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Dante looks as if he’s about to reply when the office door opens. Sienna sweeps through, looking more put together now that Emilia Marie is in bed. She’s dressed down in leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, her dark curls piled on top of her head. She gives me a smile, taking a seat on the arm of Dante’s chair.
“How is everything?” she asks. “We heard about the Irish.”
“I was just updating Dante….” I trail off, not really wanting to repeat myself. Dante fills her in, telling her what I just told him moments before.
By the end of it, Sienna frowns, looking worried. “So Callahan wasn’t entirely honest with us about why he needs this alliance. It’s more than just needing financial support.”
I nod. “Looks like he also needs protection from a deal gone south with the Russians. And with us taking on the alliance….”
“That means we take on his debt as well,” Dante finishes. “And clearly, the Russians don’t want that to happen.”
“I think they were trying to take over Callahan’s businesses. Basically forcing him to go bankrupt so they’d be able to take everything. It can’t be a coincidence that his businesses started going under just after he made a deal with the Russians,” I add.
“And with us helping Callahan financially, that means the Russians won’t be getting what they want.” Sienna mulls this over, her long nails tapping against her thigh.
“So, what does this mean for us?” I ask. “What’s our next move?” I hold my breath waiting for their answer.
“You said Cara had no idea about her father’s plans?” Sienna asks.
“I don’t know. She was really upset after she found out. Told me everything.”
“Are you sure about that?” Dante doesn’t look convinced. “She could be working with her father. Only giving you enough information to stave off your suspicions.”
“But what she told me could put this entire alliance in jeopardy,” I point out. “Already, she’s admitted her father betrayed us. He withheld important information from all of us. They’d have to know we would end our agreement based on that alone.”
“So you think she told you this to gain your trust?” Sienna asks.
“I think,” I say slowly, “that Cara has been left in an impossible situation. Her father used her to gain an alliance based on half-truths. And, now that he’s come clean, that could possibly leave her without protection. I think Cara realizes that we might be her only option. She’s already been taken once by the Russians—they could very easily do it again if we back out of our end of the bargain.”
“You want to protect her.” Dante’s studying me with a look I can’t quite decipher.
“She’s innocent. Caught between her father’s lies,” I tell them honestly.
Sienna chews her bottom lip, thinking. “As much as I loathe the fact that Callahan kept this from us, I still think we should go ahead with the wedding.”
“What?” Dante’s head whips towards her, surprised. “If he’s kept this from us, who knows what else he’s hiding.”
Sienna stands, making her way over to the desk. “The Russians have already come after us. It’s no secret we’re probably on their list of targets, especially since we aren’t at our full strength just yet. Which means the Italians and the Irish have a common enemy.” She turns, planting her hands on her hips. “Even with Callahan’s lies, a marriage would solidify our ties with another family—one that at least gives us extra men. Two families against one Bratva—I like those odds a lot better than if we were all divided fighting a three-front war.”
She looks to me as if expecting an argument, but I actually agree with her. “She’s right.” Dante’s eyes narrow in on me now. “The Russians already attacked us before our alliance with the Irish. This will be one more reason for them to come after us. At least now we have the Irish on our side. And something tells me that Cara won’t be as willing to let her father screw her over a second time. I think she might be willing to work with us after he deceived her.”
Dante blows out a breath, leaning back into the chair. “If that’s what you want. You were the one against this whole plan in the beginning.”
“Yeah, well, I feel bad for her.” I shrug like it’s not that big of a deal, but I don’t miss the look they exchange.
“We’ll need to move the wedding up,” Sienna says finally. “The faster we can make this alliance legal, the quicker we’ll have backup from the Irish. Even with Callahan out for the moment. His underboss should be willing to work with us if Cara is tied to us. Not to mention, it’ll give Cara a bit more protection from the Russians.” She gives me a knowing look that I ignore.
“Alright,” Dante runs a hand through his hair, “looks like you’re getting married sooner than you thought.”
The idea doesn’t bug me as much as it had. “Cara’s at my place for now,” I tell them. “I figured it would be safer to keep her there than alone at her father’s house.”
“That’s good,” Sienna says, nodding. “Keep a detail on her at all times. I’ll text you more information about the new wedding date as soon as I speak to the vendors.” I stand, starting towards the door. “And Killian?”
I pause, hand hovering over the handle. Sienna leans against the desk, her arms crossed. “Make sure nothing happens to her. Or we’ll have to face the Russians on our own. If Callahan loses his only daughter, something tells me he won’t be so keen to work with us. It might even push him to ally himself with the Russians despite everything.”
“Will do.” I step out into the hall, waiting for Niccolo to follow. We leave, heading back as the sun disappears beyond the skyscrapers.
I’m not sure what I’ll be walking back into when we get home, but I know it probably won’t be good. Cara was pissed when we left, and I can only imagine what she’s done to get her revenge. I don’t even know how she’ll react to the news of the wedding being pushed up. She’d been against it as much as I had in the beginning, and I’m not so sure her feelings had changed that much, despite what’s happened between us. Cara values her freedom—she wouldn’t keep a whole other life outside of her father’s world for any other reason than that. And marrying me would take that away, especially with the threat of the Russians hanging over our heads.
