I laugh. “It was definitely a compliment for someone in your line of work.”
“You didn’t extend me an invitation here to flatter me, Artem,” she says. “Why am I here?”
“You know why.”
“You want me to seduce someone.”
“Budimir Kovalyov,” I fill in. “My uncle.”
Her eyes betray a hint of fear. “I see.”
“I’m not going to lie to you,” I say. “It’s not an easy job. Budimir enjoys his women, but they’ve only ever been expendable to him. No woman has ever managed to hold his interest longer than a few months. But that’s exactly what I’m hiring you to do. Hold his interest. Earn his trust. Make yourself a part of his entourage and eventually, he’ll let his guard down.”
She doesn’t move, but I can see the fear blossoming in her. She knows full well how dangerous Budimir’s temper can be, and how fickle his affections.
“Even if he doesn’t open up to you directly,” I go on, “you might be able to pick up on little things. Plans that might be useful to me, alliances that I haven’t anticipated, fractures within his ranks that I can exploit.”
Svetlana considers my words carefully. “I’ve seen your uncle on a few occasions,” she admits. “But I was a young girl then. It was back in the early days of my father’s career with the Bratva.”
I nod and motion for her to continue.
“Aren’t you concerned that he’ll know who I am?”
“If you accept the job, I will have a new identity ready for you by tomorrow, as well as a binder detailing your fabricated past life.”
“Homework,” she drawls. “How wonderful.”
I smirk. “I think you can handle it.”
“But do I want to?” she asks. “That’s the question.”
I lean in and my expression turns serious. “Svetlana, your father was one of the most loyal bodyguards my father ever had at his side. It may not have shown, but Stanislav took his death hard.”
“It showed,” Svetlana says quietly. “He set up a monthly allowance for Mama after Papa’s death. For as long as she lives, she’ll be provided for.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I thought the payments might stop after Don Stanislav died, but they didn’t,” she tells me.
I nod. “Nor would I want them to.”
“I know why you called me, Artem,” she blurts. “It’s not just because I’m good at what I do. It’s because you value loyalty, like your father did. You wouldn’t have called me at all if you felt you couldn’t trust me.”
“That’s true. Budimir never valued loyalty like Stanislav did. He never attended the funerals of his men, never bothered to learn about their families, never saw that they were taken care of. It was always one-sided for him, which is why he will never last as don.”
Svetlana nods. “This job is more dangerous than I’m used to.”
“I’m aware of that,” I nod. “And your pay will reflect the risk.”
“Money is not what I’m worried about,” she says. “If he finds out who I am and who I’m working for, he’ll kill me.”
I don’t mince words. “Without a doubt.”
I’m not going to lie to her. Trust goes both ways.
She takes a deep breath, and that her breathing quickens as she weighs her options. I can see the conflict behind her dizzying green eyes.
There’s a part of her that likes the danger of the assignment.