Page 38 of Untouchable Queen
Her men fall silent, exchanging a glance. “He might have struck first, but that doesn’t mean he started it.”
“Stop talking in riddles,” Tatiana commands.
“What plans did he overhear?” I add, taking a step forward.
I know it’s not my place to intervene with how my wife manages her men, but my curiosity is burning because her captain is clearly worked up about whatever they heard my men say—and if my men’s lips are getting loose about any of our business, I need to lock that down. They shouldn’t have been talking so openly in a bar in the first place, but more than that, I can’t think of any plans I have that should rile Tatiana’s men up enough to pull a knife.
The captain looks at me again, his lips curling into a sneer. “You want to stand there and pretend you don’t know? Or you’re worried they let slip your real intentions, and you want to know just how much we learned?”
“Dima,” Tatiana snaps.
“They were laughing, saying that Don Lucian has been formulating a plot with the yakuza to fully reclaim Manhattan.” Dima’s voice is flat and deadly, and he turns his eyes back to hispakhanshawith righteous vengeance.
Tatiana looks stricken, her color draining from her face despite the golden glow she developed during our week in Italy. Then her eyes slowly track toward me as she turns to face me, her men stepping forward to have her back.
“Is this true?” she demands, her blue eyes cold and suspicious in an instant. That hint of protective loyalty is gone, replaced by that same familiar hatred I have worked so hard to get past.
I’m surprised by how quickly our romantic connection seems to wither beneath our responsibilities, and I crush the frustration rising in my chest. “Not even a little bit,” I state. “Ido have business with the yakuza, but it has nothing to do with overthrowing you or any of the Sokolov operations. I’ll deal with my men for stirring up trouble.”
“Stirring up trouble! That’s what you want to call it? My men overheard them gossiping about your next plot to ruin my family, and you expect me to just believe you? Are you serious right now?”
“Tatiana.” I put out a calming hand, taking a slow step toward her, but she draws back. “You’re my wife. What could I possibly gain by having you overthrown now?”
“I want to speak to youalone.” Without another word, Tatiana stalks toward the back of the club, where Boris’s office used to be.
Glancing at my men, I command, “Stay here.”
Natasha’s gaze is deadly as she tracks me with her eyes like a hunter, and Dima sneers as I pass, hostility rolling off him in waves. But the woman demanding an audience with me is the only one I fear because even if she couldn’t kill me, she’s the only one capable of bringing me to my knees. Maybe Italy was a mistake. All it’s done is weaken my defenses for her, but as soon as we came home, hers came right back up.
21
TATIANA
My blood is boiling as I storm toward my office, my fists clenched as I consider how I’m supposed to manage this new curveball Lucian has thrown at me. As dangerous as it might be, I’m tempted to believe him. The sincerity in his face, in his voice, is almost enough to convince me, but alarm bells keep going off in the back of my head, warning me that something’s off.
The fact that his deal is with the yakuza has me more than a little on edge. Saturo Takumi is notorious for stabbing his business partners in the back. No wonder Lucian’s men think they’re going to take me down with the help of the yakuza. My father stopped doing business with Saturo years ago—even though he’s our closest neighbor and most direct path into the country—because he’s burned us too many times.
Which means, in my estimation, either Lucian is being played the fool, or he’s in on the plot. And that would make my Bratva the most likely target. It’s no secret that Saturo has had his eye on our territory for years, and what terrifies me most is that while I was recklessly close to falling for Lucian, he mighthave been using our “honeymoon” to distract me so this deal could go through.
What if my men hadn’t happened to walk into that bar at just the right time?
It cuts deep to think Lucian could be using me like a pawn yet again.
The office door clicks softly closed behind me, and I whirl to face my husband. It only irritates me further when my heart skips a beat at his unexpected proximity, the scent of lemon and vetiver that automatically triggers excitement deep in my belly. My breath catches, and I release it slowly to try and regain my composure.
“I’m not after your territory,tesoro,” Lucian insists, his fingers trapping my chin and tipping it up so I have to meet his eyes. “I won’t let the yakuza have it either. This deal has nothing to do with Sokolov business at all, and I will put my men in their place for spreading rumors like that.” His hazel eyes are round and soft, imploring me to believe him.
I want to. It aches all over to think that after everything we’ve been through—all the anger I’ve only just started to let go of—Lucian would turn around and betray me again. But I can’t just ignore the fact that he’s doing business with the yakuza.
“Let’s set aside the question of whether I believe you about what my men accidentally overheard when your men thought they weren’t listening,” I state, slapping his hand away and crossing my arms defensively beneath my breasts. “Are you crazy? Striking a deal with Saturo Takumi? You can’t possibly be that stupid.”
“Can’t I?” he teases playfully, his lips curving into that cocky smirk that drives me crazy.
“He’s a liar. Whatever agreement you think you made, he’ll betray you just as likely as he’ll keep his word. I can’t believe you don’t know that by now. Why the hell didn’t you think todiscuss the matter with me if you wanted to do something so risky? We’resupposedto be allies, but you went behind my back to make this deal.”
“I don’t see why you’re getting so angry. You’re the one who wanted to keep our business separate,principessa,” he points out, sounding far too reasonable for my liking. “Besides, this deal has been in the works for a while now. It’s what I need to do to manage my business if you’re not ready to work together like the allies I want us to be, so I intend to see it through.”
“So, this is my fault now,” I demand, cutting through the fluff to get to the real point he’s trying to make.
