Page 39 of Then We Shatter

“Because once you do a deal with us, my dad considers it a lifelong bond that can’t be broken.”

“There is that,” Ash says dryly.

“And I’m a lovable rogue who may not always do the right thing, but I fuck up in style.”

“For pity’s sake, Rory, tell him something to shut him up,” Ash says, then adds. “Edited highlights only.”

“There’s a girl,” Rory says, settling back to tell the tale. “Duke met her in Philadelphia about a year ago. It was a one night thing, but she had a lasting effect on him. Meeting her gave him the push he needed to rebuild his life after his accident. She’s a legend as far as our family’s concerned, and now she’s just turned up here in Chicago.”

An image resurfaces of Duke staring at a woman outside a restaurant and Max giving chase. Was she the legend from Duke’s past? It’s a love story in the making, I’m sure, but I’m more concerned with how her arrival might impact Katarina’s position as Duke’s fiancée.

I adjust my features so my expression is one of only mild curiosity. “I assume our Bratva princess doesn’t know of the existence of… Does she have a name?”

“Yes,” Ash says bluntly before Rory can spill the tea.

“Fine, don’t tell me. But what happens next?”

“It’s best you don’t know,” Ash says. “I owe Katarina a debt of gratitude for helping me get my family back, but Duke shouldn’t be the one to pay the price. She’s become uncooperative of late and if he decides to end the engagement, no one’s going to blame him.”

That’s not what I want to hear. “No one except a certain pakhan. There’ll be reprisals if Duke goes back on his word,” I warn. “Especially if Vasili finds out Duke’s relationship with…”

On cue, Rory fills the gap. “Grace.”

Ash curses under his breath.

“Grace, the legend,” I repeat. “Interesting.”

“Like I said, this should all be resolved in the next few weeks,” Ash says. “Worst case, for Katarina at least, is she’s recalled back to Russia and Vasili completes a deal with another interested party.”

My jaw feathers. My self-control has limits. “Who?”

“A guy called Eric Peterson,” Ash says, confirming the name I already know. It’s details I’m after. “He’s South African, but his base is an island in the South Pacific.”

“Blokes who own their own island are usually up to no good.”

Rory clears his throat and gives me a look.

“Oh, shit. I forgot you bought an island too,” I say with a smirk. “Ah, don’t worry. I won’t ask what you get up to now you’re divorced.”

“Mostly I battle the elements rebuilding castle walls and broken roofs.”

“Yeah, I don’t suppose the Outer Hebrides has much of an appeal to young girls in skimpy bikinis.”

“Which brings us neatly back to Eric,” Ash interrupts. “Mace has been trying to dig up information on him. We know he was acquainted with Ilya Barkov, but any business dealings between the two have been hidden too well.” As is normally the case between human traffickers and people with too much money. “All I’d say is circumstantially, it doesn’t look good.”

“What else do you know about him?”

“On the face of it, he’s squeaky clean,” says Ash. “He’s a successful entrepreneur with no obvious explanation for how his wealth has grown exponentially over recent years. Have you ever heard of him?”

Only from Katarina. “No, but if he’s making deals with the Barkovs, that makes him an automatic enemy of ours,” I say with venom I thankfully don’t need to hide.

Rory grabs the whiskey bottle and offers to fill my glass. “You do know we’re only getting involved with the Bratva to give Katarina a short reprieve,” he says. “We’re still friends, right?”

I’m genuinely affronted. “Always.”

As long as he and his family don’t do anything to jeopardize Katarina’s position.

Chapter 15