Page 76 of Sinful Promise

“Andrian bragged about sending Ratmim’s sons to kill Dad. He is coming for us no matter what, brother. He has been lurking in the shadows for years to get revenge. Dad was broadsided. He dismissed Andrian as a threat, and look what happened. Andrian had the perfect cover to eliminate Dad without suspicion falling on him. We have a source inside, and Dasha tells us the same thing. Their details support the allegation that the deaths of Dad and Boris were no accident. They were cold-blooded hits orchestrated by Andrian.”

“You should have led with that,” Nikolay says.

I ignore his comment. “Andrian is very good at games. We can’t take this lightly. He will pursue us no matter where we go or what we do, so I’ll have Mom go to the safe house. He’ll be watching. He wants us dead.”

“Okay,” Nikolay replies. “But it’s not worth starting a war if we can’t win it. Do you have a plan, Roman?”

“Yes, I do.”

Nikolay stares at me, reading my face. “Are you focused now?”

“Don’t worry. I can love a woman and still do my job.”

“We’re coming,” Dmitry says.

“Thanks, but I can do this. I have a team I trust. I need you both to stay safe.”

Nikolay sits back in his leather chair and looks me in the eye. “What’s the plan?”

“I’ll lure him to Monaco. I have a skilled team in place. We’ll make it look like a drug deal gone wrong so we won’t have to worry about others coming. There is unrest in his country. It will be a huge win for more than just us if we eliminate him.”

“I’m coming,” Dmitry insists.

“No need. I’ve got this. It’s my job. I’m the one who rushed into this.”

“We would have never known otherwise, silver lining and all that shit.” Nikolay chuckles nervously. “No, he’s coming after all of us. We need to get our revenge because the opportunity is here now.”

“I call dibs on the kill shot,” I say.

“Fine,” Dmitry says.

“We need to get Mom and our wives in safe houses. Do we know if he’s infiltrated our ranks?” Nikolay asks with concern.

“He doesn’t have to. He knows men in high places who provide him with intel. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. I suspect that when Andrian sent Ratmim and his sons to carry out the hit, he had them inject Dad and Boris with something. Their injuries from the crash were not considered lethal, but no one bothered to test for drugs or poison,” I murmur. “Andrian has been linked to men who do these things. It’s all starting to make sense.”

I realize with horror that Dad never stood a chance.

“Where are you now?” Nikolay asks.

“On boardSevernoye Siyaniyeoff the coast of Italy. We’ll get to Monaco first. I’ll get what we need. If you make it, fine. If not, I can handle it.”

“This is too important. The more men, the better. We all have a role to play,” Dmitry says. “Besides, I can’t have this piece of shit breathing when I have a wife with a child on the way. He dies, one way or another.”

“I agree,” Nikolay says. “And here I thought we were going to war over a woman, but now I see there’s a lot more to it.”

“It’s complicated,” I reply, “but without Dasha, we’d never know her father was hired to kill Dad and steal our weapons. I’ll see you both soon.”

28

DASHA

“Let’s get massages and enjoy the jacuzzi. I hear there is an infrared red-light sauna,” Irina suggests.

I sip chilled water. I went overboard on the wine last night, and Roman says it will rehydrate me. “What is this sauna?”

“It’s healthy for you. You’ll love it. We can get a massage, too. Can you believe that?” Irina adjusts her sun hat and reclines on her cushioned lounge chair.

Francesca looks up from her book, “The Micheli’s need to get a yacht like this. I’ve never been one to spend much time on the water, but I fell in love with Elba. I could easily spend a year or more cruising from one new place in Italy to the next, enjoying the food and ambiance. I hear the islands further down the coast are to die for, with hot thermal baths fed from underground springs. If only I didn’t work all the time.” She’s wearing a white bikini and looks like a bodybuilder, minus the fake tan and fake boobs.

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