Santiago looks at me, making sure I’m okay, and then he takes over the conversation. “Victor, Ivan, and Sergey have been very busy recruiting and setting up everything so they can hit the ground running.”
“So, we have tainted police officers all over the world and shitty government officials all turning a blind eye,” I surmise, not able to hide the disgust from my voice.
“Not all police are bad,maya. Just liars,” Aleksei says, flicking his head in Kade’s direction. There’s a twinkle of trouble in his eyes again.
“Would you fucking stop!” I growl.
“No. Now we have done issue one and two, what else is there?”
“Aleksei, honey, I don’t think we have resolved the Ronin issue yet.” I smile, and it’s as plastic as the sweetness in my voice.
“We have. He either is a man who admits his weakness, and we will be friends, or he hides behind his inadequacy and becomes an enemy. No middle ground. I have lived long enough in the in-between of games. Now you are ours, the rules changed as fast as I just came between your lips. Am I right?”
Aleksei points first at Kade, then Santiago. They agree with him, smug as fuck too. In their minds, life is that easy. I make sure they each read my frustration properly.
Their smiles don’t falter, but the bravado fades.
Aleksei looks moderately chastised. He rolls his eyes at me, “Fine, then, I will give Santiago the names of all themusora, dirty cops, in Ireland as a peace offering. But it won’t work. The Irish hold grudges for too long because they are stubborn and bland like the potatoes they love. Now we decide how to approach Victor because we leave in one hour, maybe two.”
“One hour!? I’m about to kill you myself, Aleksei!” I growl at him, laughing too before I sober up again. “Please be serious.”
“Aleksei is right in a lot of ways, bebe. His delivery leaves a lot to be desired, but he is Russian, so there is that,” Santiago teases. “Ronin is a threat. I get where Aleksei is coming from, and the four of us are aware what he did isn’t a reflection on Aleksei. Hewas acting on an order from the Petrov Bratva. There will come a time we need to resolve it with Ronin, and the Irish, because the other thing Aleksei is right about is how vindictive and stubborn the Irish are. It’s made worse at the moment because Ronin is taking over the Irish, and something has happened to his wife.”
My heart sinks. “Oh no, is she okay?”
“I’m not sure. I can tell you that Tally is one of the strongest women I’ve met. If anyone could survive, it’s her. I actually think you and her would get along. She’s very similar to Layne, your solicitor. Our time to foster friendships will come later. You know we want to give you everything.”
I crawl out of my blankets and climb into Kade’s lap, needing his stability while we talk about missing loved ones. Aleksei reaches over and nabs the blanket, setting it around me before sitting back in his seat.
“What happened?” I ask.
“She went missing when the Russians attacked. Ronin was dealing with his parents being gravely injured, the leadership imploding, but most concerning to him, and his pack, was their wife simply vanished. And in all honesty, I haven’t spoken to him about her for a few days, so there’s probably been a lot of updates and things happening I’m not aware of. I hope he has found his wife. I wouldn’t know where to start if I couldn’t find you.
“And it scares me to think how far I would go to find you. Morals, alliances, fucking everything, be damned.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
QUINN
Kade hands me a glass of wine as we sit and watch the flames. It’s soothing, despite the tumultuous night we’ve had. Being around them is good for my soul.
I break the silence, speaking softly. “I feel so bad for your friends in Ireland. It makes me more motivated to finish all this with Victor. But I won’t let them hurt Aleksei, Santiago. Especially now I know what it’s like to have you as a pack.”
I lean my head against Kade’s chest, the steady beat of his heart grounding me as much as the glass of wine relaxes me. I wish we could stay here forever.
I keep the conversation going. “I can’t even remember what issue we’re at, but when we talked about Victor, I skipped over the details of what proof I have.”
“We picked up on that, Quinny,” Kade says, looking down at me. “We were waiting for you to tell us more.”
I wiggle around on his lap to see him as he speaks. He dips down and kisses me softly, eyes open like always. And then I face Aleksei and Santiago.
“When I broke into the warehouse, it was on the spur of the moment. I wasn’t properly prepared. But, subconsciously, maybe I was because I’d packed a bag with clothes, food, money and a handful of jewelry from the safe at home. After I unlocked the rooms and helped some of those people escape, I came across a young boy and an Omega. One look at the child, and I knew he wasn’t like the other kids there.”
“How so?” Aleksei asks, impatient as always.
“He’s Victor’s son.” My voice softens with fondness. “Marco. The woman has no recollection of how she got to the warehouse or her life before, but she’s his mother. Victor thinks they’re dead, but they’re very much alive.”
Santiago’s expression is full of disgust, his scent flashing with anger. Aleksei and Kade react similarly.
