Page 139 of Stolen Empire

"Katya doesn't know anything about her father's business. She can't provide intelligence or weapons. She's not an asset in the way Lyovik was."

"She's an asset because of who she is."

Rolan's eyes meet mine with an intensity that makes the air in the room feel heavier.

As much as I don't like what he's saying, he's my Pakhan, my leader.

Challenging him out of an eruption of emotion could have consequences.

"Her name carries legitimacy. If we announce that we're honoring the pact with the Morozov family, it sends a message to every other family in Moscow."

"You want to use her as a symbol." The words taste bitter in my mouth.

"I want to use her as exactly what the pact says she is—a member of an allied family under our protection."

I can see the conflicted look in his eye as he makes his declaration.

He understands what she means to the family as a whole.

"Unless you have another suggestion."

The tension in the room thickens.

Everyone at this table knows what Katya means to me, even if I haven't said it out loud.

They saw me storm a warehouse with minimal backup.

They heard about the bodies I left behind.

They know I'm not thinking like a soldier right now, and in our world, that's a dangerous risk.

"I won't hand her over to be used as a bargaining chip," I say carefully.

"She didn't ask for any of this. She doesn't deserve to be trapped in agreements made before she was born."

"None of us asked for the lives we have."

Rolan's tone softens slightly, and I see a flash of sympathy in his eyes.

"But we play the hand we're dealt, Dimitri. You know this better than anyone."

His hands fold in front of himself carefully.

I do know it. I've spent my entire life navigating the obligations and expectations that come with being a Vetrov, with being Sergei Vetrov's son.

I've made choices that kept me awake at night and killed men whose faces I still see when I close my eyes.

But this is different.

This isn't about me or my obligations.

It's about Katya, who wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life away from all of this violence.

"What if she doesn't want the protection?" I ask.

"What if she'd rather disappear again, go somewhere the families can't find her?"

"Then she'll be dead within a month."