Page 59 of Brutal Vows

Now he’s emptying his pockets. He pulls the white soap stand closer, removes the liquid hand soap and moisturizer dispenser, and drops several pieces of metal into the empty stand. “Have a look at these and let me know if you recognize anything here.”

He waits for me, and I edge in, baffled. “What is that?”

“Come now, princess, you know what it is.”

I stare at the collection of rings and things in the small tray, and then my gaze snags on one of the piercings.

“Oh my God.” I meet his gaze, but have to look down again, not sure I’m seeing right.

“You see, before we freeze-dry a body in our promession site, we first put it through an airport security scanner to see what the fuck we’re dealing with. To extract the bullets and so on. The problem with undetected metal is that it fucks with the powdering process when we eventually get to that stage.”

“Freeze-dry?” I choke out.

“Yes. That’s how Il Consiglio gets rid of bodies. Latest tech really, as with everything we do. It’s really fun when money isn’t an issue. We get to play mad scientist every now and again, but it has become the perfect solution for us.” He laughs, but it’s dry. “And now, I’ll have to kill you, because you know too much.”

We stare at each other. This is the second time he has idly made this threat, but this time, it doesn’t feel like he’s joking. All these details he so nonchalantly hands out about their operations only ties me tighter into their world. Locks me up for longer, because there’s no trust here.

I drop my gaze first, and it lands on the small tray on the vanity.

“What is all this?” I ask, a tremor in my voice.

“These are the piercings and jewelry Mara had on her body when she died. Tell me which one she got from the Chertnikov Bratva, because I know which ones she got from Randazzo.”

My gut twists into a fist. It’s a test.

I chew my lip, studying the collection, not wanting to give away that I recognize the barbell piercing with the dreaded skulls on either end. The way it’s soldered closed, never to be removed. The only way to remove it is to cut it out, and the idea makes me shudder.

“I don’t know,” I whisper, not meeting his gaze.

He smirks and then his hand shoots out and circles my neck, his thumb and forefinger forcing my chin up so I have to look at him.

“I love it when you lie to me,” he murmurs, his voice softly menacing as he runs his thumb along my jaw.

I turn into cold stone on the spot, his gentle touch shooting ripples of lust to my sex, making my clit throb around my piercing. “Why? I’m not⁠—”

“Because this is a game,” he cuts in, “and I like playing games. Except we’re running out of time for this one.” He strokes his forefinger over my cheek, not letting go of my chin, then to my lips as a curse falls from his own. “Fuck, princess,” he says, his voice scratching. “I wanted more time to do this right.”

There’s resignation in his tone now, and I’ve seen him go from contained anger to this state in mere minutes.

“What did she say?” I whisper, dreading what’s to come but quietened too, by his touch, which tells me he’ll keep his vows to me, whatever comes next. His touch tells me we’re in this together, even if all I’ve wanted from the start was to escape. But we need trust between us. Without trust, nothing is moving forward, and more importantly, I don’t get to go back to Russia. “Tell me what this Mara woman said that is so dangerous?”

“Chertnikov’s girl is here. She shouted that into the phone as Gabi rushed into the room and they saw each other for the first time.”

My world crumbles. “Gabi? Chertnikov’s girl?”

Luca drops his hand, leaving me swaying in shock. “Yes. The Mole will let him know and then there’s going to be war, because whatever happens next, Gabi might have been promised to Chertnikov when she was younger, but she’s married to your brother now.”

“And Ivan won’t let her go,” I whisper, knowing the lengths my brother has already gone to protect his girls, his home, the Petrov Bratva. That he’s in love with Gabi.

“None of us will let her go. There will be war. So here’s the crux of the matter, Milana. You need to choose the team you’re going to be on, and in the process not force me to do something we’ll both regret.” He pauses, then nods to the collection of jewelry. “Pick one.”

I close my eyes, my life flashing past me in dull grays, stuck in this Bratva riptide I can’t swim clear of. And suddenly, I’m so tired, because for more than a year, all this shit has been the least of my worries. Pick a team. Choose a side. It’s the one choice I would have made without thinking twice if it wasn’t for Russia and everything I’ve left behind there.

Chertnikov’s girl.

He has more than one.

This isn’t the test. It’s the first crack in my armor that could lead to the truth. I’m a fool to think I’ll be able to hide everything from Luca forever. I’m even dumber to think I’m going to get back to Russia without his help. All those brutal vows I made…this is the first opportunity to start breaking them.