trigger.
My throat tightened.
“Ah, nasty Elena, the widow of stupid Thaddeo and now the plaything of arrogant Konstantin.”
I growled, “Tatiana, the mother of Anton and Nikola.”
No reaction flashed over her face. “You should’ve left when you had the chance, Elena,” she merely said. “Not doing so will be the greatest regret of your life.”
“We’ll see,” I narrowed my eyes, “Titus.”
Tatiana smiled slowly, her entire face transforming. Gone was the nurturing mother who doted on her family and bravely fought against her illness. Now standing before me was a boss, a monster, someone who could walk into a room and silence it.
Danika saw it too. “Tell me it’s not true,” she half-pleaded. “I would’ve seen it...would’ve known...”
Tatiana’s attention moved to Danika, the gun tilting as she moved. My brain picked up on the movement, coming to life as a plan formed. “You have never interrogated me, Danika. Perhaps if you hadn’t trusted me so much, you would have.”
“Trusted you?” she whispered. “I love you. I’ve known you since I was a teenager. You taught me about boys, and how to apply lipstick. I’m your son’s godmother. We’re family; I loved you.” Danika swallowed loudly.
“Love has no place in this world, Danika,” Tatiana said.
As quick as a whip, I lashed out. My hands came around the gun, the force causing Tatiana’s hands to come loose. It hit the wall, clattering out of our range.
“Neither does hesitation,” I hissed.
Tatiana bared her teeth in response, shoving me away. Her nails cut through my hands, stinging erupting. “Neither do women, Elena,” she warned. “Stay out of my way.”
“I will not.”
“Fine.” She looked over her shoulder, “Boys!”
Four figures emerged, each terrifying in their own way. Their tattoos indicated allegiances to La Cosa Nostra and the Bratva and other families respectfully. They separated; two going for Roksana and two heading for Danika.
Roksana shoved away but hit the wall, allowing them to trap her between their grip. Danika threw a punch, it hit nothing but air and she quickly found herself imprisoned as well.
“Don’t struggle,” Tatiana said.
“Leave them alone!” I growled. I started forward, not sure what I was going to do but needing to do something, when Tatiana caught my arm.
In perfect Italian, she said, “Se vuoi que loro rimangano in vita, comportati bene.”
If you want them to live, behave.
I stopped.
“I’m not going anywhere!” Roksana said, a sudden viciousness overtaking her. She tried to pull out of her jailer’s grips, but they held fast. She shouted in fury. “You won’t get away with this, Tatiana!”
“I already have,” she noted. With a flick of her wrist, the men dragged the other two women out of the rom.
Danika dug her heels into the ground, but she wasn’t physically strong enough. Roksana definitely wasn’t, not with her injury.
My stomach dropped.
Roksana looked back at me as she was carted away. We’ll be okay, her eyes implored. We’re all going to be okay.
In this instance, Roksana’s optimism was misplaced.
None of us were going to come out of this okay.
Tatiana clucked her tongue as soon as they were out of sight. I could hear them yelling as they were dragged away, their voices growing fainter and fainter.
“What do you want from me, Tatiana?” I asked.
Her eyes gleamed. “I won’t ask how you know I want something from you. The answer is too obvious, I’m afraid.” She ran a hand over her stomach in thought. “You’re the only one who figured it out. I fooled my family, doctors, professionals, but you saw right through it.”
“It wasn’t hard,” I mocked.
A faint smile grew over her face. “Not to you, it wasn’t.” She looked over at me. “I want to offer you an opportunity, Elena.”
I laughed, the noise echoing down the hallway. “Fuck off. I don’t want anything from you.”
“Oh, I think you will.” Tatiana assessed me with her blue-gray eyes. She was able to see something in me and whatever it was, it made her smirk. “I won’t beat around the bush. I want revenge and I want power. The current era is dwindling to an end and I intend to survive the cull.”
The current era of the mafia was coming to an end. I could feel it; everybody could feel it. It was time to adapt or perish.
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked.
“Your talents are wasted, Elena. I know that, and you know that just as well. A mind like yours could be coveted...and it would have been, had you been born a man.”
I lifted my chin. “If I had been