With This Secret

“Answer me,” she cried.

“I haven’t yet, but I would if I needed to.” I folded my arms across my chest. The truth was I wanted to give excuses, to explain that this was the world I’d been born into. To kill or to be killed, and there was little else I’d ever known. The only time I’d contemplated breaking free, leaving to chart another course, was when I first met her. The desire had gripped me and I had begun to lay down my plans, then something happened and it had slammed me right back into the clutches of my brutal world. I knew then there was no escape for me, but I had no right to drag her into my hell.

“Then you’re no better than Bogdan, are you?” she accused, her voice raw with emotion.

Something cold slithered through me. “I’m not.”

For a moment, I could see that she was taken back by the bile in my tone.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I have no right to judge you.”

“You don’t.”

She shook her head. “I need to find my father. Thank you for your help.” She turned around to leave.

I watched to see if she was serious. I stood there until she got to the foyer. Fuck, she was serious. I ran to the foyer. “If you leave,” I called out. “There will be no getting out of this. I can assure you of one thing … by the time Bogdan is through with you, you will be mentally and physically scarred forever.”

“Well if I don’t, it’s only a matter of time before he hurts Aldie and my dad. So I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“He won’t hurt them,” I assured her. “At least, not while he doesn’t know where you are, or who you are with. Hurting them has no value to him other than to get you back, but it will only be worth anything if you’re actually aware that he will hurt them. A message is only one when it is received.”

“So what should I do?” she cried desperately. “What the fuck should I do?”

“Stay,” I said. “At least for now, I’ll protect you and ensure that Aldie is alright. I told you last night, I have men right now watching her.”

“How long?” she whispered.

“Until Maxim returns. He is the head of our operation and until he gives a go ahead, we cannot go full throttle on this war. We have already started it and for that, the consequences are already dire enough. Anymore and it might all get out of hand. By then, it might be too late to contain any of this.

“And when does he return? Your brother.”

“He’ll be back in less than a week. Until then, we’ll keep an eye on your father and Aldie, and afterwards, see how we can resolve things with Bogdan. But until then, we can’t add any more fuel to this fire.”

She took a moment to ruminate on the lie I had just spun.

I was the one in complete charge of New York while Maxim controlled our international dealings. But I needed time to figure out everything. I wasn’t giving her up this time. I was prepared to do whatever it took to keep her. Even kill for her if need be. No price was too high, but I needed time to lay my plans.

8

Bianca

“Is this your new number?” Aldie asked.

“Yeah, Levan got me a prepaid, so I can keep in touch with you, but like before please don’t give this number to anyone or even tell anyone that you’ve heard from me.”

“What if your dad calls looking for you?

I gripped the phone harder. “Especially, not if Dad contacts you. Just say you haven’t heard from me and pretend to be worried and confused.”

“Your bakery is closed. When is all this going to be resolved?”

“I have no idea,” I muttered.

“What do you mean you have no idea?” she demanded worriedly.

“He says in a week when his brother returns from Spain, but I can’t see how this is going to end.”

“Why does he need his brother to resolve this?”

“Look, I’m actually in the dressing room of some high-end boutique right now, but I just wanted to call you and quickly give you my new number.”

“Hang on, what are you doing at a high-end boutique?”

“I’m supposed to be getting some clothes, but …” I picked up a pair of black pants that a saccharine sweet assistant had hung on the rail in the dressing room, and looked at the price tag. It read $2,68o.00. “Good God!” I muttered, as it fell from my hands. I stared down at it as though it were a poisonous snake.

“What is it?” Aldie asked urgently.

“Nothing, just saw the price for a pair of pants.”

“Bianca,” Levan’s voice suddenly sounded from outside the dressing room.

It made me jump in alarm. I held onto my chest at the painful slam, and my eyes tightened shut at the headache that had been laying its roots in my head since last night.