Page 90 of Scarlet Sins

Chapter Twenty-Two

DEMYAN

Ilya hobblesto the desk to look at something on my computer.

“Where’s your nurse?”

“I sent him on an errand. Exactly how many did you hire?”

I wheel the chair to him and motion for him to sit, which he does, begrudgingly.

“You know I hate this thing.”

“This thing is keeping you out of the hospital.”

He mutters some choice words in Russian that I ignore.

We’ve been working hard for the past few days. And I’m sure Ilya’s working as close to around the clock as he can get away with. I’ve had meetings, letting select people know of the change in plans about this wedding.

Sergio hasn’t announced it from the rooftops but some know what his coming ‘party’ is about. I keep it simple. It didn’t work out. Let him spread whatever. The less I say, the better and the cleaner I look.

There’s going to be fallout, whatever happens, but it will be minimum level fallout if I cut the head from the beast andhave all the dirt I need. Like the connection between this Rocco and Sergio.

“We got anything?” I ask.

“Nothing yet. If there is one, Sergio has covered his tracks well.” He frowns at his tablet. Then up at me. “The only thing I’ve managed to find out is that Niko’s younger brother?—”

“Vince? The one who wanted nothing to do with the business?”

“People change their minds,” Ilya mutters, “or there’s something else at play. I don’t know. Yet. All I know is word’s out that he’s been overlooked for the cousin, Rocco.”

Now I frown. “Look into that, speak to him, and we should try to talk to this Rocco, too.”

“Demyan, if he’s got connections to Sergio, then that might not be smart.”

“Keep it on the backburner,” I say. “What is the word? Loud? In the open or whispers?”

“Whispers. Very low ones, but they’re there. Like I said, words out if you know how to look.”

So not enough for Vince to lose his head, but enough to register on Ilya’s radar.

We can work with that.

“Speak to the brother. If he’s pissed enough, he might take a risk and join with us. There’s a difference between not wanting to rule and wanting to live off the spoils. If the cousin’s coming in from elsewhere and from a big holding, then he might be into absorbing or doing a deal with Sergio?—”

“Or both,” Ilya says. “Sell off some and keep the rest. He might not care if he gives Sergio enough to be a menace. This isn’t his territory.”

“Speak to Vince, get the lay of the land, and we’ll deal with this Rocco when we need to. But if Vince feelsoverlooked enough to want to step in after so long of not having a thing to do, something’s going on. We should look into Rocco, too. Deep.”

“For?”

I sigh. “Dirt, what his outfit has to do with Niko’s.”

“They’re family, so they’re connected.”

“Maybe, maybe not. The family is a mix of Russian and Italian, so we don’t know. No interference, just a poke around.”

Because if Vince got pushed out or chose to go a different path due to Niko’s choices, then he could be good for Chicago. Good for me. And maybe he’ll be happy to side with me if his cousin and Sergio going down gives him control and power.

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