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I get in the front while Dante gets in the back. With one last pained look at the van and all of our guns inside, I drive away. In my rearview mirror, I see the driver get shot in the head by Viktor’s men. Poor guy. He didn’t deserve it. He was just doing his job.

Dante is quiet in the backseat. Normally, he’d be cussing Viktor out but the quietness coming from him is more eerie. There’s a numbness to him that tells me he’s tired of all the fighting. He’s trying to start a family with Nadia and doesn’t want this war with Viktor any longer.

There has to be a way to make peace with Viktor. It’s the only way to end this, since killing him is not an option.

We have to do something about this sooner or later before we all die.

“You want to do what?” Dante asks as his private doctor stitches up his shoulder.

“I want to talk to Viktor. See if there’s any way to end this war.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed.” He hisses. “Careful, Doc.”

Stevenson, Dante’s private doctor, mumbles his apology.

“What else can we do?” I ask, pacing around Stevenson’s homemade hospital room inside his nice brownstone. “We can’t keep this up, Dante. You know it. He will keep stealing from us and we will keep losing money. More of our men will die.”

“So we kill Viktor.”

“Who’s protected behind countless guards. He knows that we’re after him. He’ll never be alone again out in public. There is no killing him. We have to try and talk to him.”

“But he doesn’t like you,” Dante reminds me.

It’s all because I killed Sergei Belov. Him and Viktor were sort of friends and Viktor has never forgiven me for it. Truthfully, I think it’s more because of Viktor’s pride. He hates that an Italian managed to kill a high ranking Bratva member.

“I know. But who should we send instead? Finn? Viktor does not want to see Finn and he’ll only make it worse. Erik? Ok. But Viktor feels personally wronged by Erik.”

“Send Aiden,” he suggests, moving his arm around when the doctor finishes his work.

“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.”

“It was just a suggestion,” I say.

“Not a very good one.” He stands up and stands toe-to-toe with me. “You have nothing to offer me and I have nothing to offer Dante and Erik. Coming here was a waste of both of our time.”

“Then why even talk to me?”

“I was curious what you had to say.”

“I know you hate me, Viktor, for what I did to Sergei. And I can’t change that. But I hope you see that I am not a bad man.”

“All of us Mafia men are bad men. Don’t pretend otherwise. Now there’s the door. My guards will show you out.”

I knew this wouldn’t lead anywhere but I had to try. With my head hanging low, I leave his office.

And run right into a woman.

“Oh,” she gasps, stepping back.

She is… beautiful. Long dark hair. Large doe eyes. She looks a lot like Audrey Hepburn. Classic beauty.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to run into you.”

“It’s ok.” There’s a blush on her cheeks that makes her more endearing. She nods to Viktor’s office. “Talking to Viktor?”

“About business.”

“That’s common with my brother.”

Ah. So this is Julia Smirnov, Viktor’s sister. I knew her name but I had never seen her before.

Not until now.

And she is so beautiful it’s almost hard to even think. I never get tongued tied around women. I’ve had my fair share of girlfriends in the past but my job always came first.

So why do I feel so… flustered around this girl?

“I’m Julia,” she says, offering me her delicate hand.

“Matteo.” The moment I touch her hand, I know I’m fucking done for. Her hand in mine just feels… right.

“Matteo…”

“Conti,” I explain.

“Oh.” She quickly rips her hand away and I know exactly why. “You work for Dante.”

“I do.”

I can tell she wants to run away but I step in front of her before she can. I need her to see that I’m not evil.

“I won’t hurt you,” I tell her. “I was just here to discuss peace terms with your brother.”

“And?” She’s breathless, I notice. Do I make her feel flustered too? “Is he agreeing to peace?”

“Is that something you want?” I have no idea why I even ask.

“Yes. I’m tired of all of this fighting. So what did my brother say?”

“He refuses to make peace. I have nothing to offer him and he has nothing to offer us.”

“Of course,” she murmurs, her tone sounding sad. I feel the urge to wrap my arms around her and comfort her which is crazy since I barely know her.

“I’m sorry. I can’t make him.”

“No one can. My brother is stubborn as one can get.”

I offer her a small smile. “I never knew you’d be in agreement with me. That you’d want this war to end.”

“You just assumed I shared the same thoughts as my brother?”

“Yes. But I never really gave you much thought before.”

She ducks her head and I realize how much of an ass I just sounded like.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s ok. We had never met before. How can you give someone any thought if you’ve never met them?”

“Well, I can promise you that I’ll be giving you more thought now.” Shit. Why the fuck did I just say that?

Julia looks up at me with her large, princess-like eyes. “You shouldn’t say those things to me. Not you. Not someone who works for the enemy.”

“Of course. I should be leaving. If I don’t go soon, I’m sure I’ll be hauled out of here.”

A small laugh escapes her. It sounds like bells. “You’re right. You should go.”

Except, I can’t seem to make my feet move.

“You’re not at all what I expected,” I admit.

“Neither are you. I’ve heard of you, Matteo. Dante Moretti’s right hand man. I guess I expected you to be…”

“To be?”

“Scary.”

“Why scary?” I ask.

“I’ve heard stories about you. About how you kill without mercy. Maybe I should be afraid of you.”

“I don’t kill without mercy. I kill if I have to but I never kill for the fun of it and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.” My tone comes out much more fierce than I mean for it to.

“I can see that. I am sorry for judging you when I had never even met you.”

“Why should you be sorry? We’re on opposite sides of a war. Of course you’d hate me. Fear me.”

“Of course,” she murmurs. “Do you hate me? Fear me?”

“I never really thought about it but I don’t hate you and I definitely don’t fear you. I might fear your brother though. If he catches us talking…”

“He’ll kill you on sight. You’re right. You should go. My brother’s guards will be looking for you. And I would hate for you to get shot.”

“I would hate for that too.”

Once again, she laughs. It’s not loud or boisterous but it’s still there. Still beautiful.

“It was nice to meet you, Matteo.”

“You too… Julia.” Shit. Talking to Viktor’s sister is the last thing I should be doing right now. And I definitely shouldn’t be thinking she’s beautiful.

I shouldn’t be thinking about her at all.

She offers me a little wave before I turn and leave. Viktor’s guards encircle me the second I reach the foyer and they escort me out of the house. I leave without having gained anything.

Except… that might not be true at all.

I met Julia Smirnov for the first time. There had been rumors of her beauty but since Viktor keeps her locked away for her own safety, not many people have ever met her before.

Now I have and I can confirm that all the rumors are true. She is beautiful. Distractingly so.

Dangerously so.

I expected her to run screaming from me the second she heard my name. There was a fear in her eyes, that was true. So why did I not want her to see me that way? Why did I stop to talk to her?

If anyone is off-limits, it’s Julia Smirnov. Viktor will never offer her up in marriage to anybody. She is someone I cannot find beautiful.

But I enjoyed talking to her. I enjoyed hearing her laugh. I enjoyed seeing her blush.

I want to see her again. Shit. No woman has ever made me this fascinated in such a short amount of time. This isn’t good.

I force myself to drive away from Viktor’s house, pushing Julia from my thoughts.