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“Understood,” Zakhar replies, nodding grimly. The parallels are too obvious to him.
As we prepare to leave the mansion, I no longer feel a sense of foreboding. Doing something has yanked me out of my rut. Waiting for bad news is the worst feeling in the world. I still remember waiting for Matvei to come home. I’ll never do that to Eden.
“Remember, Nikolai,” Christian calls out, his tone almost casual, “the clock is ticking.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I mutter bitterly, glaring at my future in-law. Zakhar, Vito, and I jump into an SUV owned by the Lanzzare. I sit in the front seat and check the time. There are less than two days left. I watch Eden at the door before Christian shuts it.
I won’t make her wait and wonder if I’m coming home again.
40
EDEN
I’m notsure if my cousin Christian will let me leave, but he doesn’t seem to want me here on my own. After Nikolai leaves with Dad and Uncle Vito, I am escorted back to my room. I don’t complain. It’s after midnight, so I go to bed, and in the morning, I am given clean clothes and breakfast and practically pushed out the door.
The driver is polite but barely speaks to me the entire time. When I see Rurik sitting in one of our SUVs, waiting in a parking lot by the George Washington Bridge, I practically jump out of the vehicle and run to him.
“Thank you,” I smile sweetly as I fasten my seat belt.
“Eden Zakharovna.” Rurik’s voice is icy as he greets me.
As we pull up to their Long Island mansion, the gates open, and Rurik’s men stand at attention as the vehicle goes down the drive. Their eyes never leave me as I approach the front door. I’ve grown accustomed to Rurik’s frigid personality, but it sends a shiver down my spine to feel the same coldness from his men.
I nod curtly and step inside, expecting the warmth of Larissa’s presence to kill the chill in the air. But when I enter the sitting room, her greeting is just as cold as Rurik’s.
Maybe colder.
She liked Mercy and expressed sympathy for her situation, but her concern will always be with Nikolai.
I swallow hard. “Larissa, I need to talk to you.” I have to tell her about the hit. It pains me to see her so shaken, but there’s no way to say it softly. Her eyes widen as I reveal the details of Nikolai’s plan to go after the man responsible for Matvei’s murder. “The Lanzzare will watch over him,” I reassure her, but Larissa doesn’t seem convinced.
“Eden, you’re a fool! He’s a fool,” she snaps. “Doesn’t he remember what happened to Matvei? He was ambushed when he tried to kill the same man!”
“I trust my cousin to do the right thing.” I try to put her at ease. “And I trust Nikolai to handle it.”
“Did you even try to persuade him not to go?” she demands. Her worried expression slowly morphs into a nasty glare.
I hesitate to answer. “No,” I admit it. “I want him to go and do it.”
Larissa’s eyes widen in disbelief, and guilt settles on my shoulders. I love Nikolai, and I would do anything for him. But my family keeps coming first.
“Eden …” Larissa trails off, her voice wavering, and then she shakes her head.
“Look, I didn’t come here to argue,” I tell her, my tone a little too harsh. “I just wanted to make sure you knew what was happening.”
Larissa sits down, straightening her back as if she’s on a throne. “I heard a rumor that Nikolai shot some of his own men.”
“Rumors?” I scoff. “That isn’t gossip. It’s the truth. And Nikolai—” I choke back a sob, forcing myself to continue. “He killed them, Larissa. If he hadn’t …”
“I know.” She looks at me with a mixture of pity and disgust. “He didn’t want to, but he had to. All to protectyourfamily. You’ve become quite ruthless, Eden Zakharovna. Cruel, even. It’s either us or them, isn’t it?”
“Alexander took my cousin!” I shout. “He’s trying to sell her. This is the only way, Lara!”
“You sound just like him,” she murmurs, looking away. She folds her hands in her lap and stares out the window as a guard passes by the window.
“Who? Nikolai?” I ask, feeling a little ashamed but also proud.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “Like my father.”
