Chapter 39
ROMAN
I exhale slowly as I look up into the chilly autumn night, lower Manhattan buzzing around me. Behind me, the door to the nondescript building shuts with a soft click. I pull my jacket around my shoulders a little more tightly.
This plain, boring building acts as one of several entrances to the underground space that houses the Black Court, which has just adjourned for the night after a trial.
The guilty tonight chose “flight” through the maze, which gave Nero one of his psycho boners. Fuck, he loves the thrill of the hunt.
But it’s not anything about the trial or the chase this evening that has me fighting to control my breathing and keep my pulse in check.
It’s that this was the first Black Court session since I officially quit drinking six weeks ago. Of course, the guys have all rallied behind me, to the point of unanimously suggesting that the pre-parties no longer have alcohol available. I put the brakes on that.
I don’t need to be coddled. I don’t want kid gloves or safety railings. Because the world isn’t going to give me those. The world is going to continue to scream at me to drink drink drink, because it’s cool, sexy, and will cure all my problems.
That’s just the way it is.
So, no; while I appreciate the way my friends have shown they’re happy to help me with my sobriety, I don’t need their assistance. Which means tonight was my first foray back into a social situation with alcohol flowing freely around me.
And I was…okay.
Not great. Not perfect. I’d be a lying piece of shit if I said I didn’t catch the scent of whiskey at some point and fucking want a goddamn drink so bad I would have killed for it.
But I didn’t take it.
I stayed in control.
This demon inside will not fucking kill me.
I grin as I pull my muted phone out of my pocket and see the text waiting from Val.
Val
How’d it go? U ok?
Val doesn’t know all the details of what I was doing tonight, just that it was “mafia-related”, and that I was with the guys. I haven’t told him about the Black Court yet.
That’s a hard rule the five of us made at the beginning. The whole point is that when we’re down there with our masks on, adjudicating the accused, we’re not the heirs or leaders of the various families we belong to.
We’re impartial, faceless judges of the shadows.
So right from the beginning we agreed that we’d never tell anyone—not good buddies or best friends, not girlfriends, nobody. We’ve amended that over the last year to make exceptions for relationships that are clearly for life. Lyra, for example, as Carmine's wife, knows. So do Milena and Naomi.
I want to tell Val. I want to tell him every fucking detail about me. I want to open my life up to him and let him peek around inside. But the Court?
I don’t know if we’re there yet. Close. But I don’t know, and I have to be certain before I share this part of me.
Me
OMG, I’m wasted. So drunk. Barf. Puke. Tequila shots.
Val
That’s not even funny, dickhead.
Me
LOL, it’s a little funny?
Me
No, it went fine. I mean, yeah, I was tempted. But I was okay.
Val
I’m really fucking proud of you. Seriously. You amaze me, wreckage.
I grin, feeling my face throb with heat.
Me
Couldn’t be doing any of it without you.
Me
I love you
Val
Love you too
I grin wider, rolling my eyes at myself as I close the phone and slip it into my pocket.
“Yeah, he can have that effect on people.”
I whirl, startling as Vaughn Bancroft slips quietly from the shadows.
Jesus, it’s spooky how similar he and Val look.
I mean, not twin level, but it’s real fucking close.
The exact same facial bone structure. Same eyes.
Same build. They even have similar tattoos on their necks.
The only differences seem to be that Vaughn’s forearms and hands are totally bare of ink, and I can’t picture Val in a Bond-villain style three-piece suit, which is Vaughn’s go-to.
Val hasn’t told me a lot about his brother and their relationship. But he’s told me enough that I know Vaughn is a goddamn psychopath, and I really don’t like the way he clearly uses Val’s need for love and family to his advantage.
“At least, I assume the smile and vague flush in your face are due to my brother,” he says with a smug smirk.
My hands close to fists as I take a step toward him. But Vaughn just shakes his head and holds his hands up, palms facing toward me.
“I know you think otherwise, Roman, but I really didn’t have anything to do with the firebombing of your father’s safe house.”
My eyes narrow. “You’ll forgive my skepticism.”
He shrugs casually. “Would it ease your mind if I showed you concrete proof that neither I nor the Obsidian Syndicate was involved?”
“I think I’m wondering why, if you had proof that you had nothing to do with almost killing my father, you wouldn’t have shown it to me before.”
Vaughn smiles flatly. “Perhaps, Roman, it’s because I’m simply unbothered about your thoughts either way.”
My jaw grinds. “Well? Let’s see it.”
He chuckles quietly. “That’s not actually why I’m here.”
“I can’t imagine what else we’d have to talk about,” I growl.
His brows arch. “No? Not even the fact that you’re sleeping with my brother?”
I know he knows about Val and me. He was at the party the other day, but it still feels like he’s throwing it out there like it’s leverage.
“Not, of course, that my brother discusses that with me.” He smiles cooly at me. “Oh don’t take that personally, by the way. I’m sure he’s very proud to be with—”
“Enough with the fucking head games, Vaughn,” I grunt. “Yeah, I’m with Val. Which you already know.”
“Congratulations.”
I smirk coldly. “That why you stalked me tonight? To dramatically emerge from the shadows and congratulate me for dating your brother?”
His head cocks to the side. “Why not? You wouldn’t stalk a man through the shadows to confront him if you were presented with evidence that he was sleeping with your sister, Evelina?”
My eyes darken. “If you’re smart, you won’t involve my sister’s name in any of this,” I growl.
Vaughn exhales. “Like it or not, Roman, your involvement with Val complicates a certain…rivalry between my organization and your own.”
“You mean trying to cozy up to Cosimo Sangrini.”
He smiles. “That’s no crime. I believe your family is doing the exact same thing.
Or was, before you and my brother managed to scare off your fiancée.
” He smirks at the dark look on my face.
“Relax, Roman. I’m fully aware of your arrangement with Ms. Lukashova.
She’s quite happy with Maks, by the way, if you were curious. I’m sure she sends her regards.”
I level a look at him. “Why are you here, Vaughn. I don’t for second think it’s to give me the ‘stern big brother’ talk regarding Val.”
Vaughn appraises me coolly, not saying anything immediately.
“You’re going to make a very good pakhan, Roman,” he finally says. He lifts a shoulder and cocks a brow. “Well, could. I’m not sure how progressive the Bratva is these days when it comes to an openly gay leader. You’d know better than me.”
This fucking guy and his head games.
“I’m leaving,” I mutter. “I’ll tell Val you said hi.”
I turn and start to walk away.
“That thing we both want, Roman?”
I pause mid-step, exhaling as I turn to look back at him.
“Sangrini’s ear and favor?” He shrugs. “It’s not going to happen, for either of us. For anyone. We’re chasing an impossibility. Cosimo Sangrini is utterly beyond corruption. The entire Sangrini family is, has been for centuries. It’s why they’ve remained the shadowy power they are.”
I smile crisply. “I’m sure the impossibility of him forming an allegiance with you is why you’re still throwing him lavish parties at your mansion in the mountains.”
Vaughn’s lips curl up at the corners. “That makes you angry?”
“It makes me doubt any of the bullshit that just came out of your mouth.”
Vaughn exhales slowly. “I’m going to tell you this because I believe sooner than later it will be you sitting on the Nikitin throne. And when you are, I think you and I could have a very mutually beneficial relationship.”
I snort. “You want to be allies—”
“No, I want us to have a mutually beneficial relationship. There’s a difference,” he says flatly.
I hold his gaze. “No promises. But…fine. What is it you wanted to tell me.”
“Simply that I’ve never had any hopes of currying favor with Cosimo Sangrini. But so long as your family thought I did…” He shrugs eloquently.
I stare at him. “You did all of that to—what, fuck with my family?”
“To shake the tree, Roman,” he growls. “And see which pakhan fell out.”
I laugh coldly. “And Val? You were totally fine with your own brother being an pawn in your little war games?”
“Whatever you think of me, Roman,” Vaughn growls, “I love my brother. I would do anything for him.”
A raging animal snarls inside me.
“Anything meaning leave him for dead while you escaped with the criminals who’d turned you into child drug traffickers?
Anything like run off to your lavish life climbing the ranks of your little 'brotherhood' while your actual fucking brother was thrown to the goddamn wolves in the foster system!?”
I’m seeing red. My fucking veins throb as I look at Vaughn with malice and fury in my eyes.
“Fuck you,” I snarl. “You left him! Do you have any fucking idea of the shit he had to go through, the monsters he had to fight, and—”