Page 38 of Bratva Knight

Every day, though, bit by bit, he was working his way back into my closely guarded heart. It scared me, because I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out against him. Especially when he kept doing and saying all the right things.

“Tatiana, please, for the love of God will youslow down? We’re not in a hurry.”

“Maybe I am.” In a hurry to get out of that car. Away from him.

Being stuck in such a confined space, his scent filling the air, made me lightheaded. I always loved the way he smelt.

His eyes rolled my way. “Why? Is there a sale at Saks or something?”

“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” I swerved left abruptly and Nikolai’s head thumped against the window, making him grunt in pain. “Whoops. Sorry. Accident.”

He glared at me and I smiled back.

A car cut me off as I was attempting to switch lanes and I braked, blaring my horn. “Ever heard of indicating, you bone-headed dipstick?!” I yelled out the window before focusing back on the road. “So, what hotel do you want me to drop you off at?”

“I’m not staying in a hotel.”

“Uh, yes you are.” He couldn’t stay with me. He just couldn’t. I’d crumble the first fucking night. “There’s no way we’re sharing an apartment, Nikolai.”

“There’s no way we’re not. Do you think I’m an idiot? You’ve made it very clear you don’t want me here. I know you wouldn’t tell me if you were going out, chasing down leads. By staying at the apartment, it guarantees you won’t be sneaking off in the middle of the night without me.”

“What if I promise I won’t do that?”

“You’d be lying, and we both know it. So save your breath, because there’s nothing you can say or do to change my mind. Let’s talk about the job. You already have some ideas about where the leak in the Cosa Nostra could be coming from?”

My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white. That was his stern voice. The one that said “I’m not budging on this so you might as well move on and fucking forget it.” Well, I’d move on, (for the moment), but I had no intention of forgetting it.

“I have a few, yes. It depends on certain factors. Scenario one: one or more of their vehicles have been tagged, and Franco is monitoring their every movement. He knows that the best way to cripple Arturo’s operation is to make it as hard as possible for him to make and distribute his product.”

“Sounds plausible.”

“Scenario two,” I continued, “is that they reallydohave a rat, and they’re relaying whatever information Franco is after directly to him.”

“Plausible as well,” Nikolai replied.

“I think there’s more to it though.”

He looked at me. “In what way?”

“I don’t think this is just about taking Arturo down. I think Franco wants more. I think he wants to embarrass him.”

He frowned thoughtfully. “What makes you say that?”

“Think about it.” I drove into the underground parking lot of the apartment complex. “If Franco really wanted to destroy the Cosa Nostra, why hasn’t he declared all-out war? Why hasn’t he just attacked Arturo head on at his home? He surely has the location of it. No, he’sdraggingit out, trying to make it as humiliating as he can for Arturo and his family. Maybe as revenge for his brother’s death?”

“It makes sense. If that’s the case, it changes the motivation behind the attacks.”

“And that matters?” I asked, glancing at him.

“It may or may not,” he replied, relief washing over his face when I parked the car and turned off the engine. He acted like he was in mortal danger whenever he got in a car with me. Big baby.

“Attacks driven with the need to humiliate have the potential to be more dangerous. There’s no limit to how far someone will go to humiliate someone else if they feel they deserve it. Simply taking them down won’t ever be enough. They’ll want to tear down and tarnish everything they’ve ever built.”

I winced slightly. “That doesn’t bode well for the De Lucas.”

“This feud between them and the Gambinos goes backyears. Arturo’s father stole Nero’s bride. That would have certainly been a blow to his ego. He spent years hating Alessandro for it, and no doubt taught his brother to feel that same hate. Arturo is the result of that one act. Add in the fact that Arturo also killed Nero, and Franco has more than enough reason to come at the Cosa Nostra with everything he can think of. There’s lots of bad blood.”

I stepped out of the car and he followed. He opened the trunk and frowned, pulling out my two suitcases.

---