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Dante hears him anyway. “For fuck’s sake, what kind of pakhan are you going to make?”
“Pakhan?You?” It seems no matter what, my fate is to be the bride of a cruel king.
Ivan snaps up and grabs my chin. “Why not me?”
“He’s the only living male heir.” Uncle Dante strides toward me, his height even more brutal. “Even if it’s through Alexei’s sister.”
“There’s a big flaw in your plan,” I say to buy myself time.
“And what is that, princess?” Uncle Dante pushes Ivan out of the way. Pretty dumb treatment of a future pakhan.
“I’m still married. The child will be a bastard.”
Uncle Dante laughs in my face, spittle hitting me. “Do you think those savage Russians care about that?”
“Hey!” Ivan pushes him back.Sure, whenhe’sinsulted.
But Dante grabs his hand, and Ivan winces, nearly falling to his knees. My uncle has incredible strength and can snap someone’s neck with his bare hands. I’ve watched him and my father deal with people in Papa’s office.
“No one’s coming for you,mia cara,” Dante smugly adds. “King O’Rourke is at his whore club right now, banging thin blondes because they look nothing like you.”
My throat tightens, but I do my best to hide the pain that causes me. “No, he’s not. We’re just taking a break.” God, I miss him. Every cell in my body yearns for Kieran. I should have tried to make it work. He said he didn’t love me, but it’d only been a couple of months. I’m sure he lied when he said he could never love me. He was hurt because I hid my birth control. I could have healed his heart. “We want different things right now. And Idon’twant a baby.” I glance at my uncle. “You’re going down, you and my father. Kieran uncovered your secret, Dante.”
Dante’s jaw twitches. “And what secret is that, princess?”
“Thatyoukilled Stasia.” I try to kick him for effect, even though I’m lying. “You sick fuck. Do you hear that, Ivan? He killed your cousin.”
Ivan cocks his head toward my uncle.
“She’s lying, you imbecile,” he snaps at Ivan.
“You fucking call me one more name, and I will have my uncle’s army take you down, Caruso.”
“If your uncle Alexei could have wiped out my organization, he would have done so by now.”
“He blew up my father’s house and killed my mother,” I point out, angry at Ivan. “Sounds like someone who wants to start a war.”
“It does. Doesn’t it, princess?” Dante lights another cigarette.
“Are you going to tell her?” Ivan asks him.
“Tell me what?” I say, squeaking.
“Youruncle wanted your father dead,” Ivan says, and looks at Dante. “He used my missing cousin as the excuse.”
I can’t breathe now. “Dante…”
“UncleDante, to you,” he barks at me. “Your father was weak.”
“Was?”
Dante grins. “He’s nothing anymore.”
My jaw drops at Ivan. “You killed my father?”
“Not me.” He backs up and roughly grinds his fingernails across that shorn blond hair. “Uncle Dante here was just shooting from the hip.”
“No,” Dante mutters. “My magnum was firmly in my hand when I shot that loser in the head.”
