“Any news from Trey?” My tone is mellow considering the topic.
Roman twists his torso to the right to ensure business matters don’t steal Justine’s devotion from her family. I understand his quest. I love seeing her like this—happy and without worry.
“He’s as unsure who the Russians could be as you. He put out some feelers, but nothing concrete has been unearthed.”
I nod, grateful for Trey’s diligence but pissed I’m being forced to act on rumors.
“What about Gavril? Did anything come from his outing last night?” My tone dips on the “outing” part of my comment. Gavril doesn’t do teacups and cucumber sandwiches. If he is in town, the entire town is aware of it.
Roman’s shoulder notches up. “Same. You know how much Russian men love to drink. He went to every bar in Hopeton. Not a single accent was heard.”
I’m about to respond with anger, but Justine entering the walk-in pantry on the heel of her mother to check if the height chart scribbled on an internal wall is still there steals my attention as swiftly as it does my anger. Her childhood growth chart better be there. I paid top dollar to have their home returned to how it was the day it was sold. No detail was to be missed, not even the pink bedspread Justine’s bed donned in the family albums I combed through last week to make sure every detail was right.
Smirking at Maddox’s eye roll from being asked to stand next to the wall he was last measured on at the age of thirteen, I shift my focus back to Roman. He has a corny smile on his face. I’m about to rib him until I catch my reflection in the mirror we’re standing next to. I’m wearing the same stupid-ass look.
After grumbling about how Dimitri may be right, I get back to the task at hand. “There has to be something we’re missing.”
Roman murmurs in agreement. He’s not a man of many words—unless he’s telling me I fucked up—but his moan reveals he is as cautious about Dimitri’s warning as me.
“Maddox’s release was too simple. There should have been more to it. Not necessarily from the Petrettis, but from anyone wanting to make an example of what happens when you don’t follow the rules.”
I’m not craving a blood bath; I just know silence never ends well. With the exception of Ryan and Brax’s unwanted presence, Maddox’s release occurred without a single hiccup. If that doesn’t have my men on edge, nothing will.
My eyes lock with Roman’s murky green eyes when he says, “Perhaps Dimitri lied.”
A snarl forms on my top lip. It’s not an angry snarl. I’m more unsure than anything. “For what reason? If he kept out of it, we would have arrived and left Hopeton without incident. Now—”
“Exactly,” Roman interrupts. “Now he has you worried. You’ve run your crew with honor the past twelve months, Nikolai.”
His praise puffs my chest, but I know there’s more coming.
“But you’ve always been a hothead.”
There it is.
I growl, warning him to watch his next set of words. He may be like family to me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tread lightly if he disrespects me.
“You can’t stand, even for a second, the thought of Justine being hurt.”
The honesty of his words rises up in my gut, igniting something inside of me I haven’t felt in years. Just the thought of myahrenbeing hurt in any way kills me. She’s crying now, but only happy tears. If they weren’t, there’d be hell to pay.
“Think about it, Nikolai. He said you’ll never be family mere seconds before he told Justine he wishes you no harm. His emotions are as contradicting as yours the past few months.”
I backhand his chest, my caution coming with violence this time around. “You shouldn’t be preaching flawlessness, Roman. A dragon has never been killed by a snake, but that doesn’t mean the dragon shouldn’t be wary of the snake’s bite.” Wanting to test a theory, I say my last comment in Russian.
My assumption about Roman being bilingual is proven accurate when he replies, “??, ??? ?????? ??????, ?? ????????, ??? ?? ?? ?????? ????? ??????.” His rickety comment on old dogs being taught new tricks reveals his venture into bilingualism didn’t come easy, but he gets an A for effort.
“Why learn Russian now? It never interested you earlier.” Deceit rings in my tone, but it is more aloof than I expected.
Roman’s lips furl as he jerks his chin to Justine climbing the sprawling stairwell in her family mansion. “She thought it would lessen my ‘disadvantage’ with the men.”
His grimace when snarling “disadvantage” forces a smile onto my lips. Roman could never be accused as being modest, so being told he lacks anything would have been a huge knock to his ego.
“Did it work?”
With a huff, Roman shakes his head. “I just discovered they’re a bunch of dirty fucks who spend more time combing porn sites than they do showering.” He steps away from me to sweep Justine’s bedroom before allowing her to enter. Once it’s clear, he returns to my side. “I’ve also advised Lorde she’s no longer allowed to use the hot tub at Clarks.”
His grin drops an inch as anger makes itself visible on his face. He’s spotted the pompous gleam in my eyes that reveals his daughter’s multiple visits to Clarks were never for the facilities.
