Page 73 of Mafia King’s Dangerous Vow

“She’s well.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

“I’m aware.”

A pause. Then Kalinin gives a soft, almost indulgent laugh. “Protective already.”

“She’s my wife. Anything concerning her comes through me now.”

The silence sharpens. Then Kalinin says, almost pleasantly, “In that case, should I assume grandchildren are in the works?”

My hand tightens around the phone.

Because Tamara’s body is not a delivery mechanism for alliances. And I am apparently the only person in this conversation who knows the difference.

“Careful.”

Igor goes very still across the room.

Kalinin laughs again, quieter this time. “Touchy subject.”

“It’s not a subject you’re entitled to.”

“The alliance was intended to create permanence.”

“The alliance exists,” I say. “What happens inside my marriage is none of your concern.”

A beat. Then Kalinin’s voice cools by a fraction. “Everything becomes a concern when enough depends on it.”

“Not this.”

He ends the call.

No one reaches for a joke.

Yuri studies the files on his tablet. “The information checks out. Meridian Fine Holdings was incorporated six months ago. Saldívar met the Bellweather manager twice this week.”

“There seems to be a thematic consistency today,” Igor says. “Your brother. Her father. Everyone very invested in the same question about your marriage.”

“Drop it.”

Igor lifts both hands in surrender. “Three weeks ago we were losing access faster than we could replace it. Now the Colombians are being forced into second-tier facilities.”

“Because of Kalinin.”

“Yes.”

Igor does not soften it. If we move against Kalinin now, we don’t only lose a difficult ally. We lose certification routes, bonded storage, customs cover, and half the European relationships that make our operation quiet. Kalinin knows it. That’s why he can afford to sound amused.

Yuri sets another photograph on my desk. Mark leaving school beside Anna Morozov.

Nothing dramatic. The boy is carrying a sheet of music in one hand and gesturing with the other, nearly bumping into a parking meter. Anna is touching his shoulder without looking, likely guiding him around it.

Comfortable.

Automatic.

A family.