Maksim waves a dismissive hand. “Your information would certainly be valuable, but we can still win this war without it. The pakhan is not worried.”
And now he’s bluffing.
“All I want is one night. Surely you can spare Blake for that long.”
I see red and tightly clench my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms.
I can’t kill him right now. Not while Blake is here, and I am outnumbered by the guards he has scattered throughout this place. It would put her in danger, and I’m not willing to risk that.
But when the time finally arrives… Oh, I will relish it. I will rip him apart, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left but scraps for feral dogs to feast on. I’ll make sure he won’t even get a proper burial.
I walk up to him, stopping only when we’re practically nose to nose. “No amount of revenge or power is worth you putting your grubby hands on her. There isnothingyou could give me, nothing you could promise, to justify a price that high.”
I watch with satisfaction as his smirk melts away and his expression darkens.
Before he can utter another damn word, I grab him by the collar and slam him against his bookshelf. “If you ever make a proposition like that to my wife again, it will be your last sentence. Do you understand?”
Behind us, Blake sucks in a harsh breath.
My grip tightens. “Do. You. Understand?”
“Yes,” Maksim wheezes out, his face turning red.
I give it another few seconds, and then I let go of him. He slumps and rubs his neck, his eyes flashing hatefully in my direction. “You’re making a mistake. This is—”
I have no interest in hearing what he has to say, and I don’t plan on sticking around to listen. My hand reaches for Blake’s, and I pull her out of the office, stopping only to grab our coats before we step outside.
This is over.
Our mission is done.
The drive homefeels like sitting inside a pressure cooker. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so many damn things at once.
Anger, resentment, confusion, fear.
It’s not Maksim or Ferraro that I fear. What I fear is the fact that I no longer understand my wife.
Something is seriously wrong. I knew it the moment I got on my haunches beside her and saw the uncertainty in her eyes.
She was uncertain about something that should have been crystal clear.
My hands twitch around the wheel. I want to press hard on the gas and scream. Instead, I force myself to drive calmly all the way back to Manhattan.
As soon as we enter the penthouse, Blake grabs me by the arm. “Nero, we have to call Vita and Gino and tell them it’s over. We failed.”
Is it just me, or does she sound defeated?
I can’t shake the feeling that there was a part of her that actually thought about taking Maksim’s offer.
It’s driving me insane.
“I’ll call them after I understand one thing,” I growl. Taking her hand, I walk her into the living room and sit her down on the sofa. She wraps her arms around herself and blinks at me with tired, resigned eyes.
“Why didn’t you just say no to him, Blake? I was right there, on the other side of the door. You knew I’d come to you if he so much as raised his voice, so it couldn’t have been fear that kept you silent.”
The way her gaze slides to the rug makes rage pulse inside my chest.
“Our mission—”
