Chapter 26 The second the SUV pulls up to my apartment building, I'm already reaching for the door handle. "We will wait here," Maksim grunts from the front seat as I get out, rushing up the stairs. As soon as I enter my home, I turn the lock into place, heart thudding. Not because I'm scared, but because if I don't hurry, they may come knocking. When I dial Gerardo, he answers almost immediately. "Hey." His voice tightens. "Everything okay?" "Sort of. A lot's happened since we last spoke." "Did he do something?" His tone shifts instantly to protective, and I can't help but smile. As a kid, I used to wish he was my real father. It was one of the many fairy tales I dreamed up, along with living in a giant mansion with a prince who adored me. Well, I did get my mansion...but I definitely got the villain instead of the prince. "Yes and no," I tell him. "There was a shooting. It happened during a work trip. The DeLuca crew found us and tried to kill him." "What?" His breath quickens. "You didn't get hurt, right?" "No, I'm fine. But I saved his life by taking out two high-ranking guys. Now there's a bounty on me." Silence stretches between us before he speaks again, his voice low with frustration. "Damn it, Emilia. This is exactly what I was afraid of." "You think I planned this?" "No." He sighs, weariness bleeding through the line. "But you know I can't help you with this. If the bureau finds out I let you do any of it⁠-" "I'd never rat you out." He exhales sharply. "I know that, kid." "There's more." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Oh, come on. What else could there be?" I take a moment before I say it. "He made me marry him." A long, dreadful silence wedges between us. "He what?" "I didn't have a damn choice. He said it's for my protection, and now I'm living with him." "Jesus Christ, Emilia!" "I'll be fine. This is good." "Good?" He lets out a dry chuckle. "Only you would call what you just said good." "I'm closer than ever to finding what I need." "You're out of your goddamn element. I never should've let you do this." "Too late." He says something under his breath. "Just be careful. I don't have to tell you what would happen to you if he finds out what you're really doing." "He won't." I grip the edge of the counter. "But please...just watch out for Nate. I won't be able to see him for a while." "You have my word. I'll only contact you if something is wrong." "Thank you. Talk soon." I end the call, then immediately phone Riley. "Hey!" she says. "So happy you called. Great work, by the way. I got into his cell." Relief hits me. I fucking did it. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about..." Her voice trails, and I don't like it. "What is it?" "So, I was going through Nate's partner's stuff again and found encrypted monthly wire transfers tied to some offshore account. This time, though, I traced it back to the DeLuca family, not the Russians." I freeze. "So, what the hell does that mean? He was taking money from both of them?" "Seems that way." "What the fuck was he up to? How dirty was this guy?" "As dirty as they come." My head starts to spin and I back up against the wall for stability. "Maybe he crossed the DeLucas and got killed for it. Maybe it wasn't the Russians." What I really want to say, though, is maybe it wasn't Konstantin. It's like I'm grasping for any sign that he isn't involved. Like somehow that would make him a good person or give me permission to be with him. "It's possible, yeah. If he was working with the DeLucas and their relationship went sour, they'd get rid of him. It's too soon to know for sure, but I'll keep digging." "Okay. I have to go. Do me a favor and only call me if it's an emergency. I'm gonna have constant eyes on me." "What happened?" I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the absurdity of it all. There's no way to explain how absolutely insane all of this is without it sounding like a bad joke or one of those Mafia romance novels where the girl falls for the big, scary guy who forces her to marry him. "Long story short, I killed someone in the DeLuca crew, and now they want me dead for it. So, my boss decided it would be best if I became his wife instead. Now I'm living with him." There's a pause. A long, heavy silence that makes me want to laugh but also cry. Because of course this is my life now. "Holy shit..." she says, disbelief clouding her voice. "Yep." I let out a shaky laugh, rubbing my temple. "I can tell you where to send a wedding present if you'd like." "How the hell are you gonna get out of this?" she whispers, her tone still laced with shock. Dropping the back of my head against the wall, I close my eyes. "He promised me a divorce once he kills the crew." There's more silence, and I can practically hear her mental wheels spinning. "And you believe him?" I can't help the small laugh that escapes. "No, I don't, but what choice do I have?" She lets out a weighty sigh. "Yeah, I get it. Just don't do stupid shit and keep your head down." "Don't worry. I'm trying not to let the whole 'my husband is a Mafia boss and I'm his prisoner' thing set in. It's really starting to cramp my style." I can almost picture her rolling her eyes on the other end of the line before she lets out a laugh. "I can definitely see how that would be a problem." "Do me another favor." "Anything." "Can you fill Fiona in? She'll kill me if I tell her." Riley's laughter is lighter this time. "I'll handle her. You stay safe, okay?" "I will. Thanks." As soon as the call ends, I delete the call log and stuff my phone into my handbag. Then I grab a duffle and toss in a few other clothes his people couldn't fit in, just enough to make the visit look legit. Because if Konstantin even suspects what I'm doing, I won't just be married to a mobster. I'll be buried by one. KONSTANTIN "I can't believe you married her." Aleksei takes another puff of his cigar, the scent of leather clashing with the bitter sting of cigar smoke. "I did." My gaze lands on each of my brothers. "And all of you will be your best selves when you see her for dinner tonight, or I'll have your heads." "You really care about her, don't you?" Kirill eyes me intently as he leans against the wall. I ignore him, glaring at each one of them. "Tessa is off-limits. Do you all understand? You disrespect my wife, you disrespect me." Aleksei flicks his ashes into the tray on the desk in my study. "We understand, brother. The help is now your wife." "Watch your fucking tone!" My fist connects hard with the desk, my anger vibrating through me. The smirk fades from his face, irritation lingering instead. Kirill raises his glass and cuts in before things can get ugly. "Vso normalna." Everything's fine. "We'll all be on our best behavior. If she matters to you, that's enough for us." Aleksei nods once. "Yeah, all good. We will protect her with our lives, if that's what you want." "That's exactly what I want." I rise, heading to the bar in the corner, needing a drink. "Now, tell me what you've got on the DeLucas." Aleksei's mood intensifies. "They've got someone on the inside. A cop." I glance at him over my shoulder. "Name?" "Don't have one yet. They're keeping his info well-guarded. All we've heard so far from the ones we spoke to is that whoever this cop is, he's in deep with their organization, and only the top lieutenants in the crew know who he is." I return to my chair. "That's not news. Cops have been dirty since the beginning of time. Why should I care about this one?" "Because this one isn't just helping them," Kirill adds. "This one might be leading them." That gets my attention. "You really think this cop is the one running things?" He gives a small shrug. "If not running, then pulling strings. Explains a lot, no? Why they've been bold lately. Why they keep testing us and aren't scared of consequences." It does make sense. The DeLucas used to know their place. Then suddenly, they started reaching into territories they'd never dared to touch before. Contracts we had locked down began to slip. Rumors of suppliers switching sides. It wasn't desperation; it was arrogance. The kind of arrogance that only comes when someone powerful is whispering in your ear. A cop. Someone who could cover tracks, redirect investigations, give advance warnings. Someone who made them feel invincible. I sit back, processing it all. "Find him. And when you do, I want him alive. I want to know who else he's working with, what he knows." Kirill nods. "We're already looking. He won't stay hidden forever." I glance at the time, then fix my brothers with a look. "Be back here at seven sharp." Kirill grins, that dark humor lighting up his face. "I swear I still can't tell if you're joking or if you're actually serious about her." "I'm always serious. Especially when it comes to what's mine." Anton watches, his eyes searching, as if trying to grasp what it's like to care for someone. "Seven," I repeat. "Don't be late." They get up, one by one. And just like that, the room empties. But the remnants of what we just discussed remain. If there's a cop helping run the DeLuca crew, then he's their shield. If that shield cracks, so does everything they've built. And I plan to be the one holding the hammer. A single mother returns to the city she left seven years ago after breaking up with her ex to seek treatment for her son’s leukemia. Upon learning of her return, the ex immediately searches for the lo...