Page 58 of City Of Thieves
Ignoring the warning, I darken the screen and tuck my phone back in my pocket.I’ll deal with him later.Keeping my focus on the present, I pull the car into a space in front of the hotel. When she realizes I’m not unclipping my seatbelt, Tatiana stiffens.
“You’re not coming?”
The concern in her voice gnaws at something inside. I’ve never needed anyone before. I’ve never beenneededbefore. I still can’t decide if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.
“I have a few business matters that need my attention before we—”
“Where are you going?” she demands, cutting me off.
To see how deeply twisted this Russian fraternal rivalry runs.
I grip the steering wheel, treading in unfamiliar waters when I answer with dry candor. “Ghost hunting.”
The Renzo from two days ago wouldn’t have offered that level of truth. He would’ve held his cards close and suspicions high. But I know the secrets she’s trusted me with have left her raw and exposed. To keep her in the dark now would make me nothing more than another scar.
She sucks in a sharp breath. “You’re chasing Oleg Belov.”
I nod, the image of his shitty gray suit and smirk flashing through my mind. “He’s the one who can lead us to Konstantin. An associate was already looking into local connections with Oleg and Visily.”
“An associate,” she repeats slowly, holding my stare. “You mean the red-haired man who came to the hotel earlier. The one you called to clean…” Her voice catches at the mention of last night’s attack—a stark reminder of what’s at stake.
“His name is Killian Davies. He works for Frankie Lastra, who owns this city. He’s a longtime ally of the Marchesi family.”
“Do you trust him?”
“I don’t trust anyone,dolcezza. You know that.”
She smiles slightly. “I’m starting to see there are levels within levels of that statement, Renzo. No one gets by in life without putting their faith in someone.”
“You did.”
“I changed.” She holds my gaze again. “I took a step into the unknown.”
I consider her words, letting them sink in as deep as her plea did earlier. “I trust that Killian’s loyalty to my family benefits him more than betrayal.”
It’s not the answer she wanted. I can tell by the vertical line sinking between her eyes—the one I warned gave away all her secrets. “Didn’t you pay attention when I taught you the first rule of survival,dolcezza?”
Bullets always come from the friendliest face.
“You told me to trust no one,” she recalls with an even deeper frown. “Especially you.”
“Addendum,” I say, cupping her cheek. “Trustonly me. And you don’t leave that fucking hotel suite for a second. You hear me?”
“So, therearelevels?”
Sliding my thumb under the delicate curve of her jaw, I tip her chin up to meet my gaze. “Believe me when I say I’m not your savior, Tatiana, but I swear on my brother’s grave, I’ll be the sinner who crawls his way back from hell to find your daughter.”
“I believe you,” she whispers, the weight of her words swinging a sledgehammer at the center of my chest.
No one has ever put such blind trust in me.And I won’t let her down.
There’s a third variable in this Russian equation now. I need to piece together a new timeline, one that explains why three brothers would join forces, only to turn on each other… And then I’ll make them all bleed.
Starting with Oleg Belov.
“I won’t be long,” I tell her, forcing myself to drop my hand. The scent of what we did still lingers inside the car, and I need another hit of it, but I have to deny myself. I know damn well it won’t stop there. “Make sure you’re packed and ready to go in two hours. The jet is waiting on standby.”
She lingers with her hand on the door—as reluctant to leave as I am of letting her go—before giving me a tight nod and exiting the car.
