Page 33 of Hers to Command

“They might, if they get to run their part of the city with the same take as before. They’d lose the Brotherhood looming over them, because they gain two allied syndicates opposing Dmitri. They might not like us, but we can be useful to them. We both know that overcoming that particular opposition isn’t impossible, given the fact we both married Bratva heirs.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Riccardo,” Gianna warns, though her voice sounds contemplative.

“So are you.” I shrug. “But we’re both good at it.”

And Anya would be, too. Unlike her brother. Though I keep that to myself.

There’s a long pause before Gianna speaks again. “Fine. I’ll go along with it for now. But make no mistake, if things go sideways and the Brotherhood takes over, I’ll protect my own first. Anya might be my sister-in-law, butla familiatrumps that three-fold. And I bet you some of our friends abroad are going to have something to say about this.”

I nod. The old guard in Italy usually had some less progressive attitudes, but that I could handle.

I push my chair back. “That’s all I expected to get from this meeting, and I’ll deal with the fallout on my end if necessary.”

Gianna rises from the table, smoothing her dress. “I’ll talk to Mikhail. He’s hot-headed, but he’ll cool off. You should, too.”

I watch her leave, not particularly liking her last comment, but knowing better than to get the last word in when I just got everything I wanted from Gianna. She’s not an easy business ally to deal with and things are already going to get messier before they get better.

Chapter Fourteen

Anya

When we sit down to dinner, the smell of fresh bread that Mrs. Batton must have just baked fills the air. There’s something oddly domestic about it. Something I wouldn’t have expected to feel so... comfortable. I’ve been married for only a day, and here I am, sharing a meal like we’ve been doing this for years.

As Riccardo sits down, his dress shirt sits tight across his chest, and damn if I don’t like the way it looks. The doctor stopped by in the morning and I quizzed him on Plan B pills. Fortunately, he confirmed that with my period due in a couple of days my chances of being knocked up are close to nil. Still, when he left I immediately filled my new birth control prescription.On the phone. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to have Riccardo’s men tagging along, since they are apparently not just watching the door but me specifically.

The doc also ordered blood tests to check me for any diseases and the results will be in tomorrow. He also confirmed that his nurse visited Riccardo’s office at the same time to draw his blood, and for some reason knowing we’re all set to do it bare again has me all hot and bothered.

Or it’s just the way his shirt looks on him. Whatever the reason, I can’t help but think about what comes after dinner, about him pulling me into the bedroom, about the way he touches me like he knows exactly how to tear me apart and put me back together again.

But instead of making some flirtatious comment, he mentions, casually, as if it’s nothing at all, “I saw your brother today.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My fork pauses halfway to my mouth, and I stare at him. My brother? He met with Mikhail? Without me?

“Excuse me?” My voice is sharper and I can’t hold back the edge of fury creeping into it. To be fair, I don’t even try.

What the hell is he thinking?

Riccardo raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my reaction but not apologetic in the slightest. “Mikhail. At the meeting with Gianna today. We discussed Dmitri—”

I’m up from my chair so fast, it scrapes against the floor, the sound piercing through the calmness of the room that was previously only interrupted by the clanking of pots coming from the kitchen where Mrs. Batton is probably dealing with some dishes.

“You met with Mikhail? And you didn’t think to tell me?” My heart pounds in my chest, rage curling hot and tight in my gut. “You had a meeting about my family and our operations, and Iwasn’t there? You didn’t think maybe I should have been the one to tell him about our marriage?”

Riccardo’s brow furrows. “Anya, calm down. It wasn’t—”

“I will not calm down.” The words fly out of my mouth before I can even process them. “How dare you go behind my back like that!” The heat spreads through me, and I can feel my pulse racing. I feel blindsided, excluded.

Once again.

Why does this always happen? Is there something about me that seems too fucking incapable?

He looks at me like he’s trying to figure out where all this is coming from. “It wasn’t like that, Anya.”

But it was like that. It was exactly like that. And worse—why hadn’t I told Mikhail myself? Why hadn’t I been the one to control how that information came out? Damn it, I missed my chance, and now I’m scrambling. My thoughts race, filled with all the things I should have done, should have said.

I can feel my face burning as I lash out at Riccardo. “You didn’t think it was important to let me know you were meeting him? My brother finds out from you that I’m married? What the hell is wrong with you?” I know the anger is spilling over from more than just this moment. It’s not just Riccardo who’s earned my fury, but myself, too. I should’ve told Mikhail already. I should’ve been the one in control. But instead, I let this happen, and now I’m left to pick up the pieces.

Again.

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