Page 121 of Mafia Obsession

“David came to my club way before that night with the woman,” he says cautiously.

My stomach tightens. Hmmm. Had he left that out? “What did he want?”

“I granted him five minutes. I waited for the bravado threats of a jealous husband warning a boss who makes his wife work late.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Men like David get jealous evenover women they don’t want.”

“That wasn’t it,” Ares scoffs. “He told me your father was suspected of stealing money from the Bratva.”

The room tilts hearing my father and the Bratva in the same sentence.

“How would my father have stolen money fromthe Bratva?”

“You told me he worked for the largest construction company in Chicago,” Ares says, all matter-of-fact. “Mid-West Iron is the largest, and it’s owned by Yuri Volkov.”

“That… That…” My throat painfully dries up.

Thatpart I didn’t know. I had no idea the Bratva owned Dad’s company. I thought he told me everything.

“David planned to hand you over to the Volkovs,” Ares continues. “That gave me two reasons to eliminate him and make you mine.”

I try to process this bombshell he kept from me.

“Lourdes, I need those journals.” Ares reaches for the box.

“For what?” I block them. “My father didn’t steal any money.”

As I say that, I don’t know if that’s true.

“That could be why he changed your sister’s name. Maybe they threatened her if he didn’t turn over the money.” Ares’s smile is sinister. Menacing. “I now have something Kirill Volkov wants.”

“You want to expose my father as a thief?” I bark out.

“If it will keep you safe, yes.”

The brutal honesty makes me stagger backward, but Ares closes the distance before I can escape. To where I don’t know.

“You’re just using me, aren’t you?” My throat goes tight. “That’s what this was all about. Getting dirt on the Bratva.”

“Lourdes, I have been honest with you since day one.” He grips me by the waist. Hard. “How I wanted you from the moment I saw you.” His voice is steady but edged with something fierce. “Months, I survived the obsession to make you mine. I held back more than you realize. Even when your husband had already broken his vows to you.”

“Stop, that has nothing to do with?—”

“It’s everything!” Ares looks feral. “If I find something against Yuri, I’ll use it to keep you safe. I don’t care if that besmirches the reputation of a dead man. Who they likely killed. It’s the vengeance you deserve.”

The word vengeance threads through me, his voice terrifying. This is a side I’ve not seen before. But now I’m at the center of his thirst for revenge.

“I don’t fucking want vengeance against the Bratva. I want my sister.” I hold back tears. “I trusted you with my secrets. Now I find out you’ve been holding something back. You knew something about my life and didn’t trust me with it.”

“That initial money for your sister’s care had to come from somewhere. And there may be information on Yuri. I already know he has a bastard son who’s currently in jail.” Ares pins me with a stare. “Lourdes, I need to look at those journals.”

This part of Ares’s world doesn’t jive with how I want to live my life. With a tight throat, I walk back over to where the boxes are stacked and shove all the dresses aside.

“Do what you want with the journals.” From the top box, I gather my father’s notebooks and toss them onto the carpet. “You’re going to own me. That means you own everything.”

“Not everything,” he says.

“Yeah, you have my heart.” I back up, taking a breath. “But now I’m convinced, you don’t have one.”