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“Your expansion into Italian cuisine and welcoming some extended family into the business with open arms.” Faina smiles. “See? You know it. You’re just getting worked up. So take a few deep breaths, read over these cards one last time, and then get out there, okay? You look utterly divine and you should not be hiding here!” Faina kisses my cheek, then glances at her phone with a soft groan and hurries away.
She’s right.
I know she’s right. “My dearest friends and honored guests…”
After repeating the speech once more, I tuck the cards into my purse and take several deep breaths. Then I head out into the party.
Classical music dances through the air, weaving between the silk banners displaying my family name and the year. Crystal chandeliers glitter above as hundreds of people mill around the dance floor, waiting for the speeches to start. Wait staff wander among high society, offering drinks and cigars to anyone who likes to dabble. Snacks and refreshments flow too, with dinner to be served in an hour. I walk the crowds, greeting anyone who flashes me a smile, but my eyes constantly move. I scan faces and suits, seeking out the subtle red handkerchief in people’s pockets that Rocky told me to look out for.
That’s how I’ll be able to tell friend from foe.
As I wander past a drinks table, a hand brushes over my arm as someone passes by me. Glancing up, my eyes meet briefly with Rocky Barati. He flashes me a cheeky smile and then melts into the crowd as if he were nothing more than a ghost.
He told me he would be here, but I didn’t trust it. In truth, since our meeting, I’ve been waiting for the cops to turn up at my door or even Viktor to learn the truth another way because I had no idea whether Rocky would keep his word.
I explained to him that I needed that letter opener destroyed because of what it was linked to, and Rocky agreed at first until I told him what I had done. He didn’t appear to judge me and instead presented a different idea. The Italians are well known for their connections in the police department, and Rocky offered a plan that sounded easy in theory.
All it would take is one phone call and the letter opener would end up in the evidence box of the police cold case file on my father’s murder. Furthermore, Viktor’s fingerprints would mysteriously appear on the letter opener, shifting all blame away from me. While the police opening a file on my father’s death all those months ago was merely for show, considering how the family hindered the investigation, this new evidence would spur them into action to make an arrest.
If Rocky is here, does that mean his plan worked?
Trusting an outsider with this is huge. Especially when Rocky asked for nothing in return. All he wanted was for me to owe him a favor, which I agreed to easily.
Maybe too easily.
I search for him in the crowd but am unable to find him, and before I know it, Faina is leading me up onto the stage for my speech.
Silence falls, the lights dim, and a spotlight centers on me as everyone in the room focuses on me.
This is my moment.
This is my time to present everything I have worked for these past months, to show the other Russian families that they should keep their faith in me, and to show everyone else that I mean business. We are still a force to be reckoned with.
I take a breath and begin.
Surprisingly, as soon as I start, the words flow easily and I grow in confidence with each sentence that makes it past my lips. I present the new path for the family, masking it as charitable contributions. I announce the new partnerships with other families that will carry us into an era of working together where we can and bury generational hatchets of hate. And I announce the new bond with Tatiana.
Just as I’m about to bring her on stage, the front doors to the hall crash open and police pour in. The lights come up swiftly, and after the initial surge of police stride into the room, a woman with blonde hair and square glasses walks right into the middle of the crowd and holds up her badge.
“Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention, please! My name is Sarah Cogs. I’m a Detective with the New York Police Department and I’m here looking for one man, and one man only! I’m looking for Viktor Petrov in connection with the violent murder of Sergey Remizova! Viktor, please step forward and turn yourself over to one of the many officers pouring into this room right now!”
My heart begins to race.
I haven’t seen Viktor all night. Is he even here?
The crowd breaks out with murmurs of shock and accusation. I blink slowly, and like a ghost, Rocky melts out of the crowd to stand in front of the stage.
Our eyes meet, and he gives me the briefest of smiles.
Suddenly, several terrifying explosions rip through the building, consuming the wall and the stage in a gigantic ball of fire. The floor beneath me vanishes, and the last thing I glimpse is the sight of several of my own men opening fire on the crowd.
33
ERIK
She told me to stay away.
But I can’t.