forbidden { michael gray } ON TEMPORARY HOLD

n i n e

When Talya got home, there were no lights on in her house. Everyone seemed to be in bed, which was good. It meant Alexei hadn't woken them up yet.

She lit a candle and carried it up the two flights of stairs to her parents' floor and knocked lightly on the door. "Papa?"

There was the sound of rustling sheets and a groan from Mikhail as he sat up. "Tasha? What's the matter?"

"I need to speak with you. It's urgent."

A few minutes later, the father and daughter were sat in his study, with Mikhail sat behind his desk and Talya sat opposite him, smoking a cigarette as she tried to think of the words to say to him. "Speak, child."

"You know of my affiliations with Michael Gray. That isn't something I shall deny." Talya said matter of factly as she put out the cigarette and leant forward so that the candle Mikhail had lit highlighted the trickle of dried blood on her chin. "He told me of a family gathering they were having, and I told Anechka. She then told Luka, who told Alexei. He then organised an attack on the gathering without consulting you. I confronted him and he hit me. I had to threaten to shoot him to get him to stop."

Mikhail's mouth dropped open ever so slightly as he comprehended what Talya was saying. "Did he stop?"

"Yes. But if I hadn't of pulled a gun on him he would have killed them, papa. That's an act of war - and he didn't ask you anything. He's a traitor."

His hand rose to his face and he rubbed his eyes harshly, as though he was trying to wake himself up from a bad dream. But when his hand dropped, Talya was still sat opposite him with her split lip and expectant face. "He hit you?"

"Yes. It isn't the first time." Talya said, trying to keep her voice steady. "He will kill me, papa. If you let him back into the organisation or the house, he will kill me for what I did tonight."

"Don't be stupid-"

Talya got to her feet and slammed one of her fists on his desk before pulling her shirt up to expose her bruised ribs from the last time Alexei had beaten her up. It had only been the week before, and Talya was too depressed to react. He had dragged her from her bed in the middle of the night and beat her mercilessly while calling her a slut and a traitor. "Look at what he has done to me! Your son attacks me like it's a hobby, and tonight I embarrassed him in front of our enemies and his friends. You are too intelligent a man to believe that Alexei isn't crazy enough to kill me for that."

Again, Mikhail's jaw dropped. He had no idea Alexei did such things. He didn't even know where his boy had learned such behaviour from. Mikhail never hit Helga and always discouraged his soldiers from attacking women. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Talya said as she flopped back into her seat. "I never thought you would believe me. And I hope that I was wrong in that thinking."

For a tense minute, Mikhail thought. Alexei was one of his greatest asset's, with his violent tendencies and his mind for business, but he couldn't risk his daughter's life. Plus, Alexei had betrayed him by attacking the Shelbys behind his back. He couldn't let him go unpunished, even if he was his son. "He will be exiled from the organisation and kicked out of our home."

Talya felt a weight that had been sitting on her chest lift and she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, father. What will you do about the Shelbys? I'm sure Thomas Shelby is going to go for revenge after what happened tonight."

"I don't know," Mikhail said. "I'll probably call a meeting. Leave me, get some sleep. I have much to consider before the sun rises."

With a respectful dip of her head, Talya left the study and descended the staircases. She headed right for the kitchen, walked to the sink and let out a huge spring of vomit. As soon as she was finished throwing up, she ran the tap with freezing cold water and splashed her face with it, as though it was a last-ditch attempt to wake herself up from the bad dream her evening had become.