Page 82 of Twisted Secrets
“Da?”
“Romanov.” Cillian met her gaze, his voice cold. “I have a proposition for you, and don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s optional.”
“Cillian O’Malley. Such a pleasure to hear from you once more.” A pause. “I’m listening.”
“You will leave Olivia alone. She wants no part of the Romanov name, no matter what your father willed. In exchange, I’m willing to offer that the O’Malley family will let go of the fact that you tried to undermine us.”
A longer pause. “And if I choose to turn down this less-than-beneficial agreement?”
“War.” Cillian’s gaze turned contemplative. “I happen to know that you haven’t magically found a wife in the last six months since my sister very publicly chose an enemy to her family over you. That made some of your business partners a little nervous, didn’t it?” The silence on the other end was confirmation enough. Cillian snorted. “Yeah, I thought so. You can’t afford a war right now and you damn well know it.”
Dmitri’s silky laugh made the small hair on the back of her neck stand on end. “While you’re not completely incorrect, I have a counteroffer.”
“And what’s that?”
“I am prepared to let my darling sister settle in with you—which is what I assume you’re planning, otherwise you wouldn’t be calling me—in exchange for two concessions.”
Of course he couldn’t just take what Cillian was offering. Olivia didn’t even know if Cillian had the authority to make that threat in the first place, but if he said they would go to war over her, she believedhim. And he was right—war wasn’t something Dmitri could afford right now, not with him only having full control over the Romanovs for less than two years. Her heart beat harder.This could actually work.
Cillian frowned. “What concessions?”
“You, Cillian O’Malley, will owe me a favor. It will not in any way undermine your loyalty to your family, but other than that, it is a free favor that I can call due at my convenience.”
No.
“Deal.” Cillian didn’t look at her. “And the other?”
“I would like to see my niece a few times a year.” His voice warmed to just this side of freezing. “I know you’re listening, Olivia. No threats. No bargaining. No underhanded maneuvering. But I will come to Boston and I will see Hadley for a few hours on an arranged date.”
No. She took a deep breath and stamped down on her initial knee-jerk reaction. Cillian was still watching her, waiting for her answer. She held out her hand for the phone and he passed it over. “Why?”
“She’s family.” Such a simple answer, and yet incomparably complicated.
Olivia took a deep breath. “If I agree to this, I can call off these visits at any point without repercussions from you or anyone associated with the Romanovs.”
“Only if I violate my part of that agreement.”
No threats. No bargaining. No underhanded maneuvering.She didn’t like it. She had a feeling he was going to be holding that position in the Romanov family for her daughter as a way to keep his word to Andrei. But…She took a deep breath. There would come a time when Hadley would have to know about her history. Andrei waited until it was too late to try to start a relationship with Olivia. Was she any better than he was if she denied Hadley a chance to know her uncle—especially if he was earnest in his intentions?
She thought hard, trying to see this from all angles. The thought of leaving Dmitri in the rearview forever was an intoxicating one, but she couldn’t expect to stay in Boston without some kind of agreement in place. This was as fair as it was going to get. “I will be there for every second of the time you spend with her. I want your word that your intentions are true.” It wasn’t a foolproof guarantee, but it was as close to one as she’d get.
“You have it.”
She released her pent-up breath in a rush. “Okay.”
“Good-bye, Olivia.”
“Good-bye, Dmitri.”
She hung up the phone and passed it back, hardly daring to believe it. “He’s not going to try to force me to come back. He gave his word.” A smile pulled at the edges of her lip, and she let loose a giddy laugh. “I can’t believe it.”
“You didn’t have to agree to let him see Hadley. We could have found a different way.”
She didn’t think so. But, beyond that, her gut said that Dmitri wasn’t making a power play with that request. “He’s alone, Cillian. Andrei is gone. His mother passed away when he was in high school. Hadley and I are the closest thing to family he has, and while that wasn’t enough to stop him from playing dirty to try and bring us back into the fold, he realizes that this is the only way to fulfill his promise to our father.” And she had his word. It was as close to a sure thing as there was in this world.
She laid her head on Cillian’s shoulder. “I don’t know what the future will bring, but Idoknow that I want you in my life in a permanent way. The rest will figure itself out.”
“I love you so fucking much, it blows my mind.”
She lifted her head so she could see his face. “Then kiss me, Cillian O’Malley. We won today, and we’re safe. Tomorrow will figure itself out.”