“Alonzo,” Rori snaps, scowling at me. “I get that the blood has drained from that big head of yours, but we don’t have all day. So start talking.”
And here I was missing that sassy mouth. I ignore the laugh from the douche between us. What did she call him? Zakhar? Like he could ever handle a woman like Rori.
“And here I was expecting you to be excited to see me,orsetta.” Her eyes flash at the use of the nickname I gave her. Little bear suits her. She can give off the cute and cuddly vibe when she wants, but underneath is a wild animal that won’t hesitate to rake her claws down at the least provocation.
It’s also the nickname I gave her when I was deep inside her, our one and only time together. So far. I’m going to be changing that at the first opportunity.
“Don’t.” It’s a warning, but there’s a small hint of desperation there too. Like she can’t handle the intimacy of the reminder. A part of me wants to push it, but that’s exactly what gets me in trouble. Her green eyes stare into mine, and another jolt of guilt hits seeing the anger and hurt there, along with the vulnerability.
Damn it, I need to get a grip. I’ll fix things with her later.
I give her a slight cock of my head in acknowledgment and force my gaze back to the man behind the desk. I don’t even bother to look at Simeon Belov. He might like to think he’s in charge, but the man isn’t anywhere close to being ready to lead shit. Not like Ilya Romanov.
Zeno and Urso both sent me all the information they could on the man, and while he’s an enigma, his reputation also precedes him. He’s a brutal man, used to running things exactly the way he wants, and anyone who gets in his way doesn’t live long. From the look he’s giving me, he’s still deciding what he wants to do with me, but he’s not opposed to killing me on the spot.
“I was given information before coming here,” I tell him. I retell what Tatiana and I discussed, and when I finish, Ilya’s expression has hardened, and Simeon looks like he’s not surewhat to do with the information. I chance a look at Rori, but her expression is resigned.
Was she expecting something like this?
“How the fuck would that make sense?” Simeon finally demands, hands fisting on his hips as he glares at me. “And why the fuck should we believe a fucking thing you say? You’re not part of this.”
“The Chameleon begs to differ.”
“The Chameleon is not running this show. They were tasked with bringing Rayea home, nothing more,” he snaps.
“I don’t think they got the memo about that,” Ivano remarks drily.
“What exactly did you hire them for?” Rori interrupts, watching Simeon. “You don’t hire an assassin to bring someone back. They’d kill you for the suggestion.”
“That was what I hired them for,” Simeon sniffs. He glances at Ilya. “He hired them for the rest of it. I don’t think we need their interference, but no one fucking listens to me.”
“Because you’re fucking naive,” Rori tosses back. “You didn’t even realize that your father and my father know exactly what kind of takeover you’re planning. You’re making rookie mistakes, Simeon, and you need to grow up fast. Your father has babied you to keep his control this long because he has other plans for who will succeed him.”
Simeon’s face darkens with fury. “You don’t fucking know shit, Rayea. You’ve been gone a very long time, and while you were off living it up, the rest of us were doing our duty.”
“Enough,” Ilya interrupts with a slash of his hand. “I don’t give a fuck about whatever personal problems are between you. The only thing I care about is making this entire situation work to our advantage.”
“Your advantage,” Rori corrects him, arching a brow and a look daring him to deny it.
He doesn’t bother to answer her and instead looks back at me. “What else did they tell you?”
“They didn’t do much talking. I figured it out that there’s going to be someone else coming in to replace Rori—either a new woman for dickhead to marry, or someone to be his right hand, or at least close to him in some way.”
“Or Timur is planning on killing you and putting this new person in place of you as his heir as a favor to the Butcher,” Zakhar suggests grimly.
“I don’t know how you Russians do this shit, but we have succession unless there is no male heir, and then it goes to the Underboss or whoever is willing to fight for the seat,” Titus offers. “Seems fucking weird that a father would be willing to kill his only son just to put someone else in.”
“Because in our world, the sons kill their fathers, but there is no guarantee that they will stay in power,” Zakhar informs him. “A new leader is chosen, and they are the ones who have earned the most respect. The men must be willing to follow him, and without that, someone else is put in their place.”
“So Belov doesn’t trust that you will be the strongest one to lead, and instead is setting it up so that someone else he feels will be a better fit will take that seat?” I muse.
No wonder the Russians are always a fucking mess. Men are constantly trying to outdo one another for power, but they have to watch their backs at all times. It’s not often you hear of someone in our world doing something like that, or taking over as a Don that isn’t a direct family connection, and when it happens, shit hits the fan. That man will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life, and probably for a few generations.
I want to grab Rori and get her the hell out of here. This kind of bullshit is going to lead to nothing but trouble, and I don’t want her in the middle of it.
“Or someone else is determined to hold all the power,” Ilya says thoughtfully, looking at Rori. “Thoughts, Ms. Antonova?”
“You already know the answer, so why are you even bothering to ask me?” She lets out a small huff. He stares at her. “Fine. Yes, Romanov, my father is doing all of this to gain control and power worldwide. He’s a favorite of the Pakhans in Russia for a reason. He’s brutal, he doesn’t give a shit about anyone, and he will kill indiscriminately. Man, woman, child, animal, none of them matter in the long run. He was always power-hungry, and growing up, his power was the control he had over us, but when he realized that the more favors he owed to different Pakhans and wherever they set up shop, he wanted more. Then it wasn’t about just me, but what I and everyone else could do for him.”
