Page 72 of Dagger in the Sea

“Does Alessio know about this?” I asked.

His eyes slid to mine. “I don’t involve my brother. He wanted out years ago, he got out.”

“So, you only do business at his parties? Are you making copies of his jewelry too?”

“Of course not.” Luca made a face at me as he took a long hit of his cigarette. “Only Cartier and Tiffany.”

“What do you need Evgeny for?”

“Shipping. He’ll make sure my product gets through to Turkey where I pick it up. And he’ll make sure they get seen in Russia and a few of the former Soviet countries in the region for a share of the profits.”

“Does he sell you interesting weapons, too?”

“Only if I ask nice.” Luca let out a long stream of smoke.

“Why do you have to get Adriana involved, an innocent civilian, especially when she’s your brother’s girlfriend?”

“I didn’t know Adri knew Evgeny. She played the daddy card and the I’m-your-daughter’s-friend card. No matter. He likes them young and glittery.” He leaned over the table, dabbed a short line of coke into formation and sniffed. “He has no morals, so she’s only made herself more attractive to him. Now she’s a true trophy.” He rubbed his tongue across his gums.

My heart thudded in my chest as Luca and I watched Evgeny insist on dancing a second song with Adri, holding her flush against his body, hand splayed on her back.

“Your moral compass is pretty fucking stellar too, Aliberti.”

“I’m a businessman, DeMarco. Same as you.”

“Keep Adriana out of this.”

“The minute you boarded this boat with me, she was marked as mine to give,” he breathed. “So were you.”

My heart shot into overdrive, pummeling against my ribs, churning ice into my veins at his words, at what he implied. At his fucking easygoing tone. My body flinched as the man next to me on the sofa bumped into me as he and his friends snorted blow like college kids on spring break. Their loud laughter jarring, their wild chattering in Arabic intensifying the ache drilling through my skull.

Evgeny and Adri returned, and my lungs began to ease. She took a step toward me, but he gripped her hand, stopping her, and her face tightened. Evgeny slid a thick arm around Adri’s middle, pressing her against his body, and she swallowed hard, her eyes finding mine. Spooked. Anxious. My heart collided with my ribcage, my pulse jamming.

“Let’s play, Luca,” said Evgeny, his tone decidedly different. “That’s what you came here for, isn’t it?” His dark gaze slid to mine then back to Luca. He knew I was on edge, he liked it.

“It is, yes.” Luca put out his cigarette in an enormous gold plated ashtray with three naked cherubs humping each other along the rim. Luca rose from the sofa, his poker face firmly in place.

“Let’s play.”

21

Turo

Berezin ledAdri off the deck and through an archway, Luca and I behind them. My chest was heavy with lead.

“What the hell is going on, Luca?” I muttered under my breath.

“Obviously, he’s still pissed at me. My father wants me to make it up to him. Any way I can. ”

“Whatever way, you keep Adri out of this.”

“You might have to work for that.”

I grabbed the collar of his expensive T-shirt. “Do not involve her, you fuck. Use me if you want.”

He patted my cheek as if I were his brother. “Bene.” A dark grin flickered over his lips. That had been his plan all along, hadn’t it?

We entered a dark room, smaller than the others, the odor of vodka thick, sweat and perfume streaking through the humidity. The walls were different here from the other rooms, textured. Soundproofed.

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