“Yes, you’ve said that already, and like I’ve said already, this entire plan is stupid. You really think that they don’t expect me to try and take them out? My father has been planning for that day ever since I was handed over to Timur to marry Mishka. Timur, maybe I could get away with it, but he also has to know that I’m not going to be happy to be back under his thumb. Hell, he probably expects me to off myself before I even get there to avoid the hassle.”
“Instructions that we’ve intercepted were that you were never to be harmed and to ensure that you didn’t do any harm to yourself.”
“That job is to be left to the men who want to teach you a lesson,” Ilya adds with a pointed stare.
Yes, lesson. My father’s favorite thing. I had plenty of those growing up.
“Oh my God, shut up both of you,” I snap, my irritation making my voice sharp, shoving to my feet. “I don’t care that they said not to hurt me before I got there. I care that this entire plan isn’t going to work, and I still don’t know why you want me to do it.”
“You don’t need a reason. All you need to know is that if you don’t get the job done, you’ll be dead. Either at their hands or mine.”
I want to roll my eyes. This whole situation is bullshit. “If you want me to walk into this and just outright get the job done, then you better start talking, Romanov. I’m getting really fucking tired of being jerked around. I have already lost the life that I had, I’ve lied and betrayed my friends and people that matter to me, and I’ve lost my dog. So one of you start fucking talking or I’ll show you exactly what my father taught me.”
I expect one of them to react to my threat, but they just watch me, unconcerned. Do they really think that the wolf, Freya, will get to me before I get to them? Maybe, but I can take out one, possibly both, before she takes me out.
“Perhaps I can answer that.”
The new voice that comes from the doorway that has opened without my noticing pisses me off, but it also shocks me. Or rather, the voice itself shocks me. I know that voice.
I slowly turn my head, careful not to give Ilya or Zakhar my back, to stare at the man walking toward me. Tall, with a handsome face, with not an inch of facial hair. His eyes are a sharp green, his jawline sharp and cheekbones high, and his hair is combed to one side, with the sides of his head shaved down. Tattoos peak out above the collar of his black dress shirt, stopping just short of his jawline.
A definitely new tattoo that wasn’t there the last time I saw him. Hell, he wasn’t this filled out either. Trepidation fills me, but the pieces quickly fit into place.
“Hello, Reyea,” he says as the door shuts behind him, Freya slipping out to be with Oleg, who is probably guarding the door. “Or should I call you my fiancée now?”
My eyes narrow, the only change in my expression I allow to show. “Hello, Simeon.”
Fuck, this is the last thing I expected or need. This situation just got a whole lot more dangerous. Is he here to kill me, or take me back to Timur and my father himself?
11
RORI
“I guessI shouldn’t be surprised that you’re not excited to see me,” he mocks. “We didn’t leave on the best of terms, did we?”
I lean back against the arm of the chair, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch him. I hate the uncomfortable mix of emotions that are beating at me, seeing this man again. After so many years, I should hate him. Or at least be pissed at seeing him. Instead, I’m just…resigned.
Okay, maybe a little sad. He looks so much like Mishka, and that familiar ache in my chest pangs again, thinking of the boy who was one of my best friends, but also the first to break my heart. Either way, this man is a physical reminder of what I’ve lost and what I’m being pushed to face again.
Alonzo’s face flashes in my mind, but I push it aside. I can’t think of him now. I’m surrounded by three men who have me in a corner and want to use me to further their own agendas. The story of my life, I guess.
Unable to help myself, I say, “I’ve always wondered what he would look like. I guess I have my answer. Minus as manytattoos, because he hated needles and getting his first one was an entire ordeal.”
Simeon’s expression hardens, his eyes narrowing on me. I feel a small prick of guilt for poking at him with the reminder of Mishka’s death, but I ignore it, especially since I don’t see a lick of grief.
Instead of addressing that, he says tightly, “You’ve certainly changed, but that smartass mouth certainly hasn’t.” He gives me a quick once-over, and from the derisive look in his eyes, he clearly finds me lacking.
It makes me want to laugh. Does this asshole really think I care if he finds me attractive or not? It’s still up in the air if he’s going to try to kill me or not.
I give him a cool smile. “Time has only made me better, Simmy.”
“Simmy?” Zakhar asks, snickering.
“Shut the fuck up,” Simeon snaps at him with a sharp glare before turning back to me. “We can do this little battle of wills and walk down memory lane at a later time. I don’t have a lot of it at the moment, so we need to get this plan and discussion underway.”
“The plan where you want me to kill your father, my father, and anyone else in the way so that you can overtake his seat and partner with the Romanovs?” They all look at me, but only Zakhar shows his surprise that I’ve figured that all out. Ilya’s face is passive, while Simeon’s hasn’t changed at all. “Which begs the question, of course, why? No, let me rephrase that. Sons kill their fathers all the time, and yours won’t be expecting any different. In fact, he’s probably been planning for it for years to ensure that it doesn’t happen for you easily.”
“Damn, we should have hired her in the first place, she’s smart,” Zakhar says with a grin. “Simeon, if you’re not actually going to marry her, I want a shot.”
