Kozlov would never accept money from any member of the New York families. That much I do know. Whatever you’re accusing him of, you’re wrong.”
Nico’s arms fell to his sides as he began to stalk me around the room. Uncertain of what he would do in this mood, I made sure to keep some piece of furniture between our bodies. A chair, the table, the couch.
“Then why have you been snooping into my business?” he demanded. “You said you saw documents on my desk. And you’ve asked a lot of questions about shit that doesn’t concern you.”
“I was curious about you!” I fought to keep my voice steady, but it still broke. “I was forced to marry a man I didn’t know so, yeah, I was asking questions. I didn’t want to live with a complete stranger for weeks on end.”
Though I was beginning to think that’s exactly what had happened.
I didn’t know this Nico.
He wasn’t the same guy who’d stroked my hair after I’d had a nightmare. Who’d laughed at my answers to Battle of the Sexes. He wasn’t even the same guy who’d waltzed into the kitchen earlier with wicked intent in his eyes.
“If you want me to believe you, then tell me what the two of you talked about outside the drugstore today.”
That probably won’t help the situation.
But he asked for the truth.
“He tried to tell me that you and your family aren’t who you say you are. That you want to replace the D’Angelo family in the organization and re-establish all your mafia connections.”
His nostrils flared. “And what did you say to that? If I’m to believe that’s true.”
“I told him there was no way that would ever happen.” My voice was full of conviction. “I didn’t believe it for a second.”
He looked skeptical. “And why is that, Lexi?”
“The families have tried taking too much from yours. The Rossettis would never re-join the New York ranks. All of you have too much honor and principle for that.”
He actually seemed to consider that answer for a moment.
A very fleeting moment.
“You’re lying,” he spat, his face twisting once again. “You’ve been lying to me from the beginning. And I’m done being toyed with. I don’t know what the fuck you told them about me and my family, but you’re done here. Sorry, legs, you failed.”
“You’re not listening to me!” I screamed, on the verge of hysteria. “We have to find out what’s going on here. Someone is trying to set up my father. He could be in danger. We need to find Dimitri—”
Nico’s laughter grated with hatred. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to get ahold of Dimitri.”
I frowned. “You are?”
He swiped his phone off the table, his thumb scrolling over the screen. “Of course. Someone has to tell him that you failed at your mission and deliver you back to your father. I’m certainly not dragging my ass back to Mother Russia to do it.”
My stomach sank into my toes. “You’re…kicking me out?”
He averted his eyes, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Enough with the kicked puppy act. I’ll have the annulment papers drawn up and sent to you. But tell Sergei I’ll still expect remittance of payment. Whatever shit he’s been working behind the scenes is an abstract to the contract he and I signed. I’m returning you safely to him, so I want his other half of shares in Kozlov Industries. Then we’re done.”
I swallowed thickly against the threatening tears. “That’s it?” I waved to his phone. “You believe whatever your eyes tell you and wash your hands of me?”
“What the hell am I supposed to believe, Alexia?” he snarled. “The eyes never lie.”
“How about instead of believing what you see, you believe what you feel? Do you honestly think after everything that’s happened between us I would betray you?”
If it was that easy for him to believe such lies about me, then I’d read our entire situation horribly wrong. He couldn’t have been feeling what I’d been feeling. All this time, I thought we’d been heading toward a future together.
But nothing awaited me at the end of this road except a giant dead end.
How could I be so stupid?
A brief hesitation. “Don’t cloud the issue with bullshit emotions. This never stopped being a fake marriage. Let’s not kid ourselves. Just because we got along for a few days doesn’t mean anything except that we learned how to tolerate each other.”
I felt…wounded. Probably looked it, too.
“It’s that easy for you to discard me?” I whispered shakily.