Page 43 of Devil’s Reign

My throat tightens, but I raise my chin stubbornly. “Luciano is fine. I know he is. I would feel it if he wasn’t.” I would. He’s safe. He’s alright. He has to be.

“And what? The safest place?” Mamma presses on as if she didn’t hear me at all. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for this illusion of luxury and letting Ivan Petrov get into your head. He killed your brother.”

“No, I’m not.” But a flicker of doubt whispers in my head. Have I spent too much time locked up in here? Am I letting this attraction between Vanya and me cloud my judgment? No, no, no. I can’t afford to doubt myself.

“Luciano is not dead,” I say fiercely. “And Vanya has nothing to do with⁠—”

“Vanya?” Mamma’s face twists like she just got a whiff of rotten milk. “We’re calling him nicknames now? Oh my God, Melani—you’re sleeping with him.”

I blanch. “No, I’m not.”

“You’re not—” Now she blanches too. “No, it’s worse than I feared. You’re falling for him.”

“Never!” I snap—too quickly. Mamma shakes her head slowly. “I’m not,” I repeat firmly. “I’ve had time to assess the situation, and I know without a shadow of doubt that Vany–Ivan is not involved in Luciano’s disappearance.”

She keeps shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have let you go ahead with that foolhardy plan. Now look at you—defending a criminal, a mafioso. The very thing that got us chased out of our country, our home. Sugnu assai delusa ‘i tia.” I’m very disappointed in you.

The words pierce my heart, my eyes stinging as I see the mixture of disappointment and hurt etched across her face. “You’re wrong about one thing. Vanya isn’t the reason we had to leave Pietrarossa. We had to leave because your husband stole the clan's money. We’re in this situation because of Papa.”

“And I would have thought you’d learn from my mistake and not get involved with another man in this world.”

“I’m not involved with him.” But my argument sounds weak even to my own ears. Mamma turns her back to me, and a chill spreads through my body.

I’m not involved with Vanya. We just—we’re just attracted to each other, that’s all. I haven’t even gone ahead with my plan to seduce him and make him fall in love with me yet!

Without another word, I spin around and walk towards the hotel door. I yank on the handle, but it’s locked from the outside, so I knock rapidly.

“No matter what you tell yourself, remember this moment,” Mamma’s voice carries across the room, quiet but cutting. “We were both locked into this room. We’re both prisoners. You have no power here, Melani. You only know what Ivan Petrov wants you to know. You only see what he wants you to see.”

The door opens, and I glance up. It’s just Boris—no other guards, no weapons visible on him. They must have realized I’m not trying to run. Because I never tried. Not even once.

“Ready to go?” Boris’s question makes me realize I’m frozen at the threshold. I toss one last glance at Mamma’s rigid back and step out.

Did I let Vanya get into my head? The question gnaws at me as we walk. Why didn’t I ever put up a fight? Sure, I had my reasons, but they all seem flimsy now. Vanya and his men are relaxed around me because I never made a single attempt to escape. They must think I'm stupid. Or naïve. Just then, the elevator opens, and a hotel staff member emerges, pushing a trolley stacked with cleaning supplies.

This is my chance. I don't give myself time to second-guess the impulse. I bolt for the elevator, slipping inside just before the doors slide shut. My heart pounds triumphantly, but as I turn to the control panel, my stomach drops. There’s nothing. No buttons. That’s when I remember—it’s a private elevator. I need an access card to make it move.

After a couple of long, humiliating seconds, the doors slide open again. Boris is standing on the other side, glowering at me with an expression that clearly says Really? Behind him, the two men from earlier and the hotel staff all watch me with varying degrees of amusement and pity.

I force a smile I don’t feel. “Fancy elevator you’ve got here.” Then I step out with as much dignity as I can muster.

Boris clamps a hand around my upper arm and marches me back to Vanya’s suite. He steers me to my room, shoves me inside, and locks the door behind me.

Well, shit.

I take a slow breath and glance around the familiar room. It’s time to stop playing around. I need to remember why I’m here in the first place. I was looking for information on Luciano. And I can still get it. I just have to focus—either stick to my original plan to seduce the information out of Vanya, or find another way to escape.

I got too relaxed. Too involved. I let my emotions take over. Let my attraction to Vanya distract me.

That won’t happen again.

24

IVAN

I’m pulling into my parking lot at Zvezda when a series of texts from Boris lights up my phone. I take a moment to read through them.

It’s a wilder ride than expected.