Page 35 of Immaculate Corruption (Romanoff Bratva)

“Youcan have everything,” I correct. “Lukas and I don’t have that option.”

I turn around and walk into our room before he can figure out how to respond.

Inside, Ernestine and June are snoring in the bed and Lukas is asleep in the bassinet. I lay down on the floor at the end of the bed. I close my eyes, begging for sleep to come and wash away the horrible thoughts rushing through my head.

But sleep never comes.

12

Dima

I stand outside for a long time, thinking. How did things get this fucking far?

The rational part of my mind understands where Arya is coming from, but I’m too angry to be rational. I’m too angry to understand.

No one makes a don choose between his empire and his family.

I’d die for Lukas and Arya, of course. But I’d die for Gennady, too. I’d die to protect my men and my family name. Can she really expect me to give all of that up?

When sitting still becomes impossible, I march into the adjoining room.

Ennio is the problem. Ennio is the reason this argument came to a head. The sooner I get rid of the D’Onofrio runt—not to mention the weakness that led me to kidnap him in the first place—the better.

When the door opens, Ennio hurries to sit up. He looks behind me, like he’s hoping for someone else. I notice his face fall.

He was wishing Arya would be here. Because she was kind to him. Because she calmed me.

Unfortunately for Ennio, though, he has to face me now. Just me.

And I’m not nearly as kind as Arya is.

“Where is your father?” I ask. I’ve tucked my gun away in my waistband in favor of a tire iron that I fished out of the car. I toss it back and forth from one hand to the other. Ennio’s eyes follow it every time.

He swallows and shakes his head. “I’m not talking.”

I sigh. “Don’t be stupid, Ennio. Your father is an old man. He has lived a long life. And you’re set to inherit, I presume? You’re young. Imagine what you could do with the business in your lifetime.”

“Like you’d let me survive longer than it took to tell you his location? I know how this game goes. I’m a loose end.”

He isn’t wrong, but he doesn’t have all the facts. Ennio doesn’t realize that I have a woman just inside who, whether she admits it or not, is rooting for Ennio to survive.

Time will tell who gets to decide his fate.

“You don’t know anything about my game.”

“I know more than I’d like,” Ennio mumbles.

I step towards him, wrench clenched in my fist. “What does that mean?”

“Just that these are thin walls,” he says. “I heard everything.”

I frown. I don’t like that. Uncharacteristically careless of me. “It’s rude to eavesdrop.”

“Well, you shot me in the knee and kidnapped me, so I’ll say we’re even.”

“How about I say when we’re even?” I snap, raising the wrench. “Or would you like me to take out your other knee, too?”

Ennio’s eyes widen. He pulls his legs closer to his body. “My parents had a lot of similar discussions. It isn’t anything I haven’t heard before. It certainly didn’t surprise me.”

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