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Rocco stilled. A third was more than we’d talked about, but there was no way I was leaving here without Hana and Kat.
“A third? What does Vincenzo say about that?”
Rocco nodded. “The Lucianos will honor the deal struck here today.”
I relaxed infinitesimally. He had my back.
Kon whistled. “I can’t say I’m not surprised. I didn’t think you had enough blood in that cold heart to care what happens to Kat or your sister.”
“I only care about family, and now, apparently, that includes you,” I said, shifting my eyes to Kat, who was trying to work the tape off her mouth.
“Take the olive branch, Kon, and end this. It’s getting old,” she finally managed through a gap in the side.
Konstantin turned to his sister and pulled the tape off. I itched to punch him as she cried out, but Kat had me beat as she smacked him hard in the side of the head.
He took it without flinching.“Fine, Katya, fine.”
Having both had their say, the siblings seemed to calm. Kat turned to Hana and held her hand out. “Hana, come with me. We’re taking you home” She put her arm around my younger sister as soon as she got close enough. “Let’s go. Kon has what he wants. He’ll play nice now.” She shot a murderous look at her brother, who merely narrowed his eyes at her in return.
“Is that true? Are we done?” I asked him.
He looked indecisive for a moment as his eyes strayed to Hana, but then he collected himself and nodded.“I’ll play nice as long as you do. Don’t forget our deal.”
“We won’t.” Rocco stepped firmly between us.
“Good, and remember to set an extra plate for dinner on a Sunday, seeing as we’re family now and all,” Kon sneered at us.
As I turned away, I caught Kira’s eyes. The woman was impossible to read.
Rocco’s eyes lingered that way as well.“We’ll set two. For you and your future wife,” he said, nodding in Kira’s direction.
“Don’t bother. Kira won’t be with us long,” Kon muttered.
Rocco looked as if he was about to question that cryptic phrase when I pointed him toward the exit. We had to get out here before Konstantin Ivanov changed his mercurial mind.
CHAPTER18
Kat
After dropping Hana off at her home, we sat through the most uncomfortable dinner I’d ever attended in my life. The upside was the hug Dami gave me at the end for delivering myself to my brother to help Hana.
“Of course, I would. She’s my family now, and Jae loves her. More than anything, she’s an innocent young woman, and there aren’t many left in our world,” I told the former matriarch of the Song family.
Dami held my hand tightly, and I had an inkling I might have secured a place in her capricious heart, even if it was tiny. I could work with that.
Jae was quiet the entire way back to the penthouse. His face reminded me of that blank, freezing mask he’d worn when I’d first met him.
As soon as we stepped into the apartment, he kicked the door shut and grabbed me.
“What were you thinking? Sneaking off after everything I’ve done to keep you safe?” he demanded hotly.
His icy mask had dissolved into pure fury. I basked in the heat of his anger. Fuck, it felt good to be the woman he cared about enough to break through his walls.
“Konstantin is my brother. He’s my responsibility—”
“And you are mine,” Jae roared, one hand hitting the wall in a fist.
I was startled by his frantic energy. He quieted as I raised my hand to his cheek. It was like gentling a wild predator. He tensed as my skin touched his, but after a moment, the tension flowed from his shoulders.
