Page 143 of Twisted Hearts

When I finally get back to my car, the energy is surging inside of me. With that all over and done with, it’s time for me to go home to Eilish.

And to our next chapter.

But one more thing first…

I smile darkly, my lips curling as I tap the contact in my phone and let it ring. Senator Harrison McKinnley is smart enough to answer quickly.

I’m going to enjoy this.

Alot.

“Mr. Tsarenko!” There’s a forced cheeriness in Harrison’s voice—the politician in him he can’t ever turn off.

“I assume you received my note,” I spit.

I feel no need to attempt any niceties with the man whose son I shouldkillfor what he did to Eilish. The only reason I’m being so merciful is that blackmailing Brooks works better to influence his father than killing him.

Also, Eilish asked me to do it this way.Notbecause she feels mercy for him. But because she wants him to spend the rest of his life worrying about the day when I release what I have on him.

I swear, there’s a fucking darkness in mysolnishkathat makes me love her even more.

Senator McKinnley clears his throat. “I…uh, yes. Yes, I did.”

“Do we agree that the information I have on your son—his admission of a crime, and his disturbing,illegaltastes in pornography—would be catastrophic for both of you should it get out?”

He stammers. “Y-yes, of…of course, Mr. Tsarenko.”

“And we are furthermore in agreement that the information I have onyou—specifically, the names of the two college-aged staffers whom you got pregnant—would be just as catastrophic for you and your career ifitgot out?”

“Please, Mr. Tsarenko—”

“Are we or are we fucking not in agreement,” I snarl. “Senator.”

“We are,” he blurts. “Complete, total agreement.”

“Then I will not mince words,” I spit. “As of this moment, I fuckingown you. If you fuck with me, my organization, or any of the other Bratva organizations on the list I sent you—”

It’s a list of all the High Council families. And the Krylov Bratva too, because it’s always smart to plan for the future, right?

“—Orif you try to fuck with the Kildare family, or the Drakos family, then every scrap of information I have on both you and your disgusting son gets emailed to every newspaper editor on Earth. If you should ever quit your position as chair of the Organized Crime Senate Task Force, I willalsorelease this information. Now, Senator, I will ask once and only once more: do we fully understand each other.”

He doesn’t hesitate.

“Ofcourse, Mr. Tsarenko. We fully understand each other, and needless to say you have my total cooperation going forward—”

“Good.”

I hang up without another word, grinning widely as the car takes me closer to home.

* * *

She’sasleep and the penthouse is dark when I get in.

Excellent.

I shower quietly and slip into the bedroom.

Ourbedroom. Eilish lives here now, as of a week ago when she moved out of the house she grew up in on the Upper East Side. I don’t think my place has ever felt more like home.

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