“No, this is more about legacy. I want you to die knowing what you’re about to start here, love.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor behind it. “You mean whatyou’reabout to start. Take some responsibility for it.”
She ignores my comment. “Here’s how it goes,” she says. “You die. Clean, staged, and oh-so tragic. I’ll be sure to make it look like Peter ordered it.”
“You’re going to frame Peter.” Peter.My father.
“That’s exactly right, my dear.” Her tone takes on a chipper tone that makes me sick. “Sasha won’t just bemad—he’ll go on the goddamn warpath. The woman carrying his children killed by the Morozovs? He’ll burn down half of Chicago in revenge.”
“And Peter?”
“That’s the best part,” she says, her eyes gleaming. “Once you’re gone, I slip your father the truth, that Gabriella Resse is actually Gabriella Morozova. And that you were pregnant with his grandchildren when you died.”
My mouth is as dry as the desert. She doesn’t need to tell me what will happen next.
Her smile is low and terrible. “He’ll never forgive Sasha for hiding you. Never forgive him for letting you die. His pride, his grief… all of it turned into a terrible weapon.
“And Johan,” she goes on, waving a hand. “Once he learns that you were his sister and that Sasha kept it from him, he’ll feel betrayed.”
My head is starting to spin. “You don’t know Johan. He hates this shit. He’s not going to?—”
“He hates chaos and he hates lies,” she cuts in. “And this is both. Father and son, united at last—the righteous Morozovs against the deceitful Orlovs. The war will be…” She exhales, practically orgasmic at the thought. “Brutal.”
I can see it. I can see it in horrible, horrible clarity. “You’re insane,” I whisper.
She smiles wider, showing off those perfect teeth. “No, I’m smart.”
“No, you’re delusional.” My anger is finally cutting through the fear. “You think you’re, what, going to just clear the chessboard and take over when the dust settles? These aren’t toddlers playing around, Ruth. They’ll kill you.”
“No, they won’t. The Morozovs and Orlovs are very evenly matched. I’m not sure how familiar with military historyyou are, but when two evenly matched armies meet each other on the field of battle, the results can be quite grim.”
“You’re sick. You’re talking about people’s lives.”
“And when they’ve finished tearing each other apart,” she continues, as if I hadn’t spoken, “there won’t be much of either of them left. Just lots and lots of very valuable scraps. And who better to collect what’s left and make good use of it?” She taps her chest lightly. “Moi, of course.”
I narrow my eyes at her, but the sly look on her face suggests she’s getting to the good part.
“I’m not going to let these two Bratvas beat each other into oblivion, of course. When they’ve reduced each other to a shadow of their former selves, that’s when I’ll step in from the sidelines on none other than Sasha’s side.”
“What?”
“That’s right. I’ll bring the O’Donnell forces to bear on the side of Orlov, and together we’ll wipe out the Morozovs. That means goodbye to your family line. And I’ll let Sasha join me, as long as he knows his place as my little attack dog. Hell, between his baby mama kicking the bucket and his Bratva being ground into the dirt, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to take his rightful place.”
Rage boils inside me. I want to reach over and rip out her throat. But getting pissed is exactly what she wants. I push the anger down, replace it with sarcasm and disgust.
“Oh, wow,” I say. “You really practiced that monologue in the mirror, didn’t you?”
Her eyes flash with anger.
“Youalmosthad it. But you lost me at consoling Sasha in his grief. He’s not going to sob on your shoulder,” I scoff. “Are you serious? He’s going to know it was you behind it all. You won’t even get 10 percent of that plan in motion before he puts you in the trunk of a car.”
Her mouth forms into a flat line. “Careful, bitch.”
“What, are you going to kill me if I mouth off too much? Don’t you already have that penciled in?”
One of the guys who’d come into the room with her chuckles under his breath. Ruth shoots him a hard look, and the smile disappears.
“You think you’re special?” she snarls. “You think he’ll give a damn about you after you’re gone, and I’m offering him the chance to serve at my side? He’ll be glad that you and all the trouble you’ve brought are long gone.”
