I stood and hugged her. “I know you are. And we do need your expertise and guidance.”
She furrowed her brow, not even reacting to the concept of being needed. Or flattered. “Don’t tell me Antonov or anyone is already encroaching on the Cartel.”
“Not yet. But it’s inevitable.”
“Yes, it is. Because I can already identify a list of the Cartel members who would be the most impatient to take over and see this as a coup. And I have names ready for those who would be most receptive to allowing someoneelseto take over what remains. I also have a few names of the ones who would be most likely to accept the leadership of the Cartel and run it with the closest adherence to what my father expected.”
I took her hand and led her toward the door. “Then let’s go. Adrik has been waiting for us to show up and discuss the matter. The sooner, the better.”
“The sooner, the better for Antonov to fail in spreading his influence and reach,” she added, reiterating why and how we would always need to be concerned about what the Cartel did and how they operated south of the border from us.
We got into the car and left, ready to tackle business. As I drove, I held her hand. “Reinstating a trade agreement will be something that I would need to dedicate many hours to.”
“Definitely,” she agreed.
“My father and yours didn’t spring upon it overnight, and I’m not in any mindset to imagine that something new could be formulated instantly now.”
She nodded, watching the desert scenery blur by in a familiar stretch of red rocks and heat. “You can’t make an agreement until a de-facto leader is in place, anyway.”
“Yes, and there’s the matter of Adrik only being the interim Pakhan. Until my father passes, it’s still more or less in limbo. Setting up and planning a new trade agreement or alliance pact withanyoneisn’t something that should be done at this time.”
“Then we can solve one thing at a time.” She glanced at me, her grip secure in my hand. “Address the question of who can take over the Cartel now, and then we can do our best to ensure whoever that is wouldn’t fall prey to the threat of your uncle taking over the world.”
I arched a brow at her. She wasn’t prone to exaggerating like that.
“The threat of anyone taking over the world as we know it,” she modified before squeezing my hand reassuringly and resuming her stare out the window for the rest of our drive.
38
CARINA
We arrived at the main house, and I assumed this would need to be like any other meeting. All the Volkov leaders. And me.
As soon as Maksim parked, though, Elena rushed toward the car and reached for the passenger door to open it. If I were a pushover, she probably would have succeeded in yanking me out of my seat.
“Carina.”
“What?” I furrowed my brow at her frantic and thoroughly upset expression, a unique mixture of a frown and scowl. “What’s wrong? The baby? What is it?”
I got out and grunted as she wrapped her arms around me. “My God. Stop. Nothing’s wrong with me or the baby. I’m worried about you.”
Glancing at Maksim as he paused on the other side of the car, watching me as I stood there awkwardly, I raised my brows.
Wow.
I hadn’t expectedthis.
Slowly, I lowered my arms and hugged her back.
She was this worked up, this worried, because ofme. Because today was the day that my brother had to be executed. I wasn’t going to break down again. Compartmentalizing my reaction and thoughts to Arturo’s death was a one-way street for me. I wasn’t going to let her soften me into the state of sitting down and acting like we needed a shrink session of discussing feelings.
I’d already done that, bluntly, and with the one man who mattered most.
Maksim had helped me process the loss of who my brother could have been. Perhaps it was ironic since he’d killed him, but I wasn’t reverting to that mess of guilt and sorrow and anger and regret.
“I will be okay,” I told her. Still looking at Maksim as I rubbed her back and rested my cheek against her head, slightly taller than her, I locked my gaze on the man who knew I would be okay. With his help. With hers. With this Bratva and the need for me to work for them as a strategist they’d never find anywhere else.
She lifted her face and frowned, then took my hand and led me toward the house. “Carina, I fell into a deep pit of anger and this funky confusion of feeling lost and discarded and—” She huffed as she brought me into her home. “I was a mess after my father was executed, and it’s not something to brush off in one day.”
