Chapter 54 Episode 54
1653 Words
A waiter walks by with a tray of appetizers. Exquisite timing.Tiny little crackers topped with a soft white cheese and adollop of some kind of jam. Whatever it is, it looks messy.Perfect for what I have in mind.
I yank the tray out of the waiter’s hands and smash it intoNikolai’s chest.
The crowd gasps as the tray clatters to the floor. I can’t lift myeyes any higher than the red jam smeared across the front ofNikolai’s suit. If I do, I’ll see his gray eyes—and then I’lldefinitely cry.
So without another word, I turn and sprint for the exit.
As far as I’m concerned, this party is over.
The elevator doors have already closed, but when I hit thebutton, they slide open again.
Her arms are crossed over her chest and her eyes are red andpuffy. She’s crying. As soon as she sees me, her spinestraightens. “Stay away from me.”
“I’ll scream,” she warns. “I’ll scream so f*****g loud, Iswear.”
The doors try to close, but I hold them open. “Okay. Do it.Scream.”
“Are you deaf? I said I’ll—”
“You’ll scream, I know.” I nod. “And what do you think willhappen? Everyone here works for me, Belle. Do you thinkthey’ll save you?”
The fear in her eyes shifts to full-blown terror as she realizeshow isolated she is.
“Rethinking your decision to come to Iceland with me?” I ask.
“I’m rethinking everything. I was… I was so stupid,” shewhispers, her fists clenching at her sides. “I knew who youwere and what you’ve done, but I came with you anyway. Ishould have known better.”
“And who am I?” I stalk into the elevator.
Belle presses herself flat against the back wall. “A filthy, lyingcriminal.”
“I’m a criminal. I’ll give you that.”
I shake my head. “When did I lie to you?”
“You’re engaged!” she screams. “I asked you on the plane ifyou were married or engaged.”
“How noble of you to ask after we’d already fucked.”
Her face twists. “It doesn’t matter. You would have liedanyway. You told me you were single.”
I shrug. “At the time, I was.”
Her mouth falls open. “So sometime between then and now,you found time to get engaged? What the hell, Nikolai?!”
“You’re making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be. Iplanned to tell you about Xena when the time was right.”
“Xena,” she spits.“She even sounds like the kind of trendybitch who’d be fine with an open relationship.”
I snort. “Believe me, she’s absolutely not.”
I’m actually surprised Xena isn’t standing outside the elevatordoors right now, demanding to know what is going on. Thoughshe’s probably still riding the high from seeing Belle smear aserving tray all over my chest. Given the scene it caused, I’msure she wishes she’d done it herself.
“Then why did you bring me here and buy me this dress? Whydid you trot me out in front of her like that?”
“I didn’t ‘trot you out’ in front of anyone.”
Right now, part of me thinks a life of celibacy might not be sobad. Especially if it means never having to deal with this kindof infuriating drama.
But that part of me exists north of my equator. The southernhemisphere, below the belt, is very not down with the idea ofcelibacy.
Especially since Belle is still wearing her dress…
And she wears anger very, very well.
“And why did you bring Elise into it?” Her voice trembles atthe mention of her sister. “She was starting to like you, forGod’s sake. She was happy here, and now, it’s all… it’s all…You ruined everything!”
“I didn’t even know Xena was going to be here. I have no cluewhy she came.”
“She’s here to visit her fiance, you asshole!”
The elevator doors ding open behind us. I turn and face twomen waiting to get on. “Take the stairs,” I snap.
They jump back, eyes wide, and I smash the “Doors Close”button followed by the emergency stop. A long, keening alarmsounds, but I ignore it and turn back to Belle.
“I don’t give a s**t about Xena Simatou. She means nothing tome. She is just—”
“Giorgos’s sister,” Belle gasps. I can see her connecting thedots. “She’s related to that other mafia guy, isn’t she? So this issome kind of… arrangement, or something?”
I nod. “More or less. Giorgos and I are working together and—”
“And he’s pimping out his sister to you?” She wrinkles hernose. “That is sick, Nikolai. He’s prostituting his sister forwhat? Money?”
“Protection,” I say. “Access. And yes, money. But Xena is theone who demanded the marriage between us as part of thecontract. I didn’t want it.”
Belle snorts. “Of course you didn’t. You can’t exactly whiskrandom women off on international trips and f**k them inairplane bathrooms if you’re married, can you? Then again,maybe you can! Because you’re engaged, but here I amanyway. Like an idiot.”
“I didn’t bring you here as a secret,” I growl. “This wasn’tsome hidden affair. Giorgos knew where I was.”
It’s why he sent Xena here, I’m sure. I made a bold move bybringing Belle here against their wishes and then burningdown one of his buildings. So he sent his sister here to burndown my life, so to speak.
Thus far, he’s doing an annoyingly good job.
But he’ll pay for it all later.
Belle’s eyes widen. “So I’m just some toy you’re dangling infront of your future in-laws?”
“None of this is about you. If you’ll just f*****g listen—”
“I’ve listened too much already!” She swipes at the angry tearsrolling down her cheeks. “I listened when you said you’d takecare of me. I listened when you said you’d give me whatever Iwant. Do you think this is what I wanted?”
“Nothing has to change. This thing with Xena—”
“Marriage, you mean? Is that what you mean by ‘this thing’?You really ought to be specific.”
“This marriage with Xena is business,” I grit out. “That’s it. Idon’t give a s**t about her.”
Belle rolls her eyes. “As if that makes any difference. You’reengaged to her. You’re going to be married to her!”
She tries to push past me to release the emergency stop on theelevator, but I snare her wrist.
She tries to wrench her hand free, but she’s no match for mystrength. I walk her back against the elevator wall. Her eyeswiden. So green. The surface of a pond that goes deep, deep,deep.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I snarl softly.
“It’s too late for that.” Her voice catches, subtle but noticeable.
“Nothing has changed. Everything is exactly like it was.”
“Why? How is this different?” I challenge. “I’ll send Xenapacking, and we can go back to—”
“To pretending we have a future together?” Her lower liptrembles.
It’s a big admission. Belle wants a future together. Or at leastshe did as of ten minutes ago.
I sigh. In my world, planning for the future is a fool’s errand.People get killed or betray you. They take what they wantfrom you or die trying and that is simply how the game goes.
Belle wants something I cannot give her—certainty.
“I never made you any promises,” I say flatly.
Hurt flashes across her face, quick as lightning. Then shesmiles.
It’s off-putting, the way her mouth turns into a grin while hereyes remain cold and lifeless. I hardly even recognize her.
“You’re right. You didn’t,” she croaks. “So I can’t be angry,right?”
“There’s nothing to be angry about. It’s business, nothingmore.”
Belle takes a deep breath. She seems calmer now, but only onthe surface. I can sense the storm raging just beneath her skin.“But if you and—when you and Xena get married, you’ll livetogether?”
“She would be your date to events and galas? She would be onyour arm in public? Xena would be the person who, in everypublic way, would be your wife?”
She’s not really asking anymore. She’s explaining.
I grit my teeth. “You don’t understand how this life works.Marriage is a tool. This will make my Bratva stronger.”
“It’s the only thing that matters,” I bite back.
For so long—for so f*****g long—that’s been true. Growingup drowning in poverty, watching my father scrape togetherenough loose change to buy bottom-shelf booze while myhunger roared in my stomach, I swore to myself I would turn itall around. Someday, somehow, all that s**t would change.
And I did it. I built everything from nothing. I remade theworld in my image and I killed anyone along the way whotried to stop me.
I’ve come so far. And now that I’m so goddamn close to beingenthroned on top, I can’t let anything—or anyone—distractme.
“Then it sounds like you have your priorities,” Belle sayscoldly. “And I have mine.”
“To take care of myself and my sister.”
I snort. “Oh, of course. You were doing a great job before Icame along. When you get back to your ‘priorities,’ be sure togive Roger my best.”
Her face screws up. “Roger? What does he have to do with—”
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