2. Eva
Eva
T he jet’s wheels screech against the tarmac as we touch down in Las Vegas. Through the small window, I watch the shimmering heat waves rise from the runway like wraiths dancing in the sun.
This isn’t my world. The air here tastes different—baked out and dry, tinged with the scorched earth. Everything about this place feels wrong to me. Always has. A desert wasteland that always made me long for the forests of home.
But Robin is here.
And for her, I’d journey to hell itself.
I’ve spent weeks trying to convince myself that I’d get over Robin Rivers. That she was just another girl, another temporary distraction. But I can’t lie to myself anymore.
Robin isn’t just another girl. She’s the girl. The only one who will ever matter.
And somewhere in this city, Robin is being held by people who think they can use her against me. They have no idea what they’ve unleashed.
I don’t bow to anyone. But for Robin, I’ll crawl. To Brie Colombo. To her allies. And even to her lover, Dominika Kusek, despite that woman’s disdain for me. I know she’s the one I’ll have to convince, the power behind the throne.
Halfway through the flight, Leon confirmed my worst fears: the Gattos have Robin.
He handed me his secure phone without a word, a photograph of Robin glaring at the camera, tied to a chair in some filthy room.
A copy of today’s paper in her lap to prove the date, and the accompanying text demanding that I cease all dealings with the Colombo Family and their allies immediately, or Robin will die.
I have never before felt the sensation I felt when I looked at that photograph.
I intend to make sure the Gattos feel every iota of pain that it caused me ten times over.
Once the plane is taxiing to the hangar, I’m out of my seat and waiting for the door to open.
At last it does, and the Nevada heat shoves in.
Leon falls into step behind me without a word.
I’m grateful for his presence, and even more so for his silence.
He’s barely said a word to me this flight, though I know he’s been making calls and setting up meetings for our arrival.
Uncle Stefan arrived about twenty minutes ago and will be waiting for us. I’ll be glad of his support, too.
A dry wind whips my hair across my face as I descend from the airplane, and I reach up to smooth it back with steady fingers. No one can see a tremor in my hands. No one can know that beneath this icy exterior, I’m terrified.
Terrified that we’re too late.
That Robin is already dead.
That I’ll never get to tell her what she really means to me.
The convoy is waiting, three black armored SUVs with tinted windows.
Uncle Stefan steps out of one and greets me with a hug and then a frown of concern as he pulls back to look at me.
I asked him to come to Vegas because I want the Gattos to know that the Consortium has a united front against them—and I want my potential allies to know the same.
The Novak Consortium is all-in.
“I assume you received their message?” Stefan says. “They sent a copy to me as well. A professional courtesy, I suppose.” His tone is dry, but his eyes are sharp. “I’m very sorry about the girl, Eva. But they’re using her to fracture our alliances here in the United States.”
“They won’t succeed.”
“Indeed, they will not,” he says, sounding relieved.
“We cannot give in to them—it would show weakness to every enemy we have. To abandon our allies now would be…strategically unsound. But Eva—you’re sure about this?
” Stefan lowers his voice, fingers squeezing at my arms. “There’s no turning back once we set this in motion. We cannot stop until the job is done.”
“We will see every last one of them dead,” I tell him.
He nods. “Your father would be proud. Let’s get them.”
My father. It takes me a moment to connect the dots. Stefan and I both swore vengeance on the Gattos in Zoltan Novak’s name, but my presence here has nothing to do with my father.
Still. If it makes Stefan more comfortable to focus on avenging my father than rescuing Robin, I won’t rock the boat.
“You should take another car,” I tell him, as he reaches for the car door handle. “Last time I was here, they tried to kill me on the road. If we both die together?—”
“Dimi would be the only one left to run the Consortium,” he finishes for me with a wry smile. “Yes. Perhaps we should travel separately.”
Leon opens the door of the middle vehicle for me and I slide in. The air conditioning hits me immediately, a blessed relief from the oppressive heat. But even as my body relaxes slightly, my mind remains on edge.
Before Robin entered my life, I thought power was the only thing that mattered. How different things were then. How simple.
How empty.
Now everything has changed. Robin changed me, whether she realizes it or not. She cracked something open inside me that I never even knew was there. And now she’s gone, taken by men who think they can use her sweetness, her light, as a weapon against me.
They’re right, of course. They can.
But they’re also fools if they think I won’t do whatever it takes to get her back.
The convoy pulls up to the front entrance of the Golden Sands Casino and Leon checks the streets carefully before he opens the door to let me out.
Uncle Stefan emerges from the second vehicle, his usually immaculate appearance slightly rumpled.
He looks around with obvious discomfort, his gaze lingering on the casino’s gaudy exterior.
“Welcome to Las Vegas, Uncle,” I murmur.
“Charming,” he replies dryly, adjusting his cuffs. “I can see why you keep coming back.”
We’re shown immediately to the boardroom where Brie Colombo likes to do business. She walks forward first to greet me as I enter, her platinum blonde hair shiny and perfectly styled. I can see a glint of amusement in her green eyes.
“Eva Novak in Vegas yet again?” she says as she takes my hand. “Admit it, you just can’t stay away from Sin City.”
I don’t respond to her jest. Instead, I take note of the others assembled in the room.
A few Colombo members, assembled to represent Brie’s power.
Dominika—Nik—Kusek’s tall frame is hard to miss, of course.
Her piercing blue eyes meet mine for a moment, neither warm nor hostile, just assessing.
She acknowledges me with a barely perceptible nod.
The figure standing apart from the group catches my attention next.
Hadria Imperioli leans against the other wall, her arms folded across her chest, studying me.
Her light gray eyes are almost silver, and her black hair is slicked back, showing off her sharp cheekbones.
Even relaxed, she radiates the kind of confidence that comes from years of commanding respect.
Now this is a woman I understand. And she seems to have a level of appreciation for me, too; she argued my side when Nik Kusek wanted to avoid the war with the Gattos.
Beyond her, at the back of the room, are her most trusted operatives: Lyssa and Scarlett.
The last time I encountered them, over a year ago, it wasn’t exactly a friendly meeting.
Lyssa—“The Wolf,” as she’s known—has the kind of reputation that makes even seasoned criminals nervous.
Her lover, Scarlett, moves with the easy grace of someone trained to kill.
Both of them dislike me, and they don’t bother to hide it as I grant them a cool smile. Because if they can help me get Robin back, I’ll set aside old grievances.
From the other side of the room, Juno Bianchi comes forward to greet me more warmly, kissing my cheek. “My wife, Caitlin,” she says, beckoning forward a woman with wild red hair. She’s a whirlwind of barely-contained energy, and when her bright blue eyes land on me, I see curiosity.
“So you’re Eva Novak, huh?” she says with a grin. “I just had to meet you. You’re smaller than I expected.”
I smile back. “You know what they say about small packages.”
Caitlin grins back, apparently delighted by the response. “Oh, I like you already.”
I glance at Juno, asking a question silently, and she just nods. “You can speak freely in front of my wife. I thought, given the nature of your predicament, that she might be of use.”
If Juno thinks she can help, I won’t argue. I introduce Uncle Stefan to those in the room who don’t know him, and then Brie, her smile diplomatic but genuine, gestures toward the table.
“Shall we take a seat? I imagine you’re eager to discuss business.”
Business. Such a clinical word for what I’m here to do.
As if rescuing the woman I love from sadistic kidnappers is just another transaction.
I wish it were. I wish I could control this treacherous heart, these turbulent emotions. Robin needs me at my cool-headed best today.
I take a seat at the bottom of the table, and Brie takes the head. The others arrange themselves between us.
Leon immediately moves to position himself where he can watch both the door and the windows. It’s an almost unconscious gesture, born from years of keeping me alive in hostile territory. I’m grateful for his vigilance, even as part of me wonders if it will be enough.
And as we settle around the table, I take a moment to study the assembled group.
These are all powerful people, and dangerous, too—killers, crime bosses, mercenaries.
They each have their own priorities. But Robin’s life hangs in the balance, and I need to persuade them that working with me is in their best interests—persuade every single one of them.
“Thank you all for coming,” I begin, my voice steady despite the chaos in my chest. “I am here because I need your help.”
I’ve built my entire life around never needing anyone, never showing weakness. But here I am, begging for assistance from people who have every reason to enjoy my downfall.
For Robin, I’ll swallow my pride.