a few empty words of comfort, but they seemed to work on Edward. “Marzia Vigliano.”
Marzia Vigliano. The name felt familiar. The image of a young girl tucked beneath the arm of Giovanni Vigliano, drug lord of Maine, came to mind.
“She is a child.” I swallowed down my growl. Behind me, Elena made a sharp noise of disgust.
“Any man who cannot protect his women is no man,” Edward breathed. He looked to Danika. “Did I do good?”
She smiled affectionately. “Yes, you did. But...do you know anything else?”
He shook his head. “The Vigliano girl is next. That is all I know. All I was told.” He blinked sleepily. “Titus wanted...said something about drowning...”
I ground my jaw, keeping my temper at bay. I could imagine reaching forward and tearing out his throat with my hands, the sense of the oesophagus and blood already burned into my mind.
It wouldn’t be for his past crimes, however. I would do it because he almost killed Elena.
My temper roared inside of me at that thought.
Not yet, I told myself. Danika has put too much time and effort into Edward for you to destroy him.
Just be patient.
“How did he contact you?” Danika asked.
“He…” Edward’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Titus…there was a phone. A number.”
“Do we have his phone?” I asked Roman quietly.
My bodyguard shook his head. “It wasn’t on his person or in the hallway he attacked Elena and Roksana. Not even the eyeless Vik had any identification.”
Danika caught our conversation and asked, “Where is your phone now, Eddie?”
“Don’t know…” Edward glanced around the room fearfully. “It’s not…here.” His eyes caught the women behind me and widened. “Here…”
“He won’t be lucid again for a few more hours,” Danika said. “I can ring you the next time he is. Or is he no longer useful?”
I assessed Edward, running my eyes over his mind as if I could peer into his brain and read the secrets he kept within. “He is too valuable to kill just yet. He is, after all, the only person we know who has spoken with this Titus.”
Edward’s eyes cleared at the name. “Titus,” he said and then began repeating over and over, “Titus, Titus, Titus.”
“Shut up, hooy morzhovy,” Roman snapped. His rough voice echoed through the room, almost making Danika jump. “Never stops fucking talking,” he muttered under his breath.
I had advised Roman against being here while Danika did her job, but my byki was stubborn and insisted he would be fine. As usual, I had been correct, and now I would have to deal with Roman stirring up Danika for the next few days because he wasn’t ready to admit his feelings.
“Danika, take a break. Let Edward rest.”
Danika looked relieved, and happily followed us out of the room. Roman wasted no time, saying, “You smell like sewer.”
Even Elena and Tatiana sent him looks. Though, Tatiana’s was more affectionate, a motherly really? Whereas Elena’s seemed to say are you serious?
As the two bickered, Elena turned to me and narrowed her eyes. “How are you so clean? We’ve been surrounded by dirt and fungi for nearly an hour. I’m filthy.”
“I can tell. You have some in your hair…let me…” When she didn’t resist, I reached out and picked a piece of dirt out of her hair. She raised her hand to it, like she was checking it was really gone.
Elena sniffed and brought her hand away. “You can’t have cleaner or cooler dungeons, Konstantin?”
“Since when do you hate dirt?” I inquired. “I’ve seen you trek around the woods in nothing but your pajamas.”
Tatiana, who was walking ahead of us, turned around, eyebrows high. She gave me a thumbs up before facing the front once again.
Her quiet support was comical but not denied.
“It’s not what you think, Tatiana,” Elena said. “I was going on a walk and Konstantin just happened to be there.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Tatiana called back, voice light with humor. “I’m sure Dmitri and I had a few walks in the woods while wearing our pajamas.”
“And nine months later, I was an uncle,” Roman said from behind us.
That sent both Tatiana and Danika into giggles.
Elena rolled her eyes and fought a smile. But she couldn’t dim the brightness in her eyes, the humor making her face glow. “I hope you don’t plan on telling Anton that.”
Tatiana laughed. “No, no. My boy won’t ever go on a walk in the woods dressed in pajamas.”
It was Roman’s and my turn to chuckle.
When we reached outside, the clean fresh air was a relief. Elena held her hair