Still, as much as I hate to admit it, Ekaterina’s words resonate.
“Did you ask him for the truth?”
I nod. “Yes. And he was… angry. He never…”
He never specifically told me what I saw wasn’t real. He never even defended himself. Then he took my pain and twisted it, making me bleed in front of him. Said I was no different than my Father. That I deserved being unwanted by the family I was trying to protect.
I don’t realize I’m crying until I hear Ekaterina say, “It’s alright, darling. It’s alright.”
But it isn’t. Nothing is alright anymore. The man I love doesn’t love me back, and my family is gone.
A decision settles in me, and suddenly, I’m no longer on the fence about what to do. I take one last deep breath beforeI fold my arms and tell Ekaterina everything. How Wolfgang lied to thePakhanso he could spend the night with me. How the shooting hasn’t been fully debunked. How he’ll be gone tomorrow to keep searching. She nods through it, saying just enough to make me believe she’ll keep her word. I don’t feel relief yet—not until she comes back to tell me Anya and my mother are saved.
Then she leaves, and I’m empty, and I wish the ground would just swallow me.
I betrayed the man I love… And I hope he never knows it was me. Because if he does, he won’t even have to kill me. I’ll wither away on my own anyway.
For now, I keep telling myself I did the right thing, even if something inside me already knows I just burned the only bridge I’ve ever wanted to keep.
29
WOLFGANG
“The Italians keep undercutting our costs in Boston,” I say, drumming my fingers on the table in front of me. “They want to win on price, so… let them count their pennies while we take their whale clients.”
I lift my gaze, taking in the men filling the rest of the seats. Everyone is here, all our money launderers—except Victoria’s father—and other allies, like the Romanian, Polish, and Bulgarian heads. It’s our quarterly meeting where we evaluate finances, cut down expenses, and look for ways to increase profit.
Almost every single time someone suggests we go into the skin business, but I don’t fuck with that. Not only is it not as profitable as everyone likes to think, but it also gives me the fucking ick. I can tell some are itching to propose it as a solution to what I just said.
But I already know what we need to do. I’m simply here to let them know out of courtesy.
Enver Morina studies me. He must have been surprised I called him in after I left the corpse at his bar. Still, he came, which tells me he understands where he stands. Maybe the bartender was being honest, after all.
“And how exactly do you propose we do that?” Enver asks. “We can’t just bang on their doors and force them to buy from us.”
“No, we can’t. Which is why we’re going to make themwantto shop with us.”
The Bulgarian senses where I’m getting at and nods. “Won’t the Italians figure out it was us who messed with their shipments? We’d be starting a war, Wolfgang.”
“The war started when they colluded with the Romanovs to steal our profits–the big, fat paychecks you’re getting at the end of every month. In fact, how’s your daughter, Viktor? Got her that Ferrari for her birthday yet?”
His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t look away. He knows I’m right.
Besides, the Italians need to know we haven’t forgotten their stupid fucking stunt.
“A fire at the docks would delay their shipment. So would an explosive mounted on the ship,” the Romanian chimes in.
The others join the conversation, and I take the opportunity to look at my phone, expecting a message from Ivan. He’s out, still trying to figure out who the Albanian rogue was working with.
Still no answer, and it’s been hours. What’s taking him so fucking long?
My mind then goes to my wife. I hate the way I left things with her. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but who am I kidding? She’s all I ever want at the front-end of my mind, regardless of our fight.
I was so fucking angry last night.
First, that she lied to me about what really bothered her. Second, that she dismissed me so easily, like I could never be more than a monster to her. Like there’s no world in which she could trust me, believe in me for all that I am.
It was so gutting that I ended up throwing ugly lies in her face. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the disappointment and shock plastered all over her pretty face.
