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She bites her lip, and her gaze softens a tiny bit. Did I get through to her? I watch Mercy for a sign that maybe what’s happening hasn’t ruined our relationship forever. Mercy avoids my gaze as she gets up, walks over to the dresser, and pulls out the top drawer. She reaches in and holds up my smartphone.
Oh no.
“Edie, I found this,” she replies icily. “And I spoke to my dad.”
My heart misses a beat. “What? Mercy, you shouldn’t have …” I start, but she cuts me off again.
“Relax, Edie,” she says, shrugging her shoulders for effect. “I didn’t tell him where I was. I’m not stupid. But he guessed.”
I try to keep the conversation from escalating into an argument. “It’s dangerous to make calls without Nikolai knowing …”
“I don’t give a fuck what Nikolai knows or doesn’t know,” Mercy snaps. “I wanted my dad to hearmyversion of things. If I hadn’t called, he would’ve thought Nikolai had kidnapped me or worse.” She lets out an artificial laugh.
I swallow hard, struggling with the guilt gnawing at me since Pavel dragged Mercy into the penthouse. “I don’t blame you for being pissed.”
“Major understatement. I’m pissedandconfused,” She sits down again, keeping a tight hold on the phone. “I’m having a difficult time accepting the person standing in front of me is my sweet little cousin Edie. The same one who came into this city wide-eyed and innocent. Where the fuck did that girl go?”
I hate the rift that’s grown between us, but I can only take Nikolai’s side. Wedding or no wedding, he’s my family now.
“Dad’s vengeance has spiraled out of control. I wanted to marry Nikolai, and Dad stopped it in the most horrible way.” A breath catches in my throat when I picture Anton lying on the floor, dying. “The feud between the Lanzzare and the Starukhin has to stop long enough for us to end the vendetta.” I pause. “I know this is a shitty way to ask for your help, but I need it.”
Mercy pats the chair beside her, and I sit down. She takes my hand in hers, and we remain still, as if one move will break us apart.
She sighs. “I don’t like being kept here. But I get your point. Unfortunately, your dad isn’t exactly about to listen to reason, and my dad is getting blamed. Well, all of us are being blamed. Does your boy toy understand that?”
I nod. “Mercy, I never wanted you to be involved,” I reply evenly. “I didn’t ask you to be my maid of honor expecting this to happen. Maybe I’ll always be a fool, hoping that people will act decently in the end.”
“I don’t know what to think, Edie,” she challenges me with the truth. “You may not have come up with the plan, but you sure as shit are going along with it.”
My throat tightens, the weight of guilt settling heavily on my shoulders. I can’t deny that I’m playing a part in Mercy being held captive. All I wanted was to marry Nikolai and have my baby without all this conflict.
Must everything good and sweet in my life turn to ashes in my mouth?
I sit up straight and push the guilt away. “Mercy, you said something before the wedding. That your dad warned them not to do anything stupid …”
“Of course,” she says incredulously. “Nikolai needs to be careful, Edie. Because the threat isn’t coming from us.”
My throat tightens. “What?”
Mercy glances around the room and lowers her voice. “My father has some interesting information from … Mi—Zakhar,” she replies, correcting herself by using my father’s real name.
“What?” I ask, grabbing the arm of her chair.
“The brigadiers have been lying to Nikolai,” she whispers. “They’ve been feeding him false information about the Lanzzare Mafia. They’re making him think that everything is our doing.”
“Are you sure?” I question her in a stern voice. “Maybe Uncle Vito is saying this because you’re here.”
“No,” she responds, shaking her head. “I saw my dad before I left for the wedding, and Zakhar was there. He looked through me like I was a piece of glass. They weren’t going to have a conversation around me, but I knew something important was being discussed. And when I called him, he all but confirmed it.”
“What was it?” I ask. “What did my dad tell yours about the brigadiers?”
“He wasn’t about to tell me details over your phone,” she replies. “But my father wants to meet with Nikolai in person to set the record straight. According to my dad, it’s too sensitive to share except face-to-face.”
“It could be a trap.” My expression hardens as I stare Mercy in the eye. “But you know that.”
Mercy leans back in her chair, crossing her legs and arms. “It could be, but my father wouldn’t risk it when he knows I’m a houseguest.”
I don’t like it. What could be so important that my uncle Vito would request a meeting with Nikolai? But if there’s even a slight chance that it could help, maybe it’s a risk worth taking.
