Page 6

Giselle sat stiffly beside me with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed ahead of the road as if she was still trying to make sense of what had happened. She hadn’t said a word to me since we left the police station, and I had no idea if it was best to enjoy the silence or be weary of it.

It was almost five a.m., still pitch-black outside, and the glow of passing streetlamps cast a glow on her face.

I stole a glance at her, my lips curling with a smile at how beautiful she looked even while she was seething.

“Why did you lie that I was your fiancée?” she asked, finally turning to face me.

I navigated the car into the Yezhov estate. “Because you are, at least for now.”

She winced as if I’d said something hurtful to her. “Do you even understand what you’re doing? What happens if the police finds out you lied? That would make you an accomplice and me a criminal.”

“Well, would you have preferred rotting away in their cell and being interrogated every day for who knows how long, five to ten years? Because I sure as hell know you can’t afford a lawyer, and you don’t want your mother getting involved.”

She opened her mouth to argue but shut it as if realization dawned on her, even if she couldn’t understand my reasoning.

“You should be thanking me for getting you out of there, not questioning my intentions.”

She shot venom at me with her eyes. “Listen, Mr. Yezhov—”

“Andrei,” I corrected her. “Just call me Andrei.”

“Fine.” She inclined her head with a nod. “Listen, Andrei, I know my father worked for you, and I really don’t understand why you’re going this far or why I’m even involved in this. Can you at least explain what’s actually going on so I don’t lose my mind trying to piece the puzzle together myself?”

I slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop. Giselle jerked forward, and I threw out a hand to protect her head from hitting the dashboard.

“What the hell was that about?” she asked, furrowing her brows as she sat up.

“You really have a knack for driving people insane, don’t you?” I pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the dashboard and slid a stick between my lips. I held out the rest of the pack to Giselle. “Do you want one?”

She held a hand up, displaying the intricate tattoo on her wrist. “No, I don’t smoke.”

I huffed. I knew she didn’t smoke; I’d tried to find out everything about her. She was truly the epitome of innocence, and her delicate appearance would’ve completely suited her if she wasn’t so sharp-mouthed.

The metallic click of my lighter echoed in the quiet space as I lit it, inhaling deep before exhaling a slow stream of smoke.

I glanced at her. “Do you really want to know everything?”

“Don’t leave out a single detail,” she ordered.

No one ever gave me orders aside from Egor, but I was willing to let this go for the sake of everything she’d been through.

I leaned back in my chair and allowed the cigarette to slip between my fingers. “Your father hid something before he died, a shipment with something valuable.”

She coughed, waving off a plume of smoke rolling in her direction, and I rolled down the car windows, transferring the cigarette to the hand closer to the window to let the smoke out.

“And let me guess, this valuable shipment was Tyfun-1?”

I nodded. “You were the last person to see him alive and the only person he sent that coded text to, so everyone thinks you know where he hid the shipment.”

Her brows drew together. “But I don’t know where it is.”

“Good luck explaining that to the cops, the Bratva, and the rats lurking around you, trying to get their hands on the shipment.”

The color drained from her face. “Wait, what do you mean by the rats lurking around me? Is there someone else trying to get their hands on the shipment aside from you and the police?”

I took another drag of my cigarette. “That shipment is worth at least a billion dollars. It’s incredibly hard getting it into the country, and you know what they say about high demand and scarcity and how it affects prices. It’s only natural that other crime organizations and rival mafia families will try to get their claws on it.”

“Look, I really don’t want to get involved in this.”

“Too late, you’re already involved. Do you even understand how much danger you’re in?” I didn’t want to scare her, but I needed her to understand just how dire the situation was. “By crime organizations, I don’t just mean the Italians. I mean the Romanian syndicate, the Outfit, the Irish mob, the Albanians—people who won’t ask nicely like the FBI did.”

Her pupils dilated, the emerald swollen by the black. “What do I do now? How do I escape them?”

“There is no escape for you, solnishko . You won’t be safe anywhere else.” I tossed the half-burned cigarette away and rolled up the window. “That’s the reason I’m taking you under my protection. You’re going to play the role of my fiancée until all of this is over if you want to stay safe.”

She laughed, but it was mirthless—a blend of fear and disbelief. “How am I supposed to believe you’ll keep me safe? You’re just like them. Just as cruel and soulless as the rest of those vultures. How do I know this isn’t some sort of trap?”

“You just have to trust me.”

“No, I can’t just trust you, Andrei. Not after everything has happened. I need to know why you care enough to try and keep me safe.”

“You’re right. I’m just like them, soulless and cruel, but your father worked for me, and I respected him very much. He was kind and loyal. That isn’t something you find easily in the mafia,” I explained, holding her gaze so she could see that I meant every word. “He died working for me, which makes you my responsibility now.”

She let out another humorless laugh. “Great speech. You expect me to believe that? Like you said, you’re just like the other guys. All of this could be a show just to get information from me.”

I didn’t expect her to believe me, but I meant every word I said. It was true that I approached her to get the information I needed about how to find the missing shipment, and I got her arrested just so I could play Prince Charming and come to her rescue; she’d trust me that way.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

Peter and I might not have been as buddy-buddy as he and Rafayel, but we were damn close, and I knew his daughter was all that mattered to him. I’d be failing him if I allowed her to get hurt. “Trusting me is a choice you have to make.”

“Yeah, right. I don’t trust you, so I guess I’m out of here.” Her hand moved toward the door handle.

I grabbed her wrist to stop her. This time, I was cautious not to hold her too tight.

I didn’t expect her to be so light because, with one pull, I was close enough for our bodies to rub against each other.

She gasped, her wide eyes locking onto mine.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I said, my voice low, steady. “Not until this is over. Not until I say so.”

Her breath hitched slightly, but she didn’t look away. “Last time I checked, I’m a grown woman who is capable of making my own decisions. You can’t tell me what to do.”

“I can if the decision you’re about to make will hurt you. I’m not trying to control you. This is just my own way of keeping you safe, Giselle. You don’t have a choice.”

She moved away from me and rolled her head back. The car became silent again, save for the finger I was tapping on the steering wheel as I waited for her to say something.

What felt like an eternity passed before she exhaled, her shoulders sagging with defeat. “If I trust you, then there’s one thing I’ll ask for. It’s not for you to keep me safe or anything else.”

Was she bargaining with me right now? I didn’t mind, as long as she didn’t refuse to be under my protection. “What do you want?”

She peered right into my eyes with her chin high. “I want you to find the people who did that to my dad, and I want them to pay for it. I need them to suffer the same way he did before they stole his life from him.”

A fair request, I must say.

I’d been waiting for that rage, for that need for revenge, and now I had it. “I’ll find them.”

“How do I know you’re not just saying that?”

“If we’re working together, then you must learn to trust me. Peter wasn’t just your father; he worked for the Bratva, and he was loyal. Avenging him and keeping you safe is the least we can do.”

She glanced at me, her lips thinning as she studied me. “I’m choosing to trust you, Andrei. I hope I don’t regret it someday.”

I wanted to assure her that she wouldn’t regret her decision to trust me, but I’d never been a man of too many words. I intended to show her that trusting me would never be a mistake.

Rather than giving her the assurance she needed, I held her gaze, silent for a long moment.

She had fire in her. I could see it now, the same spark Peter had.

But fire could be dangerous.

And right now, she had no idea just how much the need for revenge could consume her. She had no idea how much a deal with a man like me could cost her.