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CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
It was raining hard, but I did not feel the cold despite the fact that the umbrella that Leo was holding over my head was not doing too much for me. My father’s funeral was packed, as my grandmother’s had been, and there were tons of Bratva families here paying their respects.
I might have appreciated that if I had been able to feel anything.
Over the past week, I’d quickly buried my mother, my grandmother, who’d ironically died of a heart attack in her bed, and my father. I’d ducked the cops, not sure what to say to them, and I’d waited for more shit to happen.
“Do you want to stay for a while?” Leo’s soft voice asked. He had not left my side since my father’s death, and I would never be able to repay him for all that he’d done. Tears welled behind my eyes as I thought about what I planned to do next.
“I’m ready to go home,” I said. I turned and walked away from the coffin. My feelings around my father were complicated, and I knew that now was not the time to mourn. I needed to ensure that the people who were left were safe. That included Natasha, my sister, nephew, and even Leo.
The Bratva was in shambles, and as I looked across the gravesite, I caught eyes with the person who was likely to destroy the little bit of sanity that I had left.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to just come back to my place?” Leo asked as we made our way to my car. I reached up and cupped his cheek. There was a handsome amount of stubble across his chin and dark circles under his eyes. This week he’d taken care of everything, and the weight was starting to show on his shoulders.
I stared at him for what felt like an eternity. It was long enough to suspect that something was wrong, but also, not long enough.
“I love you,” I said.
Leo was taken back by the words. After all, it was the first time I had said those words to him, and right now, was probably the worst time to speak to them. Not that it mattered. There was not going to be another time.
“I need some time to myself,” I said, lifting myself up on my tiptoes as I pressed a small kiss to his lips.
For a moment, Leo looked as though he wanted to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance. I slid into the car and shut the door. If Leo said anything to me, I would crack, and there were too many lives at stake for that.
* * *
“Tea?” I asked, giving Isaac a wide smile as I lifted the teapot.
Isaac was leaning back in his chair. He was still dressed from the funeral, and there were rain drops in his hair, and he looked as handsome as ever.
“I’d like to know why you called me here, especially today, of all days.”
My brow rose. I was surprised that Isaac was going to just get into it. Normally, he played nice, but it seemed that he was done pretending. A part of me appreciated that. I was too exhausted to play the game today.
“Why have you not said anything?” I asked, discarding my teacup. I had not eaten in the last few days, and the idea of black tea made my stomach lurch.
“About?”
I rolled my eyes as he pretended not to know what I was talking about. “Don’t play dumb, Isaac,” he said. “It’s beneath you.”
Isaac chuckled slightly. “I’ve always like how direct you are.”
“How about you return the favor? What is it that you want?”
The energy rolling off of Isaac made me nervous. Now, I realized that Isaac had been playing me before. He came off like he was the earnest good guy, but I knew now, that that was just a front. Isaac played me, but I saw the look on his face when he realized the secret that we had all been carrying. He’d seen his in, and he was going to take it.
“You know, my brother has never thought that I was much of a threat. Even now, you know he has not made even the slightest effort to see what I’m going to do with the information that I have.”
I prickled at the insult.
“When I heard that he would be marrying you, that he would be in line to become Pakhan, I knew it was a mistake.”
My fingers tightened around my teacup.
“My brother has never had the stomach for doing what must be done. Hell, I was surprised that he would insert himself into the war with the families, but then, when I realized it was to protect some poor, helpless girl, I realized that that would be perfect for him. He has always fashioned himself the white knight.”
“Your brother is a good man,” I said.
