He … loved me?
He didn’t even know me.
He must have sensed the doubt in my mind because he offered a small smile. “You really think a father could simply not love his child because you have been taken from me all these years?”
He held out his hand toward me.
I moved away on instinct, and he quickly pulled it back. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head, my eyes focused on the notebook he gave me.
Slowly opening it to a blank page, I started writing.
Francisco waited patiently for me to finish before I handed it over to him.
If you really love me, you would help me find Damien without conditions.
He looked up at me once he finished reading it.
“I love you. I would do anything for you. But I don’t love the head of the Vasiliev Bratva. I don’t even know the man very well, and the things I have heard about him aren’t good things,tesoro. I’m still not convinced they’re not holding you against your will.”
I grabbed the notebook back from him and quickly wrote in it.
They’re not. I love him.
He looked away from me briefly.
“Perhaps so. I’m your father, but I’m also the don of the Bianchi Famiglia. This is just business. And I needed you here. I—” He took a deep breath. “I just wanted to see you. Is that so bad? Would you vilify me for that?”
I didn’t have a response to that.
Mikhail chose that moment to walk in. I had a feeling he had finished making the tea for a while now, and he had heard everything we talked about.
He sat next to me and handed me the warm cup. I smiled my thanks.
“I think it’s best if you let me take Catalina back to her room to rest.”
And though Mikhail still sounded as powerful and confident as he always did, there was something soft about the tone of his voice.
Francisco opened his mouth but closed it at the last second and nodded, his eyes focused on me.
We didn’t say anything as Mikhail grabbed my free hand and led me out.
I walked to the room in a daze, wondering when everything had gotten so complicated.
7
NIKOLAY
Mikhail pickedup on the first ring.
“Is everything okay?” he asked as his greeting.
“Yeah, I—” I cleared my throat. “I put a bounty on all the Blood Nation Sinners’ traitors. Maxim is keeping a close eye on the rest of the group, and should everything go as planned, we will have one of the traitors very soon.”
Mikhail made an approving noise in the back of his throat. “Bianchi contacted Luca. They’re setting up a meeting place in New York as we speak. And we’ll go there—”
“And we’ll grab the fucker,” I finished. This time, I would finish the job. I would ensure that what was dead would stay dead.