Page 290 of Legacy
“Don’t bother,” I snap. “Drop her here. We’re keeping the women together anyway.”
He murmurs something I can’t make out, a softness in his voice I’ve never heard before.
“Fine. I’ll drop her there. Ivan can pick her up after.”
The call ends.
Adriana folds her arms. “Where are you going? Who’s coming here?”
I step closer, press a kiss to her forehead. “Maksim. And some girl he has, probably under duress.”
I chuckle faintly.
Her brow lifts, but she doesn’t press.
“Our men—” I sigh, the weight settling again. “They have a couple of Armenians tied up at the warehouse. If there’s any more intel to bleed out, now’s the time.”
She doesn’t flinch. Just nods once and touches my chest like she’s checking I’m still here.
“You get what we need to win this war.”
And I will.
Because of her.
We return to the sitting room, the weight of the day clinging to our skin like smoke.
Vasilisa’s pacing, arms folded tight across her chest, anger radiating off her in waves. Her heels echo with each step like a countdown.
She whirls on Santo the second we enter. “You can’t leave me here. I don’t even have my gun.”
Santo lifts a hand in quiet reassurance. “You won’t need it, Dea. You’ll be safe here.”
She spins, eyes wild. “It’s a house, Santo. Just like ours. I wasn’t safe there.”
The words hit him like a bullet. His expression falters, just for a second—but the hurt is unmistakable.
I step in. “We’ve doubled the men on the perimeter, Tiny. You won’t be alone. Adriana will be here, and—”
“And Ayla has a mean right hook,” comes Maksim’s voice from behind us.
We all turn as he strolls in, casual as ever, a small brunette moving beside him like shadow and steel.
“And,” Maksim adds, smirking at Vasilisa, “I’ve got an extra gun if it’ll help you sleep at night, Kisa.”
He opens his arms wide, grinning like he’s expecting a hug.
Vasilisa strides right up to him—and slaps him across the face.
The sound cracks through the room like a whip.
Maksim’s jaw tightens. Even the girl next to him startles, taking a half-step back.
He exhales slowly, hand brushing the reddening mark on his cheek, eyes gone ice-cold. “Careful, Kisa. I may forget you’re my favorite cousin.”
Santo’s already moving, placing himself between them, his stance lethal. “And I may forget we’re in an alliance if you speak to my wife like that again.”
Maksim’s smirk fades.
