Sure, Cat’s a woman, but don’t the other family members see that Nino will never be half the leader she is?
Their idiocy baffles me.
I need to find a way out of this mess and save her.
From the moment I could understand words, Declan instilled obedience into me, yet Cat stole every bit of my loyalty without even trying. And despite me never doing a thing to earn hers in return, she believes in me. Cat’s shown me a world where love and this lifestyle can coexist.
I’d long abandoned my heart’s desire, and she found it in some ditch in the middle of nowhere, dusted it off, and resurrected it.
I want what Brody and Trinity have, what Maeve and Kellin have.
I want to love Cat more than I want to prove my worth to Declan or Finn. I don’t need to convince either of them that my take on the Russians was correct all along.
I just need to save my girl.
Belinski clocks me in an ankle. With my bone shrieking in agony, I somehow manage to shift my scream into a mangled grunt.
“Oleg?” I utter his name through gritted teeth as I battle the pain.
He cocks his head.
“You know what would be better than one dead Gallagher?”
He smiles. “Two?”
Now I’m the one to laugh. “Exactly. I’ll give you two Gallaghers if you tell Nino to let Caterina live.”
“His sister? The woman?”
“Yes, she’s a woman. A second-class citizen on a good day as far as guys like us are concerned. Surely Brody and I are worth more.”
“You would exchange the life of your brother, a man who has slaughtered two dozen Russians in as many months for…Caterina Ricci?” Belinski squints at me. “She is a tiny woman who plays with pictures all day long. It does not matter what her dying father thought of her. His mind was not right. She is nobody.”
I ignore the rage bubbling in my chest and smirk. “Precisely. This is a trade that only benefits you.”
The skin around his eyes wrinkles as Oleg Belinski scrutinizes me in his attempt to sniff out the lie.
He can knock himself out, because for once, I’m stone-cold serious. No need to vocalize that I want Cat alive because I’m in love with her.
This massive risk better pay off.
I refuse to consider the alternative.
After a minute, Oleg nods in understanding. “I am listening, lover boy. Continue.”
I almost like this guy.
Almost.
“We each get one phone call. I’ll tell Brody to come after you tell Nino you want Caterina alive to question her personally. After that, give me your word that you’ll let her go before you kill me and get your men ready.”
“What makes you think that I’ll let the woman live after I kill you and that savage brother of yours?”
I raise a brow, feigning surprise. “Are you not a man of your word?”
Belinski’s chest puffs out. “Iama man of my word!”
“That’s what I thought.” I wait until he grumbles a promise. “Good. What time should I set the meeting for?”
