AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because he used to be a ghost. I know there’s a member of the Cosa Nostra referred to as the Shadow who also sits at the table. This man was our shadow. He amassed all his power without making his identity known. He was also a skilled assassin. Back then, the Pakhan and your father got into a bit of a skirmish. He was hired to simply kidnap your mother in order to scare your father a little. She was meant to be returned. But he’s deranged. A sick fuck, if you will. He had a woman in his possession, and I’m sure you’re already aware of all the unspeakable things he did to her before killing her.”
Adrian sucks in a sharp breath. His face contorts into pain and sympathy swirls through me. No one deserves to go through what he’s had to go through.
“Just tell me who it is,” he says in a low voice.
“Remember, Adrian, you have to proceed with caution. He’s out of the shadows now, but his position makes him nearly invincible.”
“Who?”
My jaw clenched as I say the name. “Igor Vasiliev.”
Adrian’s sucks in a sharp breath. “The Pakhan,” he realizes.
I nod. I’ve always known Igor was a sick bastard, but after finding out he was responsible for what happened to Adrian’s mother, that’s become even more clear.
As expected, Adrian’s gaze lands on the man himself, who’s standing in the middle of a circle surrounded by people intent on kissing his ass. He’s come a long way since the days of being an assassin.
“You can’t make it obvious that you know,” I say sharply. “He’s the Pakhan. Killing him wont be easy.”
“I know,” Adrian grits out.
“But I’ll help you.”
“Why?” he asks suspiciously.
“Because it’ll make her happy if I do. And all I want is to make her happy.”
We both look toward Lucia, watching as she flits about the room with a wide smile. I never want to see that smile dim. When she notices me staring, she arches an eyebrow in question, and I shake my head before looking back at Adrian. He’s watching me with a careful expression.
“Maybe you’re not such a bad guy after all, Volkov. Just keep her happy, alright?”
I nod. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“We’ll talk more later. Thank you.” He taps my shoulder once in respect before walking away.
Once he leaves, Lucia appears at my side.
“That looked like a heavy conversation,” she notes.
I nod. “I’ll tell you all about it later,moya zhena,” I say softly.
She smiles. “Okay. Do you want to dance?”
My lips press together. “Do I have to?”
“Yes,” she says on a laugh, pulling me in the direction of the dance floor.
It clears, allowing us to take the center as Lucia wraps her arms around my neck. My hands land on her hips and I pull her closer. We start swaying slowly to the music.
“You’re lucky I love you,krasavitsa. I can’t remember the last time I did something like this. I don’t think I ever have,” I murmur
“There’s a first time for everything,amore,” she says with a small contented smile, resting her head on my shoulder.
I hate that it’s going to have to be ruined. Because there’s something I didn’t mention to Adrian. It’s highly likely that the person Alexei is working with is also the Pakhan. I’ve had Ruslan watch Igor all night, waiting for him to leave. Because I know as soon as he does, something’s going to go down. Ruslan gives me the signal in the middle of my dance with Lucia.
“Baby, I’m really sorry.”
She leans away to look me in the eye. “For what?”
