I closed my eyes, massaging my temples. My head was pounding. I couldn’t believe this! After everything, the only reason he wanted to see me was to come up with another scheme to swindle Avit. I was an idiot for believing he'd want to do anything else.
I looked at my father once again. It was a mistake coming here. It was time to leave. “Dad, I…”
His eyes suddenly widened.
A hand shot out, grabbed my arm, and yanked me to my feet. Instinctively, I swung my hand to slap whoever it was, but they caught my wrist mid-air.
And then I met Avit’s cold, furious stare.
Behind me, I heard movement, my father scrambling away like the coward he was.
“So you sneak away from Wexler to meet your father. What were you hoping for? To come up with a plan to save him…or yourself?”
“That’s not why I came—”
Avit’s grip tightened painfully on my arm.
“Ouch! You're hurting me!”
“Do I look like I care? You've taken me for a fool, haven't you.” He peered down at me and snarled. “From now on, since you clearly can’t be trusted to go to the damn bathroom alone, Wexler goeseverywherewith you.”
I tried to pull away. “I wasn’t planning on—”
“Save it, Sienna. Seems I was too lenient with you. That’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
He spun me toward the door. I barely managed to snatch my knapsack before he dragged me out of the café and toward the waiting SUV.
Chapter 9 - Avit
“Congratulations on your marriage,” Artyom said, extending his hand.
It wasn’t surprising they’d already heard, considering the family dinner we had a few nights ago.
“Thanks.” I shook it firmly.
We had just wrapped up our monthly meeting with the Rykov faction at Safin headquarters. The final paperwork on Don Giovanni’s remaining smuggling routes had been signed. When the Los Sangre Cartel took him out, wiping out most of his inner circle, with a few rats slipping overseas, they seized his businesses. Under the terms of our peace treaty, the Rykovs and Safins inherited the smuggling routes.
A treaty that only existed because Lev married Katya instead of Vera, the match he’d originally requested to unite our factions. That caused Artyom to declare war on us.
Funny how things worked out. If that mess hadn’t happened, Artyom wouldn’t have ended up tied to Los Sangre at all.
“Looks like you’re the last Safin man on the market,” Zahkar said to Pyotr.
Pyotr smirked. “And I intend to stay that way. No interest in being tied to one woman when I can have all of them.”
“You have no interest,” Marten drawled, “or the one you want doesn’t want you?”
Pyotr scoffed. “I’ve never met a woman who couldn't resist my charm.”
“I can’t wait for her to show up,” Jaroslav said. “With how you treat women like disposable napkins, I’m shocked none of them have tried to kidnap you to cut off your dick.”
“Or showed up on his doorstep with a baby,” Lev added.
“I always use protection, and as for them kidnapping me, I tell them the truth,” Pyotr shot back smugly. “I promise a night of pleasure, not a future.”
“And you think that works on every woman?” Yegor asked, brow raised.
“It has so far. And…”
