“How is what possible?” Raven lifts her head. She sits a few feet away on the floor with one leg outstretched to support her laptop, a green smoothie balanced in one hand while she types.
“This.” I turn my phone toward her and flash the article linked to the new report I just watched. “Who is Detective Reid? And how are they able to claim they stopped Alexei when it wasn’t him? It was us.”
“Oh.” Raven’s mouth twists to the side, then she finishes her typing and faces me fully. “Did Ruslan ever explain that this job that we do has a lot of give and take?”
I nod slowly.
“Well, we can’t claim credit for Alexei. Those in the criminal underworld will know what he did and that we stopped him. They’ll also know that Kraven handed over his own son, which to some is pretty drastic, but given that we wouldn’t have been able to stop Alexei without that information, it softens the blow to Kraven’s reputation.”
“How so?”
“Because Kraven giving up his son paints him as a man dedicated to ensuring the underworld continues to run smoothly. It shows he values his work within his estate, hispeace with the Italians and all other business ventures,” says Valentina as she walks into the lounge. “If Kraven kept Alexei hidden, everyone’s trust in him would vanish likethat.” She snaps her long fingers and perches on the end of the coffee table. “And his punishment for lying for so long, resulting in several attempts against us, is that he loses his son. At least this way, he can still give Alexei a funeral.” As she glances at Raven, she takes the green smoothie from her and steals a few sips.
“So, Detective Reid is the next part of your plan?” I ask. “You have the cops take the credit so that they get something out of this and also makes the public feel safe again.”
“See, you’re getting it.” Raven smiles. “The sooner we melt back into the shadows, the better. We’ve spent far too many months at the forefront of this. God knows what slipped by under our noses.”
“Cassian and Bradley will also make sure the drug connection gets forgotten. They’ll spin some reasoning that the cops will eat up, they’ll get to pin a few awards ondecorativedetectives who keep the city safe, people’s opinion of them will go up, and everyone is happy. It’s a win-win.” Valentina hands Raven her smoothie back. “All in all, it’s the best outcome we could hope for.”
“So it’s just… over?” My gaze darts between the two of them. “Everyone just moves on?”
“We have to,” Raven replies. “Ruslan might feel a little different, but our work never stops.”
“It still blows my mind that you five have all this power.”
“Sometimes, it’s not enough,” Valentina murmurs. “We ignored Alexei for too long. If it wasn’t for Ruslan, then he wouldhave continued to tear through the Italians to cover up what he did and the mess would have been…” She shakes her head. “Countless people would be dead and we would think them justified because of the plane.”
“Kind of fucks up our whole agenda,” Raven murmurs. “Everything’s shifted. Makes me wonder how many other times the Suit has turned a blind eye and missed something this catastrophic because the rules kept us out.”
“I know,” Valentina replies. “So you see, Ivy, we might seem all-powerful and yeah, we have connections, but… at the end of the day, managing an underworld of criminals is intense.”
“I understand.”
“But it works,” Raven sighs, closing her laptop. “If not for us, the cops would be over everyone and everything. Family alliances would be a thing of the past because dicks like Alexei would just kill everyone to be on top, and no one can survive like that with the police and everything else raining down on them.”
“A delicate balance,” I murmur, echoing something Ruslan told me a while ago. “Speaking of Alexei, I should go and see Ruslan. The doctor should be finished by now.”
“Sure thing.” Valentina smiles at me as I stand, and she catches my blankets as they fall from my legs. “Tell him to suck it up and get over it already.”
“Will do.” I chuckle. I head out of the room but only make it down the corridor to the kitchen before a buzz in my pocket distracts me. Pulling out my phone again, I stare at the screen and my heart skips a beat.
Moira.
She’s been texting and calling ever since Alexei ended up on the news. On some level, I understand why she did what she did. A threat from Alexei is no easy matter. But the trust I had with her has faded to nothing after everything. She calls while I’m still mulling it over, and against my better judgment, I answer.
“Ivy?” Moira gasps. “Oh, thank God, I’ve been begging for you to pick up for days!”
“I’ve been busy, given everything that’s happened.”
“Right,” Moira gasps, her voice thick as if she’s been crying. “It’s been crazy for you, I bet.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Look… I want to apologize for what happened and?—”
“Moira.” I cut her off gently. “I understand why you did it. I do. And I don’t blame you. But after that and everything with my father… I don’t know if I trust you anymore or even if I can. I need some time to get my life back together. So if you can give me that time, I’d be grateful.”
Moira’s silent for a long moment, then she clears her throat. “Okay. Okay.”
