Page 56 of Where the Wind Whispers

Violet had done her best to keep her ruined dress together over her front, but it hadn’t helped all that much. It had been nothing short of humiliating to walk the long length of the driveway to get inside Caesar’s waiting car looking a mess like she was.

“Thanks,” Violet mumbled.

She pulled the navy blazer on and buttoned it down the front. At least, she was covered.

“Your Russian, tell me about him,” Caesar said.

Violet wasn’t sure that was a good idea. “Uh …”

Caesar surprised her when he started talking again. He named Kaz’s family members, his affiliation to the Chicago Boykovs, and even the date they were married.

It was information she knew that Kaz wouldn’t be pleased Caesar knew.

“Seems you already know quite a bit,” she told him.

Caesar shrugged. “I had to know something, didn’t I? I needed something to go on for who your father was dealing with. I was already looking before I stumbled upon your little secret there.”

He pointed toward her stomach.

Violet just glared right back.

“And you couldn’t do this whole thing without making me out the fact I was pregnant?”

“I could have,” Caesar argued, “but this was a more viable option.”

Violet’s eyes turned into slits as she stared at the man across from her. “Viable? How so?”

“You could cut out the attitude, Violet. I could have done all of this without giving a shit about you. Philly is calling my name—I could have gone back anytime and left you to fend for yourself until your Russian showed back up, if he got the chance to do that before your father killed you. Because for the record, with the way Alberto goes on sometimes, that was likely.”

Anger bubbled up hard and swift in Violet’s gut. “I don’t know if you missed what happened, but he almost did kill me today!”

“But he didn’t,” Caesar replied quietly. “And I counted on that. There’s one other thing you and I have in common that I didn’t mention before.”

“God, you’re an asshole.”

Caesar ignored her. “We’re both our father’s favorites. It’s a flaw they have—a weakness to manipulate. I thought—maybe—you wouldn’t be dirty enough to play on that flaw of your father’s as I’ve done to mine. I underestimated you, Violet.”

She swallowed thickly. “I didn’t—”

“You did. Don’t bother to lie. You used him once, and then you did it again. But here’s the thing—because if I don’t tell you, fucking nobody will. Sometimes, we can only push them so far. We can only use that once, maybe twice, if we’re lucky, and then we’re screwed. You did that today—Alberto gave you your one time to use him today, Violet. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

Violet thought she might. “He looked like he hated me.”

Caesar nodded, his gaze sliding toward her before going back to the road. “Because now he does.”

She squeezed her hands tightly together, wishing she wasn’t there at all and that this whole day hadn’t happened.

“I just want to go home,” Violet said to herself.

“Yeah, me too. We’re working on that. Now, your Russian. Tell me about him.”

Violet sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Is he typically easygoing?”

She laughed.

With her? Yes.