Page 57 of The Pakhan’s Heir

He blinks. “His people will want immediate satisfaction. It’ll put you right in the crosshairs.”

“I’m already in their crosshairs, Kostya. He has got to die for this. I won’t accept any other solution.”

He nods in understanding. “Yes, sir.”

Good. With Kostya and Rikki on board, we can’t lose. I will have my revenge.

“I can’t believe your goons had to bring me here in the middle of the night,” Yeva complains as I lead her to one of the spare rooms. She looks up at me, her icy glare threatening to chill me into a glacier. “You know, I could have had company over tonight. How embarrassing would it have been for your thugs to show up while I was entertaining?”

“Embarrassing for them or for you?”

She glares at me, then rolls her eyes as we stop at the door of the spare room. “This lockdown had better be short, Sasha. I have a life I need to get back to.”

“I wouldn’t dream of holding up your social life,” I say to her as she walks in. “Heaven forbid you don’t get laid while Slavik tries to kill us.” She closes the door on me without a response.

With Rikki and Yeva secure and some of my men keeping watch downstairs, I can relax a little. I start thinking about everything I’m going to need to plan in order to make certain that when it’s all said and done, Slavik ends up six feet under…

And then I catch a whiff of Nona’s perfume. Shit. In all this, I’d forgotten about her.

A heavy feeling sinks into my chest as I remember our last conversation. Or rather, argument. I should have known that of all the things that she might try to do, selling me out just wasn’t one of them.

As I approach the bedroom door, her scent invites me in. This entire thing has been the most unfair to her. And now that it’s all fallen apart, I need to consider the changes that have to be made.

I open the door just as she’s coming out of the bathroom. She’s just showered. Her long red hair is up in a messy bun and she’s wearing nothing but a towel. Her smooth, alabaster shoulders are lightly dotted with water drops as she pulls the towel a little tighter around herself.

“You’re done?” she asks.

“Yeah. Everything’s in motion. We’re on lockdown, so I’m going to need you to stay in the house for the time being. I’ll have some of my people around the house, so if you need anything, I can have them get it for you. Otherwise, it’s safer if you’re here.”

“Understood.”

I nod shortly and she shifts her feet. We never finished our conversation. “Can we talk?”

And here it is. I could brush her off, tell her that we’ll talk in the morning, but things are uncertain at the moment. Who knows what tomorrow will look like?

“I think that’s a good idea,” I say.

Her lips tighten into a thin line, then she says, “I did meet with my father this week,” she says, “but it wasn’t what you think. I didn’t rat. He wanted me to, but I didn’t.”

I let her talk, let her get what she needs to out. She doesn’t need to hear that I already know she’s innocent. There’s only one thing she needs to hear from me and I’m ready to say it.

“He ambushed me,” she says. “I was going to the coffee shop and… apparently, he’d been watching me. So, he was waiting for me when I got there.” She pauses, those beautiful green eyes shining in the glow of the room. “I wish I could tell you that I told him to fuck off, but that’s not what happened. He threatened me. Tried to force me to be his spy. But I didn’t. I can’t. I can’t do it to you.”

“Nona,” I say, “It’s all right. I believe you.”

She tilts her head curiously. “You… do?”

“Yeah, I do.” I walk up to her and put my hands on her shoulders. Her skin is so soft and fragrant. “I’m sorry, Nona. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt and I didn’t. That’s on me.”

She seems to relax under my hands and she says, “You mean that?”

“Yes,” I say to her. I take her in for a moment, trying to absorb her beauty before I let her go. I brush a strand out of her face before releasing her and walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge.

“With everything that’s going on,” I say to her, “I think it’s time that we’re realistic about this arrangement. We married for the cause of peace between our Bratvas and… well, that’s not going to happen anymore.”

Her eyebrows knit together slowly. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to be with me anymore,” I say to her. “I’m lifting you of your obligation to me.”