Page 4 of Beautiful Sinner

“Aiden is busy being a dad to his new baby.” Him and his wife Elena just had a baby boy only a month ago. “We can’t put him at risk. Not right now. I have no kids. No wife. I’m more expendable. Send me. You know it’s the best idea. I’m not impulsive like Finn is. I can keep my cool. I can ask Viktor if there’s anything we can do to make peace.”

“And if he says there’s nothing?”

“Then hopefully he lets me go and we’ll continue what we’re doing. But it’s worth a shot. What else can we do?”

After a beat, Dante nods. “True. I should consult this with Erik though. He won’t be happy if we go behind his back. If Erik agrees, then go talk to Viktor. But be safe. You’re my best friend, Matteo. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I will be.”

Erik gives the ok for me to go see Viktor.

I arrive at Viktor’s large mansion that looks more like a gothic castle than a house in America.

His guards out front immediately surround me. “What do you want?” one of them barks.

“To talk to Viktor. I have no weapons on me. You can check.”

They do a quick sweep of my body and give each other nods. I’m clean.

“Just contact him,” I say. “Tell him Matteo Conti is here to talk on behalf of Dante and Erik. Just talk. No war.”

One of the guards calls Viktor and gets his permission for me to come on through. I’m let into the house with two guards beside me. My footsteps echo in the large foyer.

Viktor enters the foyer, looking strong and intimidating in his luxury suit. He was always a tall man. Thank goodness I’m tall myself or I’d have to look up at him.

“What?” he asks, crossing his arms. His face says that he will not listen to bullshit.

“Can we talk? Just the two of us? You know I’m unarmed. You know I’m not crazy like Finn or Dante are.”

Viktor eyes me over before he sighs and nods at his guards to back up. “In my office.”

The office in question is warm toned and cozy. At least, it would be if I was a guest here, which I am most definitely not.

“What do you want to talk about?” He leans against his desk.

“An offer of peace.”

He snorts. “Peace? After everything? Why the hell would I make peace?”

“Because you have a wife and sister. You don’t want anything bad to happen to them.”

“Don’t threaten Inessa or Julia.”

I raise my hands in surrender. “I’m not threatening them. I’m just pointing out the obvious. They could get hurt in this war. It’s the reason you tried to make peace with Erik and Dante once before.”

“Yes, until they proved to me that they don’t respect me.”

Finn had kidnapped Aria Romano to piss of Dante a year ago and her father, Elio, was pissed, thinking Viktor was behind the order. Elio attacked Viktor, who did nothing wrong, and after that, Viktor declared war back on Erik and Dante. It was fucking messy.

It still is.

“I know,” I say. “I understand that. But is there anything we can offer you that could make peace between us happen again. Anything at all?”

“There’s nothing I need.”

“You have a sister. There are lot of good men who work with Dante and Erik. A marriage match is a good way for peace.”

“I am not using Julia in any marriage scheme. No one will touch my sister. She is off-limits.”