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His voice is deep and warm, and despite myself, I relax, letting his words sink in.
“Stay with me,” I say. “Vlad is right—I’m not smart enough to see through your bullshit, so I have to appeal to your better nature. Promise me you’re not kicking my heart around for fun.” My voice cracks. “I’m just silly Lili, remember? It’s not even sporting. Wouldn’t you prefer a challenge?”
“Tsvetok, listen to me.” Arman pulls me to lie beside him, his hand delving into my hair. “Your asshole of a father made you believe you’re not good enough for anyone to love. Now you’re pushing me away, hoping to take control and keep some distance between us so I can’t get close enough to break your heart.”
My eyes spill over with tears. He wraps his arms around me, resting my head on his chest.
“You resent me because you think I’m full of shit,” he continues, “but Lilyana, I’m a mess. Have you any idea the mental and physical concentration it took to spend every fucking day in your presence? To protect you and be there by your side, knowing you would never be mine? I found a legitimate way to keep you, and if you hate me for it, that’s okay, but I don’t regret a thing. It’s me who’s bound to you. I always have been, one way or another.”
“You won’t stay, will you?” I murmur.
“No.” Arman strokes my jawline with his fingertip, tracing my lips. “Vlad thinks I left already; I slammed the front door, then sneaked up here. So now I have to sneak out again.”
“All those people,” I say, reaching up to run my hair through his hair. “I’m so afraid of crowded places that I’ve never even seen my favorite pianists at Carnegie Hall. Remember Vlad’s wedding when I couldn’t walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid? And I had to get drunk before Sasha and Josie’s ceremony to be able to cope. ”
“You’ll be okay,” he says. He lifts my chin with his finger to drop a warm, full kiss onto my upturned lips. “I’ll make sure of it, baby girl. I promise.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and bring my mouth to his, tasting my tears. His tongue moves slowly, caressing mine as our kiss grows more urgent.
“Oh fuck, Lili.” Arman moves his hand down my body and cups my ass, dragging me close so he can press his body against me. I moan as he uses his other hand to pull my hair, tipping my head back so he can bite my throat gently.
A sleepy voice pipes up from somewhere on the floor. “Guys—I’m awake,” Morgana says. “I’ll go to Vlad, and you two can do whatever, but don’t be un-virginizing Lili with her friends in the room, Arman. We all love you, but no one’s about to join in.”
Arman laughs and clears his throat. “Even if Vlad and Sasha wouldn’t tear me to pieces, I doubt I’m man enough to handle you all anyway.”
Morgana silently lets herself out of the room. Arman and I look at one another and smile.
“She’s right,” Arman says. “This isn’t the time or place. I have to go. One more minute with you in my arms, and I won’t leave at all.”
He disentangles himself from me and tucks me into bed, arranging each of my legs before pulling the duvet over me. “Rest while you can, and I’ll see you in a few hours,” he says. “Tomorrow, you’ll come home with me, and Vlad can go to Hell. After that, I’ll never sleep another night away from you, beautiful girl. I swear it.”
He kisses the tip of my nose, and with that, he’s gone.
27
Timur
“Do you think he’s onto you?” Sissi asks. He’s been waiting to hear from me and seems exhausted. The old bastard isn’t cut out for this shit.
“Nah,” I reply. “Arman and I are tight. This mud will stick to those Morettis just fine.”
“Jumped-up fuckers, the lot of them,” Sissi snorts. “Alfredo Moretti called my grandfather his friend, then ran my family out of this city.” He sighs and closes his eyes. “I fucking hate it in Chicago.”
Makes two of us. Sissi hates Chicago because he hasn’t got the grit to keep up; he’s scared someone will fuck him over. I dare say he’s right, but he’s looking in the wrong places. I’m letting him call the shots for now, but his devious little scheme may give me scope to improve my lot.
I sit in the only available chair. This hotel room is fuckawful, but Sissi is paranoid and wants to hide out, hence choosing this dump for his base. No one would look for a mafia don here. “You worry too much, Boss. The setup makes this all too easy. The Kislevs expect the Morettis to act out, and I escalated matters by murdering that Jake guy.”
“He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, though, was he?” Sissi throws me a glance. “Who keys a guy’s car when it’s parked outside his multi-million-dollar apartment complex? He didn’t expect there to be cameras?”
I smile, trying to hide my exasperation. Sissi Barone is a man whose station in life was largely determined by his birthright. He can be a nasty bastard when required, but he lacks the mental agility that a life on the streets will give you.
“Don Barone,” I say, careful not to piss him off, “I would think it’s obvious that I keyed Arman’s car. Masked up, of course. I gave the prick from the garage a lot of money to not watch the security footage but pass it straight on, knowing Arman would give it to me to follow up.”
“So Jake Northwood was just a random hit?”
“No.” I grin. “He ran a club I like and threw me out once.”
Sissi laughs and slaps his knee. “And that was enough reason to kill him? You’re something, Timur.”
