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ChapterTwenty-Seven
I walked out of the steam room of the Russian-Turkish bath into the gentle heat of a blue-and-green-tiled room, where my meeting with Nelu was to take place. He was already seated on a stone bench, his large, bloated belly protruding over the knot of his bath-wrap, waiting for me. We’d chosen a neutral location in Brighton Beach, at a bath house not affiliated with any mafia family. The trickling sounds of a small fountain in the center, flanked by palm trees on either side, gave off a false sense of peace. Several small windows punctuated the top of the wall, the frosted glass letting in uniform, pale squares of light over the tiles and stone slabs jutting out of the walls of the circular room.
Seeing his smug expression, I wanted to slam my fist into his face, but I gave him my signature smirk instead. Sauntering toward him, I took a seat on the bench adjacent to him. Dropping my head back against the tiled wall, I lowered my eyelids and breathed in the humid, perfumed air.
“What did you want to talk about that needed this?” he asked, his hand waving to encompass the room.
“My youngest brother, Nicu, will take my place and marry Catalina,” I stated calmly.
Nelu’s already flushed skin turned a mottled red. “What?” he rasped out, disbelief streaking through the one-word question. “What is the meaning of this? We had a deal. You have to pay for Cristo, and that was the payment. You. Not your brother.”
“That payment was made in good faith, something you know nothing about,” I replied calmly, my eyes slitted toward him.
“Pula mea… What the fuck are you talking about, you backstabbing asshole? Du-te dracului! Go to hell!” he hissed, rising to his feet.
I was on him in a second, clasping his shoulder and pressing him down until he buckled under the force of my grip.
“You thought you could trick me? I would’ve fucking honored my promise if it weren’t based on treachery,” I sneered. “I found out every sick detail, you bastard.”
Fear sparked in his eyes for an instant before he smothered it. His jaw ticking, he said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh no? You lie like a dog,” I shot back, shaking my head. “Cristo set it up. Beating Una might have been real, but the miscarriage sure as hell wasn’t. The blood? Nice touch, Nelu. Did you come up with that fucked up little detail yourself or was it Cristo?” My lips turned upward into a dark smile, all teeth and no sympathy. “No, that was all you. Cristo isn’t that smart.”
“How did you find out?” he rasped out.
“Like I’d tell you,” I scoffed, my hand moving to his throat and squeezing.
Una, that was how. Stegan had saved her from Cristo, and she was under our protection. Once I had Luca break into the hospital database and check through her medical records, we found the doctor’s notes. There was no miscarriage. The blood was fake. Then it all came together. Her other injuries were real, but not that one. I had Stegan confront Una, and she crumbled instantly. She already felt guilty but was too scared to confess on her own, fearful that we would toss her away like Nelu did. Part of me wanted to punish her but forgiving her was the better choice. Now, she was indebted to us. She’d told Stegan that Nelu threatened to kill her mother if she didn’t do what he said. The girl was only trying to survive a monster, and I couldn’t penalize her for that.
He watched me carefully as my fingers pressed deeper into the sides of his throat. I wouldn’t kill him, but while we were alone in this room, I’d give him a little taste of my fury.
“I always knew you were a dirty rat, but now I’ll be on the lookout for every fucking move you make. You’re lucky my brother’s a good soldier and willing to come forward and seal this deal, because if he wasn’t”—I tipped my face down to him, pressing deeper until I knew he was struggling to breathe—“this would deteriorate into war.”
I spoke the truth. Nicu had saved the day because I sure as fuck wasn’t going to sacrifice myself. Knowing I’d been played, I would’ve had to step down, in any case. Luca was no more willing than before. He didn’t give a damn if there was a war or not. With the bloodlust running through his veins, hell, he’d welcome it.
That left the youngest.
Nicu wasn’t one to back down from a fight either, but finding out about Tata had put him in a dark place. Realizing he was the only one left to fulfill our disgraced father’s wishes, he’d taken up the mantle. Poor girl. I almost felt sorry for Catalina. Almost…if I didn’t know who I was saving her from. Hell, she was better off with coldhearted Nicu than with brutes like her father and brother. Those men had no soul, and would’ve sold her off to the highest bidder anyway. I was doing her a fucking favor.
My fingers tightened as I stared down at the fucker. His hands grasped my own, trying to pry my fingers off as they cut off the breathing of this bloated pig.
“Our contract stands, but the first three months are free, and I swear to fucking God, Nelu, if you cross me again, I will end you,” I snarled in his face before releasing him.
Clutching his throat, he drew in gasping breaths. His narrowed eyes turned to me, but he said nothing. Smart man. Caught red-handed, he had no standing to speak. My main concern was that I couldn’t afford a war right now. Not with Tasa still somewhere out there. Not when I was starting a new chapter with Nina. I wanted these next few months to be peaceful so we could begin to build our new life together. Once we had our honeymoon, and I had Tasa back home safely, then I’d consider it. But Nelu was no fool. Besides getting off easy, he wanted his daughter in our family. It was a feather in his cap that he wouldn’t get from any other family.
Spitting at his feet, my lips peel back in a snarl before I pivoted on my heel and stalked out. Nicu and Stegan were milling outside the door, ears cocked for any sounds of danger. I gave them a nod and threw Cristo a scowl as I strode past him to change. I was more than done with this place and ready to get back to the woman currently warming my bed. She’d better be where I’d left her when I headed out for this meeting, or there’d be hell to pay.
When I came out of the locker room, Cristo was waiting, legs apart and arms crossed over his chest. He wrenched my arm as I passed him.
I stared down at his hard grip on my arm.
“Get your hands off me,” I warned. A fight had been brewing between us for years, but we’d kept it civil. Till now.
Touching me without permission was spoiling for a fight. Bring it.
Bunching my shoulders together, I ripped his hand off me. I was a fencer. Fencers and fighters shared the same footwork, and mine was legendary.
“What did you do to my father back there? There are red finger marks on his throat. And then taking Una from me—”
