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“Long story short, their affair has been going on for way too long. Although they were arguing about him finally taking the kids, he truly did love her. Otherwise, he would’ve killed her the moment she gave birth and forced Natasha to raise the twins as her own. I’d just turned seventeen when I found out, and the twins were ten years old. Camilla and Ronan were their names. That was what I’d been looking for to set myself free. And since my mother was dead, there was nothing stopping Bogdan from taking the kids to our home. Well, until the mother of the kids was opposed to it.”
“Where are the kids right now?”
I shook my head. “You should ask me who their mother is.”
Davorin blinked.
“Bianca De Luca.”
Adrik choked on air. “Antonio De Luca’s mother? The previous Don’s wife?”
I nodded my head. “The Don found out the children weren’t his with a little help from me, but I didn’t say whose they were. Bianca was found slaughtered—tortured—not too long after.”
“And here we thought that he wanted to rebel against this world and break the code of silence. I never could’ve imagined something like… this.”
I paused. A sparkle of pride fluttered in my chest. It was probably Xenia or Dominik who got that idea, and it felt good that someone in my family had used their brain cells.
“That’s not too far off.” I smiled faintly. “You see, the previous Don, Lucien, couldn’t get rid of the twins. Since it was Bianca who was born into the mafia and he married into it, the children carried the blood of the family. Hence, he had no other option but to make sure they never saw the light of the day.”
“Where are the kids now? Are they even alive?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Who knows? After I heard that conversation, I had less than three months to gather concrete evidence and send it to Lucien. Bogdan had his eyes on his office at all times, but I bribed one of the maids, and she got the files I needed. The day of my wedding turned into Bianca’s funeral. At the time, the relationship between the Italians and the Russians was rocky at best, for other reasons, but Bogdan couldn’t refuse to attend. And given how much he loved Bianca, he would’ve gone either way. So my wedding was postponed indefinitely.”
Davorin was quiet for a while. I sipped on my coffee. Three cigarettes later, I put the pack into the back pocket of my jeans, deciding it was enough for the day.
“Tell me the rest of it.”
We got back in the car and hit the road again.
“I couldn’t outright tell him it was me who snitched on his affair. But during the funeral ceremony, Bogdan was in the front row alongside every other important figure in the criminal world. I was with Viktor at the back, and, as soon as our eyes met, I grinned. The way his composure faltered, the look of realization slowly dawned upon him as he watched me across the room. It was something great. He knew it was me, and he knew I told Lucien.”
“Is he after you because you separated him from his other children or because you caused the death of the woman he loved?”
“I’m assuming both. Aleksei and Dominik believe they were the reason I didn’t get married, and I let them believe that. Once the funeral was over, Bogdan didn’t utter a word. He was too paranoid of anyone else finding out, so he kept his mouth shut. During breakfast the next day, I told him the engagement was off and he nodded his head. That was it.”
“It still doesn’t explain why he would break the code.”
It took me a while to figure out my response. “It’s not exactly that. You see, since it was Bianca who was the direct heir of the mafia, and Bogdan was the Pakhan, their children would inherit both the Russian and Italian mafia. That kind of power is what Bogdan wants. I doubt he truly knows the meaning of the word love and just sees his other two kids as a means to an end, which is love in his eyes.”
“But why wait until now to make a move?”
“Once I got to the States and started living with Aleksei, I made contact with Antonio De Luca. I gave him all the evidence of his mother’s infidelity and the connection between our families. Antonio used that against his father and took the throne. From what he told me, he sent the kids to a boarding school. But knowing his patience, they might as well be chained in some basement.”
“That motherfucker.” He was talking about Bogdan, despite never uttering his name.
“And Bogdan is on a tight schedule. The kids will turn eighteen next year and will be eligible to take over for Aleksei and Antonio. And since he can’t go directly after Antonio and find out the whereabouts of his kids, he’s coming after me. He thinks I know where they are, but I’ve never even seen them in person, only in pictures.”
A little white lie never hurt anyone. I met Camilla, once, when she was twelve. Antonio arranged the meeting, and it was very brief. I wanted to see the girl that had the same face as me. She was shy and intimidated by me. After that, I never sought them out again.
“But even then, what are the odds of the kids being trained for that position?”
I grinned. “Zero. Antonio made sure of it.”
Davorin mumbled. “That’s why he needed The Rapscallion. To find the children.”
“Bingo.”
He sighed. The story itself was too complex. It was draining to even begin to think about it, but I was grateful. Bogdan made a stupid mistake by arguing with Bianca that night, and that gave me a way out.
