Page 5 of Her Cruel Empire
Markov tries to mediate, his nasal voice grating as he suggests compromises. But Brie steamrolls him without breaking stride, and I feel my carefully maintained composure beginning to crack as Dominika lets a smirk cross her face.
“You’re making a mistake,” I tell Brie, letting frost creep into my tone. “And disrespecting the Consortium is unwise. You’ll regret it.”
Dominika speaks for the first time, her voice quiet but cutting: “Funny. I don’t regret a thing.”
Suddenly I’m back in an underground lesbian jazz club. The memory unfolds with perfect clarity—Dominika Kusek standing defiantly before me, choosing her Amazonian ex-showgirl over everything I tempted her with.
“Don’t you know what I can offer you?” I’d demanded.
“I know what you can’t,” she’d shot back. “And that’s love. I hope you find someone else you care about more than yourself one day, Eva. I don’t know if that’s possible—but I hope you will.”
Then she’d leaned closer, making sure I saw the truth in her eyes. “But nothing on earth will keep me away from Brie, and certainly nothingyouhave to offer.”
I force myself back to the present, where Dominika is watching me with knowing eyes. “I don’t know all the customs of Las Vegas, it’s true. But I will not lower myself to haggle over pricingwith you.” I stand and smooth my skirt. “And when your cut-rate toys jam in the middle of a bloodbath, perhaps you’ll wish this meeting had gone differently.”
Leon opens the door for me, and I walk out with my chin high, my blood boiling beneath the surface.
But no one would think it to look at me. Eva Novak doesn’t flinch. If the Colombos won’t buy, there are plenty who will.
“Will you go to your preferred club?” Leon asks delicately, when we’re back in the armored limousine.
I can’t go back to the Secret Garden tonight. Brie and that traitor might be there, and I cannot be bothered to deal with them again. “No,” I say decisively. “I’m going to find somewhere new to drink. Andalone, Leon.”
“No,” he rumbles comfortably. “I will accompany you.”
Leon allows me into the Secret Garden alone, but nowhere else in this city. And there’s no point arguing with the man. I might rule with an iron fist, but Leon is like a robot programmed to protect me no matter what—even if I myself command him to leave me.
“Fine,” I say. “Tell the driver to get off the Strip and find some hole in the wall.” If Leon insists on coming, I plan to make it as unpleasant an experience as possible.
The bar we end up in is a total dive—a neon sign that strains now and then, and the kind of clientele that carries more scars thancredit cards. It’sperfect. Tonight I don’t want velvet seats and champagne flutes. I want noise. Smoke. Cheap vodka.
And somewhere I can plot and plan my revenge against Brie Colombo. If she won’t buy from me, I’ll make sure she can’t buy from anyone else, either, and make her come running back. She has no idea what she’s dealing with, and Dominika clearly hasn’t warned her, either.
“This place isn’t safe,” Leon grumbles, filling the doorway as he scans for threats. “That man over there—I’ve seen him before. He works for the Gattos.”
“The Gattos are hardly a threat,” I sigh, selecting a booth in the shadows where I can see every entrance. I flick my fingers at Leon, who sighs and takes a position at a nearby table, close enough to act but far enough to give me space to think.
As usual, Las Vegas is my last stop in what has been an insufferable tour of American cities. Six weeks of the same tedious negotiations from coast to coast. New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles—and every client has tried the same pathetic dance. Times are tight, they whine. The economy is rough. Surely the Novak Consortium can be reasonable about pricing?
But quality costs what it costs, and my father didn’t build this empire by offering clearance sale prices to ungrateful customers. They’ll pay my price eventually. They always do. But to have Brie Colombo, of all people, think she can make demands of me…
It’s time to remind these people of the power I wield.
I feel Leon’s eyes on me when I go up to the bar to order a vodka, neat, and then I go back to the table and turn my thoughts back to the problem. Brie Colombo seems to believe ruling overher little city-state makes her my equal. And as for Dominika—she chose a glittering false facade over everything my family has built.
Overme.
The betrayal still stings, sharp and unexpected. Not romantic jealousy, of course. I appreciated Dominika’s skills, that was all. But this is aboutloyalty. About respect.
About the way she looked at me today like I was the villain in her little love story.
Maybe I am.
If so, I will live up to my role. The Colombos are done, I decide. There are plenty of other Vegas organizations vying to take their place. I’ll choose one, bolster them, and sit back as they wipe the Colombos off the map.
I’ll talk to the Gattos.
They’re the first to come to mind, after Leon complaining about that slimy, unblinking man sitting in a dark corner on the other side of the room.
