They think they know me, know my family, and what my life is like. But they’re wrong.
“My brother may be the Pakhan, but he doesn’t spoil my children with presents or allow us to live lavishly under his roof. Some guards accompany me everywhere I go, but that’s protecting me from men like your husbands,” I say. “The enemy.”
“Do you still believe our family is the enemy?” Paige asks. “We’ve welcomed you with open arms. Even Antonio has given you quarters away from the rest of the guests.”
I chuckle at her remark. Does she believe that we’re guests? Maybe they are, but a guest means I can come and go as I please, which isn’t the case.
“What is so funny?” Paige glances at me and then at the other ladies, waiting for an answer.
Nikki clears her throat and breaks the awkward silence. “Aleksandra wasn’t brought in by invitation.”
“I was forced at gunpoint into Antonio’s vehicle,” I say. “My children and I had no choice but to follow his orders.”
“From what I can see, he cares about you,” Nikki says.
“He cares about Liam and Sophia.” I doubt he gives much thought about what might happen to me.
“Because they’re his children?” Paige asks. The other women glare at her like she let something slip that she wasn’t supposed to divulge. “What? It’s true, isn’t it?” Her gaze locks on mine.
“Leave her alone,” Nikki scolds Paige. It’s like the two of them know each other, more than just for the past few days.
“How about we talk about you and your kids?” I challenge, wanting the spotlight far from me.
“Sure, what do you want to know?” Nikki’s eyes light up, a wide grin on her face. “Ask me anything.”
“Anything?” I repeat.
The woman appears to be an open book, but I doubt she’d tell me her most intimate secrets. Not that I want to know about her dirty details in the bedroom with her husband, but there has to be something worth learning.
Paige is the first to speak, staring at Nikki. “Do you resent your father for selling you to Dante?”
“I was letting Aleksandra ask the questions,” Nikki says, glaring at Paige to shut her mouth.
This is a sensitive subject. Good, now she can feel like she’s sweating under a sunlamp for a bit. “What she said,” I quip, wanting Nikki to answer the question since it seems to be making her uncomfortable.
“Fine,” Nikki says and stretches, taking a second to answer. “I hate the old man. He didn’t just sell me to Dante. He would have sold me to anyone to get me out of his hair. He handed me over to his associates to auction, drug, and poison me. He’s a fucking bastard. I’d gladly do a jig on his grave and maybe leave some dog shit behind.”
I can’t help but chuckle at the image in my head. Maybe the two of us can be friends if she can help me get out of this place.