Chapter 15
ALONZO
I don’t care that she’s still pissed at me, all I care is that she’s alive. That she’s okay. As I stare at her, I feel like I can finally breathe. The knot in my chest is finally loosening. I don’t even care that Hades is with her and not me anymore; she’s his Mistress, and he belongs with her.
I want to be with her. I want to be the one holding her close, fixing all the problems between us. Instead, I’m being interrogated by a bunch of fucking Russians. Is this what my life is going to be like once Rori and I get through this rough patch?
Whatever, I’ll figure it out. Just as long as she’s back with me and not marrying the pretty boy glaring at me like he even has a chance. Rori will eat him alive; if she doesn’t, then Hades definitely will.
“Alonzo,” Rori snaps, scowling at me. “I get that the blood has drained from that big head of yours, but we don’t have all day. So start talking.”
And here I was missing that sassy mouth. I ignore the laugh from the douche between us. What did she call him? Zakhar? Like he could ever handle a woman like Rori.
“And here I was expecting you to be excited to see me, orsetta.” Her eyes flash at the use of the nickname I gave her.
Little bear suits her. She can give off the cute and cuddly vibe when she wants, but underneath is a wild animal that won’t hesitate to rake her claws down at the least provocation.
It’s also the nickname I gave her when I was deep inside her, our one and only time together. So far. I’m going to be changing that at the first opportunity.
“Don’t.” It’s a warning, but there’s a small hint of desperation there too.
Like she can’t handle the intimacy of the reminder.
A part of me wants to push it, but that’s exactly what gets me in trouble.
Her green eyes stare into mine, and another jolt of guilt hits seeing the anger and hurt there, along with the vulnerability.
Damn it, I need to get a grip. I’ll fix things with her later.
I give her a slight cock of my head in acknowledgment and force my gaze back to the man behind the desk. I don’t even bother to look at Simeon Belov. He might like to think he’s in charge, but the man isn’t anywhere close to being ready to lead shit. Not like Ilya Romanov.
Zeno and Urso both sent me all the information they could on the man, and while he’s an enigma, his reputation also precedes him.
He’s a brutal man, used to running things exactly the way he wants, and anyone who gets in his way doesn’t live long.
From the look he’s giving me, he’s still deciding what he wants to do with me, but he’s not opposed to killing me on the spot.
“I was given information before coming here,” I tell him. I retell what Tatiana and I discussed, and when I finish, Ilya’s expression has hardened, and Simeon looks like he’s not sure what to do with the information. I chance a look at Rori, but her expression is resigned.
Was she expecting something like this?
“How the fuck would that make sense?” Simeon finally demands, hands fisting on his hips as he glares at me. “And why the fuck should we believe a fucking thing you say? You’re not part of this.”
“The Chameleon begs to differ.”
“The Chameleon is not running this show. They were tasked with bringing Rayea home, nothing more,” he snaps.
“I don’t think they got the memo about that,” Ivano remarks drily.
“What exactly did you hire them for?” Rori interrupts, watching Simeon. “You don’t hire an assassin to bring someone back. They’d kill you for the suggestion.”
“That was what I hired them for,” Simeon sniffs. He glances at Ilya. “He hired them for the rest of it. I don’t think we need their interference, but no one fucking listens to me.”
“Because you’re fucking naive,” Rori tosses back.
“You didn’t even realize that your father and my father know exactly what kind of takeover you’re planning.
You’re making rookie mistakes, Simeon, and you need to grow up fast. Your father has babied you to keep his control this long because he has other plans for who will succeed him. ”
Simeon’s face darkens with fury. “You don’t fucking know shit, Rayea. You’ve been gone a very long time, and while you were off living it up, the rest of us were doing our duty.”
“Enough,” Ilya interrupts with a slash of his hand. “I don’t give a fuck about whatever personal problems are between you. The only thing I care about is making this entire situation work to our advantage.”
“Your advantage,” Rori corrects him, arching a brow and a look daring him to deny it.
He doesn’t bother to answer her and instead looks back at me. “What else did they tell you?”
“They didn’t do much talking. I figured it out that there’s going to be someone else coming in to replace Rori—either a new woman for dickhead to marry, or someone to be his right hand, or at least close to him in some way.”
“Or Timur is planning on killing you and putting this new person in place of you as his heir as a favor to the Butcher,” Zakhar suggests grimly.
“I don’t know how you Russians do this shit, but we have succession unless there is no male heir, and then it goes to the Underboss or whoever is willing to fight for the seat,” Titus offers. “Seems fucking weird that a father would be willing to kill his only son just to put someone else in.”
“Because in our world, the sons kill their fathers, but there is no guarantee that they will stay in power,” Zakhar informs him.
“A new leader is chosen, and they are the ones who have earned the most respect. The men must be willing to follow him, and without that, someone else is put in their place.”
“So Belov doesn’t trust that you will be the strongest one to lead, and instead is setting it up so that someone else he feels will be a better fit will take that seat?” I muse.
No wonder the Russians are always a fucking mess.
Men are constantly trying to outdo one another for power, but they have to watch their backs at all times.
It’s not often you hear of someone in our world doing something like that, or taking over as a Don that isn’t a direct family connection, and when it happens, shit hits the fan.
That man will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life, and probably for a few generations.
I want to grab Rori and get her the hell out of here. This kind of bullshit is going to lead to nothing but trouble, and I don’t want her in the middle of it.
“Or someone else is determined to hold all the power,” Ilya says thoughtfully, looking at Rori. “Thoughts, Ms. Antonova?”
“You already know the answer, so why are you even bothering to ask me?” She lets out a small huff.
He stares at her. “Fine. Yes, Romanov, my father is doing all of this to gain control and power worldwide. He’s a favorite of the Pakhans in Russia for a reason.
He’s brutal, he doesn’t give a shit about anyone, and he will kill indiscriminately.
Man, woman, child, animal, none of them matter in the long run.
He was always power-hungry, and growing up, his power was the control he had over us, but when he realized that the more favors he owed to different Pakhans and wherever they set up shop, he wanted more.
Then it wasn’t about just me, but what I and everyone else could do for him. ”
“Us?” I repeat. “You mean your siblings?”
Something dark moves through her expression, but she doesn’t answer. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Ilya leans forward on his desk, his eyes pinning Rori with a look that sets me on edge. Calculated interest. Like he’s finally realizing just what having Rori here might mean, and how it will directly benefit him.
Fucker. Over my fucking dead body.
“As much fun as this history lesson is, it does nothing to figure out what we’re going to do to take them both out,” Simeon butts in irritably. “The Butcher is due to arrive in three days, and that’s when I’m expected to bring Rayea in. We need to have a plan.”
“He’ll be here in a day and a half to set his plans in motion,” Rori corrects. “In that extra day, he’ll figure out your every move, who you talk to, and just what kind of problem you’ll be to get out of the way.”
“And he’ll bring whoever he wants to replace me with, I suppose?” Simeon’s tone is tight, like the very thought makes him want to punch something.
A small part of me feels for the guy, considering that all his plans are falling apart, but a larger part of me wants to tell him to toughen the hell up. If he’s going to take control, he’d better find some bigger balls or his men will eat him alive.
Rori gives him a pitying look. “Who do you think is going to be watching you so that my father has deniability if he were ever questioned?” Simeon’s mouth pinches. Yeah, he’s not happy about that little piece of news.
Another reason this guy has a lot of work to do is to prepare for the job he’s looking to have when this is all over. That was my automatic thought, but I guess I’ve had more practice in thinking about these kinds of things.
“Who is that going to be? Some sibling of yours?” Simeon demands.
I watch her carefully, taking in her careless shrug. “I haven’t been around in a long time, Simeon. I don’t know who he’s been working with.”
“So you’re trying to tell me that you don’t know your own siblings enough to know who would be next in line?”
“Your mistake is in thinking that I cared. We didn’t exactly sit around a big table and have family meals where my father excused things for some, while cutting me down in the next.” Her tone is chilling, and I don’t miss the flinch from Simeon.
Looks like she struck a nerve. Wonder what that’s all about?
“Fine, then what do you guess?” Ilya asks.
Rori’s lips press into a firm line, and I see her finger clench tight around her upper arm, like she’s trying to hold herself back or contain something in. I barely suppress the urge to rush to her, to tell her that she’s safe.
Considering the knife still in reach at Zakhar’s waistband, that probably will end with me bloody. Can’t risk that. Yet.
Tension grows until finally she bites out, “I don’t know my siblings.
As I said, my father isn’t big on the family thing.
Any siblings I have went in after I left, and no one ever told me about them until recently.
He’ll want to make sure that if we ever cross paths, we won’t know who the other is.
Nothing to get in the way of fulfilling our mission.
Even if it means killing each other. Whoever dies isn’t worth living to him.
You win, or you die, it was his simple rule. ”
Piece of shit. Who the hell does that to their own kids? I can’t imagine how lonely Rori was growing up. Maybe that’s why she eased so well into our mish-mash of people in New York. It was a family unit, and maybe she finally was happy to be included in one, even if it was only briefly.
Fuck, I really need to stop with this psychoanalysis bullshit.
“Fine, so we now have Timur and the Butcher expecting us to come in guns blazing,” Zakhar muses. “Which means that we’re going to lose our surprise element.” He and his brother share a look that I can’t quite decipher.
“So, what, we do nothing?” Simeon demands.
He thrusts a hand through his hair in frustration.
“No, we’ve been working too hard on this to let this happen.
I have the men I need to make sure that I’m chosen as Pakhan as soon as my father is dead.
We’re ready to move.” He looks at Rori. “All I need you to do is tell me who he’s sending to be in my place and I’ll take him out.
You handle your father and we’ll be good. ”
Rori’s pitying look makes me chuckle. Simeon shoots me a murderous glare.
I smirk. “Belov, you’re looking to get yourself killed.
Either by her for being so stupid, or by the Butcher.
From what I know of him, he’ll make an example out of you, even if you do manage to kill whoever he sends first, which isn’t likely.
You want to be Pakhan, then it’s time to start thinking like one. You need to be smart.”
“And who are you to give that kind of advice?” Simeon sneers. “You’re a glorified bodyguard, so you have nothing useful to add to this.”
“He’s the one who gets his hands dirty day in and day out,” Rori snaps.
“How many people have you actually killed since the last time I saw you, Simeon? It was Mishka who was the bad guy, wasn’t it?
Your father insisted that since you were going to follow in his footsteps, you shouldn’t get your hands dirty.
Instead, it was your brother who had the nightmares.
I thought by now you’d have grown up, but you’re still the spoiled brat.
You see a problem and think that you’re going to handle it without much resistance.
” She looks at Ilya. “I’m starting to see why you agreed to work with him. ”
“What? Why wouldn’t he? Once I take over, we’ll have an alliance strong enough to handle anyone who crosses us. I have the routes and things he needs, and he can get us into Canada and into the inner states when we want.”
Ilya and Rori share a look, and this time I don’t have to guess what it means.
Simeon has no idea he’s being played. Sure, Ilya might let him keep that territory for a while, but it’ll be him pulling the strings.
He’s going to bank on Simeon’s inexperience until he can swoop in and take it out from under him.
I almost feel bad for Simeon, but if he’s that stupid to not see it for himself, he’s only doing it to himself. Some people have to learn the hard way.
“We’re talking in circles, and we need to come up with an actual plan if we’re going to make this work,” Zakhar finally interjects.
He must sense that this conversation is going to get out of hand.
“Simeon, you might as well stick around since your father and the Butcher already know you’re gone.
We’ll have our men move your plane out of sight. ”
“Yes. I need to think on a few things,” Ilya adds, giving me a pointed look. I hold his stare. If he thinks he’s going to get rid of me, he’s very wrong. Not only because I won’t be leaving here without Rori, but because I have the feeling he knows he shouldn’t be pissing off the Chameleon.
He looks at Rori. “Do I need to tie your ass up in the dungeon so you don’t escape?”
“And ruin the budding relationship we have?” she gushes with a fake pout. “My Daddy would be so disappointed in me if I did.”
Zakhar bursts out laughing, while I have to fight back my own smile. Yeah, I missed this, and I’m going to make sure I can get her alone very soon.
If we only have a couple of days to make a plan and for me to fix this with her, there’s no time to waste. Even if she doesn’t agree.
At this point, I’ll get on my knees and crawl if I have to.