Page 93 of Betrothed
“Especially since there is family here and in Russia.”
“You know more than I anticipated. What happened with this Russian who is in my hospital?”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Contrary to what you might think, Mount Sinai is not your hospital nor is it my father’s. But that is where I work and given Kirill needed medical attention, I thought it best to take him where I practiced medicine.”
“Tell me how he happened into your life.”
“You mean other than someone arranging for me to meet him on the plane?”
He made note of my accusation with some question in his mind. I decided not to push it. “From Italy?”
“Yes. I thought Enzo was just being kind when upgrading me to first class and paying for a day pass to a very exclusive club. But it was all a game. Wasn’t it? The chances of me meeting Kirill were very high. Risky but worth the money spent. Am I figuring correctly?” I couldn’t be certain Enzo had done so, but I wanted my uncle to think so. If that was the case, it was possible the Savoy Cosa Nostra was using them and in turn using me. “Maybe that’s something you should look into. But do so in a way that might catch him in a lie.”
I could tell he hated my suggestion, which only boosted the level of anger.
My uncle’s eyes were narrowed. “Go on.”
“As expected, Kirill and I hit it off. Quite a bit. But being a cautious girl, I didn’t even offer my last name and there were no promises of seeing each other again. Therefore, the ploy needed another way of pushing us together. Kirill was lured into the hospital where I was working a shift late at night by some unknown assailant who’d tried to kill him. The assailant led Kirill onto the floor where I was working. As you might imagine, things got a little messy.”
“What happened?”
He was clearly angry but more than that, my uncle acted like he knew none of this.
“He killed a man, shot two others but not before he was injured by a knife.”
“Why didn’t I hear about this?”
“Because he has people working for him.”
“And what did he do to you?”
I took a deep breath, clearly knowing how I responded could mean either peace or the start of a war. “I went with him because he was injured and because we had a connection.”
He eyed me carefully. “He’s Bratva. From Russia.”
“He was sent here for a reason.”
“Which is?”
“This assassin was hired to kill the man he works for, the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva, Kazimir Chertov. Kirill thinks it might be Kazimir’s brother, who was coincidentally banished from the family. Sound familiar?”
I was surprised my uncle had yet to go off the deep end, which meant he knew more than he was willing to share with me. He motioned to the bartender for another drink.
“I’ve yet to find out everything about Kirill but I assure you he thinks I’ve betrayed him because of who my family is. I didn’t have the opportunity to convince him otherwise before an infection made him delirious. So that begs the question. Is that the truth? Are you using me in a similar way that Gabriel attempted to?”
“Now, why would I do that? You’re my niece.”
“Because of your alliance with the Italians. My guess is there is no love lost between them and the Bratva. While I don’t know that for certain, what I do know is that there is someone running around New York playing a game of cat and mouse and for some reason, I’ve been placed in the middle. You’re right. The situation is very dangerous. Kirill might die because of whatever poison was placed in his system and I will not allow that to happen. He’s my patient. Mine.” Now I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell him anything about my conversation with Kirill. I wasn’t entirely certain who I could trust.
But the saddest part of all was that I knew for certain I couldn’t trust my family.
I slid my hand into my bag, grasping the weapon.
“You don’t understand what the Russians are capable of, Vivian. They are barbarians in every sense of the word.”
“Who says? The Italians? From what I’ve seen and heard, they are every bit the monsters you portrayed Gabriel to be. Maybe you should think about the possibility the Italians have fooled you into believing this alliance will be honored. Maybe it will.Maybe it won’t. Maybe you should consider that the Bratva could also become vital business partners. Just in case the Italians don’t honor their pledge.”
My uncle looked at me for a long moment, dissecting not only what I’d said but also my reaction and my defiance. My father had tried to warn me that my insolence in the face of true power would one day get me into trouble. I hadn’t listened then and had no intention of doing so now.
