“I know. It was all Katerina. That woman is infuriating.” I gesture him to sit down. I just want to get this over with, so I can sit in silence and mull over my next moves. My next moves with my wife. Not even with the Syndicate. Somehow this woman who was supposed to be nothing has now consumed my mind.
“So, we’re good?” He hesitates, but when I nod, he sighs.
He starts unbuttoning his shirt, but before I can question it, I see the bullet-proof vest underneath it. He takes it off and places it on the chair next to him. As he’s buttoning his shirtback on, Katerina’s words about him being strong ring in my ears.
I’m stronger than him. I know I’m stronger than Stefan. And I need her to know it too.Is there any way I can set up a fight in the ring with Stefan in the gym and have her watch me beat him?She needs to know I’m strong too.
“Can never be too careful. She practically put a target on me.” He chuckles as he glances at the bullet-proof vest. “She’s a handful, and not at all the boring doll you described her as. You’ve got yourself a challenge. She might be more work than this was worth.”
I feel a pang of anger at his implication. Katerina being this sexy, rebellious woman is the biggest perk of the alliance. I won’t have him speaking ill of her.
“She’s my wife. You will respect that,” I growl at him. How dare he?
“Woah, calm down. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Only because he’s my second, do I let it slide.
“Don’t let it happen again.” My levity must be evident because he gulps and nods. “Let’s just get this over with. In the past twenty-four hours, there haven’t been any moves from the Bratva. Viktor seems to plan on holding up his end of the alliance.”
“But do you trust that? I mean you have his daughter, so that’s good leverage. But this is Viktor.” Stefan seems just as conflicted as me.
“There’s something off about their relationship. He handed her over too quickly, then at the wedding… I don’t know. But I’m not banking on that bargaining chip.” I’m still pissed at him for how he treated her. He doesn’t deserve to be her father. “We’re going to keep monitoring them. I’ll call Bash and tell him to track them under the radar.”
“What’s Roman saying?” Stefan’s referring to Roman’s theory that the Bratva is up to something nefarious at the ports.
He’s been the enforcer for years, but recently, before the war, he started catching many more Bratva men in our territory. Margot also accidentally uncovered that they’re smuggling something into the docks. We don’t know what it is, and Bash hasn’t been able to find anything.
“He’s still pushing his theory that they’re doing something nefarious at the ports. I think we’d be fools to ignore it. But we can’t let on that we don’t trust them.” In my gut, I believe Roman. He’s been doing this a long time, and I trust his instincts. But I can’t let on that I think they’re up to something without proof.
“What do you want me to do?” Stefan’s never been one to sit back and wait. He was actually one of the ones most involved in tracking my sisters-in-law in both incidents. Not that my brothers know that.
“Just keep an eye out. Let’s make sure nothing nefarious is going on.”
“Okay. Do you trust everyone here?” His question doesn’t surprise me. Even though everyone in the Syndicate is thoroughly vetted and their loyalty has been tested, it can be disastrous to blindly trust them all.
“No. Not even everyone on the compound. Don’t let on that anything’s amiss. I don’t know who’s truly loyal.” I tap my knuckles on the desk, and glance down at theding. I don’t even feel the gold band on my finger anymore, but it’s there. It’s a constant reminder of the change in my life. Of her.
“You can’t trust her,” Stefan says softly, as though that isn’t apparent.
“Obviously.” I barely refrain from rolling my eyes at the absurdity. But despite the reality of our situation, a small part of me is resentful of the chasm in our relationship.
“Just… be careful with her.” His tone doesn’t change.
“I can handle her. It’s not like she could best me in a fight.” His insinuation is ridiculous. I’m in no danger from her.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that you’re… different with her. It’d be good to see you that way with a woman, but not with this one. Not with Viktor’s daughter. I apologize if I’m overstepping.” His clear eyes hold concern.
His words drench me in cold water. They shock my system. I’m not in love with her or weak around her. But he’s not wrong. I’m different when I’m with her. I can’t control my emotions. I can’t focus on anything else. Her ability to distract me and snap my patience could be dangerous.
“Thank you for your honesty. You’re dismissed.” It’s a curt end to our meeting. And I typically wouldn’t speak to Stefan this way, but he’s been on my bad side all day.
He nods and leaves.
And I mull over his words in the silence.
I can’t let her get close to me. I may enjoy our banter, but she could be dangerous.
Chapter 21
Katerina
