Page 39 of Royal Deception (Royals of the Underworld #2)

RORY

I sit there, staring at the door long after Clary’s gone, my jaw clenched so tightly it aches. The air still carries the faintest trace of her scent—vanilla and something softer, sweeter. Something hers. Something I just let walk out of my life because I couldn’t give her what she needed.

I drag a hand down my face, exhaling hard.

Fucking hell. I can’t believe I fucked up with her again . How am I so good at doing that?

I know what she wants. I can see it in her eyes.

And if I’m honest with myself, if I’m really honest, it’s the same damned thing that I want. But the words won’t come. I don’t know how to say them, how to take off that armor I’ve worn my whole life.

A bitter scoff leaves me as I finally reach for my phone, turning it back on. I expect to see missed messages from Clary. Some sign that she’s regretting walking away. But there’s nothing.

What I do have is a message from Liam.

Liam: Picked up Lev. We’re at Clover & Thistle. He’s ready to talk.

Good. At least something tonight is going my way.

I stand, rolling the tension from my shoulders as I dial Kellan. He picks up after the first ring.

“What?” he answers, sounding impatient.

“Meet me at Clover & Thistle,” I say, my voice sharper than I mean it to be. “Lucky too. We need to handle this.”

A pause. Then, “You good?”

“Just get there.”

I hang up before he can push further.

Because no—I’m not good. But there’s nothing I can do about that right now.

Right now, I need to focus.

And Lev? He’s about to tell me everything I need to know.

The Clover & Thistle is quieter than usual, the lull between dinner and the late-night crowd settling in.

The scents of whiskey and old wood fill the air, and in the back corner, Liam sits across from Lev, a fresh pint in front of him, untouched.

Lev, for his part, looks like absolute hell.

Sweat beads on his brow, his face is pale, and his jaw is clenched so tightly it might snap.

Good. He should be uncomfortable.

Kellan and Lucky arrive just behind me, both moving with the same quiet, predatory energy. Lev’s gaze flickers to them, then to me, but he doesn’t say a word.

I slide into the seat next to Liam, steepling my hands in front of me. “So,” I say, my tone deceptively even. “Talk.”

Lev exhales sharply through his nose, shaking his head.

“I already told your man,” he mutters, nodding toward Liam.

“Anatoly’s been bleeding money for a while now.

He spread himself too thin—too many business ventures, too many risks.

He thought moving into your territory would help balance the books. ”

“Risky play,” Lucky muses, leaning back in his chair. “Didn’t pay off, did it?”

Lev’s jaw tightens, but he keeps going. “No. When you all fought back, a lot of good men got caught in the crossfire. It made Anatoly look weak. He lost trust. Influence.”

Kellan scoffs. “And we’re supposed to care about that?”

Lev cuts him a sharp look. “You should. Because men like Anatoly don’t go down easily. He needed a new plan to keep his hold on power.”

I feel a tension coil tight in my chest as Lev shifts uncomfortably under my stare.

He swallows hard, his gaze flicking to the door as though he’s weighing his options.

After a long beat of silence, he leans in a little closer, his voice low but deliberate.

“It’s not about brute force anymore. Not like before.

Anatoly’s smarter than that now.” He pauses, eyes darting to Liam before he continues.

“He’s planning to take everything from the Irish without firing a shot. ”

I raise an eyebrow. “Explain.”

Lev looks uncomfortable as he shifts, running a hand through his messy hair. “Look, I don’t know all the details. I’m not one of Anatoly’s inner circle. All I know is that the whole thing started when Veridan came to you for help.”

I feel the anger rise up inside me. Volkov has always been an opportunistic snake.

“Anatoly was enraged that Veridan thought he could run to you for help, but he saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. He could destroy Veridan and his company and pull the rug out from under you at the same time.”

“What was his angle?” I ask. “Why go after our business? We had no idea Veridan was under Russian protection.”

Lev shrugs. “I’m not totally certain, but he had a meeting with Aleksey Mikhailov the day that you met with Senator Burns. At the same place. They heard you talking and they wouldn’t shut up about it.”

My hand clenches into a fist under the table. Fuckers.

“Aleksey and Anatoly were always going on about this being the perfect way to change things up for us. They saw that as the perfect opportunity to get the same foothold you have, the same legitimizing edge. Get the people to trust them, look like they’re going legit too, so they could expand and grow. It’s all a chess game to Anatoly.”

I feel the heat rise in my chest, my vision narrowing. This is more than just business. This is personal. Volkov wants what we have, and he’ll stop at nothing to take it.

“What else?” I ask, voice tight. Lev hesitates, then leans in closer.

“They’re planning on going even bigger, Rory.

We weren’t planning on just stopping at a few business deals—Anatoly was looking to get into politics too.

They planned to get Senator Burns out. Get him impeached and replaced with someone in his pockets.

Someone he can control, who will make it easier for them to do whatever they want without anyone being able to touch them. ”

I let the words sink in. Anatoly’s pulling all the strings. Business, politics… He’s going after everything, and if I don’t do something soon, he’ll destroy everything our family has worked for. He’ll burn this whole town to the fucking ground.

I slam my fist on the table, frustration and anger building in my chest. “He thinks he can just waltz in, make a power grab, and take everything from us?”

“There’s no way I’m letting that bastard come after us,” Kellan says, his voice tinged with rage. “He’s already come after my family once. I’m not letting him do it again. Not this time. Anatoly will pay for this.”

“Fuck the Russians,” Liam agrees. “Every last one of them is a rat bastard. They all need extermination.”

I hold a hand up. “We don’t need to go that far. We just need to hit him where it hurts. Anatoly has destroyed every last atom of goodwill I ever had for him with this move. We’re going to take him down.”

Lev flinches slightly, but he doesn’t speak up. He knows what’s at stake—but he also knows what I’m capable of.

“Are we done here, then?” he asks, wriggling in his seat like he would bolt at the chance.

Kellan and I exchange a look before I turn back to Lev.

“You know Anatoly better than we do. You know plenty about him. Things that could be useful in taking him down for good.”

“You’re not suggesting…” He trails off, not even wanting to say it.

I shoot him a hard look. “I am. You’re not off the hook, Lev. Not after what you did. We need a man on the inside, and guess what? You’re perfect for the job.”

Lev rubs his jaw, eyes darting to the door like he’s trying to figure a way out of this conversation.

“You want me to go up against him?” His voice is quiet, laced with doubt, and I can’t blame him.

He’s got no choice but to help, but it’s clear he doesn’t want to.

“You know what he’ll do to me if this goes sideways, right? ”

I lean in, my voice low but cold. “You think I care about that?” I shake my head and laugh. “You’re a piece of trash scumbag. Your only use in life is serving men more powerful than you, and guess what? Anatoly isn’t going to be the biggest kid on the block much longer.”

Lucky grins, leaning back in his seat. “Your boy is being investigated. RICO, Lev. Wake up and smell the arrest warrants. All the Feds need is the smoking gun, and we’re going to give it to them. We need documents, evidence that shows how deep his corruption goes. The stuff he’s been hiding.”

Lev’s eyes narrow, his hands clenched tightly. “And what do you expect me to do about it? Like you said, I’m just a low man on the ladder. I ain’t some high-ranker who’s got access to all that shit.”

I shake my head. “You’re going to get that intel for us, no matter what you need to do to get it.”

Lev’s eyes narrow, but there’s a flicker of something else beneath the cold stare—fear, or maybe resignation.

He knows, just as well as I do, that this operation could be a death sentence for him.

His voice shakes, just barely, but he’s trying to hold it together.

“You understand what you’re asking me to do, right?

If this goes wrong, it’s not just me on the line.

You think Anatoly won’t burn me alive for this? ”

I lean forward, my jaw tight. “We don’t care about you, Lev.

You’re expendable.” The words are harsh, but they’re the truth, and I don’t waste time with sugarcoating.

“But your family… your brother and niece? We’ve got eyes on them.

Every move they make, every breath they take.

” I let that sink in before I add the final sting.

“You screw this up, and I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on them. ”

He sucks in a breath, his face paling slightly. For a second, I almost think he’s going to argue, or worse, run. But the defeat settles in and he looks at me, his lips pressed into a thin line. There’s no more fire in his eyes, just grim acceptance.

“I’ll get you what you need,” he says quietly, the weight of his words heavier than anything I’ve ever heard from him. “But when this is over… you'd better make sure my family’s safe. You have to guarantee it.”

I give him a small nod. “You’ll get your protection when the job’s done. No one crosses me and lives to tell about it. Anatoly won’t be the last man you’ll fear once we’re done with this.”

Lev doesn’t say anything else, but the way he clenches his fists shows that he’s both pissed and terrified. I don’t blame him. He’s got nothing left but this job now.

We all stare at him for a long moment, each of us feeling the weight of the deal we’ve struck. There’s no turning back now.