AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course, sir,” the man says in a distinctly French accent. “He is waiting for you in the Palazzo Roma Room. Follow me.”
Dima and I trail him down the ornate halls. Every flourish is exquisite and extravagant and wildly unnecessary. I’m not in the least surprised that Benedict chose this as our meeting grounds.
He leads us to a bronzed door on the first floor. On either side of the entryway are two alcoves where naked Venus statues stand holding white marble torches.
“Here we are, gentleman,” he says with a polite bow.
I give him a terse nod and open the door.
The carpet is a crimson velvet stretching the length of the narrow space. Every wall drips with oil paintings and crystal light fixtures. The curtains at the far end have been drawn close over the arched windows, suffocating all the sunlight.
Benedict sits on a patterned velvet fainting couch. A huge gold chandelier hangs above us, casting a dim amber glow onto his brocade suit and the flashy Patek Philippe watch on his wrist.
“Look at you, Benedict,” I remark as Dima shuts the door behind us. “You match the room.”
“I thought I’d dress up for the occasion.” He chuckles without getting up. His man stands behind the couch like a trained dog in a black suit, eyeing us with the same suspicion we feel.
“Ah, Dima,” Bellasio continues. “Nice of you to come. Although I have to admit, I’d have kept my best stooge home. You know…just in case.”
“He did,” Dima replies. “Mila is probably browsing the pantry as we speak.”
Benedict barks out a laugh. “Clever! And wise. No good in losing two Zakharovs. It would be a pity for the whole family to be snuffed out in one go.”
I take the wingback chair opposite Benedict. Dima takes the second seat beside me. “Nothing will be getting snuffed out today, Benedict. This is a peaceful meeting. We’ve made a gentleman’s agreement. I know you’d never break that.”
Benedict leers at me. “Indeed. How is that beautiful fiancée of yours? Did she survive the crash?”
The casual way he asks about Celine pisses me off. I let him see the anger in my eyes, if only to drive home the connection he believes I have with her. Which isn’t a lie, either. Technically.
We’re still connected.
Just…not how I’d originally planned.
“As a matter of fact, she did,” I say smoothly. “She’s doing very well now.”
“Ah, I’m relieved to hear that. I like her.”
“I’m sure you do,” I say, channeling more self-control so the words don’t come out from between gritted teeth. “Why else would you have wanted to marry her in my place?”
His smile drops just for a moment. A millisecond, really, but I’m not blinking during this conversation.
“She told you, did she? I just thought she was smart enough to back the right horse.”
“I’m not a horse, Benedict,” I growl. “I’m a lion.”
Benedict leans back while his doorknob of a man stares between Dima and me with a vacant expression on his face. “You know the tragedy about lions? They live in prides. Alone, lazy, and they let the females do all the work.” He gestures to his arm where the suit is a bit thicker—no doubt padded by bandages from where Taylor shot him. “So your metaphor suits you perfectly.”
“And what does that make you?”
He grins at me, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “I know how to win, Ilarion. I run hard, I work hard, and I don’t accept loss or defeat. I’m not just the winning horse—I’m achampion.”
I snort. “I believe your father would’ve disagreed.”
Benedict’s fist white-knuckles on the armrest. “My father was a fool. He underestimated me. And he’s not the only one to make that mistake. I’ll admit, it used to bother me…but not anymore.”
I rest my elbows on my knees and lean in. “You agreed to this meeting, so I’m assuming you want to resolve this without any more bloodshed.”
Benedict purses his lips. “If you’d like.”
