His heart might still be beating but there was nothing left to this man.
Good.
Those who hurt children deserved to be ripped of their souls and forced to live as hollow corpses for the rest of their existence.
Anybody who had forgotten such a thing, might find themselves face to face with the monster I kept beneath my very own skin.
“His name is Elmir Smirnov,” Giovanni said. “He was born in Saratov, a city in Russia.”
“He told you this?”
“Under duress, but yes.”
I rose an eyebrow. “What a polite way of putting it.”
Mitsuzo smiled. “It is, isn’t it?” He gestured to the man. “Where did you find him?”
Darkness briefly glimmered over Giovanni’s face. “He entered my property and found himself very quickly caught.” His eyes met mine briefly, an understanding passing between us.
Without the warning I had given him, they wouldn’t have been waiting for Elmir Smirnov and the situation could’ve ended very differently for Marzia Vigliano.
“Did he say anythin’ about Titus?” Thomas Sr asked.
“Very little,” Giovanni said. “His loyalty to Titus is unmatched.”
“A problem we also encountered with Edward Ainsworth,” I noted.
Thomas Sr shook his head and narrowed his eyes on Smirnov. “Everybody has a price.”
I wondered if he felt the same way about his own men and their loyalty.
If I ever suspected that one of my men might have a dollar sign attached to his allegiance, I wouldn’t bother keeping them so close. Real loyalty was difficult to find, and even harder to maintain. But it was not impossible, and the rewards greatly outnumbered the disadvantages.
“He only admitted to being loyal to Titus and that my daughter was his target,” Giovanni said. “The rest was useless babble about his life in Saratov and avenging his sister.” He peered down at Elmir Smirnov in distaste.
Something about Giovanni’s words caught my attention. With a flick of my finger, I instructed Roman to approach Elmir.
Giovanni waved at his men to let Roman pass. My byki grabbed Elmir’s head and wrenched his neck back, revealing his full complexion.
A muscle in my jaw tightened but I refused to reveal the sudden turmoil of emotions that stormed within me. Men like my fellow bosses would leap on the first sign of weakness—just as I would do to them.
“Sister, do you say?” I remarked. “Nikolina Feodorovna?”
Deep in Elmir’s eyes, there was a spark of recognition. Eyes that were the hybrid blend of gray and blue.
Roman’s expression flickered as well, revealing that he had seen what I had and understood the implications of just what that might mean.
An emotion akin to fear boiled within me.
Fear and betrayal.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” I said, my tone growing darker as the rage I kept buried beneath my civility threatened to escape. “But I am urgently needed elsewhere.”
Through the fog of anger and betrayal, Elena’s voice came to me clearly and distinctly. Even in my mind, her tone came off as sarcastic and holier-than-thou.
I will not be a pawn in Tatiana’s game. Nor will I let you be.
It was too late, I feared. The final move had been made. Checkmate.
Like we shared the power of telepathy, I met eyes with Roman and he understood my meaning immediately.
Call Artyom and tell him to rally the men. We have an intruder in our mist.
He nodded once.
29
Elena Falcone
I was surprised with how much the cold-shoulder I was receiving actually bothered me.
Growing up, I had craved anonymity and isolation. I had purposefully struck fights with my cousins, been as antagonistic as possible to my classmates. All with the purpose of being left alone, of being so disliked no one dared make the effort to like me.
Now…my heart squeezed when Danika didn’t offer me syrup, or when Roksana brushed past me in the hallways like I was a piece of furniture. Even being ignored by Artyom was painful. Dmitri and Tatiana, I had expected to react badly, and found myself more upset over Dmitri ignoring me than Tatiana.
Anton, thankfully, knew little of the going-ons between the adults and was the only one not ignoring me.
I had taken refuge in the library, joined by Babushka. A part of me longed to venture outside, but the memories of Konstantin taking me amongst the grass and trees only reminded me of the most painful consequence of my accusation: Kon was ignoring me. He was angry with me.
Rationally, I knew he had to get over himself. I was right in my conviction—I was certain of it. If he wanted to keep punishing me, then so be it. There was nothing I could do.