It doesn’t matter. Gianluigi wouldn’t have made this deal if he thought I was going to break it. I sign his contract while he signs mine. It’s easier than I thought it would be. I’ve been circling around cemeteries my whole life. My parents, Natalie, Ravil, too many of my men—death is a constant companion. I have spent a lifetime focusing on survival, on thriving on my own, but now I know there’s more to life than staying alive as long as possible.
Gianluigi indicates to his lawyer. Eric Clarke disappears into the restaurant’s kitchen. A few seconds pass by before he comes back out, with Lily at his side. I stand up. As she passes by, I grab her hand. Her eyes are full of a quiet understanding—she knows she’s in the middle of a caustic environment and that everything is going to change soon.
Hopefully, it will change for the better.
She mouths my name. I don’t say anything back. In Clarke’s hands, she disappears out of the restaurant. I sit back down. Gianluigi suggests a last meal, his expression betraying a suppressed joy. I reject his suggestion.
When Gianluigi’s phone rings, the room goes silent. He puts it on speakerphone.
“Lily is with Cassandra,” Eric Clarke says. His voice sounds slightly muffled as he turns away from the phone. “Tell them that you have Lily.”
“Hello?” Cassie says. Her voice nearly shatters me. It will be the last time I hear it. “What’s going on?”
“I’m just calling to make sure Lily arrived safely,” Gianluigi says. “You have her?”
“Yes,” Cassie says, her tone full of hesitation.
“Good.” He hangs up. He turns to me. “Good enough?”
“If you break your word—”
“If I break my word, we both know what will happen. Everything you just gave me will become worthless. I’ll keep my word. Now, you keep yours. We’re going to take a drive.”
As Gianluigi stands up with me, I see the glint of his gun. Even without it, he’d have all of the power right now. I gave it all up the moment I signed those papers. My lieutenants each pat my shoulder as I follow Gianluigi out. It’s a simple gesture, but it’s one last moment of the respect I fought from the streets to the top of the food chain to earn. It should break me, but for once, I’m at peace.
Now that I know Cassie and Lily are safe, I’m ready to walk straight to my death.
23
Cassandra
As soon as Eric Clarke closes the door behind him, I turn around, kneeling beside Lily. I take her hands.
“Are you okay?” I ask, scrutinizing her face. She squeezes my fingers.
“Is Mr. Maksim in trouble?” she asks. I glance over at Lynna. She insisted on staying with me after hearing my phone call with Maksim. She tried to act like it was because she thought being with me was the easiest way for her to find out what was going on with Maksim, but I know on some level, we’ve connected over our choice of lovers.
In my living room, her two kids have turned my couch cushions into a fort. Every couple of minutes, they burst into giggles. Lynna gives me a small shrug. I turn back to Lily.
“What happened?” I ask “Did you see Maksim?”
She nods enthusiastically. “He was at the restaurant with Grandpa. They were sitting at a table with a bunch of men. It looked like they were reading papers.”
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself. I glance at her. “Forget you heard that. I need to take care of this,” I say, standing up. My temple feels like it’s pulsing. “I can’t just leave you here.”
“Cassandra,” Lynna says gently. “Just leave her with me.”
I run my hands over my hair, pretending to smooth over any rebellious strands. Since Maksim called, Lynna has been a great ally. But both of the times I looked away from my daughter, she was taken from me. It doesn’t help that Lynna is a grieving widow and my father killed her husband.
“Cassandra.” Lynna takes my hand, her hands surprisingly warm. “Maksim clearly cares about this girl. I’ll take care of her. Besides, I have two boys. I’d love a little time with a girl.”
I grab her arm, gently squeezing it and hoping she can feel my gratitude. “Thank you, Lynna. I have to get to Maksim’s house. If this was a Mafia contract, all his lieutenants would have been at the restaurant. They would be bound by the contract. But any one of his employees wouldn’t be. Do you think there would be any soldiers at the house?”
“If there is, there will only be one or two,” she says. “You’re going to recruit their help. Smart.”
“I’m trying. I have to be.” I quickly kiss Lily’s forehead. “I’ll explain everything to you later. Okay? I’ll be back. I swear, I’ll be back.”
I run out the door. There’s a string pulling me back toward Lily and another one pulling me toward Maksim. It’s hell, having to choose, but I’m willing to go through hell right now to save them both.
Running straight into the mansion, Katia barely has time to catch me before I’m halfway to the library. There’s a dash of anger lowering her eyebrows, but as she takes in my face, it’s replaced by rising fear.
“What happened?” she asks. “Is Maksim okay?”
I shake my head. “We have to gather everyone here. Are any soldiers guarding this place?”
“Just one. Avgar.”
“Get him,” I order. I run past her, finding the various employees inside the house. I don’t think at all—I see them, I tell them to meet me in the library, and I search for more. For the most part, Maksim’s employees stayed under the radar while I lived here—if I saw them in the mansion, it was a sliver of them before they disappeared into a
