Chapter 18 Eli #2
“On New Year’s Day, you met with Alastor just hours before he met with Madeleine,” Vin states as he leans forward.
Mikhail’s expression darkens. “How do you know this?”
“We have our ways.” Silence ensues, and Vin leans back in his chair.
“The next day, their engagement was announced.” He clasps his hands together, his eyes sending an ominous message to each brother.
“I don’t claim to be the brains of my family, but it’s not too difficult to put the two pieces together.
So, it’s time for you to tell us what game you’re playing. ”
Kazimir pulls a knife from his pocket and taps the blade against his knee.
“You think you can come into our home and tell us what the fuck to do?” He waves the knife animatedly.
“That’s not how this fucking works.” He points the tip of the blade directly at Vin.
“I should kill you right now for insulting us.”
Vin grins. “Ah, but you can’t.”
“Yeah?” Emil asks. “Why the fuck not?”
“Because then you would be violating your contract with my dear cousins, the Marchettis,” he explains. “And trust me, you do not want to make enemies of them.”
Kazimir turns to Mikhail. “What the hell is he talking about?”
Mikhail sighs, lowering his head. “Well played, Vincenzo.”
I glance between the Alarie men, feeling confused about what Vin is referring to.
“Mikhail…” Luka steps toward his brother and looks down at him. “The only active contract we have with the Marchettis is regarding Liliya.” He then turns his gaze to Vin. “You don’t mean to tell me that this asshole—”
“Yes,” Mikhail clips. “This asshole is going to be your future brother-in-law.”
Well, shit.
Kazimir doubles over in laughter. “How the fuck did Marco get out of that?”
“We needed a favor, and the Marchetti family never just does anything out of the goodness of their hearts,” Vin clarifies. “He wanted out of the marriage contract. I took his place. Simple.”
“Yeah, there’s just one problem,” Luka says seriously, crossing his arms over his chest. “She ran away months ago, and we can’t fucking find her.”
“That’s not my problem,” Vin responds, waving his hand dismissively.
“The contract is still valid. So, it’s in your best interest not to kill me so that when your sister decides to return home, we can marry.
Considering, of course, that she even wants to.
If she doesn’t, you’ll have to find someone to replace me because I won’t be forcing her hand. ”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, Vincenzo Alarie has a fucking heart after all,” Kazimir says with mock laughter.
“Having a heart in this world only makes you soft,” Mikhail adds. “Have you gone soft, Vincenzo?”
Leo slams his hand down on the desk. “You’re clearly well-versed in contracts, so whatever the agreement is between Alastor and Madeleine, we want it to be immediately nullified.”
Mikhail shakes his head. “We have nothing to do with the contract. We’re only the contingency should she decide not to walk down that aisle.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I demand.
“It means.” Amusement spreads across Kazimir’s face. “If the wedding doesn’t happen, Madeleine loses. Game over for her.”
Vin’s chair crashes back as he stands, towering over Kazimir, his last bit of restraint vanishing. “If you lay a finger on her head, I will annihilate you!” Vin roars. “I will use your fucking knife to shred you into pieces and feed you to my dogs! Capisce?”
Kazimir does the one thing you don’t do after a man threatens your life. He smiles. “It’s not her head you should be worried about.”
Vin gets within inches of his face. “I am going to be your worst fucking nightmare. Mark my words, Kazimir, you will regret ever getting on my bad side.” Mauro places a hand on his shoulder, reining him in.
Vin’s gaze travels over the room, landing on each of the Vasiliev brothers.
“I will tell you the same thing I told your worthless father. If you ever threaten one of my family members again, you risk a war with the Alaries, and believe me when I tell you, you won’t fucking win! ”
“I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time coming here today as we have no information to provide you,” Mikhail informs him calmly. “Perhaps you should call next time to save yourself the trip.”
“This wedding is not happening. Not over my dead body,” Vin declares, his chest heaving.
Mikhail shrugs. “I can arrange that.” The door opens, and three guards step inside with their guns raised. “Please escort our guests out. Our meeting is concluded.”
As I stand, Kazimir stares at me intently while speaking in a hushed whisper to his brother.
I glare at him before following the others onto the elevator in silence, the guards trailing behind us. It isn’t until we’re safely inside our vehicle that we finally speak.
“Well, at least now we know for certain that there is a contact behind this marriage and that the Vasilievs are involved.” Leo rubs his hand over his temple. “I think it’s time we ask Madeleine what the fuck is going on.”
“We can’t.” Vin shakes his head. “With our luck, it will only make her move the wedding up.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Fucking Kazimir always gets under my skin.”
“But, hey,” Leo says, smiling. “At least you stayed calm.”
“Vin’s right,” I add, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Madeleine needs to be the one who calls this wedding off. For whatever reason, she hasn’t felt like she could come to any of us for help, and that doesn’t sit right with me.”
“But what if she doesn’t call it off?” Leo asks. “She’s pretty fucking stubborn.”
I look out the window. “We give her until two days before to come to us. But we can’t wait any longer than that. If she doesn’t come to us by then, we handle things our way.”
“Agreed,” Vin responds, accelerating onto the highway.
I lean back in my seat. “So, speaking of stopping a wedding, when were you going to let me in on the fact that you’re currently in an arranged marriage contract?”
“When the time was right,” Vin responds.
“And back there, that was when the time was right?”
He nods. “Exactly.”
“So when is this happening?”
“It’s not,” he states matter-of-factly.
My brows furrow in confusion. “But the contract with the Marchettis—”
“You heard Liliya’s brothers. They can’t find her. She ran away, and with any luck, she won’t return, which means I’m in the clear and can continue living out my single life while honoring the contract.”
Leo glances at me in the rearview mirror and rolls his eyes.
I grin. “Do you even know what she looks like?”
“No, and I don’t care to find out.”
Mauro grunts, shaking his head.
“Apparently, no one does,” Leo answers. “Well, besides her brothers since she’s never been seen in public. Who knows? Maybe she doesn’t even exist.”
I drag my fingers through my hair as I look out the window, trying but failing to understand how everything is connected.
Why would Madeleine agree to this? Why would she be okay with spending the rest of her life stuck by Alastor’s side?
And why the fuck would she go to him for help and not me?
Suddenly, Kazimir’s words echo in my mind: “It’s not her head you should be worried about. ”
What the hell did he mean by that?
Dread coils tightly in my stomach as I grip the ends of my hair. Frustration and fury swirl together within me, seizing my chest. I feel on the verge of—
“What time’s your flight?” Leo’s voice interrupts my thoughts.
I rub a hand over my sternum as I let out a heavy breath. “At two. Should land right around nine.”
“What is it they say over there? Happy Christmas?” Vin asks, grinning.
“Yeah,” I mutter, my chest tightening at the thought of leaving Madeleine here while I’m thousands of miles away. “You’re sure you guys don’t need me to stay?”
“No,” Leo replies. “Go see your family. You haven’t been home since the summer. We’ve got everything handled here.”
“Yeah. Right. Okay.”
He arches a brow. “Everything okay?”
I nod. “Of course. Just not looking forward to a crowded flight,” I lie.
Because everything is not okay. Not by a long fucking shot.
Not until I put an end to this goddamn wedding once and for all.