“I expected nothing when I asked Taube to get involved.”
“See, this I find interesting. A woman you meet on a forum. You choose to protect her while in the throes of grief?” His lips firmed. “You are a strange man, Custanzu.”
“That’s what my haters say,” I mocked.
“You give nothing away.”
“There’snothingto give. I saw her once with Fyodor Turgenev and it clued me into her identity. I spoke with her repeatedly, came to think of her as a friend.
“That brain of hers should not go to waste. I hope… Dmitri, if they’re dating… will not put a limit on her studies.”
“I’m at a loss as to the status of her relationship with Dmitri too. I thought... well, I always suspected he was the father of her baby, but perhaps not.” At my lifted brows, he asked, “What?”
“He got her pregnant… when? She has a kid?”
“They were both teens and no, she miscarried.”
“Surprised you let him live.”
“She loved him and he was good for her. Until their fathers plotted to separate them, of course. Regardless, Sofia still seeks the cure for her mother’s death. Not that she is sure of what killed her. The doctors said cancer. I did not believe that prognosis then and I do not now. I’m not even sure she does, but she’s an idealist at heart. If she can stop another daughter’s grief, she will do so.”
“What do you think it was?”
“The deadliest sickness of all… a husband.”
I grimaced. “Ah.”
“You might feel no debt was owed, but my cousin did not agree. This is how Sofia works.”
“Don’t we all?”
“Perhaps, but she is worse than most. She likes to owe no one anything. In truth, she should have been a medieval market stall holder.”
“She should?”
“Very good at bartering. Better at making trades.”
That evil smile curved his lips again. It glinted in his eyes like light on shattered glass, letting me understand what Taube meant about the man. The face was pretty, but the soul… not so much.
And yeah, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, but yeesh.
“You would be a wise man if you were wary of me, but you saved Sofia, Custanzu. You won’t be betrayed by me. You can trust me as we work together moving forward.”
“Why didn’tyousave her?”
“He rarely let me be around her. Especially the last few years. Wouldn’t allow us to communicate. As you can imagine, I found this particularly vexing. I love my cousin. It’s one of the reasons I’m loyal to Nikolai Veles.”
“I fail to see the connection.”
“Nikolai has Dmitri’s loyalty and I will forever be grateful for his actions. They saved Sofia from marriage as a young girl. Her pregnancy made her unviable to the perverts my uncle wanted to marry her off to.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Ergo, Nikolai also has my loyalty.”
“You align yourself with him?”
“Once I’m in a position to take power, I will.”
“Even if the Bratva loses more territory to The Forgotten Boys?”
“Even if,” he repeated. “We have the rest of the worldplusour infrastructure and ties are stronger. We can make deals to work together. My uncle does not make deals. He seeks to dominate but he lacks the presence.”
