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“Ah, I don’t know, Louis.” Jacinta shakes her head and looks at me with her dark eyebrows furrowed in an expression of worry. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Of course!”
“...Because to me, it sounds like you’re just looking for a way to get back with Sasha.”
What? I stare at her for a long moment with wide eyes, trying to process what I just heard. There’s literally nothing in my idea that sounds even remotely like this! Why would I want to get back with Sasha anyway? Everything between us was over and done a long time ago.
I can’t help a laugh of disbelief as I shake my head and look away from Jacinta. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s been years since we broke up! Why would I have any feelings for her?”
“Why haven’t you told Riccardo about her, then?” Jacinta quirks an eyebrow, looking at me with a challenge. “You could’ve figured it out together.”
I frown, blankly staring at the bright patterns on Luna’s mat. I know, I’ve been thinking about that, too. I hate keeping secrets from him, Riccardo is almost like a brother to me. But he wouldn’t understand me, he…
“He’d say that we should lay a trap and catch her,” I grumble. For some reason, I really don’t want to admit it. “But I don’t think Sasha is a threat to anyone but me, and…I don’t know, I just don’t want everyone else to get involved. I can deal with it myself.”
Jacinta lets out a thoughtful hum. “Youwantto deal with it yourself—”
I nod.
“—because you don’t want others to harm her.”
“Yeah, I mean—wait, what? No!” I exclaim and sharply turn to Jacinta, but she’s already laughing, leaning on my shoulder. “Urgh, are you making fun of me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,querido, I didn’t mean to tease you, but I just couldn’t help myself. I wish you could see yourself, though!”
God, can you believe she’s twelve years younger than me? But maybe that’s what I like about her. Jacinta is mature enough to feel like an equal, but at the same time she still has the spirit of youth that fits with my own childlike energy. Yeah, we had a few issues in the past, like when I stole her from Paolo and almost forced her to go back to her lunatic father, but we’ve joked about that enough times to forget.
I hang around their house for another hour, helping Luna take a bath and sharing a glass of whiskey with Paolo after he comes back home. But Jacinta quickly pulls his attention, and I leave all three of them snuggled together on the couch of the living room.
Do I want something like this? My heart feels heavy when I get into my car, and I suddenly remember Sasha’s face when she told me about her son. If I hadn’t freaked out then, if I hadn’t pushed her away…well, who knows. Maybe she would’ve killed me in my sleep—it would be a grand success for a Russian spy in the heart of the Italian family.
I spend the next couple of hours driving between our territories, checking our positions, and sending reports to Matteo. I almost get into a squabble at a nightclub in Bridgeport, but the drunks quickly sober up when they hear my name and, with hasty apologies, disappear into the night. Well, it’s almost nine, so I let them be and turn my car to Bedford Park.
There’s an old industrial railway station for unloading cargo that hasn’t been used in years. When I find an uneven place to park next to it and switch off my car lights, the whole building descends back into darkness, only the city lights blinking in the distance. It looks empty, quiet, and completely abandoned, and that’s exactly why I chose it.
Although if what Elena said was true, I shouldn’t expect Sasha to show up. It didn’t sound like she was willing to talk, but I still get out of the car and walk to the building. Sasha has one hell of a temper, and her first reactions are often fueled by her emotions. Maybe she’s changed her mind since Elena talked to her—or maybe she’ll come just to shoot me from the bushes.
I keep my eye on the shadows around me as I go through the wide rolled-up door and enter a big room that probably served as a storeroom for cargo. The narrow windows high above my head allow the blurry light of the city and the moon to illuminate the dirty floor, stone pillars, and containers scattered all over the place.
Well, that looks empty…
“You are late.”
I only notice the figure in the shadows when it moves, and I tense up and instinctively reach for my gun before I recognize the voice. God, it’s been so long since I heard that soft Russian accent adorning Sasha’s clear voice. She used to speak with lively notes, but now her voice is low and demanding.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” I raise my voice, trying to focus on her face obscured by the light from the window.
“Weren’t you the one to ask me to come?” Sasha sounds irritated, and I can't help but chuckle. She hasn’t changed at all.
“I was, but weren’t you the one to tell me to go to hell?”
“That’s the least you deserve.”
Finally, Sasha comes out into the square of moonlight, and I let out a long breath as I finally see her clearly. Her hair is an unnaturally bright orange color, adding more fire to her already threatening look. Her short height and pretty face create an illusion of vulnerability, but I know better than anyone just how much agility and strength are hidden under her porcelain skin.
The look in her eyes is cold and unforgiving as she stops a dozen feet away from me, demonstratively keeping the distance between us. But as always, her irritation only makes me smile and want to tease her. I know that her emotions get the best of her, but underneath that raging storm the core of her heart remains the same.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” I chuckle and tilt my head, looking out for any change in her mask of indifference. “It’s been years. Why are you still mad at me?”
