Page 24 of Beautiful Sinner

“I know but spend some time with Nadia. You’ve been so busy with work lately. I can tell she’s been missing you.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You’re talking to my wife now?”

“Nadia and I do talk. About you. That’s how I know she’s been missing you. Let me pick up the money tonight. You stay home with Nadia. You have a baby on the way. She needs you right now. And I can pick up the money. It’s an easy job.”

“I need to work, Matteo. I can’t stay home cooped up.”

“What happens when your baby gets here? You need to support Nadia.”

“She has her sister. She’ll be fine.”

I sigh and drop my head back. “Dante, you’re being an idiot.”

He sets down the piece of paper in his hands that has all of our shipments schedules on it. “I’m being an idiot?”

“Spend time with your wife. It’s an easy job tonight. I can pick up the money. Nadia needs you. Don’t push her away because you’re afraid.”

“I’m not afraid. What would I be afraid of?”

“Of having a family and being in the middle of a war. You’re afraid you could lose Nadia. So it’s easier to put some distance between you now. But that’s not how this works. Go be with your wife. I’ll pick up the money. Plain and simple.”

He stares at me for a long, hard moment. “You know, you’re the only person, other than Nadia, who can get away with calling me an idiot.”

“That’s because we’ve been friends for years. Let me do this. Stay at home tonight.”

Slowly, he nods. “Ok. You have a point. Nadia does need me.”

“Good.” I try to play it cool. At least this gets Dante away from the club tonight. I can go early, pick up the money, and leave and no one has to die. I can just tell Dante later that I never saw Viktor there and if Viktor never sees me, then he can’t kill me.

The club is packed tonight and it’s not even seven yet. I’m not sure exactly which time Viktor is going to show up so I need to be on my guard. My eyes spot Connor up in his booth. He and Viktor are trying to work together. I could kill Connor and be done with him – I hated how he looked at Julia. How he spoke to her. But I don’t want to draw more attention to myself. The faster I get the money tonight and go, the better.

But that won’t mean Viktor won’t try to attack another night. That’s for future me to worry about.

I collect the money from the back safe and go out the back door but I have no plans to go home tonight. Instead, my plan is to sit in my car and wait and see if Viktor shows up. If he actually has the balls to enter one of Dante’s nightclubs.

I park out front and watch.

It takes hours, close to midnight, by the time I see a car pull up and Viktor gets out. Of course he is flanked by guards. He really showed. Damn it.

He spends an hour inside the club before he storms back out, looking pissed. I know why: neither me or Dante are there tonight. His plan has failed.

All because Julia warned me. Why did she warn me? She can’t care for me more than her own brother. That would be… I can’t even let myself think of that. She is not mine and never will be.

It doesn’t matter that I haven’t been able to get her off my mind the past week. It doesn’t matter that I’ve dreamed of her at least three times. It doesn’t matter that I feel more happy talking to Julia than anyone else in a long time.

Since my mother’s death.

I managed to fool both Viktor and Dante tonight but this won’t be able to last forever.

Julia

“God damn it,” Viktor mutters as he storms into his office, slamming the door shut behind him. Inessa and I share a look before we turn off the TV and follow him into his office. We stayed up late, waiting for him to return and I’m glad he’s alive. That either means Dante didn’t manage to kill Viktor or… Matteo listened to me and there wasn’t even a fight to begin with.

“Viktor?” Inessa asks, placing her hand on his back. He’s bent over his desk, breathing heavy. “What happened? You’re alive. That’s a good thing.”

“Dante wasn’t there. He was supposed to be there tonight and he wasn’t. Connor failed me. Our plan failed. Now we’ll have to try again. But now I’ve tipped my hand. Any number of Dante’s followers saw me at his club tonight. They’ll tell him I was there, which will only put his guard up even more. I lost my one chance to go after him.”

“There will be other chances,” Inessa consoles him. “But have you thought of ending this war? Making peace. You tried once before.”

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