The Bastard's Betrayal (Scandalous Scions 1)

“Fine.” He wouldn’t do anything to tip the old man off to what his cousin was up to. “I was heading to New York anyway.” It would mean playing the part, at least in sight, but that could work in his favor. Plenty had changed in the two weeks since he took Rose. He needed to get the lay of the land before acting.

“Good. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Matteo stood and walked out of the room without looking back.

Only then did Dante let himself fully process the information he’d had circling his brain since Lorenzo gave the order to kill Lorelei Romanov. Lorelei Romanov, who’d married Romeo Capparelli. Not Rose. Her little sister had stepped in to secure the alliance, and it freed Rose up in the process.

The way to her was hardly clear, not with their history and her family and her fucking pride, but her sister’s misfortune had been a boon to Dante. He didn’t have to dance around the Capparellis or kill Romeo, because he’d effectively been removed from the playing field.

“I’m coming for you, amata.”

“I can’t believe you let this happen.”

Anya and Sasha sat on Rose’s bed, watching her pace back and forth. Sasha twisted her fingers in her lap, looking sick to her stomach. “We didn’t have a choice. We didn’t even know what she planned until they ushered us back into the church, and then it was too late. Interrupting it would have caused a scene.”

“More of a scene than when you disappeared.” Anya crossed one long leg over the other. Today she wore tailored cigarette pants and a white button-up shirt she’d left half undone. “It’s too late, anyway. There’s nothing to be done. Lorelei chose this. I tried to get her out the next day, but she wouldn’t come with me.”

“What?” Sasha twisted to face her. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“It wasn’t relevant.” Anya examined her fingernails. “She chose. We have to respect that.”

Rose understood that on a rational level, but she couldn’t let it go. “I have to see her.”

“Nyet.” Anya shook her head. “Romeo was very clear that he didn’t want to see your face for a while. Let him cool off. Otherwise, you’re putting Lorelei and the alliance in danger because you feel guilty that you’re relieved she took your place. Knock it off.”

Rose flinched. She hated it when Anya did this, used cold logic to dive right into the heart of things Rose would rather not say. Her sister was right. She did feel relieved that she wouldn’t be required to marry Romeo, sleep with him, and eventually have his kids. She would have done her duty without complaint, but now that it’d been taken off her plate?

Guilt wrapped around her throat harsher than Casimir’s hands had. “I should have been here.”

“Eh. You aren’t the only one shouldering that burden. No one expected Dante Verducci to be that arrogant. We should have put more security on you or not left you alone.” Her dark eyes glinted dangerously. “If I’d been there, things would have gone differently, and that’s on me.”

If Anya had been there, someone would have ended up dead. Rose fought down a shiver. “I don’t give a fuck about letting Romeo cool off. He will not keep me from my sister.”

“Rose.” Sasha twisted her fingers harder, hard enough that it looked actually painful. “If Casimir Romanov is after you, you have bigger things to worry about than Lorelei.”

“Da, she can handle Romeo. She might be the baby, but she’s a badass.” Anya ran her hand over her long blond hair. “The Mad Wolf is a problem, but the bigger problem is what his presence indicates.”

Rose pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know.” In the days since she’d been home, she’d sat through meeting after meeting with her parents and their people as they reached out to allies and battened down the hatches. Not noticeably, of course. Someone looking in from the outside wouldn’t have seen anything at all worth noting. Appearing as if they were preparing for war automatically put them in a position of weakness, which Papa would never allow. It made her head hurt, even if she understood his reasoning. Normally, the political movements and chess match they played with their enemies gave her an energy boost like none other.

Not now.

Not with Lorelei taking her place and their Russian extended family circling. Someone could die. Someone would die.

She had to make sure it wasn’t someone she cared about. “If Casimir is coming after me, it means they’ve decided against Papa. Or, more accurately, against me.”

“He’s not going to make you marry one of them, is he?” Sasha’s complexion went a bit green. “I know that’s what they wanted a few years ago, but I thought Papa decided against it.”

“We decided against it.” Rose would eventually be the head of this family, and that couldn’t happen if Jovan sent one of his people to try and wrest control from her via marriage. Every day would be a battle, and it exhausted her to think about. At least with Romeo, they had an understanding. She wouldn’t fuck with his family, and he wouldn’t fuck with theirs. They’d even negotiated heirs. Eldest to rule the Capparelli family. Second eldest to rule the Romanovs. It would have created lasting peace while also protecting their respective power.