into soft waves, loose and hanging over one shoulder. My makeup is stunning, and while I don’t usually wear false lashes, I have to admit they make the eye makeup look more dramatic. My lips are a shimmering nude shade and light contouring makes me look sharper, fiercer. The white dress hugs my body, dipping low in both the front and the back.
My team packs their things, giving me nods of approval as they leave.
“Holy shit, you look hot!” Marcella blurts when she sees me.
I laugh and sweep a hand at her. She looks like a bombshell in a hot pink dress. “You’re not too shabby yourself. I didn’t know you were going to this thing, too.”
Marcella rolls her eyes. “When it comes to these events, I don’t have a choice. Family is very important to mafia men—the Russians most of all.”
“Russians?” I ask, my stomach twisting.
Marcella huffs in frustration. “My idiot brother didn’t tell you where we’re going, did he?”
“All he told me was that this was a dinner party.”
“Not just any party. Diego is considering an alliance with the Yezhov bratva. Before Oleg agrees to it, he wants to arrange a marriage between Diego and his youngest daughter.”
I choke on my next breath and sputter, “Arranged marriage? People still do that?”
“They do in mafia world. The Russians are romantic, old-fashioned people. Oleg thinks a partnership will be strengthened by marriage. This dinner is just a preliminary thing. An acknowledgment of friendship between Diego and Oleg and a chance to bring their most trusted soldiers to the table.”
“Then why the hell would he want to bring me?” I ask.
“Hell if I know,” Marcella says. “But if it’s any consolation, Oleg has one of the best chefs in the city and the food is always amazing at his house. Oh, and there’s booze … lots of it. The Russians know how to throw a party.”
That doesn’t make me feel much better. I’ve learned that Diego never makes a decision without calculation. He’s not just bringing me along for amusement or to keep me close. I’m attending this party for a very specific reason, and not knowing what it is drives me crazy.
“Okay, we have just enough time to go over some things,” Marcella says.
“What things?”
She sits on the bed and pats the mattress beside her. “Sit. You’re about to get a crash course on etiquette in the presence of the bratva.”
13
Diego
“You mind telling me what the hell you’re thinking?”
I glare at Jovan, who’s waiting with me for Marcella and Elena to come downstairs. We’ve only been standing here a few minutes, but Jovan already has me ready to strangle him.
“I mean,” he continues with a shake of his head, “you’re bringing a hot date to the party where you’re supposed to start making googly eyes at your future wife.”
“Nataly is not my future wife,” I snap. “And I came up with a plan to make sure Oleg can’t force the issue. I’m going to secure this alliance without having to walk down the aisle.”
Jovan’s dubious expression turns into a shocked one. “You have a plan?”
“It came to me early this morning.”
I thought of it when I stood staring at Elena while she slept, like some kind of pervert. Once I pushed past the simmering attraction that had me wanting to climb on top of her, I realized I’d been going about this business with Oleg all wrong.
There is only one sure thing that will make him back off the subject of marriage to Nataly. Russians are notoriously romantic people and prize love matches between men and women. If Oleg thinks I’ve already found love with someone else, he wouldn’t want to ruin that for the sake of our deal. His insistence that this merger will benefit me more than him won’t matter. His prior relationship with my father and the fact that he sees me as a foster son of sorts means he’ll follow through.
Elena is the perfect tool to meet my needs. She’s beautiful and in indefinite servitude to me. With her on my arm, Oleg will have no choice but to look for someone else for his daughter to marry.
When I explain this to Jovan, his jaw drops and he looks at me with awe.
“You’re a fucking genius.”
“I know.”
“How do you know Elena will cooperate?”
I think of Elena kneeling at my feet, naked with tears in her eyes, and my lips twitch with a hint of a smile. “We’ve reached an understanding. She’ll cooperate.”