Page 139 of A Lethal Game of Trust

“I will always love you,” I said, taking her chin between my finger and thumb. “You are everything to me. I would let you kill me. I’ll drown in you every day. Even if you were gasoline, Leonie. I would still crave your fumes and die igniting myself. But I can’t let you do this.”

She took a sharp inhale, and those tears were no longer just in her eyes but running down her cheeks too.

“I still love you and I shouldn’t,” she said quietly, trying to pull away from my hold.

She said it as if it was no big deal. As if I hadn’t been waiting years to hear those words.

“Don’t. Not like this.”

“Then when?” she asked, that harshness reappearing as she pulled back. “After I kill your dad? After I cut out his tongue? Before or after I put a bullet through his skull?”

“Just…” God, I didn’t know what to say or do. I couldn’t distract her much longer. There was no need to. No help was coming. “You’ve been going after the jewellery, haven’t you? Got anything worth enough for him to start again?”

She thought for a second then said, “Yes. I’ve been staying at your flat. It’s there.”

“You’ve been… what?”

“You rent out your flat,” she said as if I were stupid. “I’ve been renting it intermittently for the last three or four months. It’s been a comfort.”

She really did love me.

“I know about the perfume being discontinued,” she saidsuddenly. “I ran out of it. Both bottles.”

The perfume I had made for her every year in France.

“And I knew then that you couldn’t have done this, not knowingly,” she said and took a deep, long breath. “That’s the one reason I will let your dad live. I’ll give him the sapphire and he can go. He is never to come back. No communication with anyone from our world. He’s to write to Issy and Vera and give you the business. If he refuses, I will kill him.”

I nodded and held her hand, squeezing her fingers. “Thank you.”

But she only glanced my way, face stern. “Don’t thank me yet.”

53

Endangered

Leonie

Quite like that night at our house, the Belovs had very little security, arrogant with their safety. I gave the camera at the gate a smile and a little wave, was let in. Dom went through into the house first. I walked only a few steps behind, my boots louder than I would have liked.

I’d wanted him to hear me coming, panic, and shit himself.

The Belov family would eat dinner at 7 pm, especially as Issy was home visiting from Spain. Rocco had told me, always keeping an eye on her through Andy.

But the two of us had a plan to get the women out of the house so I could have Ivan to myself.

That plan had been put into action about an hour ago and I was bloody glad Dom hadn’t been able to look at his phone.

At the door, I heard Dom’s footsteps as he entered the kitchen, where I had asked Ivan for the business seven months ago.

“Dom,” Ivan said, sounding somewhat surprised. “Haveyou heard from your mother? She—”

“Dad, did you do it?” he asked calmly, expectantly.

My ruthless mafia prince.

“Do what?” Ivan asked, a small laugh in his words. “What are you on about?”

“Did you kill Luís? Was it you that sent Firdman to kill him?” His voice didn’t shake, his questions crystal clear.