
Maria lashed out with her hand and grabbed my arm painfully, her perfectly manicured nails digging through my sweater.
“Do not betray my son,” she said softly, her voice laced with steel. “If you do. You will not fear the Bratva coming after you. You will fear me.” Her cruel smile had my knees weakening. “And I can make you hurt in ways you can’t even imagine, devushka.”
I believed her. It wasn’t the way she said it—more so the look in her eye. She would do whatever she wanted to me without giving it a second thought. Her conscience would not be heavy with her sins, not for her family’s sake.
“I won’t betray him,” I forced out, looking her in the eye. “I’m on his side, your side. I want to protect him just as you do.”
As I said the words, I realized I was telling the truth. I didn’t want to see Gavril hurt and had a sneaky suspicion of why. I could keep on lying to myself, but the truth was there, and I didn’t know how I felt about it, honestly.
Maria laughed bitterly and finally let my arm go. “Words are cheap.”
She wasn’t wrong about that. “I swear to you then,” I answered, my voice wavering from fear of what this woman could do if it came down to it. I would sit and process all of this later on and probably be terrified, but right now, she needed to see that I could stand toe to toe with her. “That I am not out to hurt your son or your family.”
“We shall see, devushka.” Maria just smirked, moving toward the door. “Come. I will show you back to where you can await my son.”
***
Once alone, I crumpled onto the sofa, my heart hammering in my ears. Maria was the most frightening woman I had ever encountered, and now she was my mother-in-law. Some people said their mothers-in-law were devils or monsters, but I bet no one held a candle to her.
Drawing in a breath, I rested my head against the sofa, suddenly drained.
I hadn’t liked the way she had put her family down. But after hearing how she’d traded her body and dignity to ensure their survival, I couldn’t necessarily be upset with her. If what she had said was true, she had given everything to keep her family safe, to keep the Kirilenko name at its fullest potential so that Gavril could have that position one day.
A strong woman, if not terrifying.
God, I wanted Gavril to come back. I wanted to see him, to have him wrap me in his arms so I wouldn’t feel so alone at this moment. It hurt to know what this family had endured, but also the fact that Maria didn’t believe our story.
I needed to talk to Gavril, to warn him about what his mother knew so that he could figure out what he wanted to say.
So that we could figure out what we were going to do.