Chapter 31 #2
She spares me the briefest glance. “It’s okay, Roan. You played the long game, won my trust. It worked out in the end, didn’t it? I don’t care as long as my sister is safe. And she will be, if we work together.”
My throat tightens painfully. I should be glad she’s only freezing me out emotionally and still willing to cooperate. So why does breathing hurt so much? Why do my lungs burn and my heart ache as I look at her like this—closed off, distant?
“So, what’s the plan?” she asks, positioning herself next to Dhimiter’s chair.
“The plan?” he interjects before I can respond. “The plan is you get out of this office, go back to your room, and wait patiently like a good girl while we handle things. We don’t need you involved.”
She scoffs. “You don’t need me? That’s rich.
You wouldn’t even have that ledger if not for me.
Hell, if I’d decided to take it straight to Fabian along with the blueprint of this estate, he could have you all slaughtered in your sleep.
So excuse me if I’m not willing to leave my fate—and my sister’s fate—in your incompetent hands. ”
Dhimiter surges to his feet, his expression murderous. “You little bitch, you think—”
“Enough!” I grit out, done with their petty bickering.
My head is fucking pounding, pressure crushing my ribs, and I can’t think straight through the noise.
I rub a hand over my tight chest as I look at Katie.
“If you’re joining us, Katina, you’ll do everything I tell you to do.
Everything. No exceptions. I say jump, you ask how high. Can you do that?”
“Roan, no. She’ll only complicate things.”
“As long as my sister can be safely extracted from your evil uncle’s grasp,” she replies, putting her own condition on her obedience. “And I want to personally say hi to Fabian. He owes me a few things.” Her expression turns vicious.
“Absolutely not. We’re doing this my way.
You don’t interact with Fabian at all. You don’t even get within sight of him.
That’s non-negotiable.” I keep my gaze locked on hers so she understands I mean it.
She glares at me with pure fire, but she doesn't argue.
Some of the tension finally bleeds out of my shoulders.
“You can’t seriously be considering working together with her, can you? Is this another trick?” Dhimiter asks in frustrated Albanian.
“Let it be, Dhimiter,” I reply in English, making sure Katie understands I’m not hiding anything from her now.
“So, the plan?” she repeats with strained patience as she perches on the last available armchair in the office.
I draw a breath and line my thoughts up.
“Kayla is being held in an abbey on Long Island—one Fabian’s been funneling money into for years.
He practically saved the place from going under, so chances are the monks and nuns there are quite loyal to him.
Or at the very least, afraid to cross him.
Which means they probably won’t release your sister unless Fabian gives the order himself.
” I watch her closely as I continue. “So this is the plan. You’ll go to the abbey to get Kayla out.
While you’re doing that, I’ll confront Fabian. ”
It’s time my uncle and I have a little tête-à-tête. His absence at the funeral wasn’t just noticed, it was loud enough for even Elira to comment on it.
Katie nods thoughtfully, tapping her index finger against her chin. “I understand. I’ll disguise myself as a nun to gain access to the abbey. Once I’m in, I’ll look for Kayla and get both of us out of there.”
It sounds deceptively simple when she says it like that.
But I know it will be anything but. “It might be dangerous,” I warn her seriously.
“We don’t know if Fabian has his men stationed at the abbey.
” If it were me, I know I would. “Maybe you should hang back. My men and I will get to Fabian first, then your sister. Just… stay here.” Where you’ll be safe.
She glowers at me, scoffing. “As if I would trust you with my sister’s life after finding out you’ve been lying to me all along.”
“We’ll all need to be careful,” Dhimiter interjects, his tactical mind already working through scenarios.
“Long Island is Fabian’s territory despite the presence of other ruling families there.
Once we cross into his domain, we’re on our own.
Anything can happen, and backup will be difficult if things go sideways.
” His gaze moves between Katie and me as he gets to his feet.
Then without another word, he leaves the office, closing the door behind him, leaving us alone.
Katie immediately stands, and I follow suit. “Katina, you—”
“Don’t call me that,” she interrupts sharply. “It’s fine. Really. Let’s just focus on rescuing my sister, and then we can all go our separate ways.”
It sounds so final. Too final. My heart thuds in my ears as she turns to leave. On impulse, I grab her arm, and the glare she shoots me could make a lesser man flinch. But not me. I’m Roan fucking Permeti.
“Listen to me, I—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Roan.
I can imagine how it all went down. You discovered who I was and decided to get close to me to find out my mission in your estate.
You seduced me to control me. It worked.
There’s nothing left to say.” She pauses, and her next words hit like knives.
“I know I mean nothing to you, and that’s fine. I can live with that.”
That’s the bone of contention, isn’t it?
She’s not nothing to me.
My throat closes as I watch the resolute, stubborn determination in her eyes. She’s not going to listen to anything I have to say. Not right now anyway.
So I do the only thing I can—I let her go.