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She was a soldier.
Fascinated, I stepped toward her and realized we were almost the same height.
The stranger just appeared larger than life.
“Hello,” she said cheerfully when she took note of me hovering by Savannah’s elbow.
“This is Victoria, Cin,” Savannah introduced me. “She’s Camille and Inessa’s sister.”
As always, I adored her for not classifying me as the ‘baby sister.’ She tucked her arm around my shoulder and I tipped my head against hers with an affection I showed to few people.
“I know you,” Cin declared after she swallowed some of the brownie in her hand.
My brows rose. “But we’ve never met.”
Cin—short for Lucinda?—shrugged. “Heard a less-than-lucid Russian mumbling about you.”
“A less-than-lucid Russian?” I repeated, perplexed.
“Maxim Lyanov.”
Despite my confusion, my cheeks tinged pink. “Maxim spoke about me to you?”
“He wasn’t really speaking at the time. He was groaning.”
“Groaning?” Savannah cleared her throat. “She’s barely sixteen, Cin.”
Cin snorted. “I don’t screw mobsters.”
The chatter screeched to a halt in the kitchen.
Utter silence.
Fitting, seeing as everyone in the room screwed mobsters on the regular…
Uncaring that she’d just offended the entire household, Cin continued, “He was talking about chopping someone’s hand off.”
Though I knew Savannah was bristling, she barked out a laugh and nudged me in the side. “Maxim and his penchant for butchery. I think we know what his love language is, Victoria.”
Nudging her back, I grumbled, “Shut up.”
“Whose hand is he chopping off this time?” Inessa queried, drifting over to us.
“I don’t understand why he can’t just break a wrist. Why chop it off?” Aela groused.
“It sends a message,” Camille reasoned as she lifted her mimosa and took a deep sip. “The Bratva way.”
“Nuh-uh. They’re ‘The Forgotten Boys’ now.”
Savannah’s correction had me frowning. “The Forgotten Boys?”
“Well, the…” She cleared her throat. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“I think you’re incapable of that, Savannah,” Inessa teased.
“Probably.”
Camille reached over the counter and patted my arm. “There’s a new Russian faction in town.”
