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“Luka Morozov!” a voice booms. Ah, hell—I’d know that voice anywhere. I turn, Kate stopping beside me, to see Mr. Ravensburger, a local businessman but never quite making enough money to be considered a successful one.
“Mr. Ravensburger.” I nod in his direction, stepping further in front of Kate. Mr. Ravensburger is a disgusting man. He may be on the up and up with his business, but he has some grotesque fetishes.
“Good to see you, Luka. Business treating you well?” he asks. His eyes flick to Kate, his tongue licking his lips—I want to cut it out.
“Yes, very.” I don’t return the inquisitive question, because I don’t give a crap about how his business is doing. He turns his eyes to Kate, holding his stare as he practically strips her naked with his eyes.
“Keep your eyes off her,” I command. Protectiveness surging in my chest.
He smirks. “Calm down there, Luka. I had to see who the woman was that could tame the great Luka Morozov.” He says it dramatically, but no one is paying attention to him. I don’t say another word. Instead, I turn Kate back toward our table and walk away.
Kate decides to sit with Nik while I make a few rounds. My eyes keep drifting back to her. There are many men in the room, and I lose count of how many are stealing glances at her. The urge to be by her side is trumping every conversation I’m engaged in. My irritation fades to gloating when I’m the only gaze she is returning, and she smiles at me as if she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
“Luka! Thanks for coming.” Senator Hope stands before me, and I grind my teeth at his use of my first name. He knows better.
“Senator Hope. Cutting it close, don’t you think?” I tilt my head to one of the TV screens, where the senator’s lead is losing steam in the final minutes. He smirks at me, and my body tenses at his disrespect. He is either drunk and not thinking or—there is something else going on.
“We can’t all pay our way to the top like Luka Morozov,” he replies, twisting a cuff link with the initials EV.Odd.
I narrow my eyes at him, inspecting him for signs he is intoxicated, but he continues his verbal debauchery.
“Cute date by the way …” He smiles in Kate’s direction, and I clench my suit sleeves. I hate politicians. They’re mostly failures at business or other ventures, seeking power in other avenues, not even my enemies in the Cosa Nostra would talk to me this way.
I don’t take the bait. “We’ve given millions to your campaign,” I say, and I gesture back to the TV. “Looks like I paidyourway to the top.”
The newsroom declares Senator Hope the winner, confirming his reelection. The room erupts in cheers and drinks are being raised. Senator Hope turns away, heading to other groups of people, shaking their hands, fake smile painted on his face. Unease settles in my gut as I try to place what about that conversation has my radar going off. It’s what we wanted, for him to be reelected. I make my way to Nik and Kate.
“Something is off with him.” I lean into Nik, allowing Kate to hear.
“What?” she asks, eyes flicking up to the TV screens now showing live footage of the event and Senator Hope being congratulated.
“He was smug, challenging my authority—like he finally could.”
Nik’s face is worried into a deep thought. “Well, I never liked him,” he finally says.
“At least he won. Wouldn’t it be worse if Senator Hope lost?” Kate asks. As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she snaps it shut, eyes wide with—is that terror? “Luka,” she whispers, “if Senator Hope lost …” I blink, following her train of thought back to that night at her apartment before her floor blew apart.
All Hope is lost.
How the hell had I missed that? Hope is Senator Hope. Lost to who? I turn eyeing him and he smirks, raising his glass to me and taking a sip of his liquor.
Chapter49
Kate
The blood from Luka’s face drains, and he goes pale, defeat and betrayal lingering there. I hate that look on him. Luka always exudes power and commands authority without even speaking. The fact he is standing here—downright enraged—twists at my heart.
The message from that night didn’t come across as anything more than a final poke of the bear, but maybe it had meant more. I know Luka and Nik have worked hard to have Senator Hope reelected in order to bypass red tape when it comes to transporting their supply.
“I’m going to kill him,” Nik reaches to his back waistband, and I gasp.
“Nikolai!” Luka’s firm bark demands both my and Nik’s attention.
“You would not make it out of here alive. Many of these men here have personal security. This is bigger than Senator Hope; he is a pawn. He was for us, and he is for the Cosa Nostra. They are the only ones dumb enough to bribe a senator out from under me.”
Luka’s disappointment is clearer than his rage. In fact, I almost want to tell him to get mad, take it back, take what’s yours—do something. But I keep my mouth shut. I don’t want to fan the Bratva flame, but irritation flares deep within me—how dare they try to play him. The thought is jarring, but true, nonetheless.
Luka’s hand rests on the table next to his drink, and I crawl my own to take his hand, giving it a small squeeze. His hands are shaking.
