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“That explains why they were so keen on making an example of Natasha. They recognized her face,” Sergei responded. He sounded cold, like he was barely trying to conceal his anger.
“It wasn’t enough for them to see his body. I’m not sure where the breach came from, but they found out you were the one that killed him. They lost out on a lot of money, and they blame you for that. Unlike you and I, they aren’t afraid to take out their anger on a woman.”
I still wasn’t certain who was in the room with Sergei. Were there others? Had he been insinuating that Sergei had been the one to kill Robert?
“Taking care of him was a favor to you, Nikolai,” Sergei added.
I swallowed hard.
“I know. My men lent him money they shouldn’t have. Without you, that debt would have gone forever unpaid. Plus, having a wife by your side puts you in a position of power and stability. Your marriage makes you stronger. It was a good deal for you and me,” Nikolai answered.
“The cartel needs to be dealt with, Nikolai. I can’t give them a second chance to come after me, but more importantly, my wife. I need to handle this, and I’d like to ask for your help. I can’t allow their move against me to go unanswered. You would do the same if you were in my shoes,” Sergei pressed.
“You’re asking a lot of our alliance, Sergei,” the man warned. “You did me a favor with Cooper, and I think it turned out pretty well for you, didn’t it? You got yourself a very pretty wife out of the whole arrangement, did you not?”
“I am forever appreciative of the agreement we made. I could have never established myself here in such a position of strength without you, but if the Columbians make a move against me, you and I know that’s a move against you, too,” Sergei continued, but I was lost in the rapid-fire questions that were hurtling around in my head.
Was that all our relationship was? An arrangement between two powerful men to squash a debt and establish an alliance? I had known that Sergei hadn’t been in Chicago very long, but I hadn’t realized that my life had been used as leverage to put Sergei in a position of power in his vicious world of dangerous men.
Sergei hadn’t married me out of love, or protection, or even the remotest concern. No. He’d not only killed Robert, but he had married me purely with the motivation to gain more power here in the city.
My heart hammered in my chest, and my blood surged in my veins. For a moment, I tried to control my breathing. I should walk away and wait for him to come to me before I brought this up, but I was already opening the door before I even realized that I was doing it.
It was too late to do anything about it as I burst into the room.
I expected the room to be full of men, but there were only half a dozen. Victor and my usual guards were along one side of the room while three strangers were on the other. Sergei was sitting down with a man that appeared to be close to his age. His hair was cropped short, but vividly dark. His eyes turned to mine, and I was taken aback by the piercing blue shade of them. He was massive, his entire body radiating pure power, but I turned away and stared right at Sergei, because right now, he was all that mattered.
“You killed Robert,” I whispered.
The room went silent. I could hear nothing but the constant, fearful beat of my heart. Sergei stared back at me in silence, his warning apparent even though he was quiet.
“Is that all I was to you? A means to an alliance?”
“You know that’s not what you are to me, Natasha,” he finally answered, his voice soft. For some reason, the use of my name instead of babygirl made me angrier, and my hands fisted at my sides. I stood tall, my chest rising and falling with my fury.
“Did you do it? Did you kill him?” I replied, my voice slowly rising.
“Yes,” he said, and there wasn’t even an ounce of regret in his eyes. His steely gaze had turned to dark iron grey, simmering with warning. I didn’t know why I’d asked the question. I’d known the answer when I’d walked in the room, but I’d wanted to make certain it was the truth from his own lips.
“You killed him and took his place?”
“I did.”
“You’re a monster,” I spat.
He stood up and crossed the room to me in no less than three strides. I didn’t back down, standing tall before him as his hand closed around my upper arm.
“I beg your pardon, Nikolai. Why don’t you let Victor get you another drink while I take a moment in private with my wife,” Sergei said calmly, but his gaze never wavered from mine. I didn’t back down either.
“Take your time, Sergei. I’m enjoying your vodka. I haven’t had a glass of something this good since I last visited Moscow back when your father was still alive,” Nikolai replied.
“That was a while ago, wasn’t it?” Sergei asked.
“Indeed,” Nikolai chuckled.
Sergei’s fingers closed around my upper arm. He led me out with a fraction of forcefulness, reminding me for the umpteenth time that I had married a Russian mob boss and he would forever be the one who held the power between us.
Right now, that only made my fury deepen that much further.
