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LEONA

I followed after Zoya while Ryu and Obi discussed the drug stuff with Konstantin—sniffing out the rest of the Alacrán Cartel, wherever they were hiding, cleaning up the dirty supply. They could handle that, but I wanted to talk more with Zoya, especially before taking her to Fallon.

“Everything okay?” I peeked inside the bedroom I assumed was hers. She had a bag open on her bed, stuffing clothes inside.

Looking over her shoulder, she rolled her eyes. “Just fine. Packing a bag since I’m getting shipped off to strangers.”

I stepped inside, clicked the door shut behind me, and sighed. “I know this is difficult.”

“You don’t know me.”

I shrugged. “Well, kinda. Not really, but kinda.”

Zoya’s eyebrows knit together as she stared at me, like she was trying to place how she recognized me.

“I’m Leona Vero,” I told her. “We met once a long time ago.”

“I think I remember.” Her fingers moved across the fabric of the shirt she held. “Before my father died.”

“Before my father died, too.”

She eyed me for another few seconds before she stuffed the shirt in the bag. “So, what, you’re supposed to be like this badass rival of my brother’s?”

I snorted. “Maybe one day badass, but hopefully never rivals. I like your brother, and so do my men. I think we could be good partners to each other.”

She stalked from the bed over to a large vanity table, where she snagged a scrunchie she used to tie up her hair. She watched me in the mirror. “Are you Ryuji’s girlfriend?”

“Kind of.” I bit back a smile but wondered about the answer all the same. Was I Ryu’s girlfriend? Were they all my boyfriends? They basically were, but what did Ryu think about that? Girlfriend or fuck buddy? “Do you know Ryuji well?”

She shrugged, but a little pink colored her cheeks as she gathered makeup and products from the vanity, stuffing them into their own travel bag. “He’s been around our family since I was a little girl.”

Well, shit. Zoya had a crush on my boyfriend.

“Has he always been insufferable?” I teased.

She laughed. “Pretty much. He used to drive my father crazy. But he loved Ryu like a son. Ryu visited us often in Russia before we officially moved here.”

“When did your father die?”

“About five years ago,” she replied, taking the makeup bag, and tossing it to her bed. He’d died relatively young then, leaving the family to Konstantin. No wonder he was so protective of Zoya.

“I’m sorry.”

“What about yours?”

“Six weeks ago.” That was it? It felt like an eternity. So much had happened.

“Sorry,” she murmured. She gestured to the bed. “You can sit down.”

“Thanks.” I played with the zipper on the makeup bag once I’d taken a seat. “It’s fine. I’m working through it.”

She didn’t respond as she came back to the bed and continued to pack.

I inspected Zoya’s childhood room. It was cute and girly with the pink flowers painted onto the wall. The massive four-poster bed accompanied princess mesh hanging from the ceiling. Then, I spotted the gun taped underneath her nightstand. A Bratva princess, through and through.

“Do you need help with anything?”

Her hands paused. “You could convince my brother to leave me out of this.”

“That’s exactly why I suggested you go to Philly for the time being,” I said. “Regardless of how you think you’re not involved, you are simply because you’re Konstantin’s sister and he’s head of the Bratva. As much as we wish it could be different, the only thing you can do right now is play it smart. And get stronger.”

“Get stronger?”

I nodded. “I’ve been in your shoes. I still am. As women in the criminal underworld, we are targets unless we prove otherwise. That’s what I’m trying to do right now, by taking down Max Volpe and building my own empire in his place.”

She cocked her hip to the side. “What does this have to do with me?”

“We’re at war whether you like it or not. You’re a target. You have to get strong enough to make them regret coming after you.”

Her lips thinned. A little strand of blonde hair fell across her face when she cocked her head. “And this Fallon woman?”

“Fallon is the most badass woman I’ve ever met. There’s a lot to learn from a woman like that.” I wasn’t just saying that for Zoya’s benefit. I still wanted to learn so much from her.

She studied me carefully. “Why do you care about me?”

“Because I’m fucking tired of women being used as pawns. We deserve better than that. Don’t you want a future where you’re free to do what makes you happy? Without living in fear?”

Her back straightened again. “Yes.”

“Let Fallon protect you,” I said again. “Come back after this war, ready to take the world by storm.”

I wish my father would have let me get stronger. It didn’t matter now, but it certainly would have helped then. Even if everything would have happened the same, I could have saved Cas some of his injuries. Maybe I could have protected both of us.

But now I wouldn’t let either of us get hurt again.

Finally, she placed both hands on her hips. “All right, fine. But I’m only doing it so I can convince Kostya and Kolya to leave me alone. I can handle myself.”

I laughed. “I like you, Zoya.”

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, a smile pulling up the corner of her mouth. She zipped up her bag. “I like you, too, Leona.”

“Come on,” I said, standing, and nodding back to the door. “Let’s go back downstairs.”