Page 24 of Cruel Existence

My father sighed. “Dmitry Novikov.”

My stomach rose high into my chest. “Did you say Novikov?”

“Yes. This meeting is important. Did you meet him at his daughter’s engagement party a few nights ago?” His hand slid off the bed. I lifted it and placed it next to his waist. He was too weak to talk much longer.

“Not exactly, but I did see him.” I thought about how to twist the truth.

But he started to drift in and out of sleep. I was glad the coughing had stopped.

“What time is the meeting?” I whispered.

“Ciro has the details.” I could barely understand him.

I stood from the chair and returned it next to the wall. I backed away from the bed, watching my father sleep. I didn’t know how much time I had before I met with the king of New Orleans. My body buzzed and tingled with fear. Thecertainty I had that I could take the appointment evaporated when I realized it was Luka’s father I would have drinks with, not a random boss in town.

I stepped out of the bedroom. Ciro was in the hallway.

“Do you have the meeting details for today?” I asked.

He looked at his watch. “I’ll have the car ready to leave in an hour,” he reported.

I took a deep inhale. “I’ll get ready.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I gulped. “Maybe you should have told me everything about the Bratva after I had this meeting.”

He pressed his lips together. “Maybe I should have.”

My fingers trembled as I turned the handle to my bedroom door. I didn’t know if I could do this.

Ten

LUKA

The first rule of business: arrive five minutes early. My father had burned the lesson into my skull. Over the years, I realized he wasn’t wrong about a few of his business principles. I found this particular one gave me an advantage. An automatic way to make the footing unsteady for my adversaries.

I didn’t know if it was possible to rattle Lorenzo Amato during this meeting. I also didn’t have a fucking clue what he already knew about me. What he had heard about my night out with his daughter. Did he know his bodyguard had wrenched her away from me at gunpoint? It was the reason I had stuck with last names when setting the meeting. There was a good chance he assumed he was going to have drinks with my father.

I didn’t believe in chance. I didn’t think for a second he hadn’t blown into town without knowing who his biggest competitor would be—my father. It wasn’t a coincidence theywere interested in the same hotels, more specifically the boutique hotel. The Italians were pests and I guaranteed to get rid of them.

I straightened the cuff on my sleeve. I didn’t like the way it was pressed. I had to get Lorenzo to back off before my father used the full force of the Bratva to shut him down. Under any circumstance, I didn’t give a shit who my father decided to run into the ground. But this time I did. I wasn’t interested in Amara being caught in the crosshairs of our fathers’ war.

I checked my watch. One minute.

I ordered a gin on the rocks and waited for Lorenzo. I dug in my pocket for a cigarette but then remembered the way Amara’s nose turned up when she saw the pack. I opted to leave them where they were.

Fuck me. Why was I thinking about her when I needed to focus on the business at hand?

The bar I chose was old-school New Orleans. Heavy wood walls. Brass fixtures. A direct nod to the established families in the area. There was a side door that wafted with cigar smoke every time someone opened it.

The server delivered the gin drink on a tray and didn’t say a word when he noticed the seat next to me was still vacant. Maybe business was done differently in Philadelphia. Lorenzo was nearly five minutes late. I shook the ice in the glass when the door opened.

The sunlight was a startling contrast to the dim lighting inside the bar. My chest tightened when I saw Ciro enter first. I assumed he was Lorenzo’s top security aide. His head swiveled left then right. He nodded when he spotted me in the center of the dining room. I didn’t address my security. Why givethem away so easily? I liked them to stick to the shadows. The element of surprise and awe always provided the advantage.

Ciro held the door open for a few more seconds. What the fuck was taking the old Italian so long?

And then she walked in.

---