Vow of Deception (Deception Trilogy #1) by Rina Kent

For the rest of the dinner, I don’t glance in her direction again, even when I catch her stealing glimpses at me, begging me with her eyes to take her and leave.

There’s nothing I want to do more than that, but Sergei has called for a meeting after dinner. Not only for the elite members of the brotherhood, but he also asked the heads of the other crime organizations to join us. As a show of respect to Igor’s rank, he invited Lazlo, the Don of the Luciano family, and his underboss. There’s also Kai, the second-in-command of the Yakuza branch in New York, and his leader, Abe, an old man who has the temper of a silent mountain. Yet he’s been actively bugging Damien during the entire dinner, something for which our own black bull is about to shred the table to pieces. He has absolutely no patience whatsoever when it comes to using diplomatic methods.

A few other members from the Triads are also seated at Sergei’s table. I need to be at that meeting tonight. Which means I have to leave Lia again. Under the circumstances, that’s the last thing I want, but at least Kirill and Damien will be there with me and I won’t have to worry about them.

Yan has been given clear orders to keep an eye on her from afar.

As soon as dinner ends, everyone stands. When Lia gets up and starts to follow me, I say, “Stay here,” without turning toward her.

If I see her, if I get caught in her soft features and those sad blue eyes, I’ll be tempted to touch her. It doesn’t help that I haven’t gotten my fill of her over the past few days so she won’t cut her lip anymore.

“Adrian…” she murmurs.

“What?” I say harshly, still not looking at her, because now both Sergei and Kirill are standing there watching me instead of heading to the meeting.

“I want to tell you something.”

“Not now.”

“But…”

“Not now, Lia.” My tone is low and firm, offering no room for negotiation.

I don’t see her, but I can feel her going rigid behind me.

When I make a move to leave, Kirill and Sergei finally turn around and go upstairs to his office, where the meeting will be held.

I follow after but stop at the base of the stairs to glance at Lia and make sure she’s in Yan’s full view. Rai is linking her arms with her, leading her to a buffet section. I don’t want that woman anywhere near Lia, but at the same time, I can’t interfere and make myself noticeable.

Yan is standing about ten feet behind and nods at me when I meet his gaze. While he’s been a pain in the ass lately, I can at least trust he’ll keep her safe.

Kolya stops next to me and whispers in my ear in Russian, “Lazlo is coming, sir.”

“Go before me.”

My guard does as he’s told and I synchronize my steps so that Lazlo and I are the last ascending the stairs. His guard and underboss are one step ahead of us after having gotten the message from Kolya. We strategically planned this so that our talk can take place on the stairs with no one suspecting us.

Lazlo Luciano is around the same age as Sergei, but not as sickly. His hair is completely white and he has a scar over his cheek from when someone wanted to carve his face with a knife.

No one knows the fate of that person or why he did it, but there’s a rumor that Lazlo let them go. A rumor that meant weakness, and the Italians did all they could to prove it wrong.

“Long time no see, Adrian,” he speaks with an Italian accent.

“Indeed,” I counter with a Russian one, to highlight my roots.

“Are my clubs and house beneath you now?”

“Of course not, Don. I’ve been busy.”

“Busy.” He raises a brow. “Busy with what, Volkov?”

“Bratva business.”

“That didn’t stop you from paying me a visit before.” He gives me a sideways glance. “Are we falling from each other’s grace?”

“No, but I might be falling from Sergei’s grace.”

He pauses, weighing the severity of the statement. “How come?”

“You already know, Don. Richard Green’s death serves you, not the brotherhood.”

“Yes, yes. But we can make it work, no? The ball doesn’t always need to be in your court, Adrian.”

“If you don’t pass it, you won’t have an ally in me anymore, Don.”

“Are you threatening me, Volkov?”

“I’m laying down the facts so you can choose wisely. If you don’t give us a share in your new candidate, Sergei will suspect I’m betraying the brotherhood. That means my death.”

“He wouldn’t kill you over something like this.”

“He would. He’s already searching for my replacement. Igor’s eldest son, Alexei, is the prime candidate.” He’s not actually, but it’s an incentive to convince Lazlo of how serious this is. Igor doesn’t like Lazlo because of an old grudge, and Alexei follows in his father’s footsteps. If Lazlo loses his strongest ally within the brotherhood—me—he will have no one to fall back on.

He’s gearing up for a new venture with one of the most notorious cartels in Columbia. The last thing he needs is a strained relationship with us or a domestic war. I use all the facts I know about him and his business plans to my advantage.

“Are you expecting me to share my cake, Volkov? We worked so hard to finally expand our reach, and now you’re telling me I need to give it up?”