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The meeting will wait. I grab my jacket and head down in the elevator to the private underground garage. With Anton in tow, I’ll head for my sister’s house, where Eden is hiding—safe, secured, and spoiled. Far away from me, Larissa is probably giving Eden everything she asks for.Including a phone, I bet.
Eden has managed to find an ally in Larissa, but neither of them understands the danger that will follow in her wake.
What if the Lanzzare find out Eden’s location?
What if Zakhar does?
“Call Rurik,” I snap at Anton as we walk from the elevator to the Mercedes. I stop in my tracks and decide to take the armored SUV instead. My feet move quickly in the other direction as Anton stumbles to keep up.
I watch him from the side of my eye. “Did you know?”
“Know what, Nikolai Gennadyevich?” Anton replies nervously. Of course, he wouldn’t know. Anton barely knows his left from his right. He hurries toward the SUV, and scarcely watching where he’s going, he taps Rurik’s number into his phone. His massive bulk towers over mine, but Anton shudders when I grab the phone out of his hand.
I feel a twinge of guilt. Anton is completely respectful and loyal to the Bratva, and so is Dominika. My anger isn’t with them. Alexander was right about Larissa’s meddling, and it makes me angry that I might have to listen to him and push her farther away. She spends more time in Long Island and less time in the city. The time between our phone calls is growing longer.
But Rurik … Why didn’t he tell me? I scoff when the answer comes immediately. Because the fool is in love.
“Yes, Anton?” Rurik answers.
“How long has she been there?” I snap as Anton drives the SUV onto 59th Street.
“Two nights?” Rurik pauses when he recognizes my voice. “You didn’t know? I thought you sent her here.”
Larissa. I don’t say anything about her to him, afraid I can’t take back the abuse once it’s spoken. I end the call immediately and switch off Anton’s phone, tossing it onto the seat. Rurik has changed since his marriage to Larissa years ago. He doesn’t realize it, but she’s domesticated him.
He’s less lethal, less ruthless, and less paranoid since he fell in love. Each day, I see Rurik as less of the killer I grew up with and more and more as just my sister’s husband.
For a stupid, careless moment, I thought Eden would be my chance, but I wised up fast.Afraid. She said I was afraid. Yes, I am afraid. Because falling in love is a distraction that leads to ruin.
Her father is firmly at the root of my hate. He went over to the Lanzzare after Matvei’s death. Hestillworks with the Lanzzare even now. How can I show my adversary compassion? How can I love one and hate the other? I have feelings for her, but she’s the wrong woman to love. Unless Eden rejects the traitor and embraces the Bratva, her love will make me powerless.
And if I’m weak, I can’t serve the Bratva.
You care for no one but the Bratva, and you shall love none other than the Bratva.
A guard pushes the front door open, and I march into Larissa’s home. I’m relieved to see the added security, but the atmosphere is contentious as men stand at attention as I pass. I don’t need to look far for Larissa. She sits in her favorite chair, ignoring my invasion of her happy home. She shuts off the television, andher guarded gaze meets mine. I know without a doubt that she’s aware of my intentions.
She knows everything. She knows too much.
“Good morning, Lara.” I approach her and lean down to kiss her cheek. She doesn’t move a muscle except her eyes, which follow my every move. She looks ready for battle, but we are no longer children fighting over a toy. “You look well.”
Her eyes narrow, and she sees straight through my charm.
“So, you’ve decided to visit me,” she says. “I wonder why?”
“I spoke to Rurik.” I sit down across from her and lean back. I rest my elbows on the armrests and place my feet on the ottoman. “Where is she?”
Larissa crosses her arms over her chest. “It took you two days to notice she was gone?” Her gaze could cut me, but there’s more to it than outrage. Larissa is worried … about me, about Eden, about everything.
“Are you really going to continue hunting the poor girl’s father?” she asks. “You’re fighting the same war our father did, and look where that got him.”
I stare at her for a long moment, considering my words. I could deny it, or I could come clean. But I can’t lie to my sister. I never will, even if she lies to me. So, I tell the truth in my heart, wedged so deep inside it will never come loose. I’ve been consumed by revenge ever since Matvei’s death, and now I’m caught in the same trap that ensnared my old man. But I can’t let go. I won’t.
“I will stop hunting Zakhar Budanov when he’s dead at my feet.” I lock eyes with her. “It’s what Father would want. It’s what Matvei would do.”
Her jaw clenches, and she fidgets in her seat. “You’re a fool, Nikolai.” Her straightforward words are sharp. “Your desire for revenge is blinding you to what you really are.”
I narrow my eyes. “And what is that?” I ask, my tone matching hers. “What am I?”
