Page 80 of Unveiled

I lean forward, my stomach knotting. He wasn’t supposed to find out information about anyone else on Eli’s computer. “How involved?”

He shakes his head. “They’ve been working in the shadows for a while now.Theywere the only ones pushing to secure control of the bakery’s location,” he explains. “It wasn’t about the properties—we know that—it was all about positioning. They knew exactly where to strike.”

I shake my head. “And Anissa?”

Rafail stiffens. A few years ago, he was jilted at the altar, and we’ve been unable to secure the location of the woman who betrayed him. Rafail didn’t pursue it after he’d married Polina, but she’s been a loose thread ever since.

“She’s playing both sides. I dug into communications—she’s been meeting with the Irish leadership in secret. The Irish offered her a way out. Protection, financial security—anything to keep her from marrying Rafail. They knew the marriage would strengthen us, that it would unify key factions and block their influence. The whole ‘cold feet at the altar’ story? Bullshit.”

We process all this in silence. I shake my head. “But there’s more. Eli’s in deeper than I expected. His debt wasn’trandom, Semyon, but part of their plan. He owes money to Irish-connected interests, and in exchange, he’s been feeding them intel. Remember, he had firsthand access to the bakery.”

Shit.

I do not want to tell Anya any of this.

“He betrayed his own family?”

Matvei sighs. “Yeah. He probably thought he was just buying time, that he could outsmart them. But the Irish don’t play games. They used him.”

“And you have proof of all this?”

“Almost.” Matvei frowns, tension tightening his features. “I’m still cracking through the last firewall, but this is bad. They’ve orchestrated everything to fracture us from within.”

Cold silence settles between us. The Irish have played a long game.

“I’ll keep digging. But be ready. When all this comes to a head… it’s gonna get bloody.”

"Well, gents," Vadka says, pushing to his feet. “On that happy note, I promised my wife that I would do bedtime tonight, so I need to go.”

He pays his tab and leaves.

This is why I never wanted to get involved with a woman, have a family, fall inlove.All I can think about is Anya’s safety. I’m distracted, my loyalty divided.

"That's an interesting development," I mutter. Rafail grunts. Rodion cracks his knuckles. Matvei stares at a tablet as if trying to decide his next move in a game.

My phone buzzes with a text. I immediately hide it so no one else can see.

I smile down at a picture of my beautiful wife wearing a blue gown that hugs her curves in all the right ways. When she turns around in the second pic, her back is completely bare. God. She can’t wear that in public.

I tap out a text and send it:

You can wear that in the bedroom, but I'll spank your ass if you wear that in public.

She sends back a blushing emoji, and I shake my head.

Then comes another picture, this oneeven worsethan the first two. There’s a strip of red fabric across her breasts, the curve of her lower breasts exposed, and sheer fabric covers the rest. The dress comes all the way up her thighs.

“Somebody’s distracted,” Rodion says in that same teasing voice. “Your wife sending you nudes?”

“Say that again, and I’ll throw you across this bar,” I snap.

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m just joking. Relax.”

“He’s not gonna relax if you keep talking about his wife being nude,” Rafail says, smacking Rodion on the side of his head. “Just like you wouldn’t if someone was talking aboutyourwife the same way.”

Rodion shrugs. “It’s all in your expression. How else do you explain the way you’re looking right now? One second, you’re happy, practically grinning at the phone; the next, you look like you wanna whip it across the room.”

“Maybe she showed me pictures of dresses she wants to wear to the gala,” I snap at him. “So shut the fuck up.”

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