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I suck in a breath and squeeze my eyes shut. “Please don’t kill my brother, Matteo. Please. I’m telling you about this plan because I don’t want you to die. Don’t use it against me by killing my brother.”

“Julia,” he says so softly, it’s like a caress over my ear. “I work for Dante. You know that.”

“I know but I’m putting myself out on the line for you.”

“Why?”

“I have no idea. I just am. Don’t go to the club tomorrow night. Neither you or Dante. Make up some excuse so he doesn’t go. He doesn’t need to know Viktor will be there. This way, no one has to get hurt.”

“You’re asking me to lie to my boss.”

“I’m asking you to spare lives. Your own included.”

He sighs. “I… I’ll have to think about it. I can’t promise anything. I’m sorry. We should end this conversation before someone finds out.”

“Is someone listening in?”

“No but you also never know. Thank you for the information.” He hangs up.

My hands shake so bad, my phone drops to the floor with a clatter. I just betrayed my brother by telling Matteo this. It could lead to my brother’s death. I know there’s no way I can convince Viktor to not go to the club tomorrow night.

So, I just have to put my trust in Matteo to not show up. I have to trust him to save my brother.

Matteo

Julia’s words ring in my ear all morning as Dante and I go over our incoming drug shipments.

She wants me to convince Dante not to go to the nightclub tonight.

I know he had plans to go to pick up the money for the week.

It would be easy to go and kill Viktor. We know he’s coming. We can be ready for him.

All I have to do is tell Dante and it will happen. We can end this war tonight.

But the words don’t leave me.

“Matteo?” Dante asks, eyeing me over his desk. “Are you ok? You seem out of it.”

“I’m fine,” I say on autopilot.

“Are you? Because I need you on top of your game.”

“Of course.” I should tell him about Viktor’s plan.

Just a week ago, I never would have hesitated.

But now, since I’ve met Julia, I haven’t been able to get her off my mind.

We’ve spoken four times now and already I feel like I know her more than I know anyone else, even though there’s still so much I want to learn about her.

I’ve never been this fascinated by anyone in such a short amount of time.

I need to tell Dante but that will mean hurting Julia. But if I don’t tell Dante and he gets hurt, then that’s on me and I could never live with myself for it. Dante isn’t just my boss. He’s my friend.

I clear my throat. “Listen, why don’t I go pick up the money tonight?”

“I can go.”

“I know but spend some time with Nadia. You’ve been so busy with work lately. I can tell she’s been missing you.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You’re talking to my wife now?”

“Nadia and I do talk. About you. That’s how I know she’s been missing you. Let me pick up the money tonight. You stay home with Nadia. You have a baby on the way. She needs you right now. And I can pick up the money. It’s an easy job.”

“I need to work, Matteo. I can’t stay home cooped up.”

“What happens when your baby gets here? You need to support Nadia.”

“She has her sister. She’ll be fine.”

I sigh and drop my head back. “Dante, you’re being an idiot.”

He sets down the piece of paper in his hands that has all of our shipments schedules on it. “I’m being an idiot?”

“Spend time with your wife. It’s an easy job tonight. I can pick up the money. Nadia needs you. Don’t push her away because you’re afraid.”

“I’m not afraid. What would I be afraid of?”

“Of having a family and being in the middle of a war. You’re afraid you could lose Nadia. So it’s easier to put some distance between you now. But that’s not how this works. Go be with your wife. I’ll pick up the money. Plain and simple.”

He stares at me for a long, hard moment. “You know, you’re the only person, other than Nadia, who can get away with calling me an idiot.”

“That’s because we’ve been friends for years. Let me do this. Stay at home tonight.”

Slowly, he nods. “Ok. You have a point. Nadia does need me.”

“Good.” I try to play it cool. At least this gets Dante away from the club tonight. I can go early, pick up the money, and leave and no one has to die. I can just tell Dante later that I never saw Viktor there and if Viktor never sees me, then he can’t kill me.

The club is packed tonight and it’s not even seven yet.

I’m not sure exactly which time Viktor is going to show up so I need to be on my guard.

My eyes spot Connor up in his booth. He and Viktor are trying to work together.

I could kill Connor and be done with him – I hated how he looked at Julia.

How he spoke to her. But I don’t want to draw more attention to myself.

The faster I get the money tonight and go, the better.

But that won’t mean Viktor won’t try to attack another night. That’s for future me to worry about.

I collect the money from the back safe and go out the back door but I have no plans to go home tonight. Instead, my plan is to sit in my car and wait and see if Viktor shows up. If he actually has the balls to enter one of Dante’s nightclubs.

I park out front and watch.

It takes hours, close to midnight, by the time I see a car pull up and Viktor gets out. Of course he is flanked by guards. He really showed. Damn it.

He spends an hour inside the club before he storms back out, looking pissed. I know why: neither me or Dante are there tonight. His plan has failed.

All because Julia warned me. Why did she warn me? She can’t care for me more than her own brother. That would be… I can’t even let myself think of that. She is not mine and never will be.

It doesn’t matter that I haven’t been able to get her off my mind the past week. It doesn’t matter that I’ve dreamed of her at least three times. It doesn’t matter that I feel more happy talking to Julia than anyone else in a long time.

Since my mother’s death.

I managed to fool both Viktor and Dante tonight but this won’t be able to last forever.

Julia

“God damn it,” Viktor mutters as he storms into his office, slamming the door shut behind him.

Inessa and I share a look before we turn off the TV and follow him into his office.

We stayed up late, waiting for him to return and I’m glad he’s alive.

That either means Dante didn’t manage to kill Viktor or…

Matteo listened to me and there wasn’t even a fight to begin with.

“Viktor?” Inessa asks, placing her hand on his back. He’s bent over his desk, breathing heavy. “What happened? You’re alive. That’s a good thing.”

“Dante wasn’t there. He was supposed to be there tonight and he wasn’t.

Connor failed me. Our plan failed. Now we’ll have to try again.

But now I’ve tipped my hand. Any number of Dante’s followers saw me at his club tonight.

They’ll tell him I was there, which will only put his guard up even more. I lost my one chance to go after him.”

“There will be other chances,” Inessa consoles him. “But have you thought of ending this war? Making peace. You tried once before.”

“Inessa, I’m not going to talk about this with you. I’m tired. I’m done for the night.”

“Ok. Julia and I will leave you then.”

“I just have to ask,” I say before I’m forced to leave the room. “Was any of Dante’s other men there?”

“Like who? Matteo? Aiden? Finn.” He hisses on the last name. Finn once worked with Viktor to try and take down Dante and Erik and now he’s back working with them. It’s just another betrayal in my brother’s eyes.

“Yes. Any of them?”

“No. None that I saw. No one attacked me.”

“Well, that’s good at least that no one attacked you. I didn’t want you to be hurt.”

He sighs and his eyes soften. “Thank you. I’m doing this for both of you. You know that.”

Me and Inessa nod before we leave the office.

“He needs to stop,” Inessa whispers to me once we’re down the hallway. “He’s going to kill himself with stress.”

“I’m not sure how to get him to stop. Let’s just be happy that he wasn’t hurt tonight.”

“Good point. But so much for Connor’s help.”

“Yeah.”

Inessa eyes me for a second before she steps closer. “Listen. I didn’t want to ask because I thought it was strange but… I just have to know. I looked at my phone and saw that I had called Elena late last night but I know I was asleep.”

“Weird. Did she try calling you?”

“No. It was clear that I had called her. But I didn’t.”

“Phones can be weird.” There’s no way I can tell Inessa the truth. Elena promised she’d keep it a secret but she holds no loyalty towards me. She could break our secret. I hate lying to Inessa but the less people know what happened, the better.

“I guess so. I just thought it was strange.” She taps my arm. “Good night. I’m tired.”

“Me too.” Except, I’m full of adrenaline. Both Matteo and Viktor survived the night.

But how long will that last?

Grigori comes over to see me again, even though I don’t want him here but I can’t insult a potential ally of Viktor’s, so I force myself to sit with him on the couch, drinking tea and pretending to be the good girl that everyone thinks I am.

The good girl who went to the enemy and betrayed my brother.

Matteo did what I asked though. He made sure not to be there.

“You look particularly beautiful today, Julia,” Grigori comments.

It’s just him and me in the room at the moment since Viktor is off on business and Inessa is at school.

She’s going to college for literature. Our housekeeper, Mrs. Green checks in on us occasionally but I’m aware of how alone with Grigori I am.

“Thank you.”

“Shame about your brother’s plans last night. If he had just agreed to marry you to me, I never would have let what happened last night happen.”

“Mmm.” I sip my tea.

“So let me marry you, Julia. Let’s stop pretending. Something is happening between us.” He grabs my thigh and runs his hand right up it. I gasp and swat at his hand, standing up and almost spilling my tea in the process.

“I never gave you permission to touch me.”

“Just marry me,” he growls.

“No. And when my brother gets home, I’m telling him about this. Mrs. Green!”

She comes running into the room. “Yes?”

“Escort Mr. Sidorov out. Please.”

“You are going to regret this, little girl,” he threatens as Mrs. Green walks him to the door. It’s at that very moment that Viktor returns home.

With Connor at his side. They all stop in the foyer, staring at each other.

“What is happening?” Viktor asks.

“Your sister insulted me,” Grigori says.

“He tried to touch me without my permission.”

Viktor’s face contorts into pure anger. “You need to leave, Grigori. I will not have any man take advantage of my sister like that. Go.”

“But – who will marry Julia then? It should be me.”

“Or it could be me,” Connor offers. I go still. He can’t be serious. But the look in his eyes tells me that he’s very serious.

Connor wants me and by the look in Viktor’s eye, he doesn’t seem mad at the idea.