Page 88 of Beyond Enemy Vows

Ares's lip curls. "Truth?" he says, shaking his head. "Don’t be naive.”

"Let her speak, Ares." Theo's voice cuts through.

"Oh, you're on her side now?" Ares snaps.

"She's blood. Family. There are no sides to pick. We're Kastaris. We're all on the same side."

I open my mouth to explain, but Niko steps forward, his gun still raised at Dimitri.

"I had no fucking clue," he says. "If I had, I would've stopped him. I respected your father."

Dimitri scoffs. "Bullshit. He's your father. You expect us to believe you knew nothing, huh? That he planned to take down the head of the most powerful Greek family and you were in the dark?"

"He's telling the truth," I plead. "Please. Put the guns down. All of you."

I reach out and place my hand on Niko's arm.

His eyes flick to mine, and after a second, he lowers his gun. Slowly, the others follow suit, though Ares's grip is reluctant, furious.

"I'm not saying he didn't do it," Niko says through clenched teeth. "I'm saying I didn't. None of my men did. I had no part in this."

Ares kicks his chair, sending it flying, but not before it clips the table and a whiskey glass rattles and tips over, brown liquid spilling across the table.

"You expect us to swallow that? Fuck you, Niko," he says and raises his gun again, this time aiming straight at Niko's head.

"Ares, stop!" I cry, but my brother's eyes are burning.

But Niko doesn't flinch. He remains standing tall, shoulders squared, as he steps forward, closing the distance between himself and the barrel. Daring Ares to pull the trigger.

"If you're one hundred percent convinced I knew," Niko says firmly, "then pull the fucking trigger. But you'll be killing an innocent man. I'm not my father."

Ares shrugs, his face a mask of cold rage. "I can live with that."

Panic explodes in my chest. The world narrows to the barrel of that gun, to Niko's unflinching stance, to the finger tightening on the trigger.

"I'm pregnant!" The words rip out of me before I can stop them.

The silence that follows is deafening. Ares freezes. His finger hovers on the trigger. For a terrifying second, I'm sure he'll fire anyway.

Theo mutters a curse, stunned. Dimitri staggers back a step, eyes wide.

"By him," I continue, tears spilling down my cheeks. "He's the father of my child. If you kill him, you kill the father of your niece or nephew, and a part of me too."

Dimitri recovers first. "Holy shit. Are you fucking serious right now? You're pregnant? With his kid?"

"Yes." I nod as tears sting my eyes. "I had it confirmed."

"Christ, Cal," he says. "This complicates things."

Theo rubs his jaw, conflict written across his face. "It doesn't erase blood debts. But it sure as hell shifts the board."

We all turn to look at Ares. Still unmoved. His fury is undiluted, radiating from him in waves.

"I don't care if she's carrying his child. He's still the enemy. Better a Kastaris bastard than a Petrou heir."

"He didn't do anything!" I scream, my voice breaking with desperation.

Niko pulls me against his chest, his arms wrapping around me protectively. "Don't waste your breath," he says into my hair. "He'll never change his mind."