Page 77 of Twisted Secrets
He could barely believe what he was hearing. “What?”
“I might be a cold son of a bitch, but even I have lines that shouldn’t be crossed. As long as the woman feels the same way about you that you do about her, she’s controllable and only a minor threat. Go get the child.” He leaned back. “And when you’re home again, you will dismantle every connection Dmitri Romanov has in our territory. The man is a snake, and I refuse to give him so much as a toehold. You were right when you threatened him—his money is where a hit would hurt the most. So that’s what we’ll do.”
Cillian rocked back on his heels. “He cooperated.”
“He did the bare minimum—only afterbringing this mess to our front door. He’s the one who’s been skimming from us, undermining our authority with our people. He’s the one who lost control of his man, which resulted in the death of three of ours. That can’t be allowed.”
No, he supposed it couldn’t be. A slow satisfaction expanded inside him. Dmitri had made Olivia’s life a living hell. It didn’t matter if he seemed to regret what Sergei had done—he’d been the one to put the man in a position where he’d be able to act. Cillian smiled, well aware that it was as ice cold as the expression on his father’s face. “It would be my honest-to-God pleasure.”
***
Things happened quickly after Olivia came out of the bathroom—barely having gotten control of herself—to find that Cillian had somehow garnered Dmitri’s support and had an address where Sergei was most likely taking Hadley. She hadn’t even known he had an aunt, let alone one in the country. It was entirely possible that her half brother was sending them on a wild-goose chase, but Cillian didn’t seem to think so. Trusting him was so incredibly hard, but she didn’t have another option.
So to Philly they went.
She glanced into the rearview mirror for the millionth time, silently counting the black SUVs trailing behind them. One, two, three. All jam-packed with expressionless men with murder in their hearts. They hadn’t taken the news of their friends’ deaths lightly. She had no illusions that they were there for her. They weren’t.
They were out for blood.
Cillian hadn’t said anything since theystarted driving four hours ago. At first she was grateful for the silence. Her nerves were strung tight, and she wasn’t capable of small talk. Not when Hadley was in danger. But the longer it stretched, the more uncomfortable she felt.
Finally, when they hit the city limits, she turned to him. “Thank you. I…I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“You could have. It would have just taken longer.” His voice gave her no indication of how he was feeling.
He’s right. Keep your emotions in check until you know Hadley is safe and Sergei is dealt with. Everything else can wait. She sat back. “I have to be the one who goes in. Anyone else tries, and he might hurt Hadley.”
He hissed out a breath. “I don’t like it.”
“But you know I’m right. It’s the best shot we have of pulling this off.”
“If something happens to you…” Silence for a beat, and then two. “You’re right. Damn it, I know you’re right. Just don’t do anything to get yourself killed.”
Her heart tried to beat its way out of her throat. “I won’t.” Now wasn’t the time to play the hero, and the suit had never been something Olivia aspired to. She wanted a quiet life. A home. A family. A man who loved her and her daughter more than he loved anything else.
It seemed so simple, and yet it was an impossible dream.
She was Dmitri Romanov’s half sister. No matter what else she did with her life, that would always be there, hanging over her head. There was no escaping that particular identity, no matter how much she wanted to. Even if she changed her name, it would always be lurking, ready to take her out when she least expected it.
First Hadley. Then deal with everything else.
They wound through neighborhood afterneighborhood, the houses getting smaller and in poorer repair. Finally, he pulled up at a curb. “She’s two blocks down. Yellow house on the right.”
It was slightly cheerier than its neighbors. Though the paint was fading and peeled, there were flowers in a pot on the front porch and curtains hanging in the windows—something floral and bright. It said something about the kind of woman Sergei’s aunt was. In different circumstances, maybe she would be someone Olivia could have connected with.
It didn’t matter. If she was helping Sergei, then she was as much the enemy as he was.
She took a deep breath, but it didn’t do anything to calm her. “Okay.”
Cillian stopped her with a hand on her arm. “You go in the front door. You have five minutes before we bust down the back, Olivia. That’s it.”
It wasn’t much, but in reality, a lot could go wrong in the space of five minutes. Lives could change. Lives couldend. She gave a jerky nod. “Okay.”
“Get Hadley and get down. We’ll take care of Sergei.” From the grim way he said it, he meant permanently.
Good.
She slipped out of the car and walked down the sidewalk, every step taking her farther away from Cillian and closer to danger. She had the sudden urge to run back to him and tell him that she loved him.What if that was my chance and I’ll never get another one? What if Sergei kills him? What if he killsme?She’d spent too much time around the man to underestimate how dangerous he was. There might have been a time when he’d hesitate to hurt her, but it had disappeared right around when he’d stolen Hadley from her bed. All betswere off now.
