Page 32 of Bratva Knight

“Firstly, the suit. Brioni. Perfect cut, Italian made. The armholes are slightly higher and the overall shape is more streamlined. It’s also the custom attire for all of your soldiers. Secondly, the earpiece. They can be hard to spot sometimes if you don’t know what to look for, but I glimpsed it when he turned his head. Thirdly, he’s armed. At least one gun in the waist, another strapped to his ankle. I highly doubt you’d allow someone you planned to kill to remain armed. And lastly, he was at your party. Security, if I remember correctly. Conducting perimeter checks. Now, I can only assume you wanted to see for yourself if I was as observant as Illayana claimed. Whether I’d be able to spot those minute details and, on the off chance that I couldn’t, you gave me a weapon that wasn’t loaded so I wouldn’t accidentally kill your man.”

All three men stared at me in stunned silence.

“What?” I asked, my gaze shifting between them. “Was I wrong?”

Vincenzo chuckled, that boyish charm of his oozing out in his laughter. “Not at all, Pretty. In fact, you’re dead on.” He looked at his brother. “Illayana told us this was a waste of time. Get up, Elio. The charade is over.”

Elio rose to his feet, a simple tug on his cuffs releasing them from his wrists.

“You may go. Thank you, Elio.”

“Boss.” He bowed in farewell and left.

“Are we done now?” I asked, glancing at my Cartier watch. “I’m getting kind of hungry.”

“Almost,” Arturo replied, looking beyond me.

Years of Bratva training told me to turn around—and to turn aroundnow—my instincts literallyscreamingin my head that there was danger. I spun quickly, my arms coming up to block the knife coming right towards me, held by Elio. I kneed him in the stomach, took the knife from his hand, twisted his arm behind his back and kicked him in the leg, forcing him to his knees. His whole body locked, freezing on the spot when I pressed the sharp edge of the blade against his throat, holding his life in the palm of my hand.

Another round of silence went through the room.

Vincenzo was the one to break it again, his eyes burning with heat and focused entirely on me. “Seriously, are you seeing anyone? Let me take you out.”

Arturo sighed in exasperation at his brother. “You can let him go now.”

Because I was feeling slightly vindictive, I yanked Elio’s arm up higher, making him cry out in pain before finally letting him go. Flipping the blade, I offered him the hilt as he slowly got to his feet. His glare was full of anger and embarrassment. He snatched it from my hand and turned to face Arturo.

“Boss—”

“Don’t make excuses. I hate excuses. Just go.”

Elio bowed, not daring to say another word as he rushed out.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me that you’re competent and can handle yourself. Let’s get down to business,” Arturo began, picking up his iPad. “You’ll be given access to all of our systems, anything you might need to conduct your investigation. I’ll need your fingerprint.” He held the device out to me and I placed my thumb on the screen. “My men will be made available to you when you need them. I am confident none of them have betrayed me. But, like we discussed earlier, Franco has somehow managed to get key information on my operations, which does suggest a leak of some kind. One I need to find and remove as soon as possible if I want to resume activities. This is where you’ll be coming in. I’ll be assigning you two bodyguards while you’re here. One of them will be my brother.” Vin waggled his fingers at me, lips curled in a smirk. “Because he is my second, it will verify to others that you’re working on behalf of La Cosa Nostra while also giving you added protection, should you need it.”

I nodded. “Good idea.” It meant that, if anyone doubted what I was doing or who I was working for, Vincenzo’s presence would be enough to squash any uncertainty. “You said two. Who’s the second?”

Arturo gestured for me to turn around. I glanced over my shoulder, anger slamming into me.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

Chapter Ten

Nikolai Volkov

Tatianaisgoingtokill me.

The look on her face said it all. She wasfuming. Enraged.

Actually, if there was an emotion worse than enraged, she was about three levelsabovethat.

Outwardly, though, she showed no reaction to my sudden arrival. She was very good at only letting you see what she wanted you to. But I knew her better than anyone. I knew what that crinkle at the edge of her lips meant, what the slight crease in her brows represented. It meant she was focusing all her strength on not cussing me out in front of everyone. It meant violence, pain—mine, specifically.

She was dressed impeccably, as Tatiana always was. Her hair was straight instead of her usual curls, flowing down her back in a beautiful, golden waterfall. Her posture was perfect, strong. She vibrated complete and total confidence. She didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought of her, because she believed in herself and what she was capable of. That was all she needed. Even though she’d chosen not to be involved in the life, she was completely in her element. Like she was made for this. Made for me.

I’d been standing outside of Arturo’s office from the moment she walked in. I’d overheard everything that had been said between them. Pride filled my chest at how amazing she was, at how easily she passed those ridiculous tests Arturo was insistent on putting her through. I’d told him it would be a waste of time. That Tatiana was better than any of his soldiers, and there was no way he’d best her or catch her off guard.

She was just too good.

---