Chapter 3
Three
LUKA
PRESENT DAY
I stepped onto the portico as the Amato maid closed the door behind me with a gentle, “Good night, sir.”
The fountain splashed in the circle drive. I was certain that searing sensation in the back of my head was the glare from Ciro’s eyes boring bullet holes into my skull. He was nearby watching me. Ensuring I left the Amato compound. He was one of the things I did not miss about New Orleans.
I jogged down the steps toward my car. As I slid into the back seat I replayed those last minutes with Amara.
“That’s not how this is going to work.” My fingers grasped her waist. “We have more to discuss, and we weren’t finished. Far from it. I expect to see you tomorrow for dinner.”
“Are you summoning me?” she asked.
“I’m not asking again, Amara.” I kissed her cheek. “With me, you must remember you do as you’re told.”
I saw the way her eyes lit. It was only a second, but the flame was there. It excited her. It was real.
“ W here are we going, sir?” my driver asked.
“I need to see Viktor.”
“The Novikov compound, then.”
“No,” I corrected him. “I need to meet him somewhere else.” After my mother’s performance last night, I wasn’t comfortable carrying out family business in close proximity to her. “The Vieux Carre.”
“Yes, sir.”
If I was going to take back what belonged to the Novikovs I needed to reacquaint myself with the territory Amara had stolen.
Every part of her had seeped into my skin and worked its way right back to my soul. I pulled out my phone to give Vicktor the meeting update, but quickly shot off a text to Amara first.
I want you in red tomorrow night.
My jaw tightened as I watched the little bubbles dance back and forth on the screen.
I don’t think I asked you to dress me.
She was testing me. Pushing me.
I will dress you and undress you how I like. Wear the red.
The bubbles began and then disappeared. I growled at the phone just as Nikoli called.
“Yes,” I answered. I couldn’t ignore my Sovietnik no matter how much I wanted Amara.
“There’s a situation in France. I just got off the phone with Roman.”
“I’ll be at the Vieux Carre in twenty minutes. Meet me there,” I explained.
“The Vieux Carre?” He sounded surprised.
I sucked air through my teeth. “Yes. Unless you have something more important to do, Nik.”
“I’ll be there.”
He hung up and I stared at the phone. No response from Amara. She was trying my patience. That would only last for so long. She had agreed to dinner tomorrow night. If not for an emergency she was called away for, we’d still be in that bedroom. Fuck. I stared at the ceiling.
I chose a table in the corner of the Vieux Carre’s bar. The curved bench was tufted in velvet. Each accent was lush. Rich. Nik arrived first.
“I ordered bourbon,” I explained.
“Thank you.”
The waitress brought our drinks and moved to serve a nearby table where three ladies were having evening cocktails. The boutique hotel was everything it should be. Amara had left no detail overlooked. It was stunning. Perfect. I didn’t want to admit my father wouldn’t have been able to come close to renovating it to this level. His only ambition was to capture what was beneath our feet—the tunnels.
“What’s the problem in France?” I asked.
Nik leaned back in his seat swishing the bourbon over a few ice cubes in the glass. “It seems since you left there has been unrest amongst the recruits. There is uncertainty.”
“Uncertainty? I don’t understand. They are there to train. To become Bratva.”
“It’s not with the men. It’s Roman.”
“What the fuck does Roman want?” He was my brigadier in France. The other three remained in New Orleans. It was a system my father used, and I planned to continue as long as it produced the men we needed.
I wasn’t under the impression things couldn’t change. If I found one crack in the armor, I would rebuild and reconstruct it the way I wanted it. I swallowed the bourbon, realizing that was exactly what Amara had done while I was away. She had created her own system brick by brick until she designed what suited her interests.
My father had failed to adjust or adapt while I was gone. It was why we were in this fucking mess. I would not follow in his footsteps. I would not fail the family the way he had done.
If Nikoli was concerned about Roman, I would listen. I trusted him. He had taken care of Amara and pledged her safety to me. For that, I would always trust him. I had never regretted seeking justice for Ivan’s death. What I had done to Amara, however, haunted me with nearly every breath.
“Roman wants to travel to New Orleans.”
I stared at my Sovietnik. “No.”
Nik raises his hands. “Do you want to hear what his reasons are?”
“Not especially. But I assume you’re going to tell me anyway.”
He nodded. “It is my job to make sure the Brigadiers are heard.”
“Continue.”
This dynamic in our relationship was new. To have full authority over Nik, the accountant, and all the Brigadiers and their teams was a role I’d always been prepared to assume, but the sudden death of my father was something the others had to get used to first. They hadn’t trained for this moment the way I had. They weren’t born to run the Novikovs. I was.
It was my birthright. It was in my DNA.
“Roman is concerned that the training center will be forgotten now that you’re back in the U.S. He wants to meet with you.”
My brow furrowed. “How could I ever forget the castle? The vineyards? I just spent five years there. Training Bratva is what makes me different than all the other Pakhans. I understand what it’s like to be a soldier. I know their mindset. Their dedication. Their full loyalty to the Novikovs like no one else.”
Nik nodded. “You do. The men respect you for it. I see it as an advantage.”
“They why does Roman need to come here? We could discuss this over the phone.” It seemed like an excessive request.
“He wants my position here. He wants to be the third Brigadier in New Orleans, ensuring he’ll always have your ear and the influence to keep the training impenetrable. He knows you haven’t made a selection yet.”
My phone vibrated on the table. I lifted it and read the text from Amara.
If you want to undress me, then I’ll wear what I want.
I closed my eyes and suppressed a growl. She was going to push and taunt at every turn.
You’re playing a dangerous game, kotyonok.
“What should I tell him?”
I rubbed the side of my jaw. “I’ll think about it.”
I rose from the table and headed toward the concierge. Right now, I had something else on my mind. Taming the queen wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.