Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Gabriele
She knows what's coming before I respond. I watch her brace herself for the blow. Her shoulders stiffen, her chest puffs up as if she's holding her breath. She tilts her chin up, determined to be brave.
When I shake my head, unable to utter the words I know will break her heart, she lets loose a scream I'll never forget. I reach for her, dragging her back into my arms.
She thrashes against me, raging against the world but finding only me to take it out on. I let her. She's stood strong for me. Now it's my turn to do it for her.
"You have to kill them." Her voice is ragged. "Kill them all."
"We will, dolcezza." I stroke her hair. "We are."
"My mother." She pulls back and looks at me with eyes that are red and wild. "She did this. You find her and you shoot her in the fucking face."
The venom in her voice shocks me but if she needs to unleash, I won't judge her for it. She starts to cry again, wretched sobs she can't control. I feel utterly helpless.
There's nothing I can do but hold onto her. I somehow manage to get her into the back of the car. She cries until she can't catch her breath.
As Lukas gets into the driver's seat and we begin our journey back to the airstrip, my brothers' cars fall in behind us. I cradle Katya against me, whispering soothing words in Italian, telling her all she means to me in a language I know she doesn't understand.
She cries until she's spent. Then her head droops and she's out like a light.
"Fuck, that was rough," Lukas says as we speed toward the airfield.
I nod because what else can I do. "Update?" I ask. I can't do anything for Katya right now so I focus on business.
"Kuznetov and Litkov are dead. Half of their men surrendered. Sev will pick the ones he can use and get rid of the others.”
When I told Katya I brought an army, I meant it. Sev Baranov did more than provide intelligence. At Damiano's request, he sent a dozen of his own men, each of them trained for operations like this.
Now we have Katya, our people will pull back. Sev's will wipe out whoever remains in the Kuznetov and Litkov Bratvas. He'll absorb their holdings into his own empire. He’s welcome to it.
Nothing in Russia holds any interest for me. Not now I have my wife back safe.
"And Irina Kuznetova?"
Lukas's jaw clenches. "She got away."
"Fuck." That's more news I don't want to tell my wife.
"Call ahead. Make sure the plane's ready to take off the minute we're all on board. I want to get out of here as fast as possible."
"Already done."
We reach the airfield in record time. I don't wait to speak to any of the others. Scooping Katya up into my arms, I carry her onto the plane. There's a bedroom at the back where we can have privacy so that's where I take her.
She doesn't stir as I lay her on the bed. I climb on next to her and position her so her head rests on my lap. My lips flatten as I look at the dress they put her in. White. Was she supposed to appear more virginal for that animal to claim?
I wish I'd been the one to put a bullet in Litkov, but Katya's needs were more important than my thirst for vengeance.
I look up as the door opens and Damiano pops his head into the room. "Is she okay?"
"She will be."
"They didn't?"
"No." It doesn't appear as if anyone has touched Katya. There's a red mark on her cheek as if she's been slapped but I think that's the extent of her injuries.
"We're about to take off," he warns me.
"I'm not moving her."
Damiano nods, having expected that answer. If this was Violetta, he'd defy safety rules too. He gives me a look that conveys a wealth of understanding before withdrawing and closing the door behind him.
The plane takes off ten minutes later and I'm relieved to be airborne. I hold Katya in my arms and watch her sleep. She's peaceful now and I wonder how she'll be when she wakes up.
Santo meant a lot to her, more perhaps than I realized. He was a good man and his loss is nothing short of a tragedy. He didn't deserve to be put down like that.
He'll be buried with full honors. It's the least I can do for him.
Katya stirs somewhere over eastern Europe. I watch her come back to herself slowly, rubbing her eyes. She pushes herself up off my lap. She scans the room, getting a sense of her surroundings. Then she looks at me.
It takes her a minute to speak. I can almost hear the inner workings of her mind as she tries to decide how to approach what comes next.
"Did I make a fool of myself?" she asks.
“A fool of yourself?” Is she really worried about that? “No, of course not."
"It's just...." She emits a sound that's pure pain. "Santo."
"I know."
We sit in silence for a moment, each of us grappling with our emotions over his loss.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her, not because I want to but because I know I should.
I'm selfishly glad when she shakes her head. "Some other time."
"Whenever you're ready."
She nods and smiles tremulously. "Did you wipe them all out?"
"Your father. Litkov. Most of their men." I pause. "Your mother escaped."
Katya lets out a laugh that has no humor in it. "Of course she did." She rubs her eyes and looks around again. "Where are we?"
"Damiano's plane."
"Oh." She raises an eyebrow. "You can't afford your own? Did I marry the poor relation?"
She's distracting herself from her pain and I let her because it's what she needs. I understand that more than most.
"I have a plane," I tell her. "My brother's is faster."
Katya nods. "I want to meet them." In case I don't understand who she's talking about, she adds, "Your brothers."
"You will. Later."
"No, now." She looks down at herself in the white dress and disgust moves across her face. "Is there a shower? I want to wash."
"There is."
Although there's barely space, Katya insists that we shower together. I wash her hair for her. She closes her eyes, tipping her head back, and lets me massage her scalp.
When we're done, I dry her off and find another dress in the wardrobe by the bed. I'm guessing it's Violetta's and not some hangover from the days when Damiano used to entertain his woman of the week at thirty thousand feet.
Once dressed, Katya is ready to face the world. I find, however, I am not. As she moves to the door, I remain where I am on the edge of the bed. My chest constricts. I tap my finger on my knee.
"We should stay here,” I tell Katya. "You need to rest. You can meet my brothers some other time."
She comes and sits beside me, places her hand over mine. "I want to meet them now, but I'm scared they won't like me." She pauses and bites her bottom lip. "I need you with me."
"You don't need to manage me, Katya."
"I don't manage you."
I look at her steadily. "The gala. The meeting we were supposed to have with Maroni. This."
She opens her mouth and closes it again.
"I'm grateful for it," I say. "Genuinely. But it's not necessary. I always manage in the end."
She considers this. "Have you considered that I might be being slightly selfish?"
"How so?"
"Well." She straightens slightly. "If you succeed, I succeed. If you fail, I fail. And Gabriele...." She holds my gaze. "I am no failure."
I almost smile. "You're the strongest woman I know."
"And you're the strongest man." She sees my skeptical look. "You are. You face your fears and you keep going. That's what strength is."
She smiles and rubs my arm. "But if you need a minute, that's okay."
She gets up and goes to the door.
"Wait." I get up and walk to her. She looks at me in question. "I'm coming with you." I take her hand.
"They're going to love you," I say as I open the door.
"Yes," Katya agrees. "They are."