It’s romantic homicide.
I once thought trust came before love, but now that both have been taken from me, I realize they happen at the same moment. Love is given within trust. It’s not immediate, but there’s no need for explanations. I didn’t need to declare my trust in Sloane—I just gave it to her. I started to see something with her.
I could see her by my side. She was loyal even when she was aggressive. But loyalty always has strings attached.
She trembles under her fear. I once thought she was strong, even when I didn’t want to admit it. How quickly the vision I had of her changed is beyond me.
I don’t fight it. I should have seen the signs. She deserves a shiny fucking medal for the way she blindsided me. It feels like I’ve been drinking acid for weeks on end. The pain is hard to swallow, but I have to.
All this time she’s been using my weaknesses against me, tearing me down until there was nothing left but bone. She accomplished what I intended to do to her before I was even capable of doing it.
I admire the brains behind her scheming.
From the moment my brother and father passed, I knew no one could ever amount to them. I’m all alone in this world, and it’s on me for thinking things could be different.
“There are many things in life I wish I could forget, Sloane. But I’ve got to tell you . . . ” I pause and choke back my anger. “Meeting you is the only one I can think of.”
Her face turns pink from the tears that stream down her face. I’ve never heard someone cry like this before.
“You met my sister. You met my niece. I let you in . . .” I say, defeated. “You,” I say with a laugh. “You did all this for Giovanni?”
She looks into my eyes, trying to find an emotion in mine to cling onto.
Lev was right from the beginning. It was fucking stupid of me to think I would have Sloane by my side. Of course, she’d do anything to protect Giovanni—just like everyone else on this fucking planet would.
“You’re just like the rest of them,” I tell her.
She walks up to me, placing her hands flat against my chest. Her lashes clump together, and she looks up at me with those doe eyes of hers.
I feel ashamed. The woman who grabs onto my shirt begs for my mercy. It’s a strange concept to wrap my mind around. I think I might have loved her . . . I would still do anything for her, but at the same time I can’t even stand to look at her.
She betrayed me.
She went behind my back and played me like a fucking puppet on strings.
It was my father’s doing, apparently. He wanted her by my side for some reason, but he would have told me. He would have told me what his fucking plan was.
Her head falls on my chest. A pained sound falls from her lips, but she knows not to say another word.
She took away my love for her. All because of Giovanni.
“Since you seem to care about him so much, you can cry at his funeral.”
Looking back at me, her mouth parts slightly, and she shakes her head. I take in a deep breath and grab onto her wrist. I lead her to the stairs, and she holds onto the railing with a strong arm.
“Mikhail, you need to listen to me,” she says with a broken voice.
When I lift her off the ground, her hands lose their grip on the railing, and I bring her upstairs.
“Your father was thinking of the Clarkes,” she tells me.
At this point, I don’t give a fuck what my father had planned. There is nothing but anger running through my mind.
Giovanni took absolutely everything from me. Even Sloane.
I throw her to the ground and stare at her. “I didn’t ask for much. I just wanted you,” I tell her, and I turn my back. “I hope he was worth it.”
Closing the door behind me, not taking a last look at her, I lock it.
I walk down the hall and hear her fists banging against the door. As I step down the stairs, Lev looks up at me and nods.
“You were right,” I tell him.
He shrugs. “No, I wasn’t. It was meant to happen this way.”
My eyes slam shut, and I chew on the inside of my lip. “You knew?”
He nods slowly. “I had to follow Pavel’s orders before yours, whether he was alive or dead. Her father was in on it too.”
Everything hits me at one. It makes sense now. That’s why her father asked what Pavel told me before he passed. That’s how Lev was able to get her clothes without her father complaining about me taking his daughter. He’s protected Sloane for her entire life—I should have known he wouldn’t lie low if I took her. Everything was in front of me the entire time.
My anger toward Sloane and Lev are different. I knew Lev was familiar with my father. There was room for understanding, and he would stick by my side through everything. But Sloane? All of this is because she wants to protect Giovanni.
My enemies should be her enemies, but they’re not. She doesn’t have my back like I have hers.
“Where are you going?” he asks as I open the front door.
“I’m going to make an agreement with the Clarkes, and then I’m going to Giovanni.”
Lev follows behind me, almost stepping on my feet. “You’re going to kill him?” he asks.
“Yup,” I tell him as I unlock the car and jump behind the wheel. “Pavel thought I needed him to keep the Clarkes at bay, but I don’t think I do. Giovanni isn’t worth any more thought than I’m already giving him.
Lev kicks his feet up on the dash and mutters, “Let’s do it.”
I step out the car, and he does the same.
I make sure my gun is tucked away in the waistband of my pants before walking inside. I could be stepping into a death trap, but I’ll take my chances.
A young woman with bright purple hair sits at the reception desk, and her eyes widen when she sees me walk in. I shoot her a smile in the hope she won’t ask any questions. The marble floor wraps around a corner, where I find four men. Exactly who I wanted to see.
“If it isn’t the most well-known man in New York,” Liam says, grabbing a cigar off the table in front of him. His hair is flame-red and his face lacks emotion.
“If it isn’t the man who lurks in the shadows,” I bite back.
He shrugs as a smile pulls on his lips. “It needed to be done. I don’t work with liars.”
“I’m not the liar. My family’s wrongs are not mine,” I say and take a moment to realize I said exactly what Sloane said to me once.
“Arseways.” He clicks his tongue. “You work in a different way, a better way. I like what you’ve done, lad.”
“Speaking of, I want to offer you something.”
“Let’s share a drink before you try to convince me of something,”
I force a smile. “Sure.” I grab two shot glasses from the table and pour a scotch.
Lev picks up a glass for himself.
“Nervous” isn’t the most accurate term to describe how I’m feeling. “Confident” might be better. I like the way this is going, but that could also be a scary thing. The Clarkes are unpredictable. Contracts don’t mean shit to them considering my side of the family and the Genoveses ruined one before. They probably feel they have the right to break another. Which is a valid point, but that doesn’t mean I like it.
I hold up my glass and knock it against his.
“Cheers,” he says, downing the entire thing as I do the same. “I’m going to assume this is about Sloane.”
I nearly cough up my drink. I feel it burning in my throat. I only guessed he knew about her, but I wasn’t sure. In fact, I was hoping I was only assuming the worst, but now . . . hearing her name come from his mouth just confirms my suspicions.
“Yes,” I admit. “I want to offer you a large sum of my profits.”
“Ah, the 324 Parkway property.”
I knew he’s been watching us. “Right. I believe the Valentino brothers want me to work with them. They liked my ideas.”
“And why do you think I want any kind of profit you make?”
“Come on,” I mutter. “We both know you’d take it with or without my help.”
He laughs. “How is it you know me so well but don’t know me at all?”
“I know enough,” I demand.
I know for a fact he’ll come for Sloane—she connects all the families. They feel she’s a threat, and she is. I can only hope this will push off his attack.
“What percentage would we get?”
“Twenty.”
“I want more.”
“Twenty-five. I won’t go higher,” I lie. I’d give the entire profit if it meant he’d stick to his word, but I know he won’t.
Why am I still willing to do all this for Sloane?
“Done.”
“You put a hand on Sloane, the deal is off,” I say despite my thoughts.
“I understand that.”
I nod. “I’ll have the information delivered to you soon. Thank you for meeting with me.” I stand up from the chair and straighten my suit.
“Mikhail.” Liam catches my attention. “I can’t promise my men won’t go after her. Just know that.”
“As I’ve said, you put a hand on her then the deal is off. I think it’d be in your best interests to control your men.” Without giving him a chance to say another word, I leave the building.
When I get back into the small car, Lev offers to drive. “Where to now?” he asks.
“They’ve got a ball tonight. I say we go.”
Because after escaping one death trap, of course I’m about to walk right into another . . .
