Page 104 of Thorns of Desire

I glanced between the two men, the sheer terror of losing Athena setting my teeth on edge.

“Forgive me for not believing a word coming out of your mouth,” I said, snarling at him like a wild dog. I still remembered the words of the Triads’ man we tortured in the dungeon.

To his credit, Danil remained calm, unaffected by my temper.

“The only thing I want is for Athena to be safe. She’s been through enough.” The haze of fury slowly cleared and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. “I’ve watched over her from the shadows since she was twelve. Since the Triads tried to bury her alive.”

I took a step back, still clutching my gun but no longer aiming it at Danil.

“Explain,” I hissed.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I knew of Athena from the moment she was born, although my father didn’t. Not at first.”

“You need to speed this up,” I gritted. “Every minute counts and I need to get my wife back.” Or I’d lose my goddamn mind. “And if there’s even a scratch on her, I’m taking down every fucking organization on this planet.”

“Fuck,” Soren muttered, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

“I’m sure you did your homework,” Danil continued, “so you know about my father fucking over the Triads, the Albanians,and the Cortes cartel, but you should also know we…Isettled those cash debts. Except there was one thing that no amount of cash could settle.”

Dread pooled in my stomach. I suspected this was the missing piece that I was searching for.

“What was that?” I asked.

“The death of an innocent child.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“After Lykos Costello kicked Alexandra out, she set my father’s house on fire, burning it to the ground… along with a baby. Qian Long’s sister.”

I froze, struggling to find the words. I expected a lot of fucked-up shit from Alexandra, but that was unfathomable. Qian Long was the current head of the Triads, and he was as ruthless as he was unforgiving.

“Alexandra killed a baby?” I asked, my voice sounding strange to my own ears. The Triads had the mentality of an eye for an eye. And if they knew of Athena’s pregnancy?—

Porca puttana!

When I got my hands on Alexandra, I would make the vindictive bitch pay. Losing my wife would destroy me—break me—and Alexandra knew that.

“Her mother told the Triads where to find us,” I choked out. “Where to find my wife.”

There was no other explanation. Athena even told me her mother sounded excited when she spoke to her last.

That lying, conniving bitch.

Danil nodded. “It’s how we knew. We had her phone bugged.”

Cazzo.

And I brought that fucking traitor into my home. “And your meeting with the Triads a few weeks ago?”

I couldn’t trust anyone. Not when it was my wife’s life in danger—our child’s life.

“I wanted to arrange a marriage,” Danil explained. “Between the Triads and the Popov family. To bring peace.”

I was surprised my teeth didn’t crack from how hard I was clenching them.

“You were going to marry her off,” I snarled. “Mywoman.”

“That was Qian’s conclusion too,” he explained calmly. “He assumed I’m trying to marry Nicki or Athena to him.”