Chapter 26
CASSIA
Knight’s grip on my throat lessens, and as he starts taking choppy, harsh breaths, his hand drops away from me.
The angry expression on his face morphs into an agonizing look of pain.
Realizing he’s having a flashback, I quickly lift my hand to his face and frame his jaw. “Lincoln!”
He doesn’t react to my voice, and becoming even more worried, I wrap my arms around his neck and press myself to him while saying, “Deep breaths, ángele mou. Come out of it.” I drop kisses on his jaw and cheeks. “Just breathe with me…come back to me…I’m here…deep breaths.”
I hear his breaths starting to slow down, and I murmur, “That’s right…Come out of it.”
When his eyes finally focus on me, I let out a sob and hold him tightly. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to trigger you.”
Knight’s arms wrap around me, and he grips me so hard it borders on painful. I’m lifted off my feet, and he presses his face into the crook of my neck.
As he calms down, his body shudders every now and then. I just keep holding him, feeling absolutely rotten for giving him such a fright.
“I’ll never do anything like that again,” I promise.
He nods, and as he lifts his head, I move my hands to either side of his jaw.
He sucks in a deep breath, and his eyes lock with mine. “I can’t lose you.”
I nod quickly. “You won’t.” I press a kiss to his mouth, then ask, “Do you feel better?”
He lets go of me while replying, “Yeah.”
The doorbell rings, pulling our attention away from each other, and Knight goes to open the door.
A server pushes a cart inside and asks, “Shall I set a table for you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’ll do it.”
“Enjoy your meal,” he says before walking to the door.
“Thank you,” I reply, and when Knight shuts the door behind the man, I say, “I got a few different dishes so that you can pick and choose.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not hungry. I’ll eat something later.”
His worry for me and the flashback must’ve wiped out his appetite. Honestly, I’m not all that hungry myself after what happened.
Letting out a sigh, I ask, “Should we go to the cemetery?”
He checks the time on his watch before nodding. “Might as well.”
It feels as if he’s being distant with me, but I understand why. He probably needs time to work through the awful emotions left behind by the flashback.
I grab my handbag and follow him out of the suite. We’re quiet as we take the elevator to the basement, but as we step out into the parking area, he places his hand on my lower back.
He keeps it there as we head to the SUV, and when he opens the passenger door, his eyes scan the area while I climb into the cab.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly while he walks around the back of the SUV. He gets in behind the steering wheel and starts the engine before asking, “What’s the address?”
I dig my phone out of my handbag and quickly unlock the screen so I can show him the message I received from Santiago earlier tonight.
Knight nods. “Got it.”
The drive to the cemetery is too quiet, the silence working on my nerves. My thoughts turn to my family, and my mood grows somber as my grief pushes to the surface.
By the time Knight brings the SUV to a stop, I feel like climbing onto his lap and crying my heart out. Instead, I shove the door open and climb out of the vehicle.
Knight comes around the front of the SUV and places his hand on my lower back again. We walk through the graves, searching for my family, then he says, “Over there.”
He guides me past two rows to an area with six fresh graves. There aren’t any headstones yet.
There are only little plaques to indicate who is who, and I have to move closer to read the details.
George Dimitrou. Vasaliki Dimitrou.
In my grief and with everything that’s happened, I haven’t thought much about my aunt and uncle, and it makes me feel guilty.
I take a couple of steps to read the other plaques.
Ilias Dimitrou.
Oh, Mpampà, if only you hadn’t been so adamant about starting a war with the bratva.
Ana Dimitrou.
Mamá.
My chin starts to quiver, and my heart clenches painfully in my chest.
You were the best mother. It was such an honor to be your daughter.
I’ll never again hear her tell me she’s proud of me.
A sob bursts over my lips as I glance at the next plaque.
Kiki Dimitrou.
Mischievous Kiki. Never thought I’d miss the day of you pranking one of us.
Eleni Dimitrou.
I fold my arms around myself as the tears stream down my face.
I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.
The heartache becomes excruciating, and I let out a devastating cry.
Knight’s arms wrap around me, and he pulls me against his chest. Standing between my family’s graves, I mourn the loss I’ll never truly recover from.
When it’s time to leave, I pull my phone from my handbag and open a chat with the rest of the alliance.
Cassia: I’m going to make the bratva an offer they can’t refuse in order to avoid further bloodshed.
As I walk toward the car, I don’t wait long for the first response to come through.
Dominik: What offer?
Cassia: Access to my trade routes at a discounted price.
I wait a few seconds, then my phone vibrates.
Santiago: I think it can work. I’m knee-deep in Rojas shit and don’t need a war with the Bratva.
Leo: Sounds good.
Dominik: I’m okay with that. Avoiding bloodshed at this point in time is wise.
Enzo only sends a thumbs-up.
Let’s hope my plan works.
As I type the phone number, I suck in a fortifying breath.
Here goes nothing.
Knight is sitting on the other sofa, his eyes glued to me as I press dial.
The line connects, and my heart starts beating faster as I listen to it ringing.
“Da!” A man barks over the line.
“Is this Rodion Nikitin?” I ask with a firm tone.
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“Cassia Dimitrou.”
He lets out a chuckle. “I heard rumors there was a survivor.”
“Four bullets aren’t enough to take me down.” I inhale slowly. “I want a meeting with you. I have a proposal.”
“Why should I meet with a little girl?” He laughs. “What kind of proposal?”
“Use of my trade routes,” I offer.
“The other Greek already gave me that deal.”
I expected as much.
“Yeah, but did he give it to you at a discounted price of five percent for the first year, ten percent for the next year, and fifteen percent thereafter?”
There’s only silence for a few seconds before his voice rumbles over the line, “That’s a good deal, but how will you make it happen? You’ve lost everything.”
“I only suffered a temporary setback,” I mutter. “I’m sure the traitor didn’t mention to you that he has no access to the organization’s finances. You wouldn’t be that stupid as to make a deal with a man who doesn’t have the millions needed to run the business, would you?” I take another breath.
“He said he would get the money after the attack,” Nikitin replies. “He told me this morning he’ll have it all handled by the end of the week, so I guess you should watch your back.”
Jesus.
I know who betrayed us because, besides Dad and myself, only two other people had access to the bank accounts. He would know I transferred all the money out of the accounts, and he’s probably trying to figure out a way to kill me and still get the money.
Holy shit.
“Only if I died, which I didn’t.” My tone is much harsher because of the information I just learned. “I’m the only one with access to the funds.”
“That changes things,” he murmurs. “Okay. I like the deal, but maybe we can sweeten it.”
“What do you want?”
“You’re alone. You need a man–”
“No!” I snap. “I’m not alone. I have Santiago Castro, Dominik Varga, Enzo Oliveira, and Leo Toscana.” I take a breath, then continue, “And I’m engaged to be married.”
“To one of the remaining three?” he asks.
“No. Who I marry is none of your business.”
Knight stands up, his expression dark as he starts to stalk up and down.
“Women are so emotional. One little question, and you’re upset,” he says while chuckling. “I prefer to work with a man.”
“My right-hand man will deal with you in the future, but you’re making this deal with me. It’s only on the table for the next five minutes.”
“Who’s your second-in-charge?”
“Lincoln Knight.”
Nikitin is quiet for a moment, then he asks, “Castro’s sicario?”
“He doesn’t work for Santiago,” I inform the Russian. “He has aligned himself with me.”
There’s another pause before he says, “Let me talk to him.”
Jesus.
It pisses me off that the men are all so fucking close-minded, but I need this deal to go through.
Standing up, I walk the short distance to Knight. I put the phone on speaker so I can hear what they say.
“Nikitin wants to talk with you,” I inform him
“I’m listening,” Knight mutters. “Talk.”
“Are you going to run the business?” The Russian asks.
“No. I’m going to assist Cassia,” he corrects him. “She’s in charge.”
Nikitin chuckles again. “Interesting. My men told me you were the one who stopped them from killing her.”
“And?”
“It was quite impressive. One man against an army of my best.”
“Get back to business,” Knight growls. “You have thirty seconds to accept the offer.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then it’s war,” Cassia says. “You against the entire force of the alliance.”
I start counting down thirty seconds, and when I hit the single digits, Nikitin mutters, “I’ll accept the deal as long as Knight handles everything. I don’t want my men thinking I grew soft by working with a woman.”
Through clenched teeth, I growl, “Fine.”
“Good. I trust you’ll be in touch so we can discuss the trade routes, Knight.”
“Yes.”
We end the call, and I toss the phone on the sofa while letting out a frustrated growl. “The asshole! God!”
“You handled it very well,” Knight praises me.
“Jesus, I wanted to reach through the phone and rip his throat out. The arrogance! Seriously, why is it so hard for men to accept a woman can do the job just as well as them, if not better?”
Knight takes hold of my shoulder and tugs me closer to him. “I don’t know, but you did good, Cassia. You just saved tens if not hundreds of lives.”
“I know.” Only then does it sink in that I actually brokered a deal with the bratva. “Oh my God. I did it.”
A smile spreads over Knight’s face, then he says, “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
With Mom being killed, I didn’t think I’d hear those words again. They fill my chest with warmth, acting as a soothing balm to my grief-stricken heart.
“What?” he asks as he tilts his head.
“My mom used to always tell me she’s proud of me.”
He nods, understanding filling his eyes.
I let out a sigh before saying, “It’s so frustrating that I have to have a man at my side to be taken seriously.”
“It doesn’t matter to the alliance or me. We’ll show the rest of the world you’re a force to be reckoned with, and in time, they will all accept you for the badass woman you are.”
I appreciate his words of encouragement, but I know there will always be a man out there who refuses to talk to me. That’s part of the reason I made Knight my second-in-charge.
I take a deep breath, and as I exhale, I think about the piece of information Nikitin let slip.
Where I should feel heartbroken, there’s only anger.
“I know who the traitor is,” I tell Knight.
Surprise flashes over his face. “Who?”
“Savvas.” I shake my head.
“How do you know?”
“Only four people had access to the organization's bank accounts. Dad, myself, Michail, and Savvas. Nikitin said the man who made the deal with told him he would have access to the money after the attack.” I rub my palm over my face. “Nikitin is on top of everything. He would’ve heard of Michail’s death by now, but he said he spoke with the traitor this morning. It can only be Savvas.”
Knight places his hand on my shoulder. “How do you want to handle this?”
“I want him dead,” I murmur, my tone emotionless as I shut the door on any love I ever felt for the man who had my family killed.
“I can take him out within an hour. Just say the word.”
I appreciate that Knight isn’t just running out of here to kill Savvas but waiting for my command.
“First, I want to talk with him,” I say. “And then I’ll pull the trigger. I have to kill him myself.”
Knight steps closer to me. “If you can’t pull the trigger, just give me a nod, and I’ll do it.”
“I have to do it.”
He pulls me to his chest and wraps me up in a tight hug. “Take a moment to savor the win you just had.”
I nod again, my cheek brushing against his shirt.
It’s a big win and half the battle won. Now to take care of Savvas, and then I have to shuffle things around so the right people fill the crucial positions in the organization.