Married to a gangster, hiding out in seedy motels, rich as hell, fighting for some super-criminal position. Plus a crazy Turk is trying to kill me. And my cousin wants to shoot me in the head.
I miss Aunt Yelena so badly. I have to steady myself with one hand against the wall when the emotions hit me hard. Through the years, no matter what happened, she was always there. When the men came with their questions and their menacing glares, she was there to comfort me. She was there when boyfriends ghosted, when friends wouldn’t call back, when it felt like I had nobody else. Aunt Yelena held me up. She kept me together.
I hate that she left. I don’t fully understand why or what happened, but I’ve gotten hints. My father’s death changed things in the organization, forced her to run back to Moscow, and now she’s working with Gabe. But I wish I could hear her voice and let her explain. Every time I bring her up though, Gabe says she’s got important work to do and we’ll see her when we can.
It’s like all the women in my life disappear. First my mother, and now Aunt Yelena.
When I’m done in the shower, I come out with a towel wrapped around my body, nervous and wishing we had more space, but Gabe’s already gone. Instead, I find the TV is on and tuned to a sports channel, plus a note on the bureau.Thought you’d need a little entertainment. There’s also some champagne in the fridge. I plugged it in, don’t worry. If you need anything else, my men are watching from downstairs. Try not to get too bored without me. -Gabriel
I sigh and look up at the water-stained ceiling, already thinking I can find some more money in the budget for a nicer hotel.
I thrash the blankets off,storm over to the air conditioner, and kick it hard.
“Shit!” I hop up and down, cursing and banging on the damn thing. It won’t turn on and when I complained the guy at the front desk said he’d come take a look at it tomorrow.
Which doesn’t help me tonight.
I’m in panties and a shirt, and I’m practically drenched in sweat. Gabe’s been gone all day and I’ve been bored out of my mind. I only went to bed because there’s nothing else to do. I climb back under the sheets, rubbing my aching foot, and try to imagine sleepy thoughts. Like jumping sheep or whatever. Until there’s a sound outside, a key sliding into the lock, and the door opens.
I don’t know why I pretend like I’m not awake. I see Gabe through slitted eyes before closing them all the way. He creeps into the room, moving silently for a big man, and goes into the bathroom. I listen to the water running for a few minutes, still too hot to sleep. Why didn’t I sit up and talk to him? Why this stupid game?
Maybe it’s because I don’t know what I want.
One minute, I can’t wait to be free. When this fight is over, I’ll be rich, he’ll be a Dragon, and my real life can begin. But the next I’m thinking about being his wife, not just on paper but in reality, and what that might mean for my future. Could I keep negotiating deals with a man like Idir? Could I find some other role in his organization?
But what would that mean for our relationship?
He slips into bed a little while later. It rattles and creaks under his bulk. I turn to look at him, curled under the sheets, and he’s watching me back. His face seems to glow from the light getting in around the curtains. His eyes are fixed on mine.
“Still acting like you’re not awake?” he says softly in the darkness.
I feel my cheeks turn red. “You knew?”
“It was obvious.” He moves closer. The springs groan under us. “You get into trouble without me?”
“I wish.”
“Yeah? What kind of trouble?”
“Anything would be better than sitting around here.”
“I'm sorry I left you alone again.”
“You have business. I get it.”
“Business,” he says like he doesn’t enjoy how the word sounds. “My whole life’s been business.”
I hesitate, a part of me rebelling against the idea of getting to know him better, but unable to help myself. “What do you mean?”
“I was born into the Russo crime family. We weren’t exactly powerful, which meant I had to work twice as hard to keep everything afloat. Old name, but no real influence anymore.”
“You’ve been doing this crime thing your whole life?”
“Since the day I was born. My younger brother and I practically ran everything while our worthless father sat around and took meetings. Then there’s my little sister Allie. She happened to marry a Dragon, which was good, but I nearly fucked that up. Worked with their enemy by mistake. I learned through…” He trails off, gaze lost on the ceiling.
“Your grandfather was a Dragon too. That’s what you said, right?”
“Something else I had to figure out the hard way.”
