Page 80 of Malicious Claim

I retracted my hand, shaking my head. "No. That's not the type of drink for me."

Dragon blew out another puff of smoke, grinning. "Half-expected you would say yes."

I gave him a side-eye glance. "Maybe someday I'll have brandy."

Dragon let out a low laugh, reaching for his glass from the tray without hesitation. Nicolai did the same, grumbling his thanks as he lifted it to his lips.

Before I could say more the heavy clomping of feet resounded within the room. The moment I heard them, I knew we were finished talking.

My father entered with a deliberate, slow pace, his very presence commanding the room without effort. He barely glanced at the others before his sharp eyes fixed on me.

"Makros."

That alone was enough.

I stood up immediately, following him as he led me out of the room.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the private lounge, where he sat down in his favorite chair, taking up a bottle of whiskey. The old man looked up, the hardness in his eyes softening just a bit.

"You did well." My father leaned back, taking his time to savor the moment. "Aleksei was a loose end. Now he's dead, and the Russians are pleased. You also came through in Naples. That's how we conduct business."

I sat across from him, legs extended, hands idle on the chair arms.

"And while I was attending to business," I mused, "I heard you were playing games with my wife."

My father cocked an eyebrow, the closest thing to surprise he ever showed. "I was testing her."

I let out a humorless chuckle, drumming a finger against the armrest. "And what did you learn?"

"That she's worth more than you're giving her credit for." He swirled his drink. "You think she's a pawn, but she's playing the board as well as any of us."

I exhaled through my nose, irritation curling at the edges of my thoughts. "You should have waited for me. Or at least consulted me before taking something like this action."

He leaned in close, gaze fixed on me. "I don't need your approval to screen any member of my household."

Household. Not family. That distinction was never lost on me.

His fingers tapped on his glass before he continued. "The test was also to see if she'd flip on us. I offered her Babros, and gave her a way out. Even gave her the chance to kill Stefanos." He hesitated and left the words lingering before delivering the final words. "She didn't bite."

I stared at him for a moment, my expression blank. Then I responded. "And what if she had flunked your little test? If she had taken the bait?"

His eyes locked with mine. Hard. Unpitying. "Then I would have taken care of it."

The room went silent except for the slight clinking of the melting ice in his glass.

"Perhaps your test wasn't convincing enough," I said at last. "She's not stupid. She saw through it. That doesn't mean she doesn't want our heads."

"Oh, I know." His smile was slow. "But if she keeps postponing her revenge, it'll eventually go away. That's what I'm saying."

I considered his words for a minute.

Then he lay back. "I reckon you'll want to see her now. I guess you haven’t fucked her very well, yet."

I didn't say anything. Instead I got up and went to find her.

My footsteps echoed off the marble floor as I walked in the corridor searching for her. Then, I saw her. She turned at the sound of my footsteps, her pace slowing before she finally stopped.

There was no friendly smile, no flash of welcome at my return—only a blank stare. I knew she would not be pleased to see me, but I had hoped for better.

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