Page 99 of City of Salvation

“Seems a bit like a shit plan.”

“Oh?” he arched an eyebrow. “Are you now a criminal mastermind?” he asked, the sarcasm so thick you could wade through it. “You know what some of your friends and I have in common, Tasha?”

“Please enlighten me, because I can’t think of a single thing they have in common with a cocky ass like you.”

He laughed. “Please, they are all cocky assholes, they just like you, so you aren’t on the receiving end.”

I shrugged before breaking into a grin because he was right. “You may have a point there.”

He cocked a brow in an“I told you so”manner before continuing. “It’s that we are willing to do theunsavoryfor the greater good of the goal. We have the balls to get shit done when others are unwilling.” He paused, his eyes searching over me once more. “Even if it means making more of a mess before ultimately cleaning it up.”

“Is this some type of life lesson I am supposed to be learning?” I asked, folding my hands in my lap.

He let out a chuff. “Something like that,zaika. Something like that.”

“Well, there’s something you’re forgetting, Andrei. The girl you once knew died at that wedding. The one who blindly followed orders and couldn’t sense when someone was using her.”

A shutter slid over his features at my callout. Where most made men carried a scowl, but Andrei’s face transformed into a cocky smirk, arrogance wafting off him. The problem was that the asshole could back it up. He was scary because he genuinely didn’t appear scared or intimidated by anything, and I wasn’t sure how much was an act versus truth.

My door opened, a hand extending to help me out of the car and onto the sidewalk of wherever it was that we were. I eyed the building towering above us, the small pinpricks of nerves transforming into a full maelstrom of electric shocks. On instinct, I sent my location to Dex.

I jumped at the warm hand that landed on my lower back, pushing me forward. Andrei leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Natasha, you are so much more than your father made youbelieve.” I turned my head to meet his gaze, but he’d pulled away and continued to look forward as he spoke.

“Death before betrayal,zaika. Remember that.” This time, his eyes connected to mine, and they were shockingly unguarded. “I will always choose death before betrayal. You understand?”

It was almost as if he were pleading with me, but before I could answer, the doorman was in front of us. I schooled my face, hiding my confusion at his words.

I kept my chin tucked as Andrei led us through the lobby of some swanky building. Each step sent adrenaline spiking through my body.

Death before betrayal of me? Or of the Ruska Roma?

There was next to no one around, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Where the fuck was a performance supposed to happen in this place?

One of Andrei’s men opened a nondescript door, and he pressed me forward with a hand dug into my shoulder. My legs threatened to collapse under me the moment I passed the threshold, even though I’d had an inkling this would happen.

My pride may have wanted to stare him down, unwavering, but my knees buckled like a newborn fawn. Andrei gripped my other side, the forceful support of the two men the only reason I remained standing.

“Well, if it isn’t my bitch of a wife in the flesh,” Yuri sneered, leaning back in a leather club chair. He’d barely aged in the years I’d been away. A few more frown lines and a peppering of gra y around his hairline were the only real signs. Bastard was still handsome, and I still wanted to shove a knife in his back.

Blood pounded in my ears, the edges of my vision turning black, and I forced my lungs to keep working. But it felt as ifthere was a blockage clogging my throat, preventing the oxygen from entering.

“You know, Andrei, when you called and said that you had my wife, I thought it was a bluff,” Yuri said, blatantly leering at my body. “Figured if you didn’t show up with her, I’d just kill you.”

“I’m sure you would have loved that, Yuri,” Andrei drawled. “Yet here she is, and we both know you’ll be letting me walk out of here.” He tilted his head, his mouth pulling up into a smile that could induce frostbite it was so chilling. Yuri’s smile slipped, his eyes darkening under Andrei’s attention.

Whatever he had on Yuri, it was keeping the asshole in line. Bastard didn’t even say anything when Andrei winked at him. No one moved, the two factions staying on their sides of the invisible line.

How many times have these two talked in the past?

For a brief second I wondered if Andrei had sabotaged the attack at my wedding, but there was no chance of that. Everything had gone to planexceptmy portion. If only I could shoot everyone in the room with the Glock tucked into Andrei’s trousers.

But my body was frozen in place.

“Did you bring what we agreed upon?” Andrei asked, an edge to his tone.

My brain finally kicked back online, and I began to thrash. “Get the fuck off of me,” I yelled, kicking and punching, but Andrei just pulled me into his side, clamping down on my arms so I was unable to move.

Yuri smiled at my struggle. “You will be so fun when I break you. A shame you are no longer pure, but no matter, a cunt is a cunt regardless.”

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