Satin Princess(80)

“Your baby saved you,” Lev says. “It’s almost poetic.”

“Getting soft in your old age, Lev?”

“Getting tired,” he corrects.

“Yeah, you and me both.”

He drops into the armchair opposite me. “We’ll get her, Anton.”

“I know we will,” I say, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. “It’s just a matter of when.”

“The woman certainly knows how to hold a grudge. This could go on forever if we don’t stop it.”

“This is my fault,” I growl. “I should have killed her the day she crashed my meeting. I had her on the table, my hands wrapped around her neck. I should have choked the life out of her.”

“She was pregnant.”

I can feel the ripple of guilt, but I push past it. “Then I should have contained her in a room. Locked her in there until she carried the baby to term.”

Lev raises his eyebrows. “You’re telling me you would have killed her the moment she gave birth?”

“I’m saying I could have. Women die having babies,” I point out. “I could have concocted a story that would have made sense to Rodion. He would have believed me.”

“Would he, though?” Lev questions. “He knew how bad your relationship was.”

“You know what? At this point, I don’t fucking care. Even if killing her had incited a war with the Ivanovs, it would have been worth it.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do, actually,” I say, standing up. “Being rid of her and making sure Jessa is safe would have been worth it.”

“That’s your fear talking.”

“What do I have to be scared about?” I demand, turning on Lev.

He stays glacially cool. “Because for the first time in your life, you have something to lose.”

I think about Jessa and the child she’s carrying. She’s sleeping upstairs in my bed and it was still hard for me to walk away and come down to this meeting. I want to be with her all the time. I want to watch over her, protect her.

Because anything can fucking happen. Anyone can betray you.

The door opens without warning and Yulian walks in. There’s a layer of sweat on his forehead that tells me he’s just found out what happened.

“Is everyone okay?” he asks, looking between Lev and me. “Jessa?”

“Upstairs sleeping,” I answer gruffly. “Where were you?”

“In the meeting with the Turks,” he says. “I was expecting you to join, remember?”

“Fuck,” I growl, running a hand through my hair. “How’d it go?”

“I negotiated a longer contract and a discount on our next shipment. There’s a change in the leadership hierarchy that’s going to come into effect next year, but I’ll explain it to you later.”

I stare at my brother, grateful that he has my back even after everything that has happened. Maybe Lev and Jessa are right. Maybe I have been too hard on him.

“They’re gone now?”

“The Turks? Yeah. Is the baby okay?”

“I had the doctor come in and examine her. There was no bleeding, no sign of distress. The baby is fine.”

“He’s strong,” Yulian says. “Like his father.”

He comes around the sofa and I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

Yulian looks shocked for a second. “For what?”

“For holding down the fort for me,” I say. “I don’t say it enough.”

He raises his eyebrows. “So I’m not a screw-up all the time then?”

“Not all the time,” I say with a small smile. “Just most of it.”

“I’ll take it.” He sinks into the sofa, taking the spot that I’d been sitting in. His left leg bounces wildly, and I can tell he’s agitated, too.

“What are your spies saying?” I ask. “Both of you have teams on the lookout for Marina, right?”

“Nothing has changed in the last few days,” Lev says regretfully. “Every time I get a lead, it goes nowhere. It’s like she’s evaporating every time we close in on her.”

“How is that possible?” Yulian asks.

“She may have someone on the inside,” I growl.

“The men that were loyal to Marina were weeded out the moment she left this house,” Yulian points out. “I saw to that myself.”

“I did, too,” Lev adds.

“Which means she’s got a powerful ally at her back,” I say. “There’s no way she’s doing this on her own.”

“What if…”

I look at Yulian expectantly. “What if what?”

“What if Yaromir is playing a double game?” he asks. “What if he’s feigning ignorance but he’s aware that Marina is alive?”

I glance over at Lev. He shrugs. “It’s possible. He’s her cousin. Family is family.”

“But you don’t think it’s likely, do you?”

“Yaromir was not raised for this life. He is the nephew of a don. He’s not trained or experienced. He may have power, wealth, and influence now, but he’s not brave or smart enough to understand what he can do with them. Allying with you is the smartest move for him right now.”