Page 19 of Vendetta Crown

"Why do you have Mikonov men working for you, Slava?"

"I own a casino, Ruslan Vitalyevich." Potyomkin shrugs. "I like holding all the cards. I like hedging my bets. You and I both know theVoriare falling apart. I was trying to secure my future."

"Until Aurora ruined it," I say, satisfaction warming me more than the whiskey.

Potyomkin's face tightens with reluctant respect. "Until Aurora ruined it."

"But you'll still honor the deal you made with her?" I ask.

Potyomkin nods, his face an unreadable mask. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because Semyon's men working for me isn't just a hedge. It's..." His voice trails off, and for the first time, I see a crack in his infamous composure.

"It's what?"

"It's a threat." His voice hardens. "Semyon is putting pressure on me, same as theVori. The Triads want a piece of Vegas money, and Mikonov men serve as a constant reminder that Semyon's reach is just as long as Gregor's."

I watch as his fingers tighten around the glass. "I see how his men look at Vera. I know if Semyon turns on me, she won't be safe." His voice drops. "Especially now that she's three months pregnant."

I raise an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to congratulate you?"

"No." Potyomkin gives me a look that's almost vulnerable. "But things change when you're about to become a father. You start caring about things you never gave a shit about before."

"Since when do you care about anything but money and power?"

He swirls the whiskey in his glass. "Before I married Vera, I believed wives were only for children."

"Your wife was nineteen when you married her," I mutter, unable to keep the disgust from my voice. "Practically a child herself."

Potyomkin's eyes flash. "I married Vera to keep her safe from the rest of the fuckingVoriafter her family was murdered. I didn't touch her until she asked me to." His nostrils flare. "You think I'm a monster, Ruslan, but this monster has lines that I won't cross. Never forget that."

I remain silent, unconvinced.

"Part of why I agreed to your wife's deal was because I could see how much she loves you." Something softens in Potyomkin's harsh features. "She told me if you were dead, she had nothing left to lose. That's a powerful thing. Love. And it's something we've forgotten in our world."

At the mention of love, my throat tightens. Guilt floods me like poison seeping into an open wound. I take another drink, wincing as the burn matches the fire in my shoulder.

"I almost lost her forever," I confess, my voice hoarse. "Because I couldn't protect her."

Potyomkin refills my glass without comment.

"You know what keeps running through my mind?" I look up at him, my vision blurring slightly. "What if Artyom hadn't found me in time? What if you hadn't been there to save her in time?"

"Don't torture yourself with what-ifs and what-might-have-beens," Potyomkin says, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "What matters is that Aurora is alive. She's safe. And whatever you think you've done wrong, she still loves you enough to risk everything to protect your family."

I drain my glass again, the alcohol no longer helping with the pain.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"She's in the guest room."

I push myself up from the chair, immediately regretting the sudden movement when pain rips through my shoulder and chest. The room tilts dangerously, and I grab the edge of the desk to steady myself.

"Fuck," I hiss through clenched teeth.

Potyomkin presses a button on his desk. "Shura!"

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