Page 74 of Trapping His Assassin

Valentina took a slight step forward. “We need to see if he returned to The Academy, so he can’t run again. It’s not like he can hide all those girls forever.”

“That should be easy enough,” Alexie murmured.

Before we could broach the topic more, there was a knock at the door. I walked over and opened it, revealing Don Mateo.

“There everyone is,” he swept in.

“Why are you interrupting our meeting?” Alexie growled.

Right now, he was the head. It didn’t mean he would be so forever. In the blink of an eye, things could change.

He sauntered towards Alexie. “I had hoped to rely on the peace treaty to help us out a bit.” He leaned in closer. “But I don’t believe one large sum of money will suffice. We can provide the manpower, but it’s up to you to use it wisely.”

Alexie’s lips pressed into a thin line, and his scar twisted downwards as he nodded in agreement with me. I noticedthe deep wrinkles etched near the corners of his mouth, a sign of frequent frowning. My gaze shifted to Sloane, who absentmindedly rubbed her pregnant belly with a hint of a smile on her face.

Alexie grinned, even as Mateo started backing away, eyeing the door. Sometimes the Brotherhood wasn’t easy. We were a family though. It may look ugly and we may not always get along, but when our backs were against the wall, someone always came through.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Valentina

With Alexie coming, I was forced to go with the men to Capri Island. They didn’t have to push me too hard. Alexie concluded that I was familiar with the girls. It was going to be hard in such a small place, but we’d find them.

The women were deemed valuable enough to be used as collateral. Viktor demanded payment in any form of currency that the Bratva could come up with. I didn’t know much Russian, but I understood enough to know that they were trading the girls back to their families for drugs, money, and even guns.

There was talk of territory as well. This made me feel all kinds of odd. The Bratva had one-upped every other organization. If they weren’t careful, the power would go to their heads, and another war would break out.

It crossed my mind for a moment, regarding how the Russians would justify the women’s presence in their territory instead of being at school, but I didn’t hear any discussions about it. I figured it was a problem to be dealt with another time.

“I want you to know it isn’t so bad,” Sloane whispered from behind me. I hadn’t been aware of anything, indicating I was lost in my thoughts.

“What isn’t so bad?” We were waiting on the tarmac for the plane.

“Loving him,” she whispered.

My eyes locked with her crooked finger that was splayed across her widening stomach.

“I don’t love him.” The lie tasted bitter in my mouth. “He’s too young for me, and he thinks he’s going to survive this lifestyle.” I scoffed, crossing my arms to ward off the chill from my haunting words.

“Liar.” Sloane grinned. “You don’t give a fuck about his age.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise, from not only the volume of her voice, but the change in her demeanor. “You don’t know shit,” I sneered.

“I know a broken soul when I see one.” She gazed into my eyes, and I swore I could see the horror she’d lived through.

I shuddered. I didn’t want to imagine what could be worse than Headmaster Mikhail. But Sloane carried herself like a queen. Ringing came from her pocket, distracting us both from our conversation.

Sloane quickly retrieved her phone from her pocket, glancing down at the screen with a concerned expression. “I apologize, but I have to take this call.” She didn’t move far as she answered. “Hello, Tiffany, what’s the matter?”

My ears pricked up because Tiffany Petrov was infamous. That bitch could kill anyone, get caught, and lie with a smile on her face, her hand holding the bloody knife. She was well-known to all of us.

There was silence and then Sloane gasped, before throwing the phone on speakerphone. She turned toward Alexie, pointing at the phone, mouthing, “Guess who?” I guess if someone as notorious as Tiffany Petrov reached out, I’d want everyone to hear as well. At least she wasn’t screaming and fangirling about it.

I didn’t say anything, not wanting to distract her.

“Wait, say that again?” Sloane hissed into the receiver.

“I said the kids were playing doctor!” Tiffany’s sweet giggle came across the receiver. “I wanted to tell you, because I didn’t know if your daughter had killed before.”

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