Page 17 of Trust

I nod, shifting in my armchair. “Yes. They are called…” I stop, trying to remember the name in English. “Discus fish.”

“They’re nice,” Cristiano says. He looks pointedly at Silvano, even though Silvano isn’t paying any attention to him. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Ilya.”

I nod and scratch my beard. “Of course. You said you had a new opportunity to discuss?”

Silvano finally breaks away from the aquarium to take a seat on the leather couch, right in the middle.

“I do. I’m sure you heard of the trouble we had down south—I’m not going to insult your intelligence by trying to deny it. But I was talking with Konstantin Voronkov… Do you know the Voronkovs?”

I sigh. Yes, of course I’ve heard of Konstantin Voronkov. The Voronkovs are the largest of the Russian groups in New Bristol. There’d been some upheaval a few months ago, but I’d kept my head down through it all and taken advantage of the confusion.

Things change so fast.

I was mostly content to take things as they went.

Until Artyom betrayed me.

Two years of stealing from me. Two years of pretending to have my best interests at heart, only for me to discover he’d been skimming from the profits.

Five months of informing to the police

He was going to destroy me.

I couldn’t forgive that.

I look down at my hands again. I haven’t had nightmares about it for the past three nights. My thoughts were mostly occupied with?—

“Of course, you’re better versed in the whole gambling business. There’s also the matter of law enforcement, and…” Silvano trails off. “Am I boring you, Ilya?”

“Yes,” I answer automatically. I look up at them, and I notice Cristiano biting his lip to suppress a smile. “Silvano, you’re married to a man. How did you do it?”

Boris shifts uncomfortably near the door. Everybody here knows about Silvano Cresci, and they all know he is too powerful to insult to his face. That doesn’t mean they are comfortable with it.

I’ve never cared what people did in their own bedrooms.

When it was suggested that I take over the New Bristol operations of our bratva, I jumped at the chance. An escape from the narrow world in St. Petersburg! By all rights, it was a demotion, a way to get me out of the way after my father’s death. They had meant to ensure I wouldn’t attempt to wrest power from his former second-in-command, but I never saw it that way.

Out of sight, out of mind, works both ways.

I can do things here that I would never have dared to do at home.

Like kissing Micah.

“Well, it turns out, you simply go to the courthouse and sign a marriage certificate,” Silvano says glibly. He nudges Cristiano. “Did you know it was that easy, Cristiano? Anyone can do it.”

Cristiano casts a dark look in his direction. “Yes, I’m aware. Thank you, Silvano, for that enlightening information.” He crosses his arms against his chest. “There are mafia men who are with other men, yes. And they still command respect.”

Like Silvano Cresci, he means.

“That was what I meant.” I agree. “But Kyran Winters, he’s strong too. He protects himself.” I look over Silvano, who is slim and impeccably dressed, with his golden hair brushed back. He doesn’t erupt into violent outbursts the way many men in our line of business do, but he has that air that makes people want to listen to him.

Micah is nothing like Silvano or Kyran though. He can’t take care of himself.

He needs somebody to cherish him.

Not like that cop.

“All right, I can see that we’re getting nowhere.” Silvano looks at his guards. “Evan, Knives, could you have Boris and the other men show you the poker rooms? Maybe you can all exchange tips about guns or cock sizes or whatever macho men like you all do.”