“Tell me. Please.”
He sighs, looking like he wants to be anywhere else right now but here in this car with me. “Yes. We said we’d work together.”
“Does Cillian know you planned to kidnap me to lure Mikhail out?”
“Cillian doesn’t need to know everything I get up to.”
“So, you’re double crossing him. You’re going to take Mikhail down yourself without his help.”
“Sure. If you want to call it that, then sure.”
“Why? Isn’t Cillian your ally? Why screw him like that?”
“Because that’s business, Natalya. Mafia men can’t be trusted. We scheme and we plan and we backstab.”
“Right.” Now’s the time. “So, if I told you that Cillian had Mikhail right now, how would that make you feel?”
Nico goes eerily still before he scoffs. “I would say you’re lying just to save yourself though I don’t see how that would work.”
“I’m not lying,” I say, forcing myself to look him in the eye. Don’t show weakness. “Cillian attacked me and Mikhail. He took my husband. He left me behind because he didn’t have any need for me. He has Mikhail right now, Nico. I’m not lying.”
He looks into my eyes, searching them for a long time, before he huffs. “You’re right. You’re not lying, are you?”
“I’m not. Cillian is backstabbing you. He’s trying to kill Mikhail himself without you. He probably wants the credit for taking my husband down. That will give him power. Maybe even more power than you possess.”
“Cillian is just a fucking Irish mobster. He’s not the Mafia like I am.”
“So remind him of that. Find him and you’ll find my husband. And then you can kill Mikhail while you’re at it.”
“You’re leading me straight to your husband? Why?”
“Because you’re all I have. Save my husband so you can kill him.” And I’m hoping in the process, I can find a way to save Mikhail and myself. It’s a risky plan but it’s all I have.
Nico considers my words. “I’m intrigued. And pissed. Cillian doesn’t get to kill Mikhail.”
“So find him. Both of them.”
He raps on the ceiling of the car and the visor between the backseat and the front moves down. “Sam, I need you to let my men know. We’re on the hunt for Cillian Kennedy. Find out where he took Mikhail Novikoff.”
“Yes, sir.” The visor goes back up.
“So, you’ll do it?” I ask. “You’ll save my husband?”
“Yes, I’ll save your husband. I’ll save him so I can kill him myself.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mikhail
Cillian cuts along my chest for the… I’ve lost count how many times. The cuts are all shallow, nothing deep to kill me outright, but enough to cause me pain.
With my arms extended over my head, I’m slowly losing feeling in my hands. But I can still feel my body every time Cillian cuts me.
“Here,” he hands the knife off to Liam. “Give it a go.”
Liam has a swagger to him as he approaches me. It’s a cocky attitude, one that speaks to only ever knowing what it’s like to be on top of the world.
“This is nothing personal,” Liam says to me right before he slices down my chest. I grit my teeth back to keep from screaming.
