I sip my coffee casually. “I’m guessing you got a new name ready to go? A nice place to retreat to once everything is said and done?”
“Why would I do that?”
I keep my eyes on my mug. “I heard New Zealand is gorgeous. Far away from where I can ever reach you.”
“Pavel, please.”
“You might even look good as a blonde.”
Her lower lip trembles. “Stop it.”
“It’s all part of your grand plan, isn’t it?”
She blinks and drops her arms. “What?”
“Don’t act stupid.”
“Pavel, what are you talking about?”
I start to pace, making it to the doorway by the foyer and back again. I should be volatile. I should be screaming at her. I should be locking her up in the basement. At least there she won’t damage my reputation any more than she has already. The words are right on the edge of my tongue. I could threaten her. I’ve done it before.
Tie her to a cot until she gives birth.
My heart jolts in my chest.
I look at her, and my heart softens.That’s not who I am anymore.
Finally, I tell her the truth. “I can’t control you. But you made me look weak in front of the entire city.”
“I didn’t blame anything on you. Did you even read the article?”
“Its existence says enough on its own. It’s not about what the rest of the city thinks. I don’t give a damn about that. It’s what the other bosses think. They’ll read this article, and they’ll think I’m Cardona’s lackey. Did you even consider that possibility?”
“I did, but it’s the only way to take Cardona off the board. It’s the only way for the DA to act. You want that wedding raided and Zoya taken into custody by men who are trustworthy? This is the only way to force out the rats.”
I cross the room and snatch her upper arm. “You did this for yourself!”
She grits her teeth and stares back at me. “I did it so I wouldn’t have to worry about you after I’m gone!”
And there it is. That final ugly admission. Agitation, humiliation, and shame whirl around my mind, choking off all other thoughts. But there’s something else—something so distinctlyLiya. Something so beautiful and enticing that I instantly recognize it for what it is.
Hope.
And the more I feel it, the angrier I get.
I slide my hand up to her neck and lightly wrap my fingers around the nape of her neck. Her pulse dances under the tips of my finger, but I keep my grip light—enough to show her what I am capable of, and enough to show her that I’m holding myself in check.
“You poured gasoline onto the fire, Liya.”
She trembles in my grasp, but she makes no attempt to move away from me. “Perhaps that fire will help you see where you’re heading.”
I narrow my eyes and urge myself to calm down. Because the truth is, no matter how painful of a blow this may be to my ego, it’s an excellent plan.
Brilliant, even.
The mayor will take so much heat from the press that he’ll be forced to act. And in acting, Cardona’s men in the NYPD will be more concerned about saving their own hides and reputation than doing their job for him. With just a few words to the press, Liya has held up a magnifying glass, and the heat is burning Cardona alive. His power structure has been laid out for everyone to see. I can already hear the whispers from the other bosses.
Cardona’s entire enterprise wasthissimple? Hell, I could do it if I wanted to, and I could do it better.