Then, Roman nods towards me, voice breaking through both the noise and the painful anticipation between us. “You must’ve heard from the Grimaldis.”
The claim catches me off guard, and my brows pinch slightly. “What makes you say that?”
“You look prepared to snap,” he muses, apparently finding some amusement in using this unfortunate power struggle against me. “…and we picked up on some of their movement. They seemed to be hauling something.”
Another cold front threatens to move through me at the mention of it, but as I remind myself that being open about these things with them will benefit me more than not, I push it away.
“It was likely a body,” I say bluntly, watching the way surprise threads within their features. “They sent me anexecution video. More specifically, of the man who abducted Elena, Vito.”
There’s no point pretending otherwise, especially not when I finally have someone else on my side. Tentatively, anyway.
With Lukov forces bolstering me now, it’s the most defence I’ve ever had, yet I still don’t let myself lean on it too much.
Nikolai scoffs at that with immediate recognition, grip tightening around his glass. “That prick.”
“He’s a greasy one. Always dodging exactly what he deserves,” Ivan adds, just as bitter. Then he shrugs, murmuring a correction, “Or hewas, anyway. It’s no skin off our backs now.”
I glance over at Roman. “You know who he is, then?”
He nods, lip curling slightly at the mention. “Not closely, but we know enough. He’d sell anything and everything as long as the price was right. With no real allegiance to anyone, he was a cheat and a snake, but I suppose now we don’t have to worry about him. But why execute him, and why send it to you?”
“Because Vito was the starting part of my revenge, and they knew it. He screwed them by handing Elena over to me, so killing him was inevitable. But they used my real name,” I tell them, taking in their more attentive looks now.
“They didn’t know who their target was before, but now they do,” Mikhail concludes.
I nod, leaning back as I cradle my glass in both hands above my lap. “It was a warning.”
“And now, they don’t just want you as a dead rival,” Roman says, tone edged with something more serious. “They know you have Elena, and that means something.”
The notion hangs in the air between us, and it makes my jaw tighten.
When I don’t respond, Roman seems to pick up on it, and his gaze slides past me to where Elena dances with the girls, so carefree and bright. Then he looks back at me, and his expression hardens.
“If my sister is in everyone’s sights, then I need you to make sure she’s safe above all else.”
Meeting his eyes, I don’t hesitate. I don’t have to. “She is safe.”
“You say that,” Roman murmurs, leaning forward just enough to be intimidating. “But she’s standing in the middle of something that will get ugly without question. If the Grimaldis and Balakins both want her, then she’s in more danger than she ever has been.”
I bristle. “And you think I don’t know that?”
“I think you’re used to operating on your own, riding on anonymity and getting lucky because of it. You’ve been looking after yourself for years, but now, it isn’t just about you, Wyatt,” he says carefully, not exactly unkind, but not trying to spare my feelings either. Surely a man like him doesn’t need to. “If anything happens to Elena due to this overconfidence of yours, I will cut you so deeply that you’ll feel it in your next life. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
There it is, as expected. The doubt.
His lack of faith in me needles me more than I appreciate. I’ve built my empire from nothing. I survived assassination attempts and betrayals; I crawled my way out of exile. I kept Elena alive through the fallout of Vito abducting her, and now, I’m being spoken to like a naive boy.
As much as it irritates me, I can’t exactly blame him. If I were in his position, I’d be pissed. Hell, I somewhat am due to Mikhail marrying my sister, but he isn’t the one on trial here, and Lily isn’t being eyed by other notorious families.
So I take a discreet breath and return with all the conviction I have. “I understand. Her life is above my own.”
“Good,” Roman mutters after a moment, still eyeing me suspiciously before he relaxes again. “Because I need you to multitask. Protect our sister and figure out an angle to take the Grimaldis down. I won’t go in blind and risk my men when they’re after your hide…so I suggest you find something we can work with.”
His tone is grating, but I swallow my pride. “The Grimaldis don’t know I’m aligned with you. They think I’m flying solo…that’s our advantage.”
Mikhail lifts an assessing brow. “And you plan to use Elena as bait?”
“No,” I return, firm and final as sparks of anger move through me at the mention of it. “She won’t be anywhere near it. She has seen enough.”
