Her gaze hardened with annoyance. “You can’t fool me, Dmitri.”
A smile pulled at my mouth. This has become my favorite topic lately. “I have a son. And his mother will be my wife soon.”
“No.” Her stick hit the tiles, and the crack echoed through the room. For a woman her age, she still knew how to command a space without raising her voice. “You will marry Malia, and that is final.”
I leaned back and watched her, turning the glass in my hand. I tried to decide whether to laugh or admire the audacity.
“You know very well what happens if you ruin this,” she continued, her voice dropping. “You will put your organization at risk.”
The idea of marrying the governor’s daughter was mine, something I could change the moment I decided to. But Grandma had wrapped herself around the idea that, somewhere along the way, she had forgotten the marriage was never about my organization. It was revenge. It has always been revenge.
“Funny,” I said. “I don’t remember asking for permission. Looks like Rodion sat you down and filled your head with ideasabout control?”
Her eyes flashed, but I didn’t stop.
“You’re forgetting something,” I added. “I don’t need permission to get back to Zachary. Rodion and Roman played their part, but this is my fight. I do it my way.”
She straightened, grip tightening around the stick. “This has nothing to do with control. The plan was clear. Bring in the politician and use him to get close to Zachary.”
I raised my glass and took a slow sip.
“Malia’s father and Zachary are enemies. You use one enemy to go after the other.” She pressed on.
“That’s when you have no other options.” I stood and walked to the bar to pour another drink. “I found a better one.”
“Lying that you have a son and a wife?” She asked.
“Call it whatever you want. I will get to Zachary through someone he trusts. Someone close enough to slip past his guards.” I declared.
“And how will you make his friend cooperate? Are you planning to go to Cuba?”
I scoffed and watched her in silence. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t running things anymore. That chapter closed the moment her three grandsons carved the territory between themselves and made it clear the old rules were optional.
“Iker Perez,” I said. “He is Zachary’s old friend.”
She recognized the name immediately. “Iker Perez? The Mexican?”
I didn’t answer. She knew what silence meant from me. She studied me for a moment, weighing it, then nodded.
“That could work,” she admitted.
Of course, it could. Going through Zachary’s friend was the quieter and cleaner approach. An enemy put people on edge, kept their eyes open, and had their hands close to weapons. But a friend? A friend walked through the front door. A friendsat at the table. People didn’t guard themselves from those they trusted, and that was exactly where you hit them. Mark was the only option we had at the time, not the best one. Then this thief, named Inna Grace, walked in, unaware that she carried something more valuable than the money she stole. It was a new and better angle that meant I wouldn’t have to put a ring on Malia’s finger to get what I wanted.
“So where does this girl and this fake son come in?” she asked.
“She will lead me to Iker Perez.” I didn’t know what business Iker had with Inna and her family. But since Iker needed Inna, keeping her close would make Iker come to me. It would be a trap that closed before he knew he was standing in one.
“So the boy isn’t yours,” she said. She didn’t bother hiding that she wished he were.
“Since you’ve decided to get into my business, you might as well be useful.” I walked back to my desk. “Arrange a meeting with Mark Conway. We are canceling the wedding.”
Her lips pressed together, and she let out a slow breath. “Mark has been my friend for a long time,” she said. “If we’re doing this, it will be done properly. I’ll invite them for dinner.”
Of course, she would. Appearances mattered to her almost as much as control did.
“Take some time to think,” she added. “If you’re certain about this new plan, then we will end the agreement.”
“It’s already decided.”
