Dirty Little Secrets (Kings of Bolten 1)

“What is it?”

“This one needs some flash to it. I’ve acquired a little something that has some worth.” He slid a manila folder toward me.

Vincent took it and shuffled through it.

“What’s her name?” Vincent asked, sliding the folder to me.

I glanced at the photographs of a pretty brunette. Some of the photos were of her doing everyday things like walking to her car. Others were of her sitting in a bare room like she was being held prisoner somewhere.

“Natalia.” He gave me a wicked smile and leaned back in his seat.

I glanced at him. My father was a bit shorter than me, but he was just as broad. He didn’t look a day over forty. I assumed that had more to do with the fact he fucked virgins and probably licked the blood from the sheets they left behind like some kind of fucking vampire. Ruthless and wicked, that was Matteo De Santis. Of course, the rotten apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

“Why does she matter?” I peered up from the photos at him again.

“Last name Vasiliev.”

I frowned.

“Her father is Antoine Vasiliev. The enforcer for the Bratva. Ivanov.”

“You want us to kill her?” Vincent asked.

“It’s up for consideration. You see, here’s the wonderful thing about our world. Everything is connected. D’Angelou went off and married. He got himself a daughter. Word has it, she’s engaged to Mikhail Ivanov. The fact the little prick is getting his dick wet and pairing off is a cause for concern. The last thing we need is for him to run around making heirs to the Ivanov throne. I’d like to stop that before it happens.”

“And what does Natalia Vasiliev have to do with that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Nothing, really. And yet, everything.” He lit a cigar and puffed on it for a moment. The ring of smoke circled his head. Definitely not a fucking halo. “I want an exchange. I have someone on the inside with Ivanov. He’s taking too long though. His job is to kill off D’Angelou’s daughter. She should’ve been dead already, but I haven’t gotten her fucking heart in a box like I asked. If she’s killed by my man, the Vasiliev girl lives.”

I ground my teeth at the mention of the hit out on Bianca.

“If the deed isn’t done, I’ll have no choice but to kill off the Vasiliev bitch I have locked in a closet and then kill the fucking D’Angelou cunt myself. Or I could have you do it.” He gave me a Cheshire smile, his white teeth flashing at me. “Cut the little whore out and make Ivanov start from scratch. The D’Angelou and Ivanov empires cannot unite. A union between the children would make them unstoppable. D’Angelou is already in too deep. The girl is his bargaining chip. With their camps united, they could take over our part of the city in weeks. One of my insiders tells me the moment Mikhail Ivanov weds his whore, the powers of the two will combine. D’Angelou refused to join Ivanov’s force unless he got something in the deal. I assume he’s plotting just as much as the rest of us. His piece in the west side of the city would give the Bratva more territory. It would give them all more territory.” He stopped and blew out another plume of smoke, looking every bit as sinister as he was.

“They plan on taking us out. They’ve been trying to take us down for a long time. This could be a war we might not win.” He slid back in his seat and gave me a stern look. “I need to know I can count on your boys to take out the D’Angelou girl if my guy fails. He’s cutting it close.”

Vincent glanced at me. My father was asking us to kill Bianca. Granted, I’d planned on it if need be, but things had changed. Or were changing. I knew the drill though. There was only one acceptable answer here.

I nodded. “You know I’ll take care of her.”

Vincent shifted beside me.

“Good. That’s my boy.” Father gave me a wide grin. “Ivanov is a smart man. He knows he won’t get shit if he doesn’t have something to give to D’Angelou. D’Angelou holds a hell of a lot more power than you guys know about. He’s using the girl as his bargaining chip. Ivanov wants a taste of that territory. That power. We won’t let him have it. Kill the D’Angelou girl on my word. You’ll take out the Vasiliev girl as well if I give the word. Understood?” He looked between us.

“Sí, Father,” I said, getting to my feet.

Vincent followed.

“Good men. Wait for my call.”

“Of course.”

I turned and left, Vincent behind me. We didn’t speak until we reached my car.

“He has Natalia Vasiliev as a prisoner. Did you read the file?”

“No,” I grunted, thinking about how Fallon Vasiliev had been watching us closely. Now I knew why. The fucker knew we had his sister.

I sincerely hoped he wasn’t the guy my father had bargained with. It was his sister, after all. On the other side of that, Bianca had been near him plenty when she was with Ivanov, so he’d had opportunities to kill her. It couldn’t be him. More thoughts clouded my mind—Bianca liking someone enough to sleep with them, Fallon watching us, watching Bianca.