25. Tayana
25
TAYANA
T he next night, Rafi stands on the balcony, his silhouette a halo in the shadows thrown by the light. The quiet hum of the night is a false lull, one that embraces him and doesn’t let go. He sips his whiskey, the amber liquid catching the light, as I step through the glass doors behind him. His bruises have faded to a dull yellow, shadows against the skin of an otherwise pristine face.
“You should be asleep,” he says without turning. His voice is low, a faint rasp that hints at exhaustion. Rafi is a deep thinker, maybe even a dreamer, but he’s always so emotionally in tune with everything around him that it makes my heart shudder. He can feel me anytime I’m near him, even without turning around.
I fold my arms across my chest. “I couldn’t sleep.” I hesitate, my slippered feet padding softly on the cold tiles as I join him. The chill in the air is sharp, but I barely notice it, my thoughts weighing heavier than the night itself.
Rafi glances at me sideways, his dark eyes scanning my face. There are shadows under his eyes, and his mouth is set in a tight line. “What’s keeping you up?”
I open my mouth, then close it again, my lips pressing into a thin line. The weight in my chest expands, and I force myself to look out at the night instead of at him. “This is all my fault,” I whisper.
“What is?”
I exhale sharply, my breath misting in the cool air. “Everything. You, being dragged into this. Igor. The chaos he’s stirring up. He won’t stop, Rafi. I should have…” My voice cracks, and I clench my fists at my sides. “I’ve put you in danger, Rafi. And your brothers. Everyone in this city is in danger from that monster.”
Rafi’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt. He lets my words hang between us, heavy and raw. Finally, he sets his glass down on the railing and turns to face me fully.
“No matter what’s going on between you and your uncle, our problems started long before then, Tayana.”
I send him a conflicting look. I don’t know much about the Gatti brothers’ history, but my inquisitive eyes are enough that he sighs and looks at me, before turning back to look out into the night.
“We’ve had a very checkered past,” he sighs.
“We all have our secrets.”
“Secrets doesn’t even come close, Tayana.”
He looks out at the forest bordering the estate, the faint light dancing against his face. He is such a beautiful but tortured demon, this man.
“My brother Brando reconnected with an old childhood friend after her sisters went missing.” He starts to relay the story to me, his voice quieter now, but no less intense.
I look up at him, my throat tightening. “Mia,” I guess, and he nods before he swallows and continues talking again.
“Maxine and Sophia – twins. It was especially difficult for Brando, because he lost a twin brother when we were younger. He did everything he possibly could to find the sisters; they were kidnapped by Mia’s ex Frank Falcone and trafficked. Frank came back to the city because he had a score to settle with us.”
“But why the twins?” I ask.
“His original plan was to kidnap all three sisters and leverage them for the debt that their deceased father owed the Maltese. But he was only able to get his hands on two of the sisters; then his plan evolved and he got other families involved.”
“Sounds like mayhem.”
“We followed a lead to the docks; that’s where we found the containers full of people ready to be shipped out. We never did find out where they were headed or who would be receiving them.”
“Do you think it was Igor? It makes sense, since you saw Maxine with him.”
“I’m not entirely sure, Tayana. I’m not convinced it was your uncle.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because his name has never come up before. I find the timing of his arrival suspect at best.”
“You think it’s a coincidence that Igor showed up here with Maxine?”
Rafi shakes his head and tells me he doesn’t believe in coincidences. He tells me Igor has to be here for a reason.
“What happened after you found the container?”
“We lost Sophia at the docks that day. Mia has been beside herself ever since and we’ve been trying to find Maxine all these months. This is the first confirmed sighting we’ve had of her.”
“I hope you find her,” I tell him.
“There was also an attack on the chapel at Brando and Mia’s wedding. We haven’t been able to find out anything about the mercenaries that carried out the attack, except that they were Russians. We now know it was Victor Moreno working with the Russians. We just don’t know who exactly.”
“He was trying to displace you?”
“For Victor, it was about power. For the Russians, it was probably payback for the containers they lost.”
I can’t wrap my head around all the intricate little pieces of this puzzle as they intertwine and intersect to make one big picture. I’m getting whiplash just trying to keep all the moving pieces still.
“I’ve heard the name Daniel Russo thrown around a few times. Where does he fit into all of this?”
“Daniel Russo is Jacklyn’s half-brother. He tried to kill her brother Jack, then he tried to kill her, hoping to take over the Vicci family. Obviously he didn’t get the memo that that’s not the way things work in this city. You don’t just take things, you have to earn them. He believed that having Vicci blood running in his veins gave him an automatic right to the throne.”
“Where is he now?”
“My guess is as good as yours. But what I do know is that once he’s found, he’s got a line of people waiting to dismantle his body parts.”
The morning light filters through the curtains, but it does nothing to ease the tension coiling in my chest. I pace the living room, my arms crossed tightly over my stomach, the heels of my shoes clicking against the polished floor. The sound is too loud in the silence, each step grating against my frayed nerves. I didn’t sleep well after I left Rafi standing on the balcony and went back to my room. Instead, I spent the night tossing and turning, trying to deconstruct the events of the past week.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.” Rafi’s voice comes from behind me, low and steady.
I whirl to face him, startled, and he holds out a steaming mug of coffee. His dark eyes are calm, assessing, but there’s a flicker of something else there—concern, maybe.
I take the mug, my fingers curling around the ceramic, but I don’t drink. My throat feels too tight, my thoughts too tangled. “I barely slept,” I admit, my voice taut. “I can’t stop thinking about what he’ll do. Igor doesn’t leave Russia – ever. If he’s here in this city, he has a plan, and he means to execute it.”
Rafi doesn’t flinch. “Let him,” he says, his tone infuriatingly calm. He moves closer, his presence solid and grounding. “Whatever he’s planning, we’ll be ready.”
His composure stings. How can he be so collected when the mere thought of Igor sends ice down my spine? He doesn’t understand. He can’t. “You don’t know him,” I snap, my voice rising despite myself. “You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Rafi’s jaw tightens, but his gaze never wavers. “Then tell me.”
I look away, my hands trembling. The mug shakes slightly, and I set it down on the table before I drop it. My voice drops to a whisper. “You can’t underestimate him, Rafi. You don’t know Igor Aslanov like I do.”
He steps closer, and his hands settle gently on my shoulders. His touch is warm, steadying, but it only makes the tears burning behind my eyes threaten to fall. “Stop,” he says softly. “Don’t let him do this to you. Don’t let him control you with fear.”
I want to argue, but the words won’t come. My chest tightens, and I shake my head. “It’s not just fear,” I say, my voice cracking. “It’s knowing. Knowing exactly what he’s capable of. Knowing the kind of man he is.”
Rafi’s hands drop to his sides, but his focus doesn’t waver. “Stop protecting your past, Tayana. Let me in. Tell me what I’m dealing with here.”
The question hangs in the air, heavy and unbearable. My throat closes up, the memories clawing at the edges of my mind. I want to tell him, but the words catch in my throat, tangled in shame and years of silence.
Before I can answer, a sharp knock at the door shatters the moment. I flinch, my pulse racing, and Rafi’s head snaps toward the sound. His entire body tenses, a predator ready to strike.
Juliana steps into the room, her hands folded in front of her, a smile plastered on her face. The Gattis have the best of everything. The best family, the best life, even Juliana, who is more like a mother to the them than a housekeeper. “Scar has requested that you join the family for breakfast.”
Rafi nods before Juliana turns away and closes the door behind her.
“My family’s big on spending time together over meals,” he tells me.
“It’s nice that they have that tradition.” Especially when I’ve spent the last seven years eating at a table on my own. Unless I was out with my friends or on the rare occasion when my father popped in for a quick trip and insisted on us having dinner together.
Rafi’s expression runs along the length of my body, his eyes hard, the calm he carries overshadowed by something sharper, more dangerous.
“Don’t think this conversation is over,” he tells me. And I know that he’s referring to my uncle. It’s a subject I don’t want to touch on. “But know this. He can do nothing to hurt you. Nothing. You’re protected here.” He steps closer, his presence steady and unyielding. “If he wants to get to you, then he’ll get more than he bargained for. I promise you that.”
Something in his voice shatters me, a quiet force that cuts through the chaos in my mind. He’s not afraid to stand in Igor’s way, even without knowing the depths of his depravity.
For the first time in a long time, a flicker of hope stirs beneath my fear. Maybe, just maybe, Rafi is someone who can face the darkness I’ve been running from. And maybe I don’t have to face it alone. But then I start to spiral again as my thoughts turn to something more sinister. How did Igor even know where to find me?