Page 52 of Merciless Queen

Instead, I find a stranger. Cold eyes, almost black. Lifeless and desperate, ringed with shadows and exhaustion. Ivan’s never been the picture-perfect uncle; not a man who bought me treats and spent any meaningful time with me. But he was around. And family.

Now, I can’t say he’s either.

“You betrayed me. Worked with our enemies all to force me out of the role.”

“The Bratva isn’t what it should be. This was the only way.”

“Predatel'.”Traitor. Spit balls up in my mouth and I force it out, pleased when it lands on his cheek. Fucker deserves that and more.

With an empty glare, he wipes the saliva with his coat’s sleeve. “I’m saving the Bratva. You’ll see that one day.”

“One day?”I scoff, laughing humourlessly. “What ‘one day’? Your intention was for me to be killed. As for saving the organization…that’s a statement you’ll tell yourself every single fucking day to rationalize your own cowardice at using our enemies to do your dirty work.”

“Enemies you didn’t even know about before an hour ago,” he shoots back. “I’m sorry,plemyannitsa.”

He begins turning away, but stops with my next words. “No, you’re not.”

Ivan glances over his shoulder. “You’re right. I’m not.” He heads back to Zeno’s side, a hand jutted out.

Zeno looks from the offered hand and then toward me. I can’t read his expression, nor do I really care at this point. Everyone here except my soldiers and Elite are working against me, forcing my back to the wall, knees to the floor. After a moment, he looks away and shakes Ivan’s hand, and just like that, myuncle accepts the revised deal of keeping me alive. Not that he seems to have a choice in Zeno’s decisions.

Ivan would rather see me killed by our enemies than lead the organization.He wanted me dead.A fact churning my stomach, my heart, my anger. But I take it all into me. One of many lessons from Dimitri: use emotions to fuel action.

My shoulders are tight. I manage another look toward my Elite, but both are being shushed with gun barrels pressing into their cheeks.

“Dimitri will kill you.”

Ivan shrugs, walking by me and deeper into the mansion. “My son already wants me dead for events from years ago.”

“Then he’ll make it that much more painful.”

Ivan ignores me and walks away, leaving his family with the enemy.Handed me over to them.It’s an utter betrayal to the Bratva and fucking gutting to my stomach. I feel hollow and sick.

Zeno watches him go, and only when his steps disappear down the long hallway—myhallway—does he face me again. Slumped in his men’s grip, panting through my rage, my vision blurs, my focus on one thing only at the moment.

Staying alive.

“Regina distrutta,”Zeno murmurs. “It’s satisfying to see a broken queen fall, Volkov.”

A broken queen.

Maybe that’s what I’ve become. In this instance, it feels like it, even when I vowed earlier that there’s nothing he’ll do that can break me.

It doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop fighting.

I almost feelsorry for her.

Almost.

After all, getting sold out by one of your own is pretty rough. According to reports from agents hidden throughout Russia, Ivan Volkov turned his back on her a long time ago when he didn’t support her takeover. Having Elio reach out to him was a risk that ended up working out because his abhorrence over Vanessa’s leadership beat out the war between us, and it all went perfectly.

Of course, it’s also due to the promise I made to leave him and his son—the remaining Volkovs after Vanessa goes—alive. That was a lie the moron fell for, and helped us walk right through the front door undetected.

My broken queen is completely listless, slumped in the firm grip of one of my men. She might be standing upright, might be claiming to be unbroken, but the pain of betrayal is there in her dead gaze and lowered shoulders. Shame it didn’t take that much to wreck her, but this does make it easier. A shattered leader is a useless leader.

I turn away from her and exit the mansion once more. “Move out,” I command in a low voice meant for Elio. “We’re done here.”

Ivan’s a completeidiotafor interrupting us. Had he left well enough alone and not seen my alternate plan as going against our deal, Vanessa wouldn’t be aware of his betrayal. Which means, this is about to get messy for the Bratva. All reports lead back to Ivan being on the opposite side of her Elite, including his own son, which means he’s just made an enemy out of all them, and they won’t rest quietly.

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