Page 89 of Vow Of Fire

“Do you think they broke into my apartment?” Evelyn asked.

Valentina scoffed. “Not a chance. They’re too high up in the organization.”

“They could have ordered it, though,” I told my mother, tensing as I thought it through. “After the successful ambush at the docks, they decided to escalate their plan to take over the gallery, so they went looking for Evelyn.”

Valentina gave me a searching look. I knew what she was thinking. Yes, I was backing Evelyn up, but it wasn’t a stupid idea. She could be right. In fact, she probably was.

“If they take her out, they have free run over the imports. They’ll insert one of their guys, maybe even one of the two that arrived this weekend, then they’ll set about staking their claim on the US market.”

Evelyn was quiet, watching me as I spoke. I felt her underlying strength, the defiance that rose up on her every time she met a challenge. Evelyn Cruz would not be crushed by my mother any more than she allowed herself to be crushed by me.

I’d underestimated her. Again. And I shouldn’t have.

Valentina’s eyes were still on me and I saw something in them that I hadn’t seen before. Perhaps ever.

Uncertainty.

Valentina was unsettled, and I was betting Evelyn had something to do with it. My mother knew a worthy adversary when she saw one, and she could also tell I had Evelyn’s back. That could cause friction in the family, and if there was one thing my mother feared more than any enemy, it was in-fighting in the family.

Decay from within, she’d called it once, when I’d asked her what had happened to one of the Chicago crime families. They’d literally imploded and their enemies had taken advantage of their internal weakness.

And weakness would not be tolerated.

“Does Malakov trust you?” she said, turning back to Evelyn.

“What?” Evelyn said.

“Valentina, what are you playing at?” I barked.

“Can she answer the question?” My mother glanced at me as if Evelyn was too dumb to reply.

“Yes, she can answer the question,” Evelyn retorted, an edge to her voice.

Valentina smirked.

“I don’t know, is the answer.” Evelyn drew in a breath. “I’ve only ever spoken to him a handful of times, but he has no reason not to trust me.”

“You said Orlov was a friend?”

She nodded. “We correspond regularly, yes. We meet for coffee. He comes into the gallery every couple of weeks.”

“What do you discuss?” she asked.

Evelyn didn’t try to skirt the question. “I give him first refusal on works Sergei is interested in for his collection, so he can get his bids in early. He appreciates the heads-up and I often get to secure a deal out of it. It works for both of us.”

“How nice for you,” Valentina drawled.

Evelyn’s eyes hardened and I saw her chin lift. There it was, that rebellious streak. She’d never allow anyone to walk over her. I could only imagine how she felt knowing about the money laundering, not to mention our drug distribution route.

She had a lot to be mad about.

“I take it you have a point to these questions?” Evelyn asked.

I couldn’t believe her audacity. Lucky for her she didn’t know just how ruthless my mother could be.

Still, it was fun to see Valentina lose her cool.

“My point, Evelyn, is that I want you to use your relationship with Orlov to get to Malakov.” She emphasized Evelyn’s name, and while her face remained perfectly still, there was steel in her voice.