Chapter 71
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
Drago
I drag Lily back to me across the center console for one more kiss before she goes.
“I won’t be long,” I whisper against her lips. “I’ll come straight back here for you.”
“You better,” she murmurs, smiling. “Hallie’s making us all lunch, so I’ll make sure they save you some.”
I can’t help the grin that pulls at my mouth. “Okay, baby. Have a nice day.”
I kiss her once more. She’s happy. She’s safe. Spending the day inside Decadence with her best friends.
And I can go do damage control with Declan and Enzo without my chest feeling like it’s being ripped open.
Her hands frame my face, her eyes soft. “You look so handsome today.”
I bite my lip. “That’s what happens when I get some sleep cuddling the love of my life.”
She blushes, and it hits me again. How easily she lights up my world. Like she was made to soften the sharp edges of me.
One benefit of Lev knowing the truth? We don’t have to hide. I don’t have to sneak around my own damn house like a teenager.
Lily studies me for a beat, like she sees the weight sitting behind my eyes. “We’ll speak to my father later,” she says gently. “I can tell it’s killing you not speaking to him.”
I exhale, slow.
It is.
More than I thought it would.
I run my fingers along the back of her hand before I force myself to pull away. “He’ll come around,” I murmur. “He’ll just… want to kill me less.”
But I’m not confident.
“I best get in there.” She smiles again, bright and brave. “Have a good day. I love you.”
My chest tightens so hard it’s almost painful. “I love you,” I tell her, voice rough. “With everything.”
Then I sit back and watch as Conan opens the door for her. She turns, gives me a little wave, and I blow her a kiss.
Conan pretends to catch it with a wink.
I laugh under my breath.
The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind, but you can always rely on Conan to lighten the mood, even when everything else is ready to burn.
I drive straight to Declan’s house and park up. I’m never nervous. But I am for this. I have no regrets leaving that meeting to get to Lily. Not a fucking chance. She needed me.
But the Quinns needed me too, and I left them short. A sacrifice I’ll carry.
Declan opens the door before I even knock. His face is thunder.
Then Isabella comes barreling around the corner and slams straight into my legs. “Uncle Drago!” she squeals.
I chuckle, scooping her into my arms. “How’s my little fighter?” I ask.
She giggles. “I’m good! I’ve been practicing some moves Mommy taught me. She said I’ll be able to knock you down soon.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Oh, did she now?”
She nods confidently. “Yep. I’m the best.”
I press my finger to her button nose. “Yes. You are the best, Isabella.”
Declan gestures for me to come inside, his expression easing as soon as he sees his kid safe in my arms. Charlotte rounds the corner, smiling.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Have you been questioning my skill, Charlotte?”
Her eyes go wide. “Me? No. Never.”
“Yes, you did, Mommy!” Isabella chirps.
We all laugh.
I set her down and crouch. “I need to talk to your Daddy real quick, then you can show me your dance routines when we’re done, yeah?”
Her eyes light up. “Yes! Yes! I learned a new one!” She bolts off towards her playroom.
Charlotte tucks herself into Declan’s side, and seeing them like this happy and safe—it hits me right in the gut.
This is what I want. This kind of future.
“Drago,” Charlotte says softly, “You’re looking...”
I tilt my head. “Like I’ve slept?”
Declan looks at her, questioning. Charlotte shakes her head. “Happier.”
I nod once.
Declan kisses her forehead, then turns and heads for his office. I follow him in, and he shuts the door behind us.
He sits behind his desk. I drop onto the leather couch.
“Declan… I’m sorry about yesterday,” I say immediately. “Lily needed me.”
Declan leans back in his chair, studying me. “I get it. If it were Charlotte, I would’ve done the same.” He pauses. “Well this escalated quickly, I had no idea you and Lily would be so…”
“Serious?” I finish.
“Yeah.” His gaze stays locked on mine. “You can talk to me, Drago. I’m not just your boss. We’re family.”
It hits like a knife to the ribs.
Family.
Something I never thought I’d have. Not here. Not in America.
I clear my throat, my jaw tight. “I’m not used to this… talking dynamic.”
Declan lets out a low laugh. “We had to learn. The more secrets you keep, the more it hurts everyone.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah. I just learned that head-on.”
His brow lifts. “Lev found out.”
I don’t bother denying it. “Yeah.”
“Oh shit.”
“It went as badly as you imagine,” I mutter.
Declan exhales. “Does that change anything with Lily?”
“No.” The word is immediate. Absolute.
I rest my ankle on my knee, grounding myself. “What did I miss from the meeting? What do you need me to do?”
Declan’s mouth curls into something wicked. “You’ll be in the peace talks with us. Everyone else will be surrounding the church or Decadence.”
I nod. “And who’s taking the Preacher out?” My voice drops. “When do we do it?”
Declan takes a slow breath. “Once the Preacher identifies himself, we’ve got men waiting at the border,” he says. “They take him and his men out before he even gets back into Ohio. But the peace talks remain peaceful. We keep the lie intact.”
I clasp my hands together, thinking fast. “And what if his plan is the same?” I press. “What if he plans to wipe us out the second we walk out of the church?”
Declan scoffs. “You think Enzo didn’t cover every eventuality? We’ve got armored trucks and an army surrounding us. Our city is on fucking lockdown. Eyes and ears everywhere. Every bar on our payroll is reporting.”
He holds my gaze. “We’re the good guys in this battle.”
I snort. “That makes a change.”
“The Preacher knows we have the advantage,” Declan continues. “He knows our faces. He knows we outnumber him. That we hold the power—not just here, but across the states. He wants his business to keep going. He wants money, control over his people… not war with us.”
“And Tatiana?” I ask.
Declan scrubs a hand over his stubble. “What about Tatiana? She gets that necklace. Your debt is paid. She’s not our problem.”
I sigh. No one quite understands what it’s like to truly be in the sights of Tatiana. The lies she tells. The way she manipulates. The power she holds. Russia is her starting point. If they think she won’t build an army to come here, they’re mistaken.
“If she delivers us the Preacher, I owe her the necklace, yes. She’s sending one of her men in with the Preacher. She’s going to have eyes and ears on us… an advantage.”
My jaw tightens. We cannot let her have anything on us. Not if I want freedom in my near future. Although I have leverage on her. Things I will take to my grave to keep Lily safe.
“Enzo said no. She’s not having the necklace.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter. “Declan, I told him. Tatiana is a vindictive bitch, but a deal is a deal. You want to start a war with Russia? You want to put Charlotte and your kids in the line of fire? Tatiana has no moral compass. She has no laws.”
Declan shrugs. “It won’t come to that.”
“It’s not Enzo’s call to make,” I snap. “If she doesn’t get it, she comes after Lily. And I will fucking start wars for that, Declan.”
Declan exhales sharply and pulls out his phone. “See, this is why we needed you at the meeting.”
I rake a hand through my hair. “I said sorry once,” I mutter. “You’re not getting another apology.”
He hits call and puts it on speaker. “Declan,” Enzo answers.
Declan’s voice turns all business. “We’ve got more eventualities to add to our plan. I’ve got Drago here. Let’s talk this shit through—we’ve only got one more day.”
“Go ahead, Drago,” Enzo says.
I clear my throat. “Your Preacher plan is solid,” I say. “But we need to tie Tatiana into it properly. We can’t downplay her power anymore, Enzo. And I think it’s time we found out what is on this necklace. I think we have to plan for all eventualities. Even fucking crazy ones.”
I pause, letting the warning sharpen. I’m not risking Lily for the sake of information on a piece of jewelry.
“Have you got into the drive yet?” Enzo asks.
“No. But I can work with Lev. I’ll make copies and lock them the fuck down. Alter the information on the necklace and give them that.”
The line falls silent. “I have a message to leave on there for her…” Enzo tells me.
I glance at Declan, and I know he’s thinking the same thing. That mystery is going to unravel itself soon enough.