“Do tell,” I encourage him as I snuggle up beside him.
He puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to his chest. “I let them catch me off guard. Not just the mayor and his police raids—those are a never-ending source of aggravation. I can’t keep all the police under my thumb all the time.”
“So how do you stay off their radar?”
“I don’t. They know who I am and what I do. But Benjamin Sturgis, the district attorney, won’t charge me; I’m his biggest campaign contributor. I’d even call him a friend if I didn’t have a file with blackmail in it on my computer.”
“You have blackmail on the district attorney?” I ask in surprise.
“I have a blackmail file on every one of my associates,” he replies with a smug grin. “But I would still consider Ben a friend. We actually go golfing at least once a month. The former mayor was a friend of my family as well, despite the blackmail we also have on him. It’s just this new asshole, Byron Mathews, who’s become the problem.”
“But you’ve got an idea of how to deal with him? What is it? Blackmail him too?” I ask, not approving of his methods but unable to argue with their effectiveness. “Did you find out some juicy secret that can bring him down and end his political career?”
“No, but that’s one angle I’ve been looking into. The Bratva usually prefer to work with blackmail rather than bribes. It’s more cost-effective and more likely to instill loyalty. People who are bought don’t tend to stay bought, but people who have embarrassing secrets… they’ll do anything to keep them buried.”
“If you don’t have anything to blackmail the mayor with, then what are you planning? You’re not going to have him murdered, are you?”
“I’m not a cold-blooded killer, Constance. I’ve never taken out anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
A chill slides through me, not fear, but quiet recognition.
I’m falling in love with a monster.
But Maximo ismymonster.
“To answer your question, no, I’m not planning on assassinating Mayor Mathews,” he explains. “Instead, I’m going toappeal to his better nature. I haven’t known a politician yet who couldn’t be swayed with a large enough pile of cash. Assuming the Russians are simply bribing him, I’ll just make him a better offer.”
But if he’s already taken Volkov’s money, he may not turn. Men who take Bratva cash rarely walk away from it.
“That… that seems almost too easy. You really think that’s all it will take?”
“No, he’ll need assurances, and we’ll have to run the Russians out of town on our own. But I think if we start pushing back on them, hard, and entice the mayor… I see a way to guide us through this and get everyone what they want.”
“Including revenge for my father?”
Maximo puts a hand under my chin to tilt my face up to him and gently kisses me. “Including your revenge, Constance. Don’t think for a moment that I’ve forgotten what they did to you.”
I lean into him, sealing my lips against his and returning his kiss with just as much enthusiasm. Being careful of his bruised ribs, I throw my leg over his hips and climb on top of him, lining our bodies up and grinding against him to show him that for tonight, I need him more than I need answers or revenge.
21
“Every man has a line he won’t cross. The trick is remembering why you drew it in the first place when everything goes to hell.”
—ROBERT MONROE
Maximo
The first coldearly morning light creeps across my room, brushing Constance’s face. She sleeps curled toward me, hair loose across the pillow, her breathing even. I lay still, watching her, feeling something I hadn’t expected taking root inside me, deeper every day.
I’m falling for her.
In my world, that’s a weakness men like Kirill could exploit. My father warned me many times over the years to guard my heart, and failing that, to keep those I loved out of the city and away from the hazards of ourbusiness.
Constance truly is a chink in my armor. But knowing all of that doesn’t make the pull any weaker.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. It’s just after six a.m., and only force of habit has awakened me from my exhaustion. I click on the notifications and pull up a text from Paul.
We intercepted a truck leaving the port last night. Russian driver. No papers. Tattoos say he’s high up. What do you want done with him?
