Page 41 of His to Ruin

“You’re not thinking of Gabriele?” Daniil asks.

“It might persuade him out of the house,” Lorenzo says.

Damiano shakes his head. “Even if it did, he’d be no good for this girl. If she’s been kept prisoner all these years, she’ll need careful handling.”

“What about Giovanni?” I suggest. “He’s in Scotland at the moment.”

“I didn’t consider him,” Niamh admits. “I thought he was trying to distance himself from the family.” She looks at Damiano. “What do you think?”

“No idea,” the Italian replies. “Gio has always been a mystery to me.”

“Ask Olivia about him tonight,” I tell Niamh. “My wife will know if he’s a suitable candidate or not.”

“You don’t mind us talking business with your wife?” Daniil checks. I know he’s of the belief that his work and personal lives should be kept separate as much as possible.

“Not at all,” I reply. “And it’s not really business, is it? This is a personal matter.”

“True,” Niamh agrees. “Thank you, Piotr.”

“Now, shall we vote on welcoming Alexander into the fold?” Conscious that Olivia will arrive for dinner in just over an hour, I want to move things on.

“Yes.” Niamh looks around the table. “All those in favor of Alexander Cameron taking his rightful place among us, say aye.”

A murmur of assent goes around the table.

“Good.” Niamh looks at Mila, signaling that she’ll be the next to raise an issue. “Now, let’s get onto the main order of business. Mila, do you want to tell us what you’ve learned about the Albanian’s new partnership with the Corsican Union?”

As Mila launches into detail about how the two groups have come together to disrupt their business at the port of Marseilles, I grin. This is the sort of problem our group was created to solve. By the time the people around this table have had their say, we’ll have come up with a plan that will make our enemies wish they’d stuck to their own territory.

CHAPTER 14

Olivia

It’s kind of vain to look at yourself in the mirror and think,damn, that’s hot, but I can’t deny the truth. My body is outrageously sinful in this dress. I can’t decide if Piotr’s going to love or hate it. Will he be mad about me for showing so much leg in front of his business associates or will he preen with pride that his wife has made this effort to look good for him? I’m slightly worried it will be the former. He told me off for not covering my legs properly once before.

I dismiss my anxieties about how my husband will react. He told me to wear something stunning, and mission accomplished. I feel incredible and if he doesn’t like it, he’ll just have to learn to be careful what he asks for.

As I fasten the diamond teardrop earrings I treated myself to with my own money, I can’t help smiling. Today was so much fun. I love the energy in Paris. People are in less of a hurry than they are in New York, but they’re not as laid back as the residents of Florence or Rome.

The atmosphere around the Eiffel Tower was buzzing. Jimmy, Marko, and Vlad were freaked out by the crowd size at first, but they soon calmed down when they realized we were surrounded by tourists and not potential assassins.

I enjoyed the bustle and the chaos around the Arc de Triomphe, even if the traffic around the monument scared the living daylights out of me. At one point, I thought Vlad was going to leap out of the car to fight a little old lady who cut us off in her battered Citroen and then cursed him out. If I’m honest, I think she’d have kicked his ass.

Shopping at the Galleries Lafayette was an amazing experience. I’ve shopped in some beautiful places, but that beat them all. I bought my outfit for tonight and got gifts to take home to my sisters-in-law.

The highlight of my day, however, was sitting in Angelina’s watching Jimmy and Marko stirring whipped cream into their hot chocolate. Neither of them wanted to join me for the delicious treat, but I insisted. Jimmy took little persuading, partly because he has a sweet tooth, but mainly because he hates to refuse me anything unless it puts me in danger. Marko was harder to convince, but in the end I think he was afraid I’d run crying to Piotr about what an awful man he was if he didn’t do as I said. Both men enjoyed their drinks and the dainty cakes I ordered, no matter how much they pretended eating them was a chore.

Vlad remained outside, leaning against the car and watching everyone who walked by with suspicion. The terrifying bodyguard barely spoke to me all day, but he cracked a smile when I took a doggy bag with some eclairs out to him. From that point on, he was friendlier to me, so I guess it’s true that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

I wonder what I could feed Piotr to make him like me more.

I check myself in the mirror one more time and grin. The dress I chose for tonight makes a bold statement. A vibrant shade of red, it hugs my curves scandalously. One good sneeze would probably burst its seams. The daringly short length is made up for by a more modest neckline and full sleeves. My black leather ankle boots have insanely high heels and sharply pointed toes. I could probably maim someone with them if I wanted to.

My makeup is flawless. I went for dark, smoky eyes and lipstick that matches my dress. I leave my hair down in loose waves because I prefer it that way. It looks effortless, but took me the better part of an hour to perfect.

When I feel ready to make my entrance, I head upstairs with Jimmy and Marko training behind me. It seems like a waste of manpower to have both of them accompanying me up a single flight of stairs in a Bratva-owned building, but they have their orders. As much as being shadowed wherever I go pisses me off, I won’t make the men responsible for my safety feel bad for doing their job.

There’s only one apartment on the top floor of the building. I ring the doorbell and wait. A few seconds elapse before a tall, thin man answers. He peers down his crooked nose at me and his lips purse in distaste. “And you are?”

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