Page 83 of Bound By Revenge

I force a polite smile and raise my glass in return, unease settling in my chest.

Chapter 32

Nik

“There you are,darling. As delicious as ever,” a familiar voice purrs behind me.

Kat and I turn to see Edna Smith.

“Edna, you flatter me,” I say with a polite nod. “It’s been a while.”

“Far too long,” she replies, her smile sharp and amused. “Though, I suppose it’s a good thing when someone in your line of work doesn’t need someone in mine.” She waves me off and focuses on Kat. “But I wasn’t talking to you, Nikolai. Katherine, it’s been ages. And I never did thank you for helping me with that Brussels mess. Love the dress, by the way.”

I blink, caught off guard. Kat and Edna know each other?

Kat smiles warmly, like they’re old friends. “How are you, E?”

Edna is… something else. Barely five feet tall, yet she somehow manages to look down her nose at everyone, even through her black-rimmed glasses. She has to be pushing sixty, but she doesn’t look a day over thirty. Blunt, eccentric, and often irritating, she’s not exactly likable—but she doesn’t care.

She doesn’t have to. Being the best at what she does means Edna doesn’t need to be liked. She only needs to be respected—or feared. And she is.

“I’d heard the rumors, but I dismissed them as gossip,” Edna says, her sharp eyes flicking between us. “The two of you? Romantically involved? It sounded ridiculous. What could possibly bring you together?”

“What, indeed?” Kat says, shooting me a playful smile and a wink.

I narrow my eyes at her, and she blows me a kiss.God help me. I sigh, taking a long sip of whiskey.

“Ah, I see it now,” Edna says, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Raw, animalistic sexual attraction. Obviously.”

I nearly choke, whiskey burning as I cough. Kat pats my back, laughing softly.

“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” she says, smirking as I recover.

“And your timing is impeccable,” Edna adds, flipping her short hair back. “Nothing like new love to distract from grief. I was so sorry to hear about Maxim, Nikolai.”

I nod. “Thank you, Edna. I appreciate that.”

Her gaze sharpens. “But what’s this I hear about his body disappearing?”

“Nothing to worry about,” I reply evenly. “Just a mix-up at the funeral home. It’ll be sorted soon. An oversight, that’s all.”

Edna arches a brow. “An oversight? Nikolai, what kind of oversight makes a body disappear? Something doesn’t add up here.”

I take a slow breath, choosing my words carefully. The truth? I’d love nothing more than to tell Edna to fuck off. But that’s not an option—not when she’s so crucial to thebratva.

“What can I say, Edna?” I say with a tight smile and a shrug. “We’re working on it. You wouldn’t happen to have any useful information, would you? I’d make it worth your while.”

Edna scoffs. “Don’t insult me, Nikolai. You know how fond I was of that boy. I’d never get involved in anything so crude asstealing his body. Poor thing. Strangled with a garrote, wasn’t he? At least it was quick—small mercies in your world.”

Beside me, Kat gasps, but I keep my expression neutral. I know Edna doesn’t mean to offend; her frankness is just how she is.

“Was an autopsy done?” she asks.

“Not yet,” I reply evenly.

“Well,” she says with a shrug, “it’s probably too late. Even if you recover him, he’s likely decomposed by now. People who steal bodies aren’t concerned with keeping them fresh. And let’s not kid ourselves—they probably have more sinister goals than just hiding evidence.”

My stomach turns, and Kat shoots me a worried look, her small hand gripping mine. I squeeze back, focusing on her instead of the mental image Edna just planted in my head.

---