Page 111 of Merciless Queen

“I’m not opening that door. The less Zeno and I interact, the better. Until I can get the contract broken, I want nothing to do with that man.”

Maybe once it is, I can stop thinking so much about him. Surely, it’s that stupid piece of paper not allowing me to move on.

“Okay.” Skepticism rolls from every syllable, and my comeback is instant, daring him.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He returns to his email, ending one of the most non-conversations we’ve ever had.

“You sound like Ana.”

Lev, who apparently has been listening, chimes up. “My sister might not seem smart all the time, but she’s actually insightful. You’ve been different this month, Van. More irritable than usual. To be precise: I can recount three examples from this week alone, if you’d like.”

Of course I’ve been more irritable. I see Zeno in everything I do and whenever Ifinallymanage to get him out of my head, someone for some fucking reason insists on bringing him up, asking how the divorce is coming, or if I’ve heard from him, or numerous other pointless questions. How can onenotget irritated by it all?

“I’m good,” I snap, not needing him to lay it out. “Get kidnapped and see how you are afterwards.” I stand without a goodbye to either of them and swiftly escape the basement and the ongoing judgement from my Elite, who think I’mdifferentfrom my time in Rome.

I’m fine.

Completely fine.

Alessandro Vitale agreedto the meeting with an eagerness that tells me he suspects why I want to talk.

We’re minutes away from the proposed time and I pace my office, trying—and failing—to walk off any steam before I accidentally forget to play nice with Vitale and send us into another war.

Serafina turned eighteen months ago, and there could be numerous reasons why Vitale hasn’t reached out for her yet. Best case: they don’t want her. Alessandro Vitale is a greedy fucker, though, so I doubt it’s that one.

Nero watches me pace back and forth, wringing my hands together before I wring someone’s neck. Just when I thought Ursin hadn’t done enough to my family,thishappens. If I could resurrect him, I would, all so I can slaughter his ass again.

The other useful thing to come from Vanessa’s email was learning how Padre lost so suddenly. As Ursin wrote in his own journal, he’s unfortunately correct about the part that the Five Families may function under one entity, but we’re not always loyal to one another. We’re like those dysfunctional cousinsat a family gathering, always trying to one-up the other. It’s a cutthroat world at times, and clearly, Ursin’s offer was too good for Vitale to turn down. Regardless, the fact that another Family betrayed mine is enough reason to initiate war, and the Commission would have no choice but to allow it to happen.

The thing I most hate about Vanessa’s email: it went to Nero and not me. Putting aside the words in her message, it made me want to hit him when something flowed through me. Something similar to…tojealousy. An emotion I’ve felt very few times—if at all.

“Update me,” I demand, needing a distraction from my drifting thoughts. “Anything on Boris yet?”

“Not yet.” Nero’s voice sounds exhausted as he answers the same question I ask him nearly every day. It’s important we find him.

For her.

As thanks for helping with Serafina. Or a wedding gift. To go along with all the others I’ve sent her way.

A loud chime from my laptop informs me Alessandro is video calling, and I’m quick to reclaim my seat with Nero moving out of the camera’s view. I press the green button to accept the call, waiting the few seconds for technology to figure itself out and reveal the other capo.

“Mancini,” he greets with a smile much too large for anything friendly. “I figured you’d be calling at some point.”

“You’ve been expecting me?” I phrase it like a question and hide my fists beneath my desk, to see how much information he’ll freely hand over.

His smile falters a fraction with the slight tip of his head. “It was only a matter of time before you learned about the deal made for your sister’s hand.”

“Enjoy making deals with the Bratva, Vitale?”

His hands spread in front of him as he leans back in his chair. “Ursin Volkov was a force to be had, so it seemed like a good idea.”

“You betrayed us, another Family. My father’s dead because of the helpyougave that man.”

“It’s simply good business. You know how it goes.” He grins, like speaking about my father’s death is nothing. As much as I’d love nothing more to continue discussing that fact, Serafina matters more than ghosts long gone, so I push it all aside for now.

“You’d sully your lineage with her.” If Vitale’s all about keeping his bloodlines pure with Italian descent, then I’ll make Serafina’s DNA seem like poison. “The children she’d produce will be one quarter Russian.”

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