There’s another part of her that wants to run from me and never look back.
“You have to be sure, ‘Lana,” I tell her. “There will be no going back.”
She bites her lip. “How long do I have to decide?”
“Twenty-four hours,” I say succinctly.
She nods. “Okay, I’ll have my answer to you by then.”
She takes her beer and glugs it down with all the vigor of a truck driver. When she sets down the bottle, it’s empty.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” she asks. “What if I’m not his type?”
I snort. “You’re every man’s type.”
She starts to pick at the wrapper on the beer bottle with her lacquered nails.
“And once you’ve killed the mother fucker and taken control of the Bratva again,” she muses softly, “where does that leave me?”
“You’ll be part of the team,” I say. “You’ll be Bratva.”
She raises her eyebrows as if that’s the first real carrot I’ve dangled in front of her. “You’re serious?” she asks.
“I am.”
“Women aren’t traditionally part of the Bratva.”
“Well then, it’s about time to dragged us into the twenty-first century, don’t you think?”
She smiles down into her lap. Then she looks up at me, stone-faced but with a blaze in her eyes.
“I don’t need twenty-four hours,” she says, with confidence. “I’ve made my decision.”
“Glad to have you on board.” I stand and shake her hand across the desk.
I walk her to the door. Before she leaves, she turns back to me and rests a friendly hand on my forearm. Her smile is soft, but it turns sad suddenly.
“I heard about Cillian,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”
My jaw clenches. “Another thing Budimir will answer for.”
“He has a lot to answer for,” Svetlana replies. “And if I can do something to help bring him to his knees, then I will.”
Then she’s gone.
I watch her get into her car and drive away.
Gaining Svetlana’s allegiance is not something I counted on, but it’s something I hoped for. She has her mother’s grace and beauty, but she has her father’s courage. She’s smart, skilled and subtle in the art of deception and seduction.
Getting her on my team is an undeniable victory. Another piece on the board working to topple Budimir.
I should be fucking thrilled.
And yet…
Why do I still feel so fucking empty inside?
The answer is so obvious that I miss it at first. Then it hits me between the eyes and I retreat to my desk and sit down.