I thought Tatiana didn’t know the truth. I thought Vlad kept it a secret from her, because the Tatiana I thought I knew had the power to stop it.
But she knew. She knew and did nothing to help Charlotte and Isabella escape.
And then she punished me for doing that. For saving them from the hell her family created.
Enzo says nothing. His jaw tightens. “Nice touch with the heads,” Enzo finally remarks.
Rowan chuckles beside me. “That’s this sick fucks idea.”
I turn slowly toward Rowan. “Would you like to meet the same fate?” I ask, keeping my tone serious. I’m not. Far from it. I just like to fuck with them, remind them that I’m still a player at this table.
His eyes widen. “No thank you.”
“It got the message across,” Enzo says. “We aren’t to be fucked with. Good work, Drago.”
He pauses before adding, “I’ll be staying close for a few weeks. Things are going to escalate. Keep security tight. Inferno shut. And let’s see what we can get from Madame Eve.”
“Got it,” Declan replies. “Drago and I will keep our cyberspace clear. We need our guards up until we find him.”
I chew the inside of my cheek.
“I need an extraction set up in Russia,” I say.
Enzo lifts a brow.
“For Lev,” I explain. “I can’t leave the old guy there. Not on his own. And after what happened to save Charlotte from Vlad, it’s not safe for me to go back by myself.”
Reggie clears his throat. As if he is holding back a comment about the situation.
“My team will arrange it,” Enzo confirms. “Give Romeo the details and contacts.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Relief loosens something tight in my chest.
As the room clears, I remain behind with the twins.
“Spit it out,” I tell them.
Reggie exhales. “So, we know you have some sort of link to Lily.”
My eyes snap to his. “Keep talking,” I say.
“We did security at her event last night,” Reggie continues, “and Conan asked us to keep an eye on this guy.”
Rowan pulls up his phone and shows me a still from the cameras.
“He told Lily his name was Alek. Con confirmed he was Russian. Apparently, Lily was jumpy as fuck around him. Thought you might want to know… for your extracurricular stalking or whatever.”
I stay still. Could this be one of Tatiana’s men? I know her empire has grown since the demise of Ivan Volkov. There will be new players whose faces I don’t know instantly.
But why? Lev is low-hanging fruit for Tatiana in the scheme of things. It means I really need to get the old man out of Russia, now.
“He didn’t touch her, threaten her?” I ask.
They shake their heads. “Nah. Bought a fuck ton of art. Then left.”
“And he was Russian?” I press.
