Page 90 of Vow Of Fire

Then again, Evelyn had that effect on me too.

“And what if I refuse?” Evelyn asked.

“I wouldn’t advise that.”

Evelyn swallowed but didn’t cower. “Does this mean I get to go home?”

Fuck me. Now she was bargaining with my mother.

“That depends,” Valentina murmured. My eyebrows shot up. I was even more surprised that my mother was humoring her.

“On what?” Evelyn asked.

“On how useful you are.”

25

MY ENEMY’S ENEMY

Evelyn

“What do you need me to do?”

I’d met some difficult customers in my time, but none of them had anything on Valentina Marcelli.

The woman was tough, smart, and more than a little scary. Now I knew where Dante got his ruthless control from. She barely reacted at all, but I could tell her brain was firing on all cylinders behind those arctic blue eyes and that carefully composed expression.

Valentina was formidable, and I knew better than to push her too far.

“I was thinking about a three-pronged approach.” She glanced at Dante.

“You’re seriously considering letting her go?” he blurted out.

I threw him hard look, but it was concern in his eyes, not control.

His mother saw it too and frowned.

“Of course. This is the way we’re going to play it.”

Like it was a game of chess and I was a measly pawn.

“Hear me out,” Valentina said to her son.

He gave an irate nod.

She turned back to me. “As I was saying, we launch the attack in three stages. First, we make Malakov think the cartel is affecting their money laundering operation. He loses bids, they find out the cartel are filtering cash through the gallery. Malakov won’t like that.”

I listened, wondering where this was going. Why annoy Malakov when it was the cartel who were the greater threat? Sure, the Bratva were arch enemies of the Marcellis, that much I’d already learned from Dante, but they weren’t the problem here.

“Next, we make it personal.” I swear her eyes were gleaming.

“How?” Dante slanted his gaze at his mother.

She flattened her lips. “I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. An act of aggression on a cartel member? An unfortunate accident? All with links back to Malakov.”

I drew in a sharp breath. I was beginning to understand what Valentina was thinking. If I was right, the woman was diabolical.

“Malakov, of course, will retaliate, as he always does.” She paused and glanced at Dante. “The man is a hot-headed idiot.”