Page 22 of Taming Mika

I nod, combing my fingers through my hair again to push the loose strands back from my face. The hours I’ve spent trying to mend the rift I created are probably wasted, but I had to try. My attempts to negotiate with the Russians feel rather one-sided, and it’s getting clearer by the hour that I have only one option if I want to avoid a conflict.

“Well, I’m glad to hear you have feelings for someone,” Ninasigns, her expression softening. “I didn’t want to say anything when you seemed so set on marrying Ana Kapranov, but I just don’t see how you find love in a marriage when you don’t even know the person. If you’ve found someone you care about, that’s what matters. The rest will work itself out.”

She looks so confident, she almost convinces me. My sweet sister. I should have known she would turn this into some fairy-tale love. I wonder what she’d think if she knew how conflicted Mika seems to be about me.

“Our family is one of the most powerful families in New York, right?” she says. “The Kapranovs won’t start a war over a broken engagement.”

They might. It wouldn’t surprise me. Arranged marriages like this have been known to fall through, especially in the lesser families. But marriages between large, powerful families like ours are near unbreakable, and a wedding that would unite the heads of two mafia families is a big deal. It would take something major—like the groom finding out that his intended bride isn’t a virgin like the family claims—to stop a wedding this size. Even then, families often find a way to negotiate to avoid war. Once the betrothal contract is signed, it’s irrevocable, so calling off the wedding will likely have massive consequences.

But the Bonettis are far too powerful for the Kapranovs to take on lightly. If I can find a way to get Nikolai back to the negotiating table, I might be able to smooth things over before they turn violent.

“Maybe you’re right,” I concede, forcing my lips into a smile so I won’t worry Nina with the dark truth of the matter.

Nina smiles genuinely in return. “Then you just have to have faith that it will all work out. You deserve to be happy, and if you’ve found someone you want to be with, I’m behind you all the way.”

I nod. Maybe I should ask my baby sister for advice more often. The knot in my chest that’s been plaguing me for days has started to loosen, and now, I can look forward to this weekend’s surprise without that dark cloud looming in my mind.

Nina rises, smoothing the wrinkles from her dress. “Well, sincemy concern is no longer relevant and it sounds like we’ve resolved your concern, should I let you get back to work?” she teases.

“If you must.” I stand, pulling her in for a hug, and I tousle her neat hair before I let her go.

Red-faced, she gives me a playful shove and sticks her tongue out at me as she tries to fix her braid, but she can’t stay angry at me for long, and she’s smiling as she opens the door and glances back to wave.

“Thanks, Nina,” I sign.

She blows me a kiss before she leaves.

I have a long way to go if I want to smooth things over with the Kapranovs, but it’s only been a few days. I have time to let Nikolai cool down before I renegotiate, and I think Nina’s right. He won’t want to start a violent conflict over this, not when our families have shared New York all these years. It would be financial suicide on his part to cut off his connections to the water, and that’s exactly what he would do if he made an enemy out of me—just like I’m risking access to the highways out of New York by pissing him off. That could still prove to be a problem, but the thought of claiming Mika for my own is worth the gamble.

Another knock on the door stops me from returning to my desk, and this time, I open it to see who it is. Henry, the man who’s been my family’s butler for as long as I can remember, looks as polished as ever, his graying hair slicked back, his black suit crisp and clean.

“Sir, someone delivered a package for you at the door.” Henry’s voice is clipped, uncertain, and I raise an eyebrow in silent question. My butler is never at a loss for how to manage his duties, so something about the package must not sit well with him.

“I’ll come down for it.” I stand up, jerking my chin for Vincent to follow.

He does, and Henry joins us as I walk down the hall from my study. Marco’s already in the foyer, studying the closed box with suspicion. From here, it looks entirely inoffensive—just a cardboard box about two-foot square, taped together with packer’s tape.

“What is it?” I ask, on guard because of the apparent suspicion both Marco and Henry are giving the package.

“It’s an early wedding present,” Marco says flatly. “From the Kapranovs.”

The hair on the back of my neck rises, and I glance sharply at Vincent before approaching the box. “Who dropped it off?”

“A bike messenger,” Henry says.

“I’ll open it,” Marco states. “I just thought you would like to see it first.”

I nod, stopping short of the box several feet, and he stoops to cut the packing tape. Then, he carefully peels open the cardboard flaps. A breath huffs from him when he sees what it is, and the tension eases from his shoulders.

“Well, it’s not meant to kill you.” But something in Marco’s tone still holds distaste, and his nose wrinkles, his mouth turning down in disgust as he reaches into the box. Slowly, he lifts a man’s severed head from inside.

“God dammit.” I recognize him.

Eddie Thoreau. He was a night guard I paid off multiple times to look the other way, so we could bring a shipment in. He’s been getting greedy lately, and I know Nikolai has been no happier about it than I am, but I wouldn’t consider him more than a nuisance I try not to do deals with anymore. I didn’t wish him dead.

A note’s been pinned to his forehead with a tack, and several blood spatters smear the sloppy scrawl. Plucking the paper off his skin, I read:

Heard Eddie here has been giving you trouble lately, and I thought I’d take him off your hands. Take this as a sign of good faith that we can work together toward a common goal. I look forward to uniting our families next weekend.

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