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“I just need to decide what sort of appetizers we need. Hot? Cold? A variety?”
“Start with hot, because your brothers caneat.And if we’re moving the date up, it’s still a really cold time of year. Aleks can eat the hell out of a tray of canapes.”
“Spoken like a true Italian,” she says with approval. “I like how you think.”
I turn away, grateful this is a phone call. It’s easier to hide the fact that I’m crying.
“Did he say when he was moving it up to?”
“This weekend.”
Why this weekend?
I don’t need to know. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.
I square my shoulders and nod. “Definitely hot apps, but you can also have a side table set up with standard things like cheese and crackers.”
“Ollie’s coming out. So we’ll all be here. You haven’t met everyone yet. And Aleks has hinted that he’s finally going to induct the crossover members from the other Bratva group. He told you about that?”
In passing, sort of. I know there are a few men that came over from a rival organization and he was in charge of vetting them. That’s all I know, though, and I doubt he’s going to tell me anything more.
Ivy stirs, and I lower my voice. I watch her to make sure she stays asleep.
“Did he tell you why he’s moving it up?”
“It’s not out of the ordinary. He’s not super patient and he said he had good reason. I tried to talk him out of it because my mother’s going to have a heart attack, but I couldn’t do it. He said it’s essential.”
Essential.
“I see,” I tell her, though I see nothing at all. “Thank you. Where are you having it?”
“That’s the strange thing. He asked that we move the venue to the waterfront this year.”
“Which waterfront?”
“The East River, the one that separates Manhattan from Brooklyn and Queens. It’s lovely there, with all the views of the bridges.”
I nod. I’ll miss The Cove, the only real home I’ve ever known.
This might be the easiest time for me to leave, with Aleksandr not here, and the house distracted with last-minute preparations for the gala.
“Ivy’s still sleeping but I might come down when she wakes.”
“Okay!”
I disconnect the call and know there’s no way I’m going down to breakfast.
I can’t stay here.
I open the door to the closet where my weapons are stored.
My primary obligation is to protect my daughter no matter the cost.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Aleks
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
