20. Nikolai
NIKOLAI
I sip on a glass of vodka in silence, gazing at Sienna where she sleeps across from me. She refused to sleep on the flight to Russia, and she fought it once again when we boarded the jet bound for New York. But her exhaustion eventually won.
I’d been cruel—intentionally so. Sienna is too delicate for this world, and that’s only become more evident in the last twenty-four hours.
She went from fleeing men in Croatia who were more than willing to kill her just because she was a nuisance to them, to being dragged to Russia and paraded in front of one of the most vile and vicious bratva leaders in the world.
I took satisfaction in killing the men at the manor in Croatia. When I saw two of them circling her with evil intent, I felt something I’d only known as a boy. Fear. But it wasn’t for me this time; it was for her. And then that fear turned to a protective type of rage .
I killed the other eight men for thinking they were above my orders. It served as a reminder that no one will survive my wrath if they dare consider laying a finger on her.
Mikhail is playing puppeteer, advising his father to be reckless when he thinks he’s being clever. This is a suicide mission. There’s no way the Armanis will gleefully let us walk in and shake hands for business after we fucking kidnapped Sienna.
But I knew in that moment I had no choice but to accept it, relinquishing my usual control. Because if not me, someone else will handle her, and I refuse to let anyone else touch her. I’ll return her as I promised, even if it costs me my life.
I’ll never tell her any of this. But this obsession has turned into something far more reckless.
Something I don’t dare admit because I know I’m incapable of such things as caring for another living person.
Not in the way someone like Sienna needs or deserves.
But I can’t look away, let alone walk away.
It’s fitting that I’ll find myself in New York, taking advantage of the opportunity to meet Dmitri Volkov, who is rumored to be the one who killed The Lion.
Dmitri is The Lion’s outcast son. The one who got away from the bratva as an infant, escaping with his mother and building his own empire with his grandfather’s influence, until of course, The Lion tracked him down.
“Would you like more, Nikolai?” Agata asks, bringing me out of my thoughts .
When I told her she wasn’t coming on this leg of the trip, she’d reminded me that she’s a sixty-six-year-old woman who does whatever the fuck she wants.
I look down at the almost-empty glass of vodka. “Yes, please, Agata.”
She pours the liquor silently and then returns to her seat across from Andrei, who seems engrossed by whatever he’s reading.
Andrei simply nodded obediently when I told him where we were going and what we were ordered to do when we get there.
I’m certain his lack of argument has more to do with the fact that it’ll endanger his wife and daughter if he were to refuse.
So it’s better to return in a body bag than to jeopardize their safety.
Because that is the only way anyone escapes the bratva.
Loyalty is expected, but if you’re not high-ranking, you’re disposable.
I might be high-ranking, but I’m still expendable because I’m an outsider.
I took this specific role only because it offered an opportunity to learn more about Dmitri Volkov and his involvement with The Lion’s fall.
It’s one of few times I’ve let my curiosity guide me, and now I’m doing the same thing with Sienna.
I know this is a setup, and yet I’ve chosen to willingly go along with it just to ensure she arrives safely. What happens after that is anyone’s guess since I don’t particularly have an advantage. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to make it out of this alive.
I take another sip and then rest my head on my fist as I continue to watch her sleep.
There are dark circles under her eyes and scratches marring her once unblemished skin.
My jaw tics when I spot two broken nails on her right hand.
She jumped out of a fucking second-story window to get away. And where was I?
It was an oversight. Something I’ll ensure never happens again. Though, part of me is impressed by her capability of escaping in the first place.
“I can assure you, the goods are not up to your standard.”
I’d noticed her subtle flinch when I’d said that to The Wolf. She has no idea how dangerous it would be for her if he has even the slightest suspicion that she’s a weakness for me. And I also have to be cautious about what Mikhail may see. His shrewd gaze misses almost nothing.
The Wolf is shifting his angle where the Armanis are concerned.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he has a completely different game plan that he hasn’t disclosed.
And he’s sending me as a test of how safe it is for him to seek a partnership with them.
Give me a fucking break. It’s a risky way to create an ally.
The Wolf wants to exploit what The Lion was silently building in New York. The only ways to do that are by either overthrowing the Armani family or becoming allies with them.
Sienna stirs, kicking off the blanket that covers her. I lean over and pick it up, then stand to drape it back over her. She looks so small right now .
I give her credit for holding her own in front of The Wolf, but she never should’ve been put in that situation in the first place. And how will she act now, when she’s reintroduced into her own world?
She’ll be a part of it but still caged. Unless, of course, Luca Armani has me killed.
My gaze softens slightly as I look down at her.
But perhaps that isn’t so bad of an outcome for her.
I don’t particularly want to die, but I certainly know someone with so much light and spark within her deserves to live more than I do.
I’ve come to appreciate the peace of her naivety. The way she wastes time by watching reality TV or clumsily throws knives. Her world is the opposite of mine, and I find myself curious by it.
I was watching her from a distance in London as she tried to rebuild there.
But New York is where her family and friends are.
When I was offered this task, it was my interest in Luca Armani and Dmitri Volkov that drew me in.
But when I saw her photo, I knew what other men would do to her if in this position.
But the truth is, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Our lives couldn’t be any more different, and since it was only meant to be watching from the shadows, I thought it wasn’t such a bad way to pass the time.
The moment I place the blanket back over her, her eyes spring open, and she flinches. My stomach sinks at her reaction. Her gaze hardens as she grabs the edge of the blanket and tears it off, as if it’s on fire .
Then she abruptly stands and barges past me. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
Agata, Andrei, and I share a look. I follow behind her. As the door is slamming shut, I dart my hand out to stop it.
A jolt of pain rushes up my arm as my hand is crushed between the door and the jamb. Glaring at me, she slams the door again. My cock twitches as I open the door. I tower over her as I step into the tiny space, closing the door behind me. Then I lock it.
“What are you doing?” she hisses, her ass hitting the counter.
“We need to talk.”
“Do we? That’s strange, because only hours ago, you told me to shut my mouth and be obedient.”
“There is a time and place for everything,” I growl, both irritated and turned on by her quick, scathing tongue.
“Oh, so cornering me in a bathroom is the time and place to be forthcoming?”
My temple throbs. “Careful when you’re speaking about things you don’t understand, mishka .”
She scoffs in that way I find so amusing.
“No, I think I heard you and your boss clearly. Going to dangle me in front of my friends and family until your boss decides to show up for the party. You told me he wanted nothing from my family, that it was just Luca Armani and Dmitri Volkov he wanted. But he didn’t mention anything about Dmitri—you did.
” She points her finger at my face. Clever woman.
“If Luca is as dangerous as you say, won’t he just kill you and all of your men? ”
“Most likely,” I say without hesitation, and she seems taken aback.
I lift my hand to the snake necklace around her throat. If it were just me I had to worry about, maybe I’d tell her the truth. But since I have Agata and Andrei with me, I want to pull this off so they make it out alive.
She sucks in a sharp breath as my fingers dance along the diamonds that sparkle brightly over the vintage necklace she never removes.
“Which is why I ask that you play your part well. I also ask that you follow my lead.” I release a heavy sigh. “I promised you I wouldn’t hurt you, but this necklace has an explosive device in it. If you try to remove it or if anything is to happen to us, it will blow out your throat.”
Her eyes grow wide, and fear tears at my stomach. “Are you fucking crazy? How could you do this to me?”
“I’m doing my job,” I state with a sharp tone that has her straightening.
I hate how it affects her. I’ve never negotiated in my life.
Not when it comes to what I want. I’ve used and killed people for less, and played my hand dirtier to get it.
I refuse to harm Sienna any more than I already have, but I didn’t come this far only to be shot in the head when I’m so close to my goal.
“Just please play along for a little longer.”
“So you have more time to toy with me? ”
A pang of guilt assaults me, but I swat it away.
“No. So I can survive,” I put plainly. “My life is in your hands.” Not just mine but Andrei’s and Agata’s as well. And if I step out of line, Andrei may still report it back to The Wolf. No one can be trusted.
But much like I refuse to admit the intensity of this connection between us, she refuses the sincerity of my words. And I don’t blame her.
“You’re manipulating me,” she seethes.
“I’m speaking the truth. If Luca Armani wants to take you by force, he will. I’ll fight and take out as many of his men as I can in the process. I’m sure you don’t want your friends becoming sudden widows.”
Her eyebrows dip. “I fucking hate you so much.”
“I know. You have good reason to.” As the selfish bastard I am, I hope I haunt her every waking hour once we’re forced apart. Because that’s the only way I’m letting her go. They’ll have to pry her from my dead fucking fingers.
“The Wolf will have eyes and ears everywhere. Conversations like this can’t be had freely. Not in front of his men or anyone else. But I will always answer as best as I can in private, so long as it won’t endanger you further.”
Her arms fold over her chest. And I can tell she doesn’t trust me. I find myself torn between wanting to keep her at my side and ensuring she doesn’t become attached to someone like me. She has become my sole focus .
“Were you going to let your boss have me?” Her voice cracks on the question.
“No,” I assert. “I would never allow that to happen.”
She studies me for a beat, then, appearing to take my words as truth, she changes topics.
“Who is Tiarna to you?”
“Tiarna and I are … acquaintances who have run in the same social circles.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What does that mean? Did you two used to fuck?”
Her obvious jealousy shouldn’t amuse me, but it does. It shows me that no matter how much we deny what’s between us, she does care. But I know it will never reach my level of obsession for her.
“No, she’s not to my taste. I prefer forbidden, unbreakable things,” I say pointedly, though she doesn’t seem to believe me.
I continue, explaining Tiarna’s appearance. “I’d caught wind of an internal family issue that’s had The Wolf avoiding Tiarna for some time now, so I messaged her his location.
“I knew he’d make a pass at you because he loves exotic things and breaking them in. I can always depend on Tiarna making a dramatic entrance, so I used her to distract him from you.”
Her throat bobs, and my hands curl into fists in an attempt to restrain myself from reaching out and touching her. This world I live in is tainted. Other women haven’t been so fortunate as to be protected from men like The Wolf.
It’s the one line I won’t cross, and I’ve killed more men than I can count for attempting to take something by force from a woman. I imagine much of that comes from Agata raising me. But that one woman I couldn’t help still haunts me.
“This should all be over soon, mishka . And once it is, you’ll be able to return to your life, and this can all be considered a nightmare. I promise you that liberation. You’re almost home.”
She chokes on a sob, and I turn my back to her, no longer wanting to crowd her space, knowing that I’m the monster in this nightmare. Selfishly, all I want is to wrap her in my arms. But I have no right to do that. And, suddenly, my ability to constrict someone to death doesn’t seem so fun.