I rush to the door, twisting the key in its hole once. Twice. Three times. As many times as it takes to keep him away. It’s all pointless, I realize. If he wants to enter, he’ll enter, just like he entered my father’s house and shoved himself into my dreams and my entire life.
I don’t bother changing into new clothes or even washing off the smudged makeup on my face, holding on to what’s left of my old life. My mind screams at me for the lack of structure, of schedule, but I scream back, shoving myself under the warm covers and closing my eyes.
Mikhail
“I have never actually considered killing you, but this time, you really fucking pushed me.”
From where he’s seated at the long table in his office downstairs, Wolfgang’s hazel eyes gutter, blazing with repressed rage about to spill over. Despite the aching organs pounding against my flesh in agony, I still show him the side of me he expects. A grinning, eye-rolling bastard who came back to disturb his life.
Cracking my neck, I sprawl in the chair opposite him. “Why so cranky? Has your wife managed to stab you a second time?”
My brother’s nostrils flare. “Cut the shit, Mikhail. I’m not in the mood for your tasteless humor.”
“Always so serious.” I groan. “Fine. We’ll talk. What do you want to know?”
Wolfgang stands from the desk, slamming his palms onto the table as he braces himself, watching me from beneath thick eyebrows. Dark fire still simmers in those amber-colored eyes—the ones that made himPakhan. “You lied to me. Said you were going to the West Coast for aCecilia Ferrara. But you had bigger plans, didn’t you? Plans I knew nothing about until the day I had to give up half of an entire city to save your life. I want to know why.”
For the first time tonight, I clench my jaw hard enough to hurt, meeting his gaze before I say quietly, “You know why.”
“No.” He shakes his head, understanding what I said without having to say it. “Don’t bullshit me! You did not put your life on the line for my sake.”
My gaze sweeps over his face, noticing the conflict splayed there. Had I not refused my father’s decision to make mePakhantwo months ago, I would not be seeing a crack in my brother’s beliefs right now. Part of him wants to accept my response, but the other part is still hung up on our shared past. On the many times I’ve broken his trust because I didn’t know how to hold my guilt, so I threw it at him.
“Not for your sake, no. For mine,” I lie. “I gave up the throne so you could have it. Least you could do is give the Ferraras their share of the deal.”
Something like disgust grows on his face. Disappointment, anger. “I earned my title fair and fucking square. All you did was realize it was never yours in the first place.”
And there it is—our familiar dynamic, the regular push and pull of two heartless men bound only by surname. Something far away in my chest begins to wither, but the relief I feel over the direction of this conversation overshadows it. His continuous hate fuels me in ways I can’t explain. It’s almost soothing, fucked up as it may be.
“Regardless of why you did it…” He sighs, raking a hand through his dark hair. “I can’t deny the positive ramifications. Antonio let you go with his daughter and brought his men to the East Coast like it was nothing. They haven’t attacked either—every day, I’m waiting for things to blow, but they don’t. How the fuck did you convince him to say yes to this alliance?”
“I wouldn’t take it as a win just yet, not until I’m officially married to Cecilia.”
He snorts. “That too.You, married? What’s next, children and a golden fucking retriever?”
“People change,” I mock.
“Not you. You’ve never fucking changed.”
He’s right. And I know I won’t be the kind of man he’s suggesting. He might have gotten attached to Victoria’s pussy, but that’s not going to be me. My marriage will only be on paper, and I intend to keep everything about my lifestyle the same.Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t give Cecilia the kind of love I know she’ll accept—tender, soft, perfect.
“I watched the girl for weeks,” I say, circling back to his initial question. “That’s when I found out the Don was hiding something about her. He couldn’t marry her off—but he had to. People were starting to ask questions. And the more I dug into their history, the more cracks I saw.”
“Like?”
“You know Antonio doesn’t have any heirs. That’s made one or two of hisCapithink they can replace him. He probably suspects it, but I found someone willing to betray him. With my help.”
“Who?” my brother asks.
“Massimo Bellini. I thought for sure it would be hisconsigliere, but he’s oddly attached to Cecilia.” I make a mental note to snap his neck the next time I see him.
I go on explaining my entire strategy, including the way Massimo helped me find the Ferrara estate, among other things. I tell him about Chicago, how I plan on getting it back once the marriage is sealed.
“What if I hadn’t said yes when Antonio called me to negotiate the alliance?” Wolf asks. “What if I’d let you die in that house?”
I shrug. “Then I would’ve died. Things were getting a little stale around here anyway.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
