Page 127 of Between Us

Matteo disappeared, and seeing they were alone again, Roman leaned down to kiss her lips.

Two days.

It was all the time he gave himself to find the rat and put an end to all the betrayal happening insidehisorganization. There would be no more. No more traitors and no more double play.

Starting tonight, a new era unfolded for the Leskov Bratva, and those who didn’t side with him, were not worthy of being a part of it.

46

“Are you comfortable,cara?”

Alessandra raised her eyes from the magazine she was leafing through to find her father standing in the doorway to her childhood bedroom. He had on a burgundy robe over his silk pinstripe pajamas, the same model he wore since she could remember. The man was nothing if not a creature of habit.

“Yeah,” she said, putting down the magazine. It was after 02:00 a.m., but she was too agitated to sleep, her thoughts flying to her husband and whatever he was doing.

Nero slid his dark gaze to Tatyana. “What about your friend?”

“I'm fine, thank you,” she replied quietly from where she was perched up on the windowsill, knees hugged to her chest.

“Your husband screwed up, didn't he?” There was satisfaction behind those words, and he didn’t eventry to hide it as he met Alessandra’s eyes again. His shone with something callous, and she wisely chose to keep her mouth shut. She couldn’t forget the last conversation she’d had with him and the way he’d spoken to her then.

From the corner of her eye, Alessandra saw Tatyana shift uncomfortably.

“Maybe this will serve to teach him a lesson, hmm?” he said almost thoughtfully. He grabbed the doorknob, starting to leave. “Your mother will be glad to see you in the morning.”

When he was gone, Alessandra let out a heavy sigh.

“He's charming,” Tatyana deadpanned.

“Tell me about it.”

“He doesn’t like any of us, does he?”

“Not really. No.”

Tatyana let out a humorless breath. “Figures.”

Alessandra checked her phone, probably for the tenth time since they had arrived at her parents’ house.

“You okay?”

She placed the phone face-down on the mattress beside her and gave the other girl a weak smile. “Yeah, just... rattled.”

“He's not going to call tonight.”

“I know.”

After a minute, Tatyana stood and switched off the light in the room. There were enough spare bedrooms in the house, but neither girl wanted to sleep alone tonight.

Curled up on her side of the bed, with the duvet pulled to her waist, Alessandra stared off into the dark. A thin beam of moonlight cut through it, settling on her old, white wood desk. She watched as the light cast aglow over the shiny wood, leaving the rest of the room encased in shadows.

Something about the imagine ignited a timid feeling of optimism. No matter how vast the darkness, there was always some light to be found in it.

The tension in her chest lessened, if only momentarily.

There was still hope for better times to come, and she was going to cling to it with everything she had.

???

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