Chapter 13 - Kristopher
Devoid of emotional tells, I sit opposite Ali Koskos at an exclusive restaurant in the city.
This morning’s rather unexpected, however brief, run-in with my father left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and more urgency to resolve this issue.
And now I’m here, playing nice with Koskos while he believes he has the upper hand.
“You are a fool for turning my daughter’s hand in marriage down.
Any man who had any brains would have leapt at the opportunity.
Have you seen her? And of course, the powerful name you could have allied with.
” He scoffs, shoving a slice of blue-rare steak into his mouth.
His ego is as blatant as my father’s. I can’t imagine this man being my father-in-law.
What new kind of hell would that be? It would be as bad as replicating my own father, and suddenly there’d be two of him.
“We can’t have everything we want, I guess I have to accept my loss in that decision,” I remark, pretending to take his mocking tone in stride, to be somewhat disappointed in my decision to choose Georgie over what I could have had, marrying his daughter.
Inwardly, I laugh at the thought of anyone standing a chance against Georgie. It’s a joke. An impossibility. She is too perfect.
“How is business in your new territory? Are you all set up and operational?” I ask, gently steering the conversation towards the land he obtained from me.
He stabs his fork into another practically raw slice of steak and shoves it into his mouth. I envision myself grabbing the fork from his hand and shoving it into the side of his throat, then sitting back and watching him drown in his own blood. It amuses me. The thought gives me a sense of calm.
He chews loudly, with juices from the meat running down his chin. It makes my stomach churn to play nice with this man. Even though I am here to manipulate him, to play the game, to be the Brava leader I am so apt at being…it still disgusts me to interact with him.
I have to look away to hide the flicker of disgust that pulses through me.
“This might be the best steak I’ve had in this city,” I remark, cutting into my piece. “Thank you for recommending this place.”
I was never interested in coming here before, simply because it’s one of my father’s favorite hangouts, and I always prefer to avoid him.
But when I got hold of Ali this afternoon, and he agreed to join me for an early dinner, I gave him the pick of the venue. No surprise he chose this place. I could have guessed.
I have no purpose for meeting him, nothing I want to discuss, nothing to talk about, but I do have something going on behind the scenes.
I made Ali believe I was playing nice after losing my land to him, that I wanted to smooth over our deal, make sure he was happy there.
But in reality, I want to keep his attention on me while my spies explore the territory.
I want them to infiltrate and find out anything and everything they can regarding what he’s using the land for—and most importantly, if my father is hovering around there.
So, I suffer through the insufferable, having dinner with him, followed by a drink. The man gloats and lets his ego spin, but he doesn’t give anything away. He’s obviously wary of what he says around me, which makes me more convinced he has something to hide.
It’s a relief when dinner comes to an end, and I can finally leave the restaurant and his company.
Fuck.
I feel tainted, like I need a shower after being in his presence.
The guy is slimy, smarmy, like toxic sludge that gets into everything.
I climb into my car, watching my back, acutely aware that I’m in a part of town where people still support my father.
Pressing a button on the dashboard, the engine growls to life.
I pull out of the parking lot and press my foot against the accelerator, eager to get as far away as possible.
It was draining, playing the mafia game. I used to love it, but that was before I had something to lose. Her.
Now every move I make has consequences.
My sister grew up in this world, and she’s safe now, with Emmanuil keeping her out of harm’s way. I don’t have to worry about her.
But Georgie is mine to keep safe. And losing her would destroy me in ways I don’t want to think about and can’t comprehend.
As I’m driving away from the restaurant, my phone rings. Emmanuil. I press to answer, and his voice comes through my car speakers.
“Hi Kris, how are things?” he asks, always friendly with me since we settled our differences.
“Going good. How are things with you guys?”
“Listen, man, Jess told me about what happened with Georgie, that she was kidnapped and the auction and everything. She’s staying with you now?”
“Yes, I have her safe at my place.” I should have guessed Jess would tell her husband everything; they are married, after all. But still, neither Jess nor Emmanuil knows about the fact that I’m married to her.
“I wanted to check in and find out if you needed help with all of this? Your father is clearly gunning for you, and you should make use of your strong alliances. We’re here for you, whatever you need.”
I wrap my fingers tight around the steering wheel and stifle a sigh.
I was never one to ask for help or accept it when it was offered.
My father taught me that accepting help comes with a price.
And apart from that, this particular problem is a very personal one to my family and me.
Jessa just escaped this mess, and if I involve her husband in the drama by accepting his offer for help, I inadvertently drag her back into it all, too.
That wouldn’t be fair or acceptable. I don’t want that for her.
“For now, I have it under control. But I will shout if I need help. And I appreciate your call,” I reply.
Of course, making use of the alliance would be the easy way out.
I’m sure that with our pooled resources, we would find out what my father was up to much quicker.
But I can’t risk Jess. Not after she finally found happiness and safety far away from my father’s reach.
One day, my new alliance will be put to good use. But not today.
“Kris, we have a lot to offer. You should really think about using us for this.”
“No, seriously, it means a lot to me that you are offering, but let me handle this family matter as quietly as possible.”
He sighs, not hiding his frustration. “I understand. But call anytime.”
“I will.”
The call comes to an end, and my thoughts drift to Georgie. She’s waiting for me at home, and I can’t wait to see her. I’ve missed her. It’s been a long day, and her smile, even just being near her, changes my entire mood. She is home to me now.
I was incredibly harsh on her this morning. I didn’t mean for it to come across so intensely, but anything that focuses my father’s attention on her is bad in my eyes. And her standing up to him like that would only heighten his awareness of her. It’s the last thing I want.
But I reacted too rashly and said some really nasty things. I didn’t take the time to find the right words or explain to her why it made me nervous when she stood up for me.
Guilt washes over me, and I clench my jaw. It’s okay. I’ll be able to tell her in a few minutes when I get home.
I know she’s upset; she’s probably been furious with me all day. But I need to apologize in person, face to face.
Georgie is my refuge, the one good thing giving me comfort and strength. I want to be the same thing for her.
The guard waves and opens my security gate. “Good evening, Mr. Ilyin,” he says as I drive into my estate.
I wave and smile. “Evening,” I reply.
Parking outside the mansion, I’m excited to be home.
I hurry from my car, eager to get inside to her.
But she’s not there.
It’s late, and she should be home already. I run to her bedroom, mine, the kitchen, the living room, until I bump into her security guard, the one meant to be watching her at all times.
“What are you doing here? Where is Georgie?” I snap, agitated with worry.
“She is at the library on campus, sir. She wanted to study in peace. I will go and fetch her in an hour or two.”
I growl, annoyed that he left her there. “No need. I’ll go myself. You can leave.”
“Sir?” he stammers, realizing he’s pissed me off.
“Leave. Go home,” I snap again, then turn from him to hurry out of the mansion, back towards my car.
It doesn’t take me long to get to the library, but the whole way there, I’m annoyed that she told the guard to leave, and that he actually obeyed her.
Parking outside the campus library, I pause, sitting in the quiet car after I’ve turned the engine off. I can’t go in there blazing and angry over her sending her guard away. I already have something to apologize for, and all I’ll end up doing is pushing her away from me.
I need to focus on the important things—saying sorry for how I spoke to her this morning and making an effort to explain why it came out so harshly.
I climb out and head towards the library. The campus is bright with plenty of lights everywhere and still busy with students coming and going.
The library is hushed with silence when I walk in. My boots echo on the wooden floors, and I walk slower, not wanting to disturb anyone. My eyes scan over the rows of students, some writing notes, some reading, and some busy on computers or laptops.
I can’t see Georgie anywhere.
I begin walking up and down the aisles of books, my stomach knotting tighter by the second.