Page 44 of Vows of Blood
Once I’m dressed, I slip out of the bedroom. The study is in the hall opposite me, so I’ll have to go through the living room. I wait as they continue their conversation, moving to the far end near the balcony, then I move quickly and quietly through.
Yesterday, I found a door in the study that led out to the hallway. It’s hidden in the corner and if I hadn’t been snooping around in here, I might never have found it. This time, I find it quickly. I press against the wall and it clicks open.
Out into the hallway, I rush to the elevator.Sorry for bailing on you, Alexei, but as you’ve been trying to tell me all this time, family comes first.
16
ALEXEI
We’re standing and looking out at the city as Father tells me about the gunman. The sun is well into the morning, hanging above the tops of the buildings, giving the city an orange glow. It’s almost like a normal day in Fortune. Except for the fact that I just received the worst possible news.
It’s taken a little over a month to find the shooter. Pavel and several of his father’s men caught him hiding in New York proper. According to them, they’d been following his trail since the night I was shot. A few eyewitnesses identified his appearance—short, dark-haired, skull tattoo on his upper arm… He’d managed to get as far as Manhattan before one of Father’s men spotted him in a local club. They grabbed him and brought him back to Fortune, where Pavel had his first taste of interrogation. He must have done a good job because the bastard confessed easily to his crime… and to having been hired by my father-in-law.
It’s still hard to believe. There’s no reason for them to lie about this. Word has been out about finding this guy and I knoweveryone’s been on the hunt for him. I don’t doubt this story at all. And yet…
Pecora and my father both have been working hard to secure this alliance. Pecora sacrificed his own daughter to make it happen. Now I’m supposed to believe that he just decided to throw it all away? Why? How could he benefit from double-crossing us?
My thoughts go to Isabella. If we go to war with her family, Father might see her as a threat. He may even see me as someone who is sleeping with the enemy. We could both be in very real danger.
I want to question this action, not just because it simply doesn’t make sense, but also for Isabella’s safety. We’ve gotten closer this last month, and despite my misgivings about this arrangement, I suddenly have little desire to be apart from her for any reason.
My father stands next to the couch while my brother stands next to me at the glass doors. He puts a hand on my shoulder to reassure me, but he’s also staring with careful eyes that way he does when he’s waiting for me to react so that he will know what his next move is.
“So,” I say as I turn to my father. “What’s next to be done?”
“I have to pay a visit to one of the clubs this morning before it opens,” he says. “After that, you and the rest of the brigadiers will meet to plan a resolution.” He nods to my brother, signaling for him to accompany him as he turns to leave. When he gets to the door, he turns back and says, “Be sure that your cousin is with you. I might have need of his talents.”
Father leaves and I’m left here with this whole mess in front of me. I don’t understand why Pecora would do this. Then again, as Father said, it’s not for me to understand. I have to fall in line.
There’s no time to consider anything else. I get my phone, sitting lonely on the coffee table, and I call Dmitri.
“Hello?” he says groggily into the phone. “What’s up?”
“It’s Alexei. You’ve been summoned to an emergency meeting later on this afternoon.”
I hear the rustling of movement, then he says, “What’s going on? Has something happened?”
“They found the guy,” is all I say. He knows what I mean. “Turns out I’ve got a bounty on my head.”
He pauses and I hear more movement. “Okay. Who paid for it?”
“Pecora, according to the guy. He told Pavel under interrogation that he was the one who hired him to take me out.”
He doesn’t say anything, which is concerning. Dmitri always seems to have something to say about everything. “What?” I urge.
“Nothing, nothing. Let me get some pants on and?—”
“Speak your mind, Dmitri. Whatever you’ve got to say, just say it.”
He sighs. “It’s just… why would Pecora dismantle something he helped to facilitate? What does he have to gain from doing something like that?”
“That’s not for us to know or to question. The fact is that he took a shot at me. That needs to be answered for.”
“Right, of course. I’m only asking because it doesn’t make any sense. Alexei, there’s no benefit in doing this to the alliance. Not for Pecora, anyway. His empire only stands to grow from allying with us and now he’s breaking it up?”
I frown and say, “What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I just know that it’s only been a month and no matter how much Pecora has gained in this association, we still have the upper hand in this deal. Maxim hasn’t had any designs on taking over his territories since you and Isabella were married. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still want them and wouldn’t jump at the chance to wage war should the opportunity present itself.”
